The best halal Turkish food in London

Turkish is arguably London's most dependable halal cuisine, and it's not close. The whole tradition runs on the ocakbaşı — the open charcoal grill you'll often see burning right by the door — and on lamb and chicken cooked over it. Most of these kitchens are Muslim-run and have been for decades, which is why a Turkish grill is one of the safest bets a halal diner can make in this city.

The heartland is Green Lanes up in Harringay, a long run of grill houses and bakeries, but the mangal spread east and into the centre years ago. Order wide: Adana and urfa skewers, lamb shish, chicken beyti, köfte, a mixed grill for the table, İskender under yoghurt and tomato, lahmacun and pide from the oven, and mezze to start. Little of it is hard to eat halal — the harder part is choosing.

Even so, "Turkish" isn't a guarantee. A handful of centre and gentrified spots serve alcohol and buy in non-halal meat, so we still check rather than assume. Each venue below carries its halal status on our ladder, sourced to a certificate or the kitchen's own word and dated, so you can see which is which before you sit down.

Here are the halal Turkish spots we're tracking across London, best-rated first:

A few pointers. The best ocakbaşı runs on charcoal, not gas — worth asking, because it's the difference in the flavour. Some Turkish restaurants do serve alcohol while keeping the meat halal, so if a dry room matters to you, check the page first. And the bread and mezze are made fresh through the day, so an early sitting often gets you the best of both. As always, glance at the date on our status line before you go.

Know a halal Turkish spot we're missing? Tell us — every submission is checked before it lands on the map.