The 18 Best Restaurants In Dalston

Mangal II has roots in N16′s old-school Turkish restaurants, but it’s a place that mixes in the new, plus low-intervention wines. Dishes still include homemade kofte, grilled onion salad (one of our favorite dishes), and grilled lamb chops, but you’ll also find deep-fried chicken livers alongside a feta slaw, or courgette fritters with beef sucuk fat mayo and dill oil. 

Oren’s menu is eastern Mediterranean, calling on Israeli and Greek influences, plus some hybrid-type dishes. But the thing to know about this corridor-ish restaurant is that everything is really very good. Stone-baked flatbread still warm at the table, pickled vegetables and standout tzatziki ready to be piled on. A whole pork chop with roast garlic and preserved lemon perfect and a little pink inside. Much of the menu reads fairly simple, but tastes fantastic.

Every bánh mì from Bánh is made-to-order. And on any given lunchtime the two shared tables of this Dalston Junction spot are usually filled with other sandwich enthusiasts. The baguettes are crispy-shelled with a fluffy interior—and the fillings are carefully arranged inside. The classic is pig on pig on pig perfection: char siu, pâté, a slice of pork belly roll, ham hock, a pork patty, and pork floss. It makes for an excellent low-key lunch or dinner spot.

As you might have guessed from Acme Fire Cult’s name, this place is all about cooking things on open flames. Think hefty slabs of meat alongside a zinger mojo rojo and whole fish grilled on the big barbecue on the terrace. But in a plot twist, their real talent is making irresistible vegetables. The smoked potatoes come with a smooth, smoky tahini mayo and the fermented squash hummus is a macadamia-sponsored crunch party. Come with a big group and go to 40FT Brewery before or after.

Papo’s Bagels, an NYC-style takeaway bagel shop, wouldn’t look out of place in Greenpoint—and it’s no exaggeration to say that it’s one of the best bagel spots in London. It’s out of sight down the end of an alley next to The Shacklewell Arms in Dalston, but very much in mind given their fantastically crisp-crusted, chunky, doughy bagels. Come to Papo’s when you’re looking for slabs of oak-smoked salmon with cream cheese, capers, onion, and tomato. 

In an area with plenty of Caribbean jerk options, it’s Ewart’s drum barbecue in the middle of Gillett Square that’s the most unmissable. Chicken thighs, wings, and pork belly chunks all emerge from its smoky innards, crisp and char from a jerk rub that favours smoke over spice. The setup is takeaway-only, but there are plenty of places to perch nearby, where the soundtrack is always complimentary.

If they’d let us, we’d probably never leave this excellent bakery. The potato sourdough, squishy oily focaccia, and everything else coming out of The Dusty Knuckle is pretty much perfect. This social enterprise bakery is a great place for a pastry first thing (the morning bun), enormous sandwiches (any) at lunchtime, or sourdough pizza on the weekends. 

There’s something of a perma-argument over what is the ocakbaşı to eat at in Dalston. One person’s Mangal 1, is another person’s Numara Bos Cirrik 2, which is another person’s Umut 2000. We often opt for the latter, if only because elderly Turkish gentlemen have invited us for soup at their table here, and we like that. Umut 2000 is a no-nonsense ocakbaşı restaurant. The smells coming off the grill consistently make our stomach do somersaults and the lamb ribs are Dalston’s finest.

Andu is a straightforward Ethiopian vegan cafe that’s BYOB. We say it’s straightforward because there’s only one thing to order here: their sampler platter. It’s made up of six dishes, ranging from vegetables to stews, and it’s served with either rice or sour injera—we recommend opting for the latter for maximum mopping. It’s a great and cost-efficient spot, and a platter of yesimir wot, gomen, and more, ticks both the tasty and vegetable-oriented boxes.

You might know Mangal 1 from an unruly birthday party, where grilled kebabs and swigs of beers from the offy were taken in tandem. You might know it from last weekend, when you wandered off from Kingsland Road in search of a nourishing doner wrap. Or, you might know it because Action Bronson seems to be here every time he’s in town. This is Dalston’s original Turkish ocakbaşı restaurant and it’s still an essential go-to, whether for melty lamb sweetbreads, or a blowout BYOB dinner.

Ararat Bread is a teeny-tiny bakery on Ridley Road making brilliantly tasty and brilliantly inexpensive flatbreads. You can have your naan topped with cheese and garlic for just a couple of quid, watch it bubble and sizzle under the rotating oven, before inevitably sticking it in your mouth far too quickly and injuring yourself in the best way possible. If you want meat, the keema is a bit more and the mince mixture is packed full of coriander seeds. 

Picking up a patty or two from Peppers & Spice has long been one of our favourite activities around Dalston. In fact, everything from this Caribbean takeaway favourite hits the mark. Their jerk—marinated, oven-cooked, and finished on the grill—is best slathered with a pot of fruity, punchy sauce, and although it’s not cooked fresh, the skin still retains a smoky hit. On a full plate next to their oxtail stew and macaroni pie, it makes for an extremely satisfying meal. Expect to queue, have a nice chat, and leave very happy.

Corrochio's Cocina is your reason to get out of bed after the previous night's bar crawl that ended in Mascara Bar at 3am. The tacos at this Mexican spot are good, but when the hangover kicks in, it’s the chilaquiles you’ll want to order. The corn tortilla chips—some still crispy, some soggy after soaking up moreish salsa verde—come topped with tender shredded chicken, gooey cheese, and a fried egg on top that dribbles into the refried beans to create a messy, delicious bite. 

An Indonesian coffee shop that puts instant noodles into its toasties is always going to be a big fat yes in our books. The cafe and roasters on Dalston Lane is a charming spot to spend a couple of hours doing emails or have a satisfyingly beige lunch of  Indonesian coffee and sweet and savoury snacks. There are indomie instant noodles with corned beef, cheese, and onion, and topped with a fried egg, as well as an indomie toastie, crispy beef-stuffed martabak made for dipping, and more. 

Escape Dalston’s busy main drag at this bright and breezy Japanese cafe to slurp bouncy udon and spoon miso soup while looking out across Kingsland Basin. The plain setup, blackboard menu, and set rice meals with tofu or mackerel mayo on trays make it feel like a canteen. And come midday, it fills up quickly with those looking for lunch. But half the inside space is set up as a kids’ play area, so if you sit in, small people may run past your table.  

This family-run Nigerian restaurant has been a favourite with locals for decades. Aso Rock Restaurant has a jazzy neon-lit bar to sit with a cold Guinness, and a simple but warm, foliage-filled dining space, perfect for solo meals or casual group dinners. Get a satchel-sized box with a rice-based meal to takeaway, or linger over a soup-based meal. The latter, which includes the likes of egusi stew and okra stew, is led by their excellent speciality ayamase. Just know that the food can be sneakily pepper-heavy. 

The first time we went to Micky’s, we arrived from the Army & Navy across the road 10 minutes too late. The fryers were gleaming, the little saveloy windows were empty, and there wasn’t a Pukka Pie in sight. But on top of the counter was a plump leftovers package. Compliments of the chippy. Haddock, fried chicken, and chips: some fat, some crispy, some soggy. All perfect. The fresh batch we came back for the next day was even better.