Turkish Seafood Restaurants in London: Mussels, Sea Bass and Meyhane Nights
Turkish seafood restaurants in London are far fewer than the city’s kebab houses, but the good ones are worth seeking out. Turkey is surrounded by sea on three sides, and its fish cooking is simple: sea bass or sea bream grilled whole, anchovies fried in a pan, mussels stuffed with spiced rice, and a long run of meze to eat with a glass of rakı.
This guide explains the dishes to look for and the meyhane (tavern) tradition behind them, then lists the places on Turkish Dish where you can eat them, all of them places diners rate highly. If you’re new to Turkish food, start with our guide to popular Turkish dishes.
What to order: Turkish seafood dishes explained
- Midye dolma: mussels stuffed with spiced rice, eaten from the shell with a squeeze of lemon. It’s a street food sold from carts along Turkey’s coast.
- Balık ekmek: literally ‘fish bread’, a grilled fish fillet (usually mackerel) in bread with lettuce and onion, the classic snack of Istanbul’s waterfront.
- Levrek and çipura: sea bass and sea bream, usually grilled whole. Çipura is often spelled çupra on menus.
- Hamsi tava: Black Sea anchovies, pan-fried until crisp. Tava means pan-fried and ızgara means grilled.
- Kalamar and karides: calamari and prawns, fried or grilled, usually served as hot starters.
The meyhane tradition
A meyhane is a Turkish tavern where the evening is built around rakı, the anise-flavoured spirit that turns cloudy when you add water, and a long procession of small plates. Cold meze come first, such as fava (broad bean purée), haydari (thick yoghurt with herbs and garlic), ezme (a spicy chopped tomato and pepper salad) and kısır (bulgur salad). Hot starters like fried calamari or mussels follow, and the grilled fish arrives last. Nobody rushes. Some London restaurants hold rakı and live music nights, so check our events page for meyhane nights coming up.
The best Turkish seafood restaurants in London
Sarıyer Balık, Newington Green
Sarıyer Balık is a family-run seafood restaurant and meyhane on Green Lanes just north of Newington Green, named after a fishing district on Istanbul’s Bosphorus. It was founded in 1990 by Yusuf Bey, taken over by Cihan Bey in 1996, and won Best Turkish Restaurant at the Time Out Eating and Drinking Awards in 2002. The menu is almost all fish: levrek (sea bass) grilled or cooked in butter, çupra (sea bream), Karadeniz hamsi tava (Black Sea anchovies), grilled kalamar and midye tava (fried mussels). Start with ahtapot salatası (octopus salad) and a spread of cold meze, and finish with warm, creamy helva.
The room is styled as a fisherman’s cave crossed with a 1970s–80s Turkish meyhane. Rakı, wine and Efes beer are served, and vegetarians can make a full meal of the cold meze. It opens in the evenings only, from 5pm Tuesday to Sunday, and is closed on Mondays. Book online through Quandoo at weekends. Halal status isn’t stated.
The Midyeci, Dalston
On Kingsland Road, The Midyeci describes itself as London’s first shop dedicated to midye dolma. Order the mussels plain, spicy or with prawns, with curry and tarator (a garlicky nut sauce) to dip, or buy them by the kilo for a party. Then try the balık ekmek, the balık dürüm (grilled mackerel wrap with roasted peppers), the mussel burger or balık kokoreç, a fish take on the Istanbul street-food classic. Kalamar tava, karides tava (fried king prawns) and levrek ızgara (grilled sea bass) round out the menu.
It began as a takeaway and is now a casual restaurant and bar with beer, wine and cocktails, plus ayran and şalgam (a tangy fermented black-carrot drink). There are cold meze and grilled meats for non-seafood eaters, vegan and gluten-free options, and delivery across London from its website. Hours vary between sources (its website lists Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 10.30pm), so check before visiting. Halal status isn’t published.
Liman, Angel
Liman on Penton Street takes its name from the Turkish word for ‘harbour’. It’s a family-run Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant opened by a husband-and-wife team, one in the kitchen and one running the dining room. Order the sea bream, simply grilled, after a cold mixed meze with warm bread and mücver (courgette fritters). For anyone who prefers meat, there are lamb chops and a mixed grill from the charcoal grill, and slow-cooked lamb shank.
It’s a warm, softly lit room with an open kitchen, good for a date or a family dinner, with high chairs and wheelchair access. There’s a good-value weekday lunch menu. It’s open Monday to Saturday from noon to 10pm and Sunday until 9pm, and booking is recommended for dinner at weekends. See more on our Islington & Angel page.
Testi, Stoke Newington
Testi is a grill house rather than a fish restaurant, but it’s a good choice for the meyhane side of the evening. This family-run ocakbaşı on Stoke Newington High Street opened in 2000, serves rakı and cocktails, and has a long meze list: try atom (spicy roasted peppers on strained garlic yoghurt) and hummus kavurma (lamb sautéed with paprika and butter, served on hummus). It won Best Kebab Restaurant in North and West London at the 2019 British Kebab Awards.
Tables for two to twenty can be booked online, and there are set menus for groups, so it suits a mixed table where not everyone wants fish. The menu labels vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes. It’s closed on Mondays and open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. Halal status isn’t stated on its website.
Beyti Ocakbaşı, Newington Green
Behind a takeaway-style frontage at 113 Green Lanes, Beyti Ocakbaşı has a sit-down dining room decorated with kilims and lanterns, and a long menu whose grill section includes sea bass, sardines and swordfish. Build a meyhane-style table with cold meze such as ıspanak tarator (spinach with yoghurt and garlic) and yaprak dolma (stuffed vine leaves), with wine, rakı or Efes. There are set meze and meal deals for four.
It’s open daily from 11am to 11pm, and it’s worth phoning ahead for larger groups. Halal status isn’t published, so ask staff.
Taş Fırın, Shoreditch
At this corner restaurant on Bethnal Green Road, Taş Fırın grills levrek or çipura over charcoal in view of the dining room. Start with a mixed cold meze and fresh bread from the wood-fired stone oven, then order the fish. Listings note halal, vegan and gluten-free options, and it’s open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Alcohol isn’t clearly confirmed, so check before you go.
More places to order fish
- Cirrik 19 Numara Bos, Dalston: çupra ızgara (grilled sea bream) from the open charcoal grill, with natural wines and cocktails.
- FIRIN, King’s Cross: sea bass baked in the wood-fired oven.
- TANDIR, Palmers Green: grilled levrek alongside its slow-cooked tandır lamb.
- Sun Kitchen, Hackney: grilled sea bass and swordfish next to the charcoal grills.
- Gallipoli, Islington: grilled fish after meze, with wine and rakı on Upper Street.
- Stone Cave, Dalston: kalamar (fried calamari) from the hot meze list.
Tips for a Turkish seafood night
- Order cold meze first and the fish last. A meyhane meal is meant to be slow.
- Rakı is usually mixed with cold water and ice and sipped with food. Order a jug of water alongside.
- Book ahead for Sarıyer Balık at weekends; it opens from 5pm and is closed on Mondays, as is Testi.
- Hosting at home? The Midyeci sells midye dolma by the kilo and delivers across London.
Frequently asked questions
What is midye dolma?
Midye dolma are mussels stuffed with spiced rice, cooked in the shell and served with a squeeze of lemon. They’re a popular street food along Turkey’s coast, often sold from street carts. In London, The Midyeci in Dalston specialises in them, with plain, spicy and prawn versions.
What do you drink with Turkish seafood?
The classic pairing is rakı, an anise-flavoured spirit mixed with water and ice until it turns milky white. It’s sipped slowly through a meyhane meal of meze and grilled fish. If you don’t drink, try ayran (salted yoghurt), şalgam (fermented black-carrot juice) or Turkish tea to finish.
Where can I eat Turkish seafood in London?
For a full fish menu and a meyhane atmosphere, book Sarıyer Balık near Newington Green. The Midyeci in Dalston is the place for midye dolma and balık ekmek, while Liman in Angel and Taş Fırın in Shoreditch grill sea bream and sea bass.
Turkish seafood restaurants in London are part of a much bigger picture. Browse our round-up of the best Turkish restaurants in London, see our guide to the best ocakbaşı in London for grills, or browse the full Turkish Dish directory.
