IZNIK

Absoulutely underwhelmed by this "gem".

Food was disticntly average and my first two choices were unavailable!

The lack of atmosphere might be explained by the fact it was so early.

My fish was tasteless and I was shocked to discover I had been charged £1.75 cover charge. This was for pitta bread which I had not even requested.

The servcie was also amaturish although friendly enough.

The decor is pleasant enough however I will not be dining there again in a hurry!
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 4
Sunday, December 03, 2006

I came to Iznik for lunch with a few friends having been strongly recommended it by a colleague and was delighted with this charming authentic restaurant.

The decor is simply wonderful; a veritable Aladdin's cave full of beautifully ornate objects, but the real winner here is the delicious food. We ordered a very tasty selection of meze (cacik, taramasalata and fetta cheese pastries). The main courses were equally delightful; I had the marinated chicken breast while my girlfriend had karniyarik (a lamb and aubergine dish).

The service was friendly and efficient. Not a lot more you could ask for!
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Paul Mulloy
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, November 06, 2006

I first ate at Iznik twelve years ago, and have returned from time to time. The menu hasn't changed much in that time and I usually pick my favourites. The restaurant is less generous in its portions than it used to be. Today I shared a rather mean starter "platter for two" which really only had sufficient for one person despite being twice the price of a single starter. This was followed by a reasonable main course and very nice dessert. About £60 for two people.
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Brent
Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Visiting my daughter locally this was my first time at a Turkish restaurant. I had stuffed vine leaves in a yoghurty sauce (can't remember the name)Followed with a lovely apricot sweet,It was all delicious, very tasty and not too heavy or spicy. Friendly service, fascinating decor and good value for money. Definately worth the long journey from the Midlands.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, September 11, 2006

I went here before Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial at the new stadium and will be coming here again. The ground is far enough away now to not be crowded before matches. The food was first class, as was the service. My only gripe was that the dishes could have been a touch more generous. Nonetheless, it represented good value for money and has a great, friendly atmosphere. I will certainly be visiting this season before heading across to the best Arsenal pub, the Highbury Barn. Va va voom!
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Chris
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Thursday, July 27, 2006

I am a big fan of Turkish food and after hearing about this little local find I moved quickly to give it a try.

The food is decidedly average. The felafels are on the dry side (although certainly not awful). The prawn sautee with tomatoes and peppers is actually a bowl of the smallest prawns I have ever seen covered in a pinkinsh and very creamy sauce. Not something I have ever seen in a Turkish restaurant (or for that matter in Turkey), nor an experiment in fusion cuisine which came off particlularly well.

I agree with previous reviews that this place does have lovely decor. On my first visit I was seated at one of the side tables, where one person sits on a comfortable cushioned bench. This was perfect for an intimate conversation/romantic night, and did indeed make up for the less than stellar food!

However when I returned to give Iznik a second try (hoping their chef had been ill the first night I came!) my date and I were seated in the middle of the room. Here the restaurant loses its charm as the seating is very close and there is an unfortunate view of the kitchen appliances.

As the food did not improve with a second visit I regret to say this 'gem' of Highbury is somewhat overrated - absolutely fine for a small group having a nice night out, but not worth going out of your way for if you are not local.
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Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 5
Friday, June 02, 2006

I first visited Iznik last year after it was recommended to me by several friends. I have since become a regular due to the delicious food and enchanting atmosphere. I have tried the majority of their main courses and would heartily recommend the chicken Iznik. During my visits I have also become quite fond of the staff, who regularly go out of their way to ensure I enjoy my time there. I must praise the owners in particular because always enquire as to how I am and provide samples of various new starters for me to try.
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Farhad
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, March 01, 2006

'Romance' and 'Arsenal' are not necessarily words you would expect to find in the same sentence, but a review of IZNIK must include both.

This local restaurant is unassuming from the street, but the interior is intimate and eclectic. Warm and candlelit, every surface is covered in glass lanterns, patterned tiles and other beautiful Turkish decoration. The resulting atmosphere is undeniably romantic, just a stone's throw from the terraces of Highbury.

The food helps too. I shared starters of dolmades - vine leaves stuffed with rice, raisins, pine nuts and herbs - and fried aubergine rounds with a yoghurt dressing. The dolmades were light and satisfying; the aubergine was crisp and garlic-infused, with the dressing cutting through the rich and unctuous texture perfectly.

Mains continued to impress. Falafel were generously proportioned, and the chilli kick was tempered by the accompanying pool of garlicy humous. A dish of courgette and feta cheese served with rice was rich and filling, rather like moussaka, but the sharp feta meant it never became too cloying. As other reviewers have mentioned, the side salad was lifted by the addition of pink peppercorns and olives.

Two courses in and I still had room for more; the food I ate at IZNIK was filling but not heavy. There is an impressive dessert menu, and I tried the bramble mousse and poached pear with chocolate and pistachio sauce. Both were memorable, although the pear was let down slightly by the fact that they had left a rather tough peel intact.

We shared a bottle of house red wine, ending the meal with coffee and mint tea; the total bill, including service, was in the region of £45 - terrific value for money.

IZNIK is not a gourmet restaurant, but I think it serves delicious and honest food at very reasonable prices; a perfect 'local' restaurant that makes me wish I didn't live south of the river!
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Cassie
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, February 09, 2006

Have lived just off highbury hill for several years now and, having been a regular at Yildiz on Blackstock Road and Antepliller on Green Lanes, we decided that our anniversry would be a great excuse to finally visit Iznik...but what a mistake!. I had booked for 9pm on Friday, arriving promptly only to be simply pointed (not accompanied!) to a table, right beside a party of 15 kids at an 11th birthday party. They were incredibly well-behaved, but it wasn't ideal as the noise level was pretty high. The manager then very publicly berated one of his staff right in front of us, which appears to have left all the staff in a fouler, which meant lots of glowering, monosyllabic grunting (even when I asked for some recommendations on starters), banging down plates and drinks, and generally pretty miserable service. We were told we could get a choice of 6 starters for 6 pounds, which seemed reasonable. Alas, the overly greasy and mediocre nibbles were presented without finesse or regard for appearance, no dressings,not even any garnish, and as we had asked for some bread, we were also given a basket with a few under-cooked cheap pittas, of the variety normally found on the bottom-shelf in costcutters. The main courses sounded delicious, but ended up being again, exceptionally mediocre, slopped on the plates and slopped down in front of us. When my partner enquired if we might have the water we had ordered with our Efes, before the food order was even taken, she was glared at by two members of staff and told in no uncertain terms 'It's COMING!'. We chose not to leave a tip as we felt the service had been really lacking, and as we got up to leave, I had intended having a word with the manager, but he had absented himself, and none of the staff seemed interested in finding him for me. Nobody even said goodbye, or asked if we'd enjoyed our meal, so I'm afraid this is my only way of offering our feedback. The place is always pretty full, but I have to attribute it to it being something akin to the Nando's of Turkish food.Save your money and walk the five mins down the road to Yildiz. Iznik is NOTmy idea of a good night out
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Gavin Martin
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Monday, January 30, 2006

Just been to Iznik and had delicious food, excellent wine and truly thoughtful and considerate service. Really recomment liver starter which perfectly cooked.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, January 26, 2006