A Dalston institution on Stoke Newington Road since 1994, now reborn under the founder's sons Sertac and Ferhat Dirik as a refined, modern Turkish restaurant that has moved well beyond the traditional ocakbasi grill. The art-world connections remain — Tracey Emin, Gilbert & George, and the YBA crowd adopted the original as their canteen — but the cooking has evolved into something more sophisticated: seasonal tasting menus, modern technique applied to Turkish ingredients, and a dining room that reflects the ambition. The charcoal grill is still present but it serves a more considered menu than the kebab house of legend.
Location
Dalston, London
Insider Intel
The tasting menu for the full modern vision — the Dirik brothers have moved beyond the a la carte grill format. If ordering individually, the grilled dishes remain excellent but the seasonal plates and the more ambitious cooking showcase what Mangal 2 has become. The wine list has been upgraded. Turkish tea remains the correct finish.
Dinner, Thursday-Saturday, when the kitchen is at its most ambitious and the room has the most energy. Weeknight dinners are calmer. Lunch is intimate.
4 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston. Dalston Kingsland overground. Tasting menu approximately £55-65, a la carte mains £18-30. Reservations recommended, especially weekends. Cash and cards. The art on the walls changes — the restaurant has genuine relationships with British artists. Now run by the founder's sons, a new generation with broader ambitions.