Best Turkish restaurants in south London
The best Turkish restaurants in south London are spread out, but they reward the journey: a riverside café in Greenwich with Turkish breakfast at the weekend, a kebab house by Tower Bridge that stays open until midnight, a family-run grill on Walworth Road and a lively garden venue in Croydon. Most are neighbourhood places with big local followings.
This guide covers Bermondsey and Tower Bridge, Elephant & Castle, Camberwell, Crystal Palace, Greenwich, Charlton, Wimbledon and Croydon. Every restaurant is one locals rate highly, and each name links to its listing with hours, menus and directions. If you’re new to Turkish grills, our ocakbaşı guide is a good primer.
Bermondsey, Tower Bridge and Elephant & Castle
Lokma Bermondsey, Bermondsey Square
A few minutes from Bermondsey Street, Lokma is a big, sociable grill and bar, and the remains of Bermondsey Abbey can be seen below the floor. Share pembe sultan (beetroot and yoghurt with walnuts), mücver (courgette and feta fritters) and sigara börek, then yaprak döner (spit-cooked lamb) or sarma beyti, Adana kebab wrapped in lavash with yoghurt and paprika butter. Weekends bring breakfast from 9am, live music, a DJ and belly dancing. There’s a full bar, a kids menu and step-free access; groups of up to 15 can book online.
Tower Mangal, Tower Bridge Road, Bermondsey
Cooking on Tower Bridge Road since 1997, Tower Mangal is a relaxed, no-fuss kebab house open from 11am to midnight every day. Order halep kebab (spicy minced lamb with Halep sauce and butter), Ali Nazik (grilled lamb on smoked aubergine yoghurt) or İskender on homemade bread, with patlıcan ezme, a roasted aubergine and pepper dip, to start. There’s a vegetarian section, and the drinks list shows soft drinks and ayran (a salted yoghurt drink) rather than alcohol. Book or order takeaway through its online menu.
Fes Restaurant, Walworth Road, Elephant & Castle
About ten minutes’ walk south of Elephant & Castle, Fes is a family-owned restaurant using recipes from the owners’ grandparents’ kitchens in Turkey’s Mediterranean region. Yoghurt kebabs are the speciality: İskender, yoğurtlu Adana and yoğurtlu kuzu şiş, grilled meat served over bread with tomato sauce, yoghurt and butter. There’s also lahmacun and fıstıklı baklava (pistachio baklava). A local guide tags it halal, but ask if it matters. Open daily, until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, with Uber Eats delivery.
Camberwell and Crystal Palace
FM Mangal, Camberwell Church Street
FM Mangal is known for its charcoal grill and the complimentary grilled bread with onion dip that arrives at the table. Order lamb Adana, köfte or the mixed grill with rice and salad, and finish with baklava. The lunch menu is good value. It’s open from noon to midnight every day, with seating upstairs and outside; it’s busy at weekends, so book for groups. Denmark Hill station is about ten minutes’ walk.
Dem Restaurant, Central Hill, Crystal Palace
A short climb from the Upper Norwood triangle, Dem serves meze and charcoal grills with homemade pide bread. The house speciality is altı ezmeli kebab, grilled kebab over a spicy tomato and pepper ezme with yoghurt; Ali Nazik and kuzu beyti sarma are good alternatives. Start with tarama and sigara böreği (crisp filo rolls with white cheese), and try şöbiyet, a syrup-soaked pastry with cream and pistachio. Beer, rakı and wine are served. Open noon to 11pm daily; book for Friday and Saturday.
Greenwich and Charlton
Midpoint Restaurant, Ballast Quay, Greenwich
Right by the Thames east of the Cutty Sark, Midpoint is a café, bar and restaurant with river views. At weekends it opens at 10am for a Turkish breakfast: menemen (scrambled eggs with peppers and tomatoes), çılbır (poached eggs on garlic yoghurt) or a serpme spread for two. Later, order humus kavurma (hummus topped with pan-fried lamb), Adana kebab or kıymalı pide with minced lamb, then künefe with salted caramel ice cream. Wine and cocktails are served. Book through Hostme on sunny weekends.
Sefa Restaurant, Trafalgar Road, Greenwich
Five minutes from Maze Hill station, Sefa has been part of the Greenwich food scene for around a decade. Breakfast is a highlight, especially the Karadeniz (Black Sea) breakfast with mıhlama, cornmeal melted with butter and cheese. Later, try atom (garlic yoghurt with chargrilled aubergine and chilli oil), homemade mantı dumplings, yoğurtlu İskender or incik, slow-cooked lamb shank. Meals come with complimentary salad, olives and bread, and there’s a weekday set lunch. Open from 10am daily.
Taksim Restaurant, Blackheath Hill, Greenwich
On the climb between Greenwich and Blackheath, Taksim is a neighbourhood grill open from 11am to 11:30pm every day. Order kuzu şiş, Adana köfte or kuzu pirzola (lamb cutlets), or try sarmalı beyti, minced meat wrapped in lavash with tomato sauce, butter and yoghurt. Starters include yaprak sarma and patlıcan soslu, fried aubergine in tomato sauce, and vegetarians get a dedicated section. Third-party listings say it’s halal and serves alcohol; confirm with staff. Deliveroo delivery available.
EaTurkish, Woolwich Road, Charlton
EaTurkish is a small, good-value kebab and pide spot where everything is made in-house, including bread baked fresh every day. Kebabs come wrapped in that bread or as plates: lamb döner, şiş and köfte. From the oven, order lahmacun or a pide such as the Akdeniz with halloumi and olives or the Anatolian with sucuk and egg, and finish with şöbiyet. Order online for collection or delivery; there’s no need to book.
Wimbledon and Croydon
Efes Premium, Hartfield Road, Wimbledon
Five minutes from Wimbledon station, Efes Premium is a modern restaurant and cocktail bar that won an OpenTable Diners’ Choice award in 2024. Start with a mixed meze platter, muhammara (roasted pepper and walnut dip) and lahmacun, then charcoal-grilled kebabs. Street Food Monday and Tuesday bring döner specials, there’s a weekday set lunch, and Turkish breakfast is served on Sundays from 10am to noon. It’s dog friendly, with a patio and daily happy hour. Book ahead during Wimbledon fortnight.
Mithras, George Street, Croydon
Five minutes from East Croydon station, Mithras is a spacious town-centre restaurant built around charcoal-grilled meats and seafood. Order Adana kebap, kuzu şiş or the mixed grill platter, with hummus, hellim and kalamar (fried calamari) to start and sütlaç, baked rice pudding, to finish. There’s a full bar, bottomless brunch and weekend breakfast from 10am, and private parties for up to 100. Book through ResDiary at weekends.
Helvadere, Wickham Road, Shirley
Named after a farming town in central Turkey’s Aksaray province, Helvadere is a grill, cocktail bar and shisha lounge on Wickham Road in Shirley. Order İskender, döner ala Turka (chicken döner with rice and sautéed vegetables) or the sıcak meze tabağı, a hot meze platter; there are burgers and steaks too. The menu states all meat is halal, and there’s a large garden and belly dance shows on Friday and Saturday evenings. It opens at 4pm on weekdays and stays open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays; book through SevenRooms.
How to plan your visit
- Breakfast: Midpoint serves Turkish breakfast at weekends and Efes Premium on Sunday mornings. Lokma and Mithras run weekend breakfast menus, and Sefa has a full breakfast menu and opens at 10am every day. See our Turkish breakfast guide.
- Late: Tower Mangal and FM Mangal are open until midnight every day, and Helvadere until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. More in our late-night Turkish food guide.
- Halal and alcohol: Helvadere‘s menu states all meat is halal. For Fes, Taksim and EaTurkish, halal status comes from third-party listings, so ask staff. Tower Mangal lists no alcohol.
- Pide and lahmacun: EaTurkish bakes its own bread and pide; see our lahmacun and pide guide for more.
- Nights out: Lokma and Helvadere have belly dancing at weekends, and Mithras takes parties of up to 100.
Frequently asked questions about Turkish restaurants in south London
Which Turkish restaurants are near Tower Bridge?
Tower Mangal is on Tower Bridge Road, about ten minutes’ walk south of the bridge, and is open from 11am to midnight every day. Lokma Bermondsey is a little further south on Bermondsey Square, with a full bar, outdoor seating and live music at weekends. Buses 42, 78 and 188 serve both.
Where can I get a Turkish breakfast in Greenwich?
Sefa Restaurant on Trafalgar Road opens at 10am daily and serves a Black Sea breakfast with mıhlama as well as a serpme spread. Midpoint Restaurant on Ballast Quay serves menemen, çılbır and a serpme breakfast for two at weekends, with views over the Thames. Both are a short walk from Maze Hill station.
Is there a good Turkish restaurant in Wimbledon?
Efes Premium on Hartfield Road is about five minutes’ walk from Wimbledon station. It serves charcoal-grilled kebabs, meze and lahmacun, with a full cocktail bar, a weekday set lunch and Turkish breakfast on Sunday mornings. It won an OpenTable Diners’ Choice award in 2024, and booking is recommended during the tennis.
From Thames-side breakfasts in Greenwich to midnight kebabs by Tower Bridge, these Turkish restaurants in south London are worth crossing the river for. Find more of London’s best Turkish places in the Turkish Dish directory, or read our guide to the best Turkish restaurants in London.
