Address: 179-181 Whitecross St, London, EC1Y 8QP, United Kingdom
Phone: +442074900082
Rating: 4.4
based on 153 reviews.
Food Quality
Pros:
"Best borek I’ve had ever, I also had a falafel pitta with chips and it was so delicious."
"The food was really fresh and light so we didn't feel like we'd over eaten."
"The pieces of Chicken were lovely but rest of plate was average for cost."
"Had the lamb shank which was tender, delicious, and worth the cost (relative to London prices)."
"Authentic, fresh and tasty ingredients make for a good Turkish restaurant."
"The food had depth of flavour and and each plate was well balanced."
"The food is always fantastic and no matter what I order I am always delighted with my meal."
Cons:
"Average food, nothing better than you'd find at an average Turkish takeaway, just 2-3x the price."
"Food was alright, nothing special, not super hot either."
"Everything was bland and we felt rushed by staff."
"The mix meze had a nasty tasting humus, four freshly made dishes and a platter of formerly frozen, deep fried mini pastries, nothing like what it was supposed to be."
"Food was fresh, missing flavour. Meat was a bit too dry and cold in the mix grill and the Sunday roast."
"The food is very average and taste mass produced, especially the stews."
"The food was dry and tasteless."
Service
Pros:
"Amazing food and service. Especially appreciated that there was a wide selection of menu options ranging from Mediterranean to Italian."
"The staff is so caring and kind."
"Everyone is so kind and attentive!"
"Prompt and efficient service by lovely friendly staff."
"The waiters were overall attentive and pleasant during service."
"Staff were very efficient and friendly, they all looked like they enjoyed their job."
"Really welcoming and attentive staff."
Cons:
"Where Iskele really fails though is in the service. Absolutely clueless. Everything was rushed."
"The customer service was even worse."
"Once we sat at the table, lack of communication around the waitress."
"It was very busy and it doesn't excuse why the Kosovan waiter was very rude to us."
"However, the service charge is not included and one of the waiters was really pushy with it when bringing our bill."
"Terrible service, maybe they work too hard... And more than once I have had a small dispute about my bill."
"Absolutely disgusting service. Customer service training is definitely due!"
Value for Money
Pros:
"Excellent value for money, and the mojito was rather nice too!!"
"Very reasonable prices for London and big portions."
"Absolutely loved it. Great value for money, wonderful service."
"Love the fact that they kept their prices to pre pandemic era; goes to show how businesses respect their customers."
"Great value for money in terms of food, ambience and service."
"Prices are absolutely reasonable. For £20, you'll get more food than you can eat."
"They also have a lunch menu for around £10 that includes a starter and a main. Bargain!"
Cons:
"Way overpriced for what it is and no longer worth the money."
"I think it's quite expensive for what you get size/taste/service wise."
"Expect to pay £20 - £25 per head with a drink."
"went here for a team lunch and ordered the mixed grill from the menu and was looking forward to a big portion of mixed grill but was very much disappointed with the size."
"When the bill arrived I was charged more than the usual price."
"Sadly the whole trend of reducing portions, decreasing quality and charging high prices is rife here now."
"Food is genuinely great, but the prices are a little punchy for what it is."
Ambiance
Pros:
"Good vibes at this place. The food is alright, got the Adana kebab which was good."
"Resturant atmosphere was cozy and we're looking forward to the next visit."
"Amazing ambiance and decorations is where the pleasure of dining at this weirdly popular unfortunately ends!"
"Had such a nice feeling to the place lovely lighting cozy."
"The delicious food is accompanied by an extremely charming atmosphere with a constant buzz of conversation, and mosaic lanterns that give off soft, warm light."
"Absolutely exquisite restaurant with relaxing seating outside on a quiet road."
"The venue feels incredibly cozy and colorful, I haven't seen many places like it in London."
Cons:
"Sadly the whole trend of...booming music to boot!"
"It was very busy and it doesn't excuse why the Kosovan waiter was very rude to us."
"Also the toilets were out of order you had to go next door in the Italian restaurant."
"The Male waiter looked like we had annoyed him before even being seated."
"The place was busy and the music was very loud so impossible to have a discussion or relay conversation to the staff."
"Too many of the staff were wearing masks under their chins in a tokenistic manner."
"Music was too loud and room very noisy so hard to hear people next to you."
Additional Comments
Pros:
"The Iskelé was recognised as the country's 'Best Value' restaurant at the British Kebab Awards this year."
"The only late night dining available in this area after 9pm...he was kind enough to take us in 14 mins too close, and the food was amazing ❤️"
"The 'healthy meal' is a true gem of a Turkish cuisine tasting."
"The food was excellent not one complaint from any of the party service top class."
"So warm and cozy inside!"
"The food is very tasty, staff were very efficient and friendly."
"Every type of meat I ordered was tender and cooked just right."
Cons:
"Avoid if you're vegan as really poor choice and staff did not appear to understand what a vegan diet is!"
"ALERT FOR TOURISTS!! Two days after we were there, they made an extra charge of 45 pound on my credit card with no reason."
"I hesr a delivery driver was brutally attacked by the staff at the restaurant. Its absolutely disgusting."
"The meat was unseasoned/unsalted - just tasted like cooked ground beef."
"If you order on Deliveroo the price goes up by about a third."
"We were served by a member of staff I haven’t seen before...the music was very loud, so she asked politely if it could be turned down. The woman refused."