Mangal 1

I used to love this place but last time I went, it was overcrowded, the service was awful and the food was the worst Turkish food in Dalston (it used to be the best). The chicken was still pink in the middle. the salad wilted and the bread stale. it was absolutely packed full of birthday parties and you couldn't hear yourself think…

I wasn't intending on taking myself out for lunch on my birthday today, but my instinct kicked in and I ended up stumbling on a review of Mangal, I am usually suspicious of reviews, due to my recent discovery that Time Out (for example) reviews sound great if your searching for a particular cuisine, then you read the reviewers comments at the bottom of the page, and the reality is somewhat different. Possible nearby competition, but none the less not confidence building ! I have discovered tweeted reviews today, and am pleased as they are more personal, they seem a lot more consecutive… Sabrina's passions is a very good review, it was written in 2010 The restaurant is equally good a few years later. go try it !

This is one of the most overrated Turkish BBQ restaurants in Stoke Newington. The first thing you smell when you walk in are the toilets. The restaurant itself looks unhygenic, and the food offered is less than other restaurants in the same neighbourhood. Personally, I would recommend Cirrak, which is around the corner on main street. Their salads are far better, the meat is just as good as Mangal 1, and I think the only reason people eat at the Arcola street restaurant is that it IS considered trendy. However, it is just another example of the emperor's new clothes.

If stylish interiors and fancy food are what you are after, then you may as well turn round and leave. But if you are seeking out the best damned Turkish grills in London, then Mangal 1 is definitely your best bet. Essentially, it is a little hole-in-the-wall in the backstreets of Hackney, which is a tad ‘off the beaten track’. The restaurant is modest decorated and the sometimes overpowering fumes of searingly hot open charcoal grill which is positioned smack-bang in the main part of the dining room. This may cause you to smell a bit ‘BBQ-ey’ when you leave, but if you are a true carnivore, then this shouldn't pose as a deterrent to you as there is simply no other place better than this for you to gorge yourself on tender chunks of chargrilled meat and poultry just bursting with juice and smoky flavour imparted through the authentic grill cooking. The mixed grill, for a voracious carnivore like myself, is effectively the only way to go when choosing what to eat. I like the variety, the quantity and the different flavours and textures in this dish. I usually order some bread on the side as well as a few of the traditional side dishes such as Cacik yoghurt and a lovely smoky aubergine salad dish. Behold the beast-like behameth platter of meat containing chicken wings, chicken chunks, minced lamb kebabs, lamb chops and lamb chunks all piping hot off the grill, seared to perfection and mouthwateringly good. It really is great value as it is incredibly cheap and the quality of the grills and food are excellent. Don't go here expecting bend-over-backward friendly customer service, whilst they are never rude, they just aren't very chatty either. Cannot wait to go back!

This place is amazing.. If you have the urge for proper Turkish in east London, this is the only place to go. Everything here is fantasic.

This really is the best place to get a ‘real’ kebab in the east. They have been doing it amazingly well for years, long may they continue.

The post above pretty much hit the nail on the head. This is the ultimate basic Turkish restaurant. The meat here is to die for, and the gents working are always lovely. The fact that it's stashed away on Arcola Street means you can click your heels and feel as though you aren't in London at all. Brilliant!

Don't look at the sweaty man chopping the salad and handling the raw kebabs over the open barbecue. You didn't really see him. Concentrate instead on the warm fresh pide and the juicy, salty, chargrilled lamb chops and how well they go with the bottle of Rioja that you brought yourself (no corkage charge). Marvel over the bill that rarely goes over a tenner a head and gaze lovingly into the eyes of the goat herder girl in the picture over your head. You've just been Mangaled. You will be back.