Dilara Uyghur Restaurant

"There are plenty of restaurants serving great Turkish food around N4, but this one also serves Uyghur specialities. Whether you settle into one of Dilara’s warm, cosy booths for a solo bowl of fat, slippery legmen noodles, or you get the large plate chicken to share with a few friends, you’ll soon see that this low-key spot has all the makings of a place you’ll want to visit regularly." - rianne shlebak

"“This huge stew of braised chicken, pepper, velvety sauce-sodden potatoes, ever-so-slightly-mouth-numbing dry chilli, and flat chewy noodles has taken a lease on the part of my brain that decides what I’m going to eat when I’m feeling pathetic and incapable of making a decision. Not that there aren’t plenty of amazing options at this fantastic little Uyghur specialist on Blackstock Road. Rather, this dish is a non-negotiable. That Dilara was my first regular haunt once the first lockdown eased and restaurants started re-opening makes it just that little bit more special to me.” - OJF" - oliver feldman, heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak

"Big groups post-Arsenal matches or otherwise regularly descend on this deceptively large restaurant on Blackstock Road for their fill of slippery legmen noodles, cumin-rubbed lamb skewers, and warming big plate chicken. Don’t be fooled by what you can see from the street—this isn’t a takeaway and is very much a restaurant. One that’s as good for comforting meals as it is for celebratory get-togethers." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing, rianne shlebak, daisy meager

"Like at Singburi, your table at Dilara should barely be visible. It should be peeking out from underneath enormous servings of big plate chicken, glossy legmen noodles, and piles of cumin-rubbed lamb skewers. And there should definitely be a few stains on it by the end. The Uyghur restaurant in Finsbury Park is a reliable big group spot—not just because it can easily fit a small army, but because its mix of Turkish, Sichuan, and Uyghur cuisine will please any palate. For midweek get-togethers you’re almost guaranteed to be fine to walk in, unless Arsenal are playing." - jake missing

"Some roads in London have a life of their own. A schedule and a bustle that’s unique to that stretch and that stretch alone, and Blackstock Road is very much one of them. At any hour of any day there’s something going in this bit of N4 and in Dilara, it has one of London’s finest and most discreet Uyghur restaurants. Big groups post-Arsenal or otherwise regularly descend on this deceptively large space for their fill of slippery legmen noodles, cumin-rubbed lamb skewers, and warming big plate chicken. Don’t be fooled by what you can see from the street—this isn’t a takeaway and is very much a restaurant. One that’s as good for comforting meals as it is for celebratory get-togethers. " - Jake Missing