Abla Dalston

Walk into Abla and you're immediately in someone's living room, if that living room happened to be in Istanbul. The space feels lived-in and warm, all exposed brick and low lighting, the kind of place where regulars have their own tables and the staff knows your name by visit two. You're here for the grilled stuff—the lamb chops snap when you bite them, the chicken comes with that proper charred skin—but it's really about the mezze spread that arrives beforehand, those small plates of whipped feta and roasted aubergine that make you understand why Turkish food is so damn good. Kingsland High Street's still finding its feet as a destination, but places like this are exactly why you should be paying attention.