After running Logma as a supper club series, Farsin Rabiee and Ziad Halub have taken their Iranian-Iraqi concept permanent with a space in Hackney. Swing by in the daytime for kofte and aubergine sandwiches, stews with saffron rice, morning pastries, and proper Middle Eastern coffee and tea. On Wednesday nights, the pair run Logma Lates, where 18 guests gather around a communal table for dinner. After beginning with sharbat, a non-alcoholic drink made from fruit and herbs, the meal includes dishes that celebrate regional Iraqi and Iranian cooking, like sabzi khordan, oysters with herb oil, gondhoraj lebu, Aleppo pepper and sumac; arak-cured trout with pickled mango; cardoon with pea braise; duck fesenjoon and sholezard, an Iranian saffron rice pudding. Guests can bring their own wines, with no corkage, adding to the feeling that you’re dining in Ziad and Farsin’s home.
"In Iranian and Iraqi kitchens, food is more than sustenance, it is heritage, ritual, and a quiet act of generosity. That is what Logma means to me and what concept, chefs and food represents."
A Middle Eastern breakfast is one of the great joys in life and at modern Palestinian restaurant akub in Notting Hill, the brunch certainly delivers on that front – and there aren’t many prettier rooms to have it in than akub’s light-filled and olive tree-adorned main space. In fact, it’s filled with such delish sounding dishes it’s quite the task narrowing it down, but one not to miss is the Arabic coffee French toast, with crisped-up fluffy brioche, whipped laban, crushed pistachios and a sweet, spiced Arabic coffee syrup. Well done Fadi Kattan. That’s locked in for dessert but before you get there, tuck into the likes of zahra cauliflower fritters with coriander tahinia, slow-cooked tomatoes with eggs & green chilli, grilled nabulsi cheese with nigella seed oil, and aubergine fatteh. And go heavy on the dips and the bread – labeneh and zaatar bread is a winning combo. If you’re looking for an extra kick, there are spice-infused brunch cocktails on offer or you can opt for traditional Arabic coffee to get your weekend going.
"Fadi Kattan’s restaurant brings Palestinian cooking into a refined, contemporary space. Deeply rooted, thoughtful, and led by story as much as flavour."
After debuting in with a tiny spot in Soho in 2018, Kian Samyani has grown his Iranian restaurant Berenjak into a Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning group of three locations in London, with international sites in the US and Middle East. The menu is based around Kian’s family recipes and other favourite Persian dishes, with popular plates including koobideh kabab, jujeh kabab, sangak, ghormeh sabzi, black truffle olivieh, ghalieh mahi and kashk e bademjoon.
"Persian cooking that feels both deeply rooted and completely at home in Soho. The detail, from the kababs to the room, is transportive."
Afghan Caravan, located in the Croydon branch of BOXPARK, is run by mother-daughter duo and refugees of war Neelofar and Zulfia Abrahimi. Their street food menu is inspired by the country’s diverse regions as well as the melting pot flavours of the Silk Road. The menu includes crispy bolani (pan-fried wholewheat bread stuffed with various fillings and homemade green chutney), mantu dumplings with chickpea sauce, Kabuli palau, chapli kebab in pita, and saffron cake, which you can wash down with Afghan chai and rose milk.
"A newer, more casual expression of Afghan food. Vibrant, accessible, and important for bringing Afghan flavours into contemporary London spaces."
Imad Alarnab had three successful restaurants and several juice bars in Damascus, before the onset of war tore Syria apart, and his businesses with it. Fleeing the country, he eventually arrived in London via a long journey across Europe cooking for fellow refugees along the way. After trying several jobs in London, including as a car salesman, Imad returned to his true passion of cooking and started running supper clubs which sold out within hours. And now at the end of this incredible story, Imad finally has his own permanent restaurant, Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, which opened in Kingly Court in 2021. Happily, as well as good vibes, you can also find excellent food and wine here, with dishes like hummus with rose harissa, fattoush, batata harra, falafel, slow-roasted lamb shoulder, and pistachio baklawa.
"Deeply personal Syrian cooking with real emotional weight behind it. A reminder of how food carries history and resilience."
One of the best things to happen in 2020 was the refurbishment of Mangal II, swiftly turning it into our new favourite Turkish restaurant in Dalston, and one of our favourite spots in the whole city. Original founder Ali Dirik’s sons, Ferhat and Sertac, are now running Mangal II and they’ve bought the place bang up to date with a more concise menu, daily specials, and more variety – and there’s even natural wines too. We especially love the doner kebab, which they make from scratch in-house, the spicy ezme salad, the whole grilled fish, the aubergine, the mushroom manti dumplings, and THOSE sumac grilled onions. Basically we love it all, and brothers Ferhat and Sertac are some of the nicest, hardest working guys in the biz. If you want the best Turkish food in London, then look no further than Mangal II.
"Ocakbaşı cooking reinterpreted for a new generation. Fire, heritage, and East London energy."
Darjeeling Express takes inspiration from founder Asma Khan’s royal Indian ancestry and growing up in the Bengali streets of Calcutta. Khan was the first British chef to appear on an episode of Chef’s Table, something that made her all-female kitchen even more famous. Currently located on the top floor of Kingly Court (the restaurant has been through a few relocations since it started out as a pop up at The Sun & 13 Cantons in 2014), it serves an a la carte menu and a thali tasting menu featuring dishes like channa chaat, methi chicken, paneer korma, tamarind dal and srikhand.
"Asma Khan’s all-female kitchen is one of the most powerful expressions of diaspora cooking in London. Rooted in Indian home-style recipes and storytelling, it’s a space built on heritage, resilience, and community as much as flavour."
Named after the city on the Silk Road in southeastern Uzbekistan, which boasts 2700 years of history, Samarkand is a restaurant that celebrates the flavours and heritage of Uzbek and Central Asian cuisine. Lamb features heavily on the menu, which includes classic dishes like tandir somsa (puff pastry pies, like samosas), manti, plov (rice layered with carrots and meat), lagman (hand-pulled noodles) and an array of kebabs.
"Uzbek and Central Asian cooking that closely reflects Tajik culinary traditions. Rich, generous, and deeply tied to Silk Road heritage."
After first opening in NYC in 1986, the team behind Afghan restaurant Ariana came to London in 2010 to open Ariana II. The Kilburn High Road spot has since won loyal fans and picked up a few awards along the way for its traditional dishes, including Afghan kebabs, mantu dumplings with lentil sauce, Kabuli palow (slow-cooked lamb shank topped with rice, carrots and raisins), and its abundant mixd grills.
"One of London’s long-standing Afghan restaurants. Unpretentious, deeply rooted, and full of dishes that speak to memory and home."
