Baklava Baklava

Flaky layers of phyllo dough filled with nuts and sweetened with honey syrup, offering a rich and fragrant Mediterranean dessert.

Ali Ocakbasi

Ali Ocakbasi

16 Irving Street, London I-WC2H 7AU, United Kingdom

Turkish • Barbecue • International • Mediterranean


"You can’t deny that Central London has a certain buzz to it! We visited Ali Ocakbasi, a fantastic Turkish Restaurant in Leicester Square and dined alfresco on a warm evening. The staff were super friendly from the outset and there was a lively and relaxed atmosphere. There is a whole host of amazing dishes on the menu focusing on traditional Turkish feasts. You can choose main dishes from the grill or oven or, like us, choose several starter dishes as mezzes. There are 14 cold starters and 5 hot starters so plenty of variety and choice. We paired our mezzes with a glass of Turkish red wine each Buzbag, Anatolia, Turkey £7.75 glass/£39 bottle). It was a warming wine, yet light and crisp with deep fruity notes. We had the following Cold Mezzes all priced at £6.40: Beyaz Peynir – Traditional Anotilan white cheese Acili Yogurt – Homemade yoghurt served with chili red pepper slices on top Kopoglu – Small cubes of fried eggplant, potatoes and green capsicum pepper) served with special tomato puree and yoghurt on top Muhammara – Traditional spicy paste prepared with crushed walnuts, twice-baked bread, tahini, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice Kisir – Special bulghur salad mix with Anatolian spices and vegetables Turkish restaurant in Leicester Square We opted for the following Hot Mezzes: Semsek – Traditional pidette with cheese £3.80) Sigara Boregi – Deep fried pastry rolls, filled with cheese and parsley £6.40) Sicak Hummus – Warm homemade hummus served plain or with your topping of pastrami, Anatolian sausage or both £8.40-£10.90) As you can see we had 8 mezzes between the two of us and this was absolutely plenty. Each dish was pretty much perfect – amazing colours, great levels of spiciness.We were impressed by the quality and flavour of every dish and all had something different to offer the palate. This is just such a stunning Turkish restaurant in Leicester Square. In such a busy part of London you really do get the best of both worlds here – the tranquility of exquisite dining whilst watching the hustle and bustle of the busy tourist hub. There was amazing hospitality, something we saw them deliver to every customer which makes all the difference. A thoroughly recommended restaurant."

Sami's Kosher

Sami's Kosher

157 Brent St, London, NW44DJ, United Kingdom

Kosher • Hot Starters • Sami's Soups • Delivery Services


"Just enjoyed our take away from Sami’s and had to write to let any coeliacs know that, if you’re looking for delicious kosher food with plenty of gluten-free options, then this is definitely the place for you. Firstly, the lady taking our order over the phone was extremely clued in with what was suitable for coeliacs. This was possibly the first time ever I can remember being told, completely unprompted, that any of the fried foods would not be suitable due to cross-contamination with the oil, where shnitzel and other food products share the oil. What impressed me equally was that she offered for the chef to wipe down the grill for any meat or chicken I may order, as normally the pita uses the same grill, rendering it unsuitable for gluten-free customers. I was really very pleasantly surprised at her level of knowledge (possibly she’s a coeliac, too? . There are virtually no kosher restaurants in London where I’m guaranteed even one soup on the menu that is gluten-free. Here there were 3, as well as the option of choosing the chicken soup (but without the extras . Usually the restaurants say that the stock they use isn’t suitable so when I find a restaurant with a choice of soups I feel truly spoilt! Finally, I must make the important point that the lady taking my order was extremely polite and patient over the phone, and I didn’t feel under any pressure to make a quick decision over the phone. Despite not being English, she understood me perfectly, I didn’t have to spend ages spelling out my requirements (something which I often gave to do with other North West London kosher restaurants! and she was extremely efficient. Thank you so much, Sami’s. We have just finished eating and our meal was DELICIOUS!"