We think there’s nothing that fills a hole in your stomach better than a kebab, and luckily for us, our beloved capital is full to the brim of great spots where you can find them. From bottomless kebab nights with all the meaty goodness you can stomach to innovative and tasty vegan options, here’s our rundown of where to go in town to experience some of the best kebabs in London. Better loosen that belt, mind.
1. Berenjak, Soho
Modelled on the hole-in-the-wall eateries of Tehran, Berenjak more than deserves its spot on this roundup of the best kebabs in London. Their a la carte menu is stuffed to the brim with delicious delights, while the feast menu mixes meat-heavy mains with the likes of black truffle olivieh and mirza ghasemi (coal-cooked aubergine with garlic, tomato, and cacklebean eggs) – best mopped up with an array of flatbreads and sourdoughs.
They also do bottomless kebab nights – no, seriously – on Tuesdays through to Saturdays until 9.30pm. Yep, 90 minutes’ of limitless kebabs, with the option to add on bottomless booze to boot. Plus, with its rustic, plant-filled interiors, beautiful rugs and mosaic tiled-floor, it’s a nice spot to wine and dine – it even featured on our list of the prettiest restaurants and on Dua Lipa’s favourite restaurants too.
📍You’ll find Berenjak at 27 Romilly Street, London, W1D 5AL.
🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.
2. Le Bab, Soho, Covent Garden, Dalston and Old Street
The shawarmas and shishes served up at the four branches of Le Bab are guaranteed to have you salivating. Trust us. Designed as a ‘kebab renaissance project’, this beloved spot is the brainchild of three Michelin-starred chefs who wanted to bring London an exquisitely delicious new take on the ancient dish of kebabs.
Don’t let ‘Michelin-starred chefs’ scare you off, though – not all sensational food here is followed by a sensationally-ginormous food bill. Shocking, we know. The kebabs themselves are almost too beautiful to eat. Presented in an ‘open-sandwich’ style with the fillings delicately laid out over a perfectly floured, home-made flatbread, the word ‘renaissance’ was forever ringing in our ears. It is practically an art form.
And that’s before you’ve even tasted it. Plus, all the ingredients here are sustainably-sourced, and all the meat is free-range, so you know that you’re getting the best of the best.
📍 You’ll find Le Bab at four different locations across the city. You can find out more here.
3. Suvlaki, Soho
We always thought that it would take an Easy Jet flight and some questionable tan lines to get that feeling of pure Greek holiday bliss – when you’re sitting in a tiny taverna sipping on an ice-cold Mythos. But that’s before we discovered Suvlaki.
Situated slap-bang in the middle of Soho, this one-room restaurant is all about the flaming robata-style grill and graffiti-scribbled walls. As you would expect from a restaurant named after the country’s national street food, the menu is fairly limited. You can indulge in souvlaki skewers and wraps, with added gigantes beans, greek salad and oregano chips on the side.
But the real star of the show here are their two signature dishes – a chicken kebab with fresh tomato and olives and spicy lamb chops with tzatziki and healthy spanakorizo.
📍You’ll find Suvlaki at 21 Bateman Street, London, W1D 3AL.
🚇 Nearest station is Tottenham Court Road.
4. Fez Mangal, Ladbroke Grove
Often seen with a long line of hungry customers overflowing out the door, Fez Mangal is a great go-to spot when you’re in the mood for some seriously fuss-free dining. A traditional Turkish spot, they specialise in doner, shish and beyti kebabs – a dish consisting of ground beef or lamb, grilled on a skewer, wrapped in lavash and topped off with tomato sauce and yoghurt.
Stuffed vine leaves, babaganoush, hummus and tabule all feature in the lip-smackingly good mezze platter, and the special mix for two is well worth the £32.50 price tag. Wash it all down with an Efes draft beer or a bottle of Kavaklidere Yakut red wine and you’ve got yourself a damn good meal we say.
📍You’ll find Fez Mangal at 104 Ladbroke Grove, London, W11 1PY.
🚇 Nearest station is Ladbroke Grove.
5. Mangal 2, Stoke Newington
This London kebab house has become something of a legend in this neck of the woods, and it’s easy to see why. Opening in 1994, it was an evolution of Mangal 1 – the first Turkish charcoal grill (or ocakbaşi) to open its doors in London, all the way back in 1991.
Further reinvented over the lockdown of 2020, the menu at Mangal 2 has now been streamlined by owner brothers Ferhat and Sertaç Dirik. While all the food here is pretty bloody tasty, it’s the Yaprak doner with lavash and pickles that really steals the show. Follow this up with a sweet slice of carob cake drizzled in kaymak butterscotch and you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in town.
📍You’ll find Mangal 2 at 4 Stoke Newington Road, London, N16 8BH.
🚇 Nearest station is Dalston Kingsland.
6. What The Pitta, Camden, Brick Lane and Croydon
The guys at What The Pitta have really made a name for themselves since the burst onto the scene in 2018 with their lip-smackingly good vegan kebab. Made with secret-spiced soya pieces, tzatziki, hummus, jalapeno peppers and drizzled in a spicy chilli sauce, it’s been a popular addition to London’s vegan scene.
Plus at under nine quid, it’s good for the old wallet – perfect for a lunchtime bite or a pre- or post-gig snack. Other things on the menu here include a vegan doner gyros, a falafel wrap and a mezze box with spiced couscous and a mixed salad of lettuce, onion, tomato, pickled red cabbage, mixed olives and pickled peppers. Sounds pretty damn good to us and a reason we had to feature this one on this roundup of the best kebabs in London.
📍 You’ll find What The Pitta at three different locations across London. You can find out more here.
7. Gökyüzü, Harringay Green Lanes, Walthamstow and Finchley
When it comes to the best kebabs in London, Gökyüzü is most certainly a front-runner. It’s main branch in Harringay Green Lanes is a vast and lively spot, famous for its tasty sharing platters and succulent kebabs.
One thing for sure is that you won’t go hungry here. The portions here are hugeeee and great value too – if you’re a meat-lover, don’t miss out on the sharing platters which come loaded with lamb and chicken shish, ribs, wings and melt-in-the-mouth adana kebab.
But it’s not all about the meat – vegetarians can go for the sarma kuzu beyti – a delicious concoction of fried veggies wrapped in lavash bread with cheese and grilled over charcoal, topped off with tomato sauce, then covered with butter and served with yoghurt and bulgur. Sounds pretty good to us.
📍 You’ll find Gökyüzü at three different locations across London. You can find out more here.
8. Skewers Victoria Kebab, Pimlico
Situated just a stone’s throw from Pimlico tube station, this great little takeaway spot is definitely one of the best you can visit when you’re in central. Billing themselves as ‘your local Turkish takeaway’, Skewers Victoria Kebab is a friendly spot where you’re made to feel one of the family.
Open until 11pm and offering a whole host of wallet-friendly meal deals, this is a great spot to come if you’ve been hitting some of London’s best pubs and need to indulge in some post-pint sustenance. The doner served here is pretty bloody fantastic, but the charcoal-grilled skewers aren’t to be sniffed at either.
📍 You’ll find Skewers Victoria Kebab at 112 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 2RQ.
🚇 Nearest station is Pimlico.
9. Cirrik 19 Numara Bos, Dalston
Home to the ‘the best authentic Turkish and Kurdish food’ in London according to one of our former colleagues, the food rustled up at Cirrik 2 Nuamra Bos is pretty out of this world. While you can’t really go wrong with anything off the menu here, the chicken beyti with yoghurt sauce and lavash bread and the chargrilled lamb adana kebab are both well worth your time.
It’s not all about kebabs though. There’s marinated sea bass and sea bream on offer too, and veggies and vegans are also well catered for with their barbecued salad. Think grilled tomatoes, onions, aubergine, red and green peppers, grilled garlic covered in a pomegranate sauce with olive oil and lemon juice. Yum, yum – get yourself over to Dalston we say!
📍You’ll find Cirrik 2 Numara Bos at 34 Stoke Newington Road, London, N16 7XJ.
🚇 Nearest station is Dalston Kingsland.
10. Cyprus Mangal, Pimlico
Rounding off this list of the best kebabs in London is Cyprus Mangal, another Pimlico-based spot offering up fantastic Turkish cuisine, including some pretty bloody fantastic kebabs. If you’re feeling particularly peckish, you should definitely go for the ‘Cyprus Mangal Speciality’ – a meatastic mix of kofte, lamb chops, lamb ribs, shish kebab, chicken wings and even quail!
They’ve also got a great veggie shish which incorporates a charcoal-grilled skewer of courgette, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms topped with a butter and pomegranate sauce and either rice or a bulgur salad. Now if that doesn’t satiate your appetite, we don’t know what will.
📍 You’ll find Cyprus Mangal at 45 Warwick Way, Lillington and Longmoore Gardens, London, SW1V 1QS.
🚇 Nearest station is Victoria.