Mangal 1
Turkish restaurant · Dalston ·
No-fuss Turkish cafe serving grilled kebabs with warm pide
No-fuss Turkish cafe serving grilled kebabs with warm pide
"A meal at an ocakbaşı grill is arguably London’s most crowd-pleasing group feast. There are plenty of options to choose from around north east London (especially in Green Lanes), but it’s Mangal 1 that we often find ourselves returning to. Sweetbreads are the speciality at this bustling Dalston institution. This Turkish spot is BYOB too, so bring a bottle of something nice." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, heidi lauth beasley
"You might know Mangal 1 from an unruly birthday party, where grilled kebabs and swigs of beers from the offy were taken in tandem. Or you might know it from last weekend, when you wandered off from Kingsland Road in search of a nourishing doner wrap. This is Dalston’s original Turkish ocakbaşı restaurant and it’s still an essential go-to, whether for melt-in-your-mouth lamb sweetbreads or a blowout BYOB dinner." - rianne shlebak, sinead cranna, jake missing
"The word ‘legend’ is bandied around a little too often these days but when it comes to Mangal 1, it’s accurate. This is Dalston’s original Turkish ocakbaşı, opened in 1991 (before even Gökyüzü on Green Lanes), and it’s still expertly grilling meats in one of London’s liveliest dining rooms. There’s always an eager gang of people that spill outside Arcola Street, as well as a polite line opposite the counter waiting to pick up for takeaway. Eating in is what you want to do though. Call ahead, try your luck on the night, and bring a couple of bottles. It’s BYOB, after all. The main dining room is perma-heaving, often with 20-person birthday groups cracking bottles of Blossom Hill and ripping into flatbread and salad that’s on your table within seconds. Everything that comes off the grill is spot on, from perfectly spiced kofte to pink lamb chops, but pay special attention to the sweetbreads. They’re very good. Although always popular with crowds, it’s worth knowing that Mangal 1 is just as good for two as it is for three, four, five, or six people. Not everyone you bring has to be a legend, as Mangal 1 will do the work for you. photo credit: Koray Firat photo credit: Koray Firat photo credit: Koray Firat photo credit: Koray Firat photo credit: Koray Firat Pause Unmute" - Jake Missing
"The free bread scene in London is nothing, absolutely nothing, without our beloved Turkish restaurants. So it’s only right we speak about Mangal 1, the granddaddy of them all. The kebabs are wonderful at this Dalston institution, and the sweetbreads straight from the grill are flawless, but you could conceivably have a meal of complimentary flatbread and salad. It’s thick but with bite, and begging to be piled with lemon-soaked salad and a drizzle of garlic sauce." - jake missing, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna
"Mangal 1’s main dining room is perma-heaving, often with birthday groups and life-long friends cracking open big bottles of Tyskie, ripping into warm flatbread, and devouring wonderful grilled meats. This is Dalston’s OG ocakbaşı—it opened in the ‘90s and feels like it’s been this way since day one. At this legendary BYOB Turkish institution, one bottle of off licence plonk can easily turn into three, and the high-octane atmosphere and juicy kofte never fail to deliver." - jake missing, daisy meager, sinead cranna, rianne shlebak, heidi lauth beasley
