The Iskele in Islington

Great food, super tasty and generous portions. A bit expensive compared to other similar restaurants but the food is tops.

Been here a few times but disappointed with today’s visit. Ordered calamari as a starter and I wished I took a photo what was served as it looked and tasted awful. Scraps of tiny pieces of squid which resembled leftovers covered in batter that was drenched in oil. Other food ordered was ok but quality appear to have dropped.

Edited 2024.. Used to be lovely. Now awful! Was told the the meal was reheated food from lunchtime as they did it have time to cook it fresh. Disappointing! Wouldn't bother

Great service and staff. Fantastic food and ambiance. We will repeat for sure 👌🏽

My god, the food was tasty! :) Attentive service too.

Absolutley so disappointed. Booked a table for this restaurant this Saturday, stating it was open; tried to call the restaurant to confirm booking no answer, got to the location and the restaurant was closed! No care for the customer why i was allowed to book a table for a day that the restaurant is closed is beyond me and there was no contact from them to let us know that it was closed. Will not be making that same mistake twice.

I recently visited this restaurant, and while some aspects were decent, there were a few key disappointments. First, there was no visible halal certification displayed, which is something many diners expect from a Turkish restaurant. The Adana kofte seemed readymade and lacked the fresh, flavorful quality you usually find in other Turkish establishments. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this place for Adana kofte. Additionally, no extra complementary sauces were offered, which is something I’ve enjoyed at other Turkish restaurants. Similarly, there were no desserts or tea provided after the meal, a gesture that’s typically standard in other places. On the positive side, the food was clean and the salad was nice. However, given that the prices are on par with other Turkish restaurants, the overall quality didn’t match up. I hope the restaurant can make improvements in these areas, especially when compared to similar places.

Ambience, decor etc OK. Service OK. Food rather meh (for example Lamb Tagine is lump of rough bony mutton, two dried prunes and a couple of almonds served with plain watery boiled white rice.

Amazing taste!! The atmosphere was nice as well

Stopped here for a work lunch today. The food was lovely, staff were friendly and we had a pleasant unrushed experience.

As someone who has had Turkish food from a variety of different restaurants across the world (including Türkiye itself) their offering of Adana Kebab is phenomenally good, and lived up to my expectations. It tastes as good as it looks. Seating and atmosphere was fantastic, and staff were attentive to any special requests. I’d like to visit again.

The food was delicious and looked good (so good I started eating before I remembered to take a picture). The lamb was moist and well seasoned, the vegetables fresh with a good dressing and the rice was perfectly made. Took a star out because I'd have liked a sauce with the rice since it was plain white rice.

Extraordinary Mediterranean cuisine. Everything is fine, seasoned properly and homemade. Perfect service and kindness. Arriving by chance we were not disappointed. I cannot recommend this address enough. Just the music a little loud 🤗 Honestly, take a walk in this unusual neighborhood and enjoy yourself at Iskelé!

Nice restaurant, a little price for what we got but London prices. Waiter was annoyed we hadn't to him we booked on the fork app - but my wife had mentioned it to matradee on the door when we came in and she had not given us any further instructions nor were there any on the app. As said the food was nice, the portion sizes were adequate. And it's close to the middle of where we parked and where we going.

They were very accommodating with my food request, and the place was clean, though the open window ( wall-to-wall) meant it was a tad cold that late at night and wasn't picked up upon. Overall, very nice food and jovial staff members. Recommend!

I think it's overpriced The portion is small They put a small salad box on top of my main hot meal so the salad was hot...i put the salad in the bin The food was good but I m still hungry...the portion is small for £22.90

The angry pasta is excellent, minus the carbonara

Really nice and beautifully designed. Food was delicious and affordable

Nice and neat place to dine… Children friendly. Nice food… great choice of drinks available… Kind and well mannered people serving there. A little bit pricy though

We had a beautiful meal here and booked it through The Fork where we managed to get a generous discount. Staff were attentive and pleasant especially the lovely lady who made sure we had everything we needed. The serving sizes aren't as big as we're used to at other Mediterranean restaurants, but found that it was enough to satisfy the whole family, but don't expect huge portions here. They however do not disappoint in taste so everyone's still very happy and looking forward to our next visit.

Generous portion size and delicious food. The homemade tiramisu was amazing

I have never seen such big portions, really good atmosphere and good quality

Today’s lunch at The Iskele … it was delicious.

Food was amazing and the staff were so lovely would definitely recommend

Average food. Very loud inside. Nevertheless, the service was great and food came very fast.

Good around. But prices have certainly increased with times

Lovely food served by Lovely people. Had a lamb dish followed by baklava my new all time go to.

Menu is ok although they don’t have a wide variety on grill and it’s expensive, we spent 40 quid for a small mezze sharing platter (no meat) and two glasses of wine. It was very annoying how a guy kicked us out from the outside area when there was still lot of people inside and he didn’t offer us to stay inside. The guy came three time to let us know that we had to go and we had to tell him twice that we were waiting for the bill since his first call, then he shouted and rushed his colleague saying “card!!”. As soon as we grabbed our coats he dissembled the table when there was lot of people inside. Very annoying.

Excellent from start to finish. Lovely staff who looked after us beautifully. Food was superb. I would definitely go again.

Shame that portions and meat quality not as good as it used to be....seems like a recurring theme with most.

Lovely looking place with nice staff but every meal we ordered was mediocre.

Loved this restaurant! Beautiful lamps, amazing food, really good drinks (the Turkish lemonade specifically). Very attentive staff, cute area to walk to/around. Highly recommend for dinner or drinks/appetizers.

I was invited to this restaurant by my colleagues last week and was really looking forward to it. The food arrived after 40 minutes and it was very dry. We complained to the waiter but he said “I’ll let the manager know” but nothing was done about it. Will never go there again!

Mediterranean food in quiet surroundings not far from the Barbican estate. I had a sausage and a beer. The quality was good, although the portion size was pretty small.

It's a really good, authentic Mediterranean restaurant. The menu is diverse and sophisticated. The price point is fair for the quality (a main course is about £20, a pint of beer is £6.50). Highly recommend.

Having queried what was on the plate when it was served had a problem around my food intolerance. My fault I did not tell them and was too casual in ordering. I could only eat half the plate. No worries it was my mistake. They insisted on taking the plate away and returned very quickly with a plate full of delicious food that I could eat . Great food, good value, excellent service

Iskele is great for dinner or lunch out! Staff are always friendly, helpful and welcoming. Every dish I’ve had is super tasty and their menu has lots of options for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

Good place to eat with plenty of Mediterranean options. Friendly service.

Everything you want from a Turkish restaurant. Properly delicious food, warm, welcoming service, and reasonable prices. We left sated and smiling.

We enjoyed our visit. Staff a little standoffish, but food was nice. Good atmosphere. Reasonable value.

Everything was great! Many thanks to Mrs. Zainab for her hospitality.

Very expensive food had no taste kofta was so plain and cold will never come back here again felt like my food was warmed up in the microwave I ordered my food and within 5 minutes my food came out my food was watery when i cut into it disgusting is not the word spent so much money here I regretted to pay will never see me here again disgusting restaurant

Been here a few times with work colleagues. Great location for proximity to hotel and office. Food very nice and the staff look after you very well

Early evening dinner and drinks for four after my stepson's graduation at the Barbican. The restaurant is comfortable and beautifully decorated, with a nice atmosphere, and all the staff were super friendly and efficient. But the star of the show is the food! We had Turkish kebabs and lamb cutlets, all of which were fantastic, and the stir-fried vegetables are just wonderful. Dessert was great too, amazing cheesecake and an enormous tiramisu. Cannot fault this restaurant and we'll definitely return.

Found this wonderful place last Sunday evening. We were so grateful that we did! Food was delicious, service was excellent and the atmosphere was lovely. We would definitely return if we're ever in the area again.

Iskele is a special place that we went to 4 times during our 8-day holiday. The food was truly amazing, the service and staff were very attentive, polite and the service was quite fast. I ate the best meat you haven't had in a long time. We tasted a lot of food from the menu, all of them were delicious. You should definitely go. Appetizers, soup, pizza, iskender, fish etc. are all delicious.

Everything we had was real good.

Great atmosphere and amazing food. Best Turkish food I ever had! Staff very friendly and helpful, would definitely recommend!

We had an excellent family dinner with our children. All the dishes we tasted were great. The environment is very nice and the operators are very kind. Main courses, desserts, everything was delicious. Thank you The Iskele.

Worst place on earth no joke the food was late stall and overpriced and service was awful

I picked this restaurant as it was close to my hotel, but was pleased to see even on an early Monday evening there were a few other diners. Being able to pick between Italian and Middle Eastern is not something I’ve ever seen before, but imagine it would be quite helpful if out with mixed tastes. I went straight for the “Healthy meal” which was a mix of 9 meze, and some kebabs. It was an amazing selection, the only downside was that it’s a huge amount of food for one person and somehow I still managed to eat most of it. The food is deliciously fresh, my favourites were the cheese pastry which literally melted in your mouth and the lamb skewer - neither of which I would have picked as a standard choice. Service is friendly and efficient. I dislike the 12.5% service charge being added automatically to the meal, but this seems to be a common thing to happen in London these days.

After an appointment at Moorfields Eye Hospital (review to follow!) we were looking for something light for a late lunch, and the mezze at Iskele fitted the bill. A huge selection of delicious dishes accompanied by warm breads.

Food is really good. Service is excellent. 2nd visit and I would happily come again. You can have Italian or Turkish, but i have only had the Turkish which is delicious.

Tasty food, would go there more often but some of the male servers are not really nice when you go there with kids (women are more understanding). You can’t control kids, especially young ones who want to explore (it’s either that or screaming). If it weren’t for the amazing food, especially kunefe, I would avoid it.

Lovely food and attentive service

Very clean and comfortable place with ample seating. Walking distance from Old Street station. Great service and the food was amazing. Although the choice of food is great and very tasty and fresh but the choice of soft drinks is limited.

Food was good and staff were quick and friendly. Was maybe a bit loud with the happy birthday song playing

Lovely little place! I did have a booking for Cozzo yet when I arrived it appeared to be closed - I did panic a little lol. Turns out the neighbouring restaurant, this one , is partnered with it. Once inside, the seating area is a little cramped. It didn’t help that there was a hen party dining too- so a lot of the small tables were pushed together for them. The staff were so friendly and always helpful. We ordered pizzas and honestly the size and quality of them amazed me - I was very full at the end! Only downside- there was only 2 toilets for the whole restaurant so 1 for each gender. The women’s was shared with disabled. So there was an awkward queue that went into the dining area. Take in mind there is a compulsory service charge fee as well (but this didn’t bother me). I would definitely go again, reasonable prices.

When visiting London the restaurant was close to the hotel. And it was very good! And the boss is French 😄😉

The place is great - food choice is amazing and well prepared, the place feels cosy and works well for both large groups and small dinners and the service is quick. And it also has the best Hawaiian pizza ever (according to my son)!

The food was very good and so we're the staff. This place near enough to go to the Barbican.

Great food. The mixed grill was gorgeous and the homemade garlic and chilli sauce was amazing. Great for sharing lots of cold and hot meze.

Tasty food, great desserts and good value.

Stepped into this Mediterranean haven in Barbican and my taste buds are still dancing a samba of flavors. Each dish is like a culinary masterpiece, Picasso with a plate. London, you've got a tasteful gem right in the heart of Barbican. A feast for the senses!

Wonderful food, attentive staff and live music. Highly recommend! Thank you for a great evening

Large party over 30 celebrating a birthday. Staff were very accomodating, excellent communication leading upto event and on the day we're friendly. Food was excellent, service was excellent. Would recommend for parties of all sizes. Thanks to Kadir who we dealt with on the day. He was very professional and accommodating, all food came out roughly at the same time which is amazing considering the size of the group. A good time had by all

My friends and I found this place and had a delicious meal here. The staff were helpful for selecting the dishes. We all had some type of lamb dish and were super pleased after. Decent price too. They had live music which wasn’t the best (my only criticism here) but contributed to the atmosphere. Highly recommend the Beyti.

Really nice food, starter sizes are pretty small for sharing. The mains were great. Service was poor. Was incredibly difficult to order, took forever to get drinks and whenever a new table came in, we were left so they could seat them rather than finishing taking our order.

Kofte was bland and resembled a burger patty

Nice food and very friendly staff good atmosphere. Highly recommended.

UPDATED Jan 2024 - Potential customers BEWARE! We visited the restaurant again last month and the prices have increased drastically. (Okay given the inflationary times that's a bit understandable) However, when we got the bill we got a BIG shock. The VAT had been added to the bill. AND a service charge had also been added - meaning the food was roughly a third more than we'd expected - given the listed prices. This is a disgusting and dishonest practice. The portions were also VERY small. We shall never be returning although it is local to us. If you are thinking of eating here I suggest you GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. Overcharging and miniscule portions. Below is my earlier review detailing how the staff disregarded safety measures during Covid: Good food as always. But we are still in the midst of the pandemic and safety and preventing the spread of Covid should be paramount. Too many of the staff were wearing masks under their chins in a tokenistic manner. If it doesn't cover the face and nose it's not doing anything at all! I cannot see us returning for a considerable time unless we see evidence that the restaurant is taking these matters seriously. One star rating because of this.

Very nice restaurant. Juciest chicken i've ever had. Great attentive service. Really good.

Tastiest most succulent Turkish place I have EVER BEEN TOO!! 100% PatTested 🙌🏻🙌🏻 KUDOS. That’s it👌🏻

Really nice Turkish restaurant, staff were very welcoming and attentive ,food was great ,i had mixed meat and my wife had the vegetarian moussaka ,there was a good selection for vegetarians ,

Great food ..and super efficient and friendly service

Nos han recibido un día 25 de Diciembre sin reserva después de que el restaurante que teníamos reservado nos dejara tirados. La atención ha sido muy buena y la comida genial también.

Yemekler, servis, çalışanlar her şey harika. Tesadüfen gezerken görüp Türk bir restorana denk geldiğimiz için çok mutluyuz. Sahibi herkes çok ilgili ve nazikler. Mutlaka denemelisiniz!!

Very friendly service, loved the meze, good selection of mains. Reasonably priced. Recommend for a meal before going to the Barbican Centre.

10 of us went here for a late lunch before going onto the Barbican. A few of us had been a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it so booked again, it didn't disappoint. The service was great, food was delicious and seeing as it was Christmas we tried the cocktails which we can recommend. Will definitely be booking for next year before going onto the Barbican again.

Visited 15/12/23. This is a must visit. The decor and atmosphere are a vibe but the food.... it's the kind of food that makes you dance while eating . So delicious 🤤! Cant wait to come back here.

Amazing service!!! Food was great and menu was diverse. Plenty of vegetarian options. Outdoor dining available. A little loud inside but not too bad.

Fantastic food, cosy atmosphere, brilliant service - highly reccommend!

No impressed with food , It's a mixed between Turkish and Italian cuisine, If u are lucky the waiter will take your order!

Came today with my family and I loved the vibes of the restaurant! The food was fresh and so tasty! Our server was really sweet and smiley as well :) will definitely come back when I can!🙌

We've been here over the last 10 years occasionally, and always enjoy it.

Good Turkish restaurant with the usual mezze on the menu. Fresh food, plenty of choices for vegans and gluten free people. The retsuatant gets quite busy and seems to be favoured by groups so make sure you make a reservation if coming with a bugger party.

Amazingly tasty cuisine. Affordable lunch options. Great variety of drinks. Will absolutely be looking to come there again.

The only late night dinning available in this area after 9pm....he was kind enough to take us in 14 mins too close, and the food was amazing ❤️ Friendly kind and quick....thank you sir for saving the night for us

Food was delicious, staff very friendly and welcoming and great value. Will certainly be back

Enjoyed the prawns and other starters. Mains of lamb skewer, chicken skewer and other dishes - all ok but the sauce was HOT! We are local to this restaurant - it does feel expensive for what it was and we are used to London prices Restaurant was also very noisy

Looking for nice Italian food near Old street London we came over CooP restaurant which is connected with Iskele restaurant. So you have nice combination of Italian and Turkish menu. Highly recommended to have rider soup of the day and pasta. Get you compliment and the bill was affordable.

Very friendly service and delicious food. It was so good that we decided to eat there twice in three days. Perfect combination of italian and turkish food.

A really nice location with super friendly people and great food. We went there twice during our last London visit and enjoyed delicious Pasta, Pizza, Dips and deserts.

We were a large group and a long table and the waiter/owner kept topping up wine so we purchased more bottles as the people down the table did not know if bottles were full at the top. I would expect a waiter to check all bottles before opening up new ones. We had three full wine bottles at the end of the night which we had to pay for. Those who were not drinking wine had to wait 15 mins before a waiter looked in our direction and a different drink could be ordered. Food was nice and tasty. I would come back as a small group so I can keep an eye on the tab. Music was too loud and room very noisy so hard to hear people next to you. This was partly our group but also other diners too. We were also crammed in so had to eat with elbows tight against our bodies.

Very nice meal and great service.

A very warm and friendly place with great decor. The service was quick, and the staff was friendly. Te food was excellent.

Very nice food and staff. We really enjoyed our lunch here!

Excellent accueil, très bon repas. Tarif raisonnable, très sympathique. Pour ne rien gâcher un très bon niveau de français

Great Turkish cuisine for post theatre food.

Nice people and really good food. We had a great evening there. We felt very welcome. Very good turkish food. Very family friendly.