Turkish cuisine is unique. There are a lot of options available for vegans, vegetarians and meat lovers. There are a lot of dessert options too. I am yet to eat at every spot in London that serves Turkish food, but below are some of my personal favourites.

Yamabahce

Near Bond Street Underground station, Yamabahce is a great spot for your Turkish food fix. They have a range of soups, meats, pizza-style foods, mezes and brunch options. Personally, I go for the ‘tandir’ dish, which is basically roasted lamb shoulder served with pilau rice and some veggies. I recommend eating this with a side of yogurt, it adds a lot of flavour to the food overall.

If you don’t go for meat, I recommend any of the pide options. Pide is very similar to pizza. It just tends not to have any sauce on it, and is basically baked flat bread with various toppings.

Classic dessert options include kunefe (sweet and soft shredded pastry with cheese and pistachio, cooked in sherbet) and baklava (served with ice cream flavours such as pistachio or vanilla).

The Turkish tea is complementary if you eat at Yamabahce, and you can have as many as you like.

Aziziye

Located on Stoke Newington Road, Aziziye is a spot I have been to over 20 times. The food and interior are simply amazing.

The lighting is very warm, and there are two seating options available; on tables and chairs, or solid cushions in a walled-off interior with a low table. I genuinely recommend eating in a walled-off area with cushion seatings, you can easily call a waiter via the press of a button, enjoy the ‘Turkish vibe’ being sat on the floor and classic Turkish folk music.

The food options are wide and varied. If you are looking for a Halal location to eat at, this is the one to go to. They have both chicken and meat options. They also have fish and multiple vegetarian options.

Since I always get the same thing at Aziziye and share the meal with my friends, I can only really recommend the ‘sharing platters’. You get a lot of bulgur and pilau rice alongside various meat options, including ‘adana’ kofta, lamb shish, lamb ribs, chicken shish and more.

The great part about Aziziye are the starters. Be careful though; if you overdo the starters (bread with various mezes, dips and salads from hummus to cacik), you may end up feeling full before the main course!

Oh, and the desserts are amazing, no matter what you get. I have tried them all.

Emy’s Kitchen

Now for a breakfast spot location. I recommend going Emy’s Kitchen with some friends and getting a large-size shared Turkish breakfast with some tea.

Located in Finsbury Park, this is an ideal breakfast location. The interior has Instagram-worthy photograph vibes. Breakfast options include, but are not limited to, borek (pastry filled with cheese), sucuk (pepperoni), feta cheese, scrambled egg, jam, halvah, olives, honey with cream (bal kaymak, an amazing combination when you dip hot Turkish bread into it) and menemen (my favourite Turkish breakfast option, it is basically scrambled egg cooked with tomatoes and peppers).

Kervan

Kervan has various locations. Personally, I like the Wood Green spot very much. The interior is very nice, with various seating options both inside and outside the restaurant. They have a wide variety of Turkish cuisine, ranging from their rice options, their dessert options, their drinks, fish/meat options and Turkish bakery. Their soups are also amazing, the mercimek soup (lentils) in my opinion is the best one. The aubergine ratatouille is an excellent option if you are all about vegetable stews.

Super Kebab

This one is more of a fast-food spot, I acknowledge that. However, I cannot skip out on Super Kebab. When most people are asked what comes to mind when Turkish food is mentioned, kebab is almost always the top answer.

The prices are very suitable as with most kebab spots. However, what is special about Super Kebab are the portion sizes, the options available, the speedy service and most importantly for me, the perfect amount of grease you get with a kebab (not too little but not too much). Of course, if you ask nicely, I am sure they will still serve you with a super greasy kebab too.

I tend to go for the kebab wrap with the legendary spicy sauce they have, with cheesy fries and a mixed salad to go with it.

I may be biased to say Turkish food is among the best food out there since I am Turkish but putting my bias aside: Turkish food is truly incredible!