The Best Turkish Food in the United Kingdom
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The best Turkish food in the United Kingdom, according to the experts: The 50, the Michelin Guide, and The Infatuation have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Mangal 2 comes out on top, and the good stuff runs deepest in London and Cardiff.
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NORA and yeni hold the next two places. The Michelin Guide shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Eater next.
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Rank 1. Mangal 2
Turkish Barbecue
The ocakbasi grill is still the heart of the room, but Mangal 2 has come a long way from its Dalston kebab-house origins. The sons of the founder, one of them fresh from Copenhagen's Noma orbit, took over and quietly rewired the whole operation. It draws the kind of Londoners who track that sort of thing, but the wood smoke and the borek keep it from feeling like a dinner party.
The awards
- The 50 The 50: The 50 Discovery
- The 50 The 50 Discovery
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Rank 2. NORA
Turkish
The sesame caraway pide arrives before anything else, and that's a good call. This Turkish restaurant sits on the ground floor of a glass-fronted Canary Wharf apartment block, moody enough inside, with tiled tables and a bar counter where a solo lunch fits nicely, and booths roomy enough for a group that has something to celebrate. The baklava, pistachio-topped and properly chewy, is the kind of ending that makes the financial district feel briefly forgivable.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Three places have the exact same Score, so they share #2. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #2 NORA (this place) 68.544
- #2 yeni 68.544
- #2 Zahter 68.544
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Rank 2. yeni
Turkish
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Three places have the exact same Score, so they share #2. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #2 NORA 68.544
- #2 yeni (this place) 68.544
- #2 Zahter 68.544
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Rank 2. Zahter
Turkish
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
A Tie
Three places have the exact same Score, so they share #2. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #2 NORA 68.544
- #2 yeni 68.544
- #2 Zahter (this place) 68.544
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Rank 5. Longa Turkish Café
Turkish Café
Longa is a Turkish breakfast café in Heath where the plan is always a quick bite and the morning disappears anyway. The menemen arrives bubbling in a copper pan with a basket of warm sesame simit for scooping. The room is bright and mismatched, with a shelf of Istanbul travel books and Turkish Mr Men at the back. Weekends mean dogs, prams, and people hovering over your table, so settle in and order another tea.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: The 13 Best Restaurants In Cardiff
- The Infatuation The 13 Best Restaurants In Cardiff
Why #5, not #6
Both places show 65. This one's exact Score is 65.4 and the next is 64.7, so it ranks first. We round what you see, but we rank on the exact number.
- #5 Longa Turkish Café (this place) 65.4
- #6 Durak Tantuni 64.7
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Rank 6. Durak Tantuni
Turkish
One thing on the menu: tantuni, a street-food wrap from Mersin in southern Turkey that you won't find on many London menus. Beef is boiled, seasoned, and fried in cotton oil, then packed into thin lavash with parsley, tomato, and onion, bent into shape, and handed over. Jonathan Nunn called it the superior late-night snack template, and the West Green Road regulars filing in after dark are not arguing.
The awards
- Eater The 38 Best London Restaurants
Why #6, not #5
Both places show 65. This one's exact Score is 64.7 and the one above is 65.4, so it ranks second. We round what you see, but we rank on the exact number.
- #5 Longa Turkish Café 65.4
- #6 Durak Tantuni (this place) 64.7