Aziziye Restaurant has been a popular place for Halal Turkish food in East London for many years. As a family we would visit quite often when I was younger. In recent years they have redecorated the restaurant and I haven’t actually been since it has been done up. A few weeks ago I went to check it out … carry on reading to find out what I thought…
Getting There: Aziziye Restaurant is located on Stoke Newington Road in Hackney in East London. We visited after 6:30pm in the evening and found plenty of parking just outside. Parking near by during the day can be a little tricky. The closest station is Dalston Kingsland Station on the London Overground. A number of bus routes pass by the restaurant including 476, 106 and 67.
Design and Vibe: The restaurant is decorated with traditional Turkish design. There are private rooms where you can sit on the floor. The restaurant can get quite busy so I would recommend booking beforehand if you want a private room. The vibe inside is very relaxed and personally I found the service to be very good when we visited.
Above the restaurant is the beautiful Aziziye Masjid, which is perfect if you need to pray when you are visiting the restaurant. The restaurant is also close to some great shops selling Turkish foods and goods.
Menu and Pricing: All the meat is halal and no alcohol is served on the premises. The menu has a range of different Turkish dishes including Iskender, Kofte and Shawarma. They also have mixed grills, lamb chops and lahmachuns. They have a range of cold and hot starters including halloumi, sigara boregi and soups. The price is quite average for Turkish food in East London.
What I ordered: I visited with a big group of people. The portion sizes were generous and so we shared 1 meal between 2 people. We also ordered a range of starters to share. The meal when divided equally between 8 people was around £10 per person. I ordered the Lamb Beyti for my main meal for £11.95 and shared it with another person. I personally found the starters to be pretty basic in terms of taste. My main dish was much better and was really delicious.
Final Thoughts: Honestly I think you can find better Turkish food in East London but Azizye is unique in its location, design and proximity to a Masjid. It is the kind of place which is good to visit with the whole family.