Turkish Restaurants in Islington: Upper Street, Angel and Beyond
The best Turkish restaurants in Islington sit along Upper Street and the side streets around Angel, with more a short walk north in Highbury and Finsbury Park. Between them you can eat charcoal-grilled kebabs, south-east Turkish specialities, slow-cooked Ottoman stews and a weekend brunch, all within a couple of bus stops of each other.
This guide covers Upper Street, two favourites near the Emirates Stadium and four places on Newington Green, a short hop east. Every one of them is a place locals rate highly, and all of them appear in our guide to the best Turkish restaurants in London. For the wider area, browse the Islington and Angel listings.
Turkish restaurants in Islington: Upper Street and Angel
Gallipoli, Upper Street
Family-run and on Upper Street for more than 25 years, Gallipoli is the last of its once several branches still trading on the strip, at 119-120 Upper Street near Islington Green and the Business Design Centre. Start with meze, the Turkish small plates meant for sharing: hummus, ezme (a finely chopped spicy salad of tomato, pepper and onion), yaprak sarma (vine leaves stuffed with herbed rice) and crisp börek, or filo pastries. Then move to the charcoal grill for Adana kebap, spiced minced lamb on a wide skewer, kuzu şiş (marinated lamb cubes) or a karışık ızgara, the mixed grill, with baklava to finish.
There is wine and rakı, the aniseed spirit Turks drink with meze, plus a two-course set menu that keeps group orders simple. Highchairs, children’s portions and a few outside tables make it an easy family choice, and it opens at 10am at weekends for breakfast. Upper Street gets busy on weekend evenings, so call ahead on 020 7359 1578. Angel station is about eight minutes’ walk south.
Nova Grill (The Grill Club), Upper Street
At 247 Upper Street, Nova Grill (it takes bookings as The Grill Club on OpenTable) is a grill-led room that cooks Turkish classics with a more modern touch. Order kebabs and grilled meats cooked to order, meze to start and bread baked in-house. On Saturdays and Sundays there is a Turkish-leaning brunch, which makes it a daytime option as well as a dinner one.
Beer, wine and cocktails are served, and there are vegan and gluten-free choices for mixed tables. It has wheelchair access and welcomes dogs. Halal status is not published, so ask staff. It opens from noon, closing at 11pm most nights, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 10pm on Sundays. Highbury & Islington station is about eight minutes’ walk.
Kilis Kitchen, Theberton Street, Angel
Just off Upper Street, Kilis Kitchen takes its name and much of its menu from its founder’s home city in Turkey’s far south-east, close to the Syrian border. The house kebab comes as a sharing platter for two to six, and the fıstıklı kebap (pistachio kebab) is a nod to the region’s pistachio orchards. Try Ali Nazik, grilled lamb on smoky aubergine with garlic yoghurt, or lahmacun, a thin flatbread topped with minced meat, from the wood-fired oven. Künefe, a warm shredded pastry with melted cheese and syrup, is made fresh for dessert.
There is a cocktail list as well as wine and beer, a vegan mezze platter and a separate vegetarian section. Lunch menus start at 11:30am, and the website advertises close-up magic on Friday evenings. Book through Dojo online. Note that a 12.5% service charge is added for all parties, and halal status isn’t stated. Angel station is about seven minutes away.
Liman, Penton Street, Angel
A short walk west of Angel at 60 Penton Street, Liman is run by a husband-and-wife team, one in the open kitchen and one in the softly lit dining room. The focus is charcoal grilling and fresh meze: begin with the cold mixed meze and warm bread, add mücver (courgette fritters), then choose lamb chops, the mixed grill, a slow-cooked lamb shank or simply grilled sea bream.
There is a good-value lunch menu on weekdays, high chairs and wheelchair access. It opens from noon to 10pm Monday to Saturday and to 9pm on Sunday. Booking is recommended for weekend dinners, online or on 020 3583 6442. Halal and alcohol details are not listed, so check when you book.
Highbury and Finsbury Park
Iznik, Highbury Park
Named after the Turkish town famous for its Ottoman tiles, Iznik at 19 Highbury Park is decorated with Ottoman fabrics, lamps and painted brick, and it feels more like a family home than a restaurant. Order hünkar beğendi, lamb stew served on a creamy smoked aubergine purée, the house köfte (meatballs), pirzola (grilled lamb chops) or fried kalamar, with cacık, a yoghurt, cucumber and garlic dip, on the side.
The restaurant is listed as halal, and there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. It is dog-friendly and wheelchair accessible, with high chairs. Hours are noon to 10pm, extending to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. It is busiest on Sunday afternoons and Arsenal match days, so call 020 7354 5697 then. Arsenal station is about ten minutes’ walk.
Yıldız, Blackstock Road, Finsbury Park
Yıldız Restaurant has been cooking over charcoal on Blackstock Road since 2006 and is an ocakbaşı, a restaurant built around an open charcoal grill. The handmade kebabs are the draw: Adana, lamb ribs and lamb beyti (spicy minced lamb with garlic and green chilli), also served wrapped in bread as sarma beyti. From the meze, try ali nazik, here a smoky aubergine purée with garlic yoghurt, or arnavut ciğeri, fried cubes of lamb liver with cumin.
Turkish wines, Efes on draught and several rakıs are served, along with ayran (a salted yoghurt drink) and şalgam (a sharp fermented turnip and carrot juice). The restaurant says its meat is certified but does not state halal, so ask. Large six-seat tables suit groups, and it fills with Arsenal fans on match days. It is closed on Tuesdays. Arsenal station is about five minutes away.
A short hop east: Newington Green
Newington Green sits about ten minutes’ walk from Canonbury Overground and marks the southern end of Green Lanes. These four are worth the short bus ride from Upper Street. See all the Newington Green listings for more.
Kozan Grill, Newington Green Road
Kozan Grill is an everyday neighbourhood grill. From the charcoal, order çöp şiş (small cubes of lamb on skewers), liver shish, chicken beyti or the aubergine kebab, where aubergine slices and minced lamb share a skewer. It is tagged halal on Uber Eats, though no certification details are published. It opens at 10am and closes at 11pm most nights, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and delivers through the main apps.
Beyti Ocakbaşı, Green Lanes
From the pavement Beyti Ocakbaşı at 113 Green Lanes looks like a takeaway, but behind the counter is a sit-down room hung with kilims, lanterns, boxing gloves and Arsenal scarves. Order the namesake beyti kebab in lamb or chicken, Akçaabat köfte (Black Sea-style meatballs), kaburga (charcoal-grilled lamb ribs) or mantı, small Turkish dumplings. Wine, rakı and Efes are on the menu, and set meze deals for four make group orders easy. It is open daily from 11am to 11pm; call 020 7704 3165 for big tables.
Üstün Lahmacun & Pide Salonu, Green Lanes
A few doors along at 107 Green Lanes, Üstün does two things: lahmacun and pide, a boat-shaped flatbread baked with a filling. Both are made to order and baked in a wood-burning oven. The lahmacun topping leans on onion and isot, a smoky Turkish chilli, and you can have it whole, sliced or rolled with salad as a wrap. There is a vegetarian version too. Seating is limited, payment is cash only, and it is closed on Mondays.
Sarıyer Balık, Green Lanes
For fish rather than kebabs, Sarıyer Balık is a family-run seafood restaurant and meyhane, the Turkish tavern where rakı and meze are shared over a long evening. Founded in 1990, it was named Best Turkish Restaurant at the Time Out Eating and Drinking Awards in 2002. Build a table of cold meze, then order levrek (sea bass), çupra (sea bream) or hamsi tava, pan-fried Black Sea anchovies. It opens from 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday, and is closed on Mondays. Book through Quandoo at weekends.
Abla Dalston and Yeni Çukurova: two more to try
Abla Dalston, a few doors up Kingsland High Street, is a lively grill and meze restaurant with a bar, known for big sharing platters and grilled sea bass; it opens from 11am to midnight every day. A short walk west at Newington Green, Yeni Çukurova Kebab House on Green Lanes is a small, friendly kebab house serving charcoal-grilled Adana and shish until midnight.
How to plan your visit
- Buses 4, 19, 30 and 43 run the length of Upper Street, with Angel at the southern end and Highbury & Islington at the northern end.
- Book ahead for Friday and Saturday dinners at Gallipoli, Nova Grill, Liman and Sarıyer Balık.
- Check closing days: Yıldız shuts on Tuesdays, while Üstün and Sarıyer Balık are closed on Mondays.
- Bring cash for Üstün, and expect Yıldız and Iznik to be busy on Arsenal match days.
- New to the food? Our guide to popular Turkish dishes explains what to order, and our ocakbaşı guide covers London’s best charcoal grills.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best area for Turkish food in Islington?
Upper Street is the place for a sit-down dinner, with Gallipoli, Nova Grill and Kilis Kitchen within a few minutes of each other. For charcoal grills, wood-fired lahmacun and seafood, head to Newington Green, the southern end of Green Lanes, about ten minutes from Canonbury Overground.
Are there halal Turkish restaurants in Islington?
Iznik in Highbury is listed as halal, and Kozan Grill on Newington Green Road is tagged halal on Uber Eats, without published certification details. Most other Turkish restaurants in Islington do not state their halal status, so it is always worth asking staff before you order.
Do I need to book Turkish restaurants on Upper Street?
For weekend evenings, yes. Upper Street gets busy, and places such as Gallipoli and Liman recommend booking ahead. Nova Grill and Kilis Kitchen take online bookings. Weekday lunches are usually easier, and small takeaway spots such as Üstün are walk-in only.
Islington covers the range, from a long meze dinner on Upper Street to a quick lahmacun on Newington Green. Find more of London’s best Turkish places in the Turkish Dish directory, or explore the Islington and Angel area page.
