Mangal Ocakbasi
10 Arcola Street, Dalston, London E8 2DJ
Take a walk up Kingsland Road north of Dalston Junction and you could practically be in Istanbul. The vast majority of businesses here are Turkish owned, and Mangal Ocakbasi in particular does a roaring trade. Quality kebabs are the order of the day here: it’s loud, brisk and you can watch your dinner being blasted on skewers over the smoking charcoal grill. Either eat in the – almost always – crowded restaurant, or take away. There’s no menu, but the waiters will point you in the right direction: basically, this is a meat-lover’s paradise. Bring your own booze – there’s no corkage charge.