Dalston Mediterranean Grill Mangal II: £50 Ocakbasi Set Menu

Mangal II, at 4 Stoke Newington Road in Dalston, has cooked over an open charcoal ocakbasi since 1994, and today its Mediterranean grill menu is modern Anatolian rather than classic kebab house: sourdough pide with cultured kaymak butter for £3.75, a single cull yaw kofte for £5.75 and lamb ribs with sour cherry molasses for £18.50. Tables of seven or more must order the £50 set menu, and every bill carries a 12.5% service charge.

The restaurant's about page tells the story in a few lines. Ali Dirik worked as a young chef in Istanbul before moving to London in 1987, opened the first Mangal Ocakbasi within four years, and by 1994 had opened Mangal Ocakbasi II on Stoke Newington Road. The homepage still carries that date: Dalston, established 1994. For years it was a straightforward Turkish grill that north-east London relied on for late adana and lamb shish.

The second generation changed the menu. The restaurant is now run by Ali's son Ferhat Dirik, with the creative influence of his brother Sertac Dirik, and the about page notes that it was ranked the 35th best restaurant in the UK by the National Restaurant Awards. Sertac was named Young Chef of the Year 2022 by Observer Food Monthly. The about page describes "a little assistance from our beloved Ocakbaşı grill."

Anyone arriving for a classic mixed grill will be surprised. The October a la carte menu reads like a modern bistro cooked entirely over coals. Start with the sourdough pide and kaymak butter, £3.75 for a single or £4.75 for more, which comes straight off the grate with a smoky blistered crust. Smoked chickpea humus costs £9.50, and muhammara with roasted walnuts and radicchio is also £9.50.

For the grill itself, cull yaw kofte with grilled apple is sold by the piece at £5.75, which lets two people taste it without committing to a main. Lamb ribs with smoked berries and sour cherry molasses cost £18.50, and lamb neck with bulgur and smoked yoghurt is £23.50. A whole poussin with chilli sauce, pilav and sumac onions is £28, and the ex-dairy beef rib with fenugreek butter, at £69, is built for sharing.

The £50 per person set menu is the simplest way in for a first visit, because it runs through the small plates, the pide and the grill without any ordering decisions. It must be chosen by the whole table, and the reservations page says groups of seven and up are required to take it. For birthday tables that is actually a relief, because the kitchen paces everything for you.

For two people, a la carte is better value and more fun. Order the pide, one dip, two kofte and the lamb ribs, and you will have tasted the essentials for well under the set price before service. Skip the beef rib unless there are three or four of you; at £69 it is the single most expensive plate on the menu and it is meant to anchor a group meal rather than a dinner for two.

Mangal II takes reservations through its online booking system, and for enquiries the restaurant lists the email address Bookings@mangal2.com. Dinner slots start from 5.30pm, and the restaurant also runs occasional collaboration dinners with guest chefs, which appear on its events page and sell out quickly.

The restaurant is fully licensed, with an October drinks list that includes cocktails at £10 and raki, so there is no reason to bring a bottle. The dining room is small and the open kitchen means you will smell the charcoal on your coat afterwards, which regulars treat as part of the experience. Expect local Dalston couples, chefs on their night off and food tourists who have read about the menu.

Midweek dinners are the easiest bookings, and an early 5.30pm table lets you watch the ocakbasi heat up as the room fills. Friday and Saturday nights book up first, so plan those ahead. If you turn up without a booking and the room is full, do not wait around: Stoke Newington Road and Kingsland High Street are lined with Turkish grills and bakeries, so you can eat well a few doors away.

The honest judgement: Mangal II is no longer the place for a cheap late kebab, and nobody should arrive expecting one. It is a chef-driven restaurant with a grill at its centre, priced accordingly. If what you want is a traditional mixed grill and free bread at midnight, the older ocakbasi rooms along Green Lanes in Harringay are a short bus ride north.

The restaurant is a few minutes from Dalston Kingsland Overground station, and buses 76, 149 and 243 stop nearby. Before dinner, walk south along Kingsland High Street to the Rio Cinema, a 1909 picture house with an art deco facade, which shows independent and repertory films and makes an easy pairing with an evening at Mangal II.

On a daytime visit, Ridley Road Market just off Kingsland High Street is the place to see Dalston's food culture at street level, with stalls selling Caribbean, African and Turkish produce. From there it is a short walk back up to Stoke Newington Road, where the Turkish bakeries and supermarkets make it easy to pick up baklava or fresh bread to take home after the meal.

Address: Mangal II, 4 Stoke Newington Road, London N16 7XN. Email: Bookings@mangal2.com. Nearest station: Dalston Kingsland on the Overground. Bookings are made online, and groups of seven or more must order the set menu. A discretionary 12.5% service charge is added to every bill.

Prices from the October menu: sourdough pide with kaymak butter £3.75 or £4.75, cull yaw kofte £5.75 per piece, smoked chickpea humus £9.50, muhammara £9.50, lamb ribs £18.50, lamb neck £23.50, whole poussin £28, ex-dairy beef rib £69 and the set menu £50 per person. Karpo APP can plan a Dalston night with dinner here and a film at the Rio.