Best Turkish Restaurants in East London: Walthamstow to the City
The best Turkish restaurants east London has to offer stretch from Walthamstow and Romford to the towers of Canary Wharf and the Square Mile. Expect late-night grill houses, family meze rooms, fully halal mixed grills in Bethnal Green and Bow, and polished modern dining in the City.
Every place here is listed on Turkish Dish and rated highly by the people who eat there, with dishes to order and notes on hours, halal, alcohol and booking. Our guide to popular Turkish dishes explains the names, and the best Turkish restaurants in London covers the whole city.
Walthamstow, Wanstead and Woodford
Güneş, Walthamstow
Four minutes from Walthamstow Central on Hoe Street, Güneş is part of a small family that includes Güneş in Enfield. Before 4pm, breakfast runs from menemen (eggs slow-cooked with peppers and tomato) to çılbır (poached eggs on garlicky yoghurt), with free Turkish tea. Later the charcoal grill takes over: Adana (hand-minced spiced lamb), beyti (spiced minced kebab) and family platters of döner, shish, wings and lamb ribs.
Alcohol is served. It’s open 11am to 11pm (from 10am at weekends); book online for weekend breakfast.
Yasar’s Kitchen, Walthamstow
Almost next door to Blackhorse Road station, Yasar’s Kitchen is a busy, neon-lit grill house close to the Blackhorse Beer Mile. Order hummus kavurma (hummus topped with crisp-fried lamb), döner from the spit, lamb şiş, whole levrek (sea bass) or the chef’s special, with sumaklı soğan, onion salad with sumac.
Wine and beer are served, and the kitchen stays open until 1am (2am on Fridays and Saturdays), with online booking.
Gezi Park, Wanstead
Three minutes from Snaresbrook station, Gezi Park is a long-standing local on Wanstead High Street. Start with kısır (bulgur salad with herbs and pomegranate), muska böreği (cheese-filled filo triangles) and mücver (courgette fritters), then go for yoğurtlu Adana, served on bread with yoghurt and tomato sauce, or sarma beyti, minced lamb wrapped in flatbread.
There’s a lunch meal deal, and it opens from noon daily with online booking. Halal status isn’t stated.
Mezze On The Green, Woodford Green
Mezze On The Green (also known as Mezze Ocakbaşı) is a restaurant and bar on Johnston Road, just off the High Road. Start with patlıcan soslu (fried aubergine in tomato sauce) or hellim (halloumi) with sucuk, a spicy Turkish sausage, then the mix grill or kleftiko, slow-cooked lamb shank in lemon sauce.
Vegetarian and gluten-free dishes are marked and cocktails are served. Open noon to 10pm daily; book through Favourite Table.
Romford and Hornchurch
Mangal Meze, Romford
Two minutes from Romford station, Mangal Meze on South Street is past its tenth year. The house specials are the draw: İskender (döner over bread with tomato sauce, butter and yoghurt), Ali Nazik (grilled lamb on smoked aubergine and yoghurt) and İslim kebab, meatballs wrapped in aubergine and baked in sauce.
There’s a set lunch menu and cocktails. It opens from noon daily, and evenings often book up, so reserve online.
Shish Legends, Romford
On Rush Green Road, Shish Legends is listed as fully halal and alcohol-free, and is popular for family celebrations. The grill does Adana köfte, lamb and chicken shish and döner with bulgur rice, and the lahmacun (thin flatbread with spiced minced meat) has a following, including a spicy naga version. It opens at 4pm on weekdays and noon at weekends, closing at 11pm.
Shish Meze, Hornchurch
Right beside Emerson Park station, Shish Meze has served traditional Turkish food since 2013 and is a polished restaurant and bar with cocktails, Turkish spirits and wine. Try içli köfte (fried bulgur shells stuffed with spiced lamb), beef çökertme (julienned beef over chips with garlic yoghurt) or pistachio-crusted lamb chops.
There’s a kids’ menu and a weekend bottomless brunch. Open noon to 11pm daily; book via SevenRooms.
Clapton and Hackney Wick
Pivaz, Clapton
Named after the Turkish bean salad, Pivaz on Chatsworth Road serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mornings bring menemen and a house breakfast with sucuk, halloumi, honey and clotted cream; later there’s çöp şiş (small cubes of lean lamb), kaburga (lamb ribs) and İskender. Vegans get falafel, ezme (spicy tomato dip) and a vegetable skewer.
Wine and beer are served. It’s open 10am to 11pm daily; arrive early for weekend brunch.
Scoffs Grill, Hackney Wick
On Wick Road near Victoria Park, Scoffs Grill is a relaxed neighbourhood grill and a handy stop before events at London Stadium. The set menu for two to three brings hummus and taramasalata with warm flatbread, then a mixed grill; or order Adana, döner, kuzu pirzola (lamb chops) or wings.
Efes beer is served and the room is step-free. It opens at 11:30am Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays.
Bethnal Green, Bow and Whitechapel
Adana, Bethnal Green
On Bethnal Green Road, Adana is a charcoal grill with a fusion twist from a few Bengali-leaning flavours. Share a numbered platter of lamb chops, ribs, wings, shish and Adana, or order lamb beyti (minced lamb wrapped in thin bread with garlic butter), İskender or lamb tava, cooked in a pan with peppers and tomato.
It’s listed as fully halal (HMC certified), with mocktails rather than alcohol, and has a private room for groups. It opens at 4pm on weekdays (earlier Friday to Sunday) and closes at midnight.
Alanya Turkish Fusion, Bow
At the market end of Roman Road, Alanya Turkish Fusion pairs a charcoal grill with South Asian-leaning touches, so masala chips sit beside chicken shish. Order mixed shish with rice and bulgur, tavuk tava (chicken cooked in a pan) or a platter of wings, lamb chops and ribs, then a milk cake such as fındıklı trileçe (hazelnut). It’s listed as fully halal with no alcohol, and opens from 4pm on weekdays and 1pm at weekends.
Efes Gourmet, Whitechapel
On Commercial Road between Whitechapel and Stepney, Efes Gourmet pairs charcoal-grilled meat and stone-oven dishes with modern presentation. Start with lahmacun and çoban salatası (shepherd’s salad), then chicken shish, lamb ribs, İskender or levrek. A small deli counter sells Turkish produce to take home.
Wine is served, with live music on Friday and Saturday evenings. Open 11:30am to midnight daily.
Canary Wharf and Limehouse
Moira, Canary Wharf
A short walk from South Quay DLR, Moira describes its cooking as rooted in Anatolian heritage, with family recipes and a charcoal grill. Pair a hot meze selection (börek pastries, hellim, mücver, sucuk and falafel) with Adana, lamb beyti or Adana İskender, and finish with baklava.
It states that it is halal certified, and there are set menus for groups (parties of eight or more should phone). Open from noon daily; a 12.5% discretionary service charge is added.
Kirvem, Limehouse
On Commercial Road near Limehouse station, Kirvem is a Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant and bar run under the owner’s close eye. Build your order around lamb: kuzu pirzola and kleftiko-style lamb shank, plus midye (mussels in a rich sauce) and baba ganoush. There’s a full bar, and it’s open 11am to 11pm daily, with reservations taken.
The City and Aldgate
Alongside the existing HAZ Plantation Place, three newer City listings cover everything from a quick lunch to a long dinner.
Leydi, City of London
On Old Bailey, in the Grade II-listed Spiers & Pond building of the Hyde London City hotel, Leydi is a modern Turkish restaurant with a menu by chef Selin Kiazim. Breakfast starts at 7am; later come tırnak pide (hand-shaped flatbread), börek from the stone oven, balık ekmek (mackerel wrapped in lavash) and künefe, kadayıf pastry with cheese and pistachio.
Cocktails, rakı (aniseed spirit) and Turkish wines are served; chicken and wagyu are halal, the lamb is not. Open 7am to 11pm (3pm on Sundays).
Fora City, Aldgate
On Houndsditch, Fora City serves cooking rooted in Ottoman cuisine in an Ottoman-inspired room. Share imam bayıldı (aubergine slow-cooked with onion, tomato and garlic), mitite köfte (small spiced meatballs) and mücver, then choose lamb güveç (casserole) or the Çentik special, mixed meat over chips with sauce and yoghurt.
Directory listings describe the meat as halal, and there’s a full bar. Live guitar plays Tuesday to Saturday evenings; closed on Sundays.
Rose’s Kitchen, Aldgate
By Petticoat Square on Harrow Place, Rose’s Kitchen is a small lunch spot known for gözleme, hand-rolled flatbread made to order with dough kneaded on site. Fillings include spinach and feta, potato, chicken and halloumi. Most people take away; it’s open weekdays only, 8am to 4pm.
Planning a visit to Turkish restaurants in east London
- Halal and alcohol. Adana, Alanya and Shish Legends are listed as fully halal and alcohol-free. Moira states it is halal certified, while Fora City is listed as halal but serves alcohol.
- Check the days. Fora City is closed on Sundays, Scoffs Grill on Mondays and Rose’s Kitchen at weekends.
- Book at weekends. Shish Meze and Mangal Meze fill up on Friday and Saturday nights.
- Breakfast. Güneş, Pivaz and Leydi serve it; see our Turkish breakfast guide.
Frequently asked questions about Turkish restaurants in east London
Which of these restaurants are fully halal?
Adana in Bethnal Green (HMC certified), Alanya Turkish Fusion in Bow and Shish Legends in Romford are listed as fully halal with no alcohol. Moira in Canary Wharf states it is halal certified. At Leydi, the chicken and wagyu are halal but the lamb is not. Elsewhere, ask staff.
Where can I eat Turkish food near Canary Wharf?
Moira is a three-minute walk from South Quay DLR and is busy with office workers at lunch and in the evening, with set menus for groups. Kirvem on Commercial Road in Limehouse is about 15 minutes’ walk from Canary Wharf and has a full bar and a calmer, sit-down feel.
Where can I get late-night Turkish food in east London?
Yasar’s Kitchen by Blackhorse Road stays open until 1am, and until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. Adana in Bethnal Green and Efes Gourmet in Whitechapel both serve until midnight every night. For more options across the city, see our late-night Turkish food guide.
From a gözleme lunch in Aldgate to a late mixed grill in Walthamstow, Turkish restaurants in east London cover every kind of meal. Find more of London’s best Turkish places in the Turkish Dish directory, or head west with our guide to Turkish restaurants in Dalston and Stoke Newington.
