IZNIK

really got to disagree with a couple of the reviewers on this site. for a start it's a cheek to call it a diamond in the rough - highbury barn is a great little place and i would recommend that people try Stringray for Italian, La Fromagerie for the best cheese in London and Frank Godfrey for great meat and other little bits.

As for Iznik - give it a miss. In summary:

- Food is reasonable but instantly forgettable trad turkish.

- Very poor service - items forgotten/missed completely, constantly having to ask for water, not being served wine until after the main course plates had been cleared away

- Owner is very rude.
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nicky
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Friday, June 06, 2008

Wow! The food here was great! My wife and I visited London as the last leg on our honeymoon trip and we found this diamond in the rough completely by chance ... and I'm so glad we did! We tried both the lamb shish kebabs and their signature Chicken Iznik dish and they were both delicious. The restaurant had a great atmosphere, was very clean and attractive, and the waitstaff was always attentive. This wasn't just our favorite restaurant in London, it was our favorite restaurant of the entire trip!
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Dominick S. Burgess
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Iznik was recommended to me by more than a few people for quite some

time now. I live close to Upper Street so I've been spoilt for choice

when it comes to Turkish food.

I was not expecting to be blown away but I must say that Iznik was

fabulous! What an interior! I've never seen so many candles and

beautiful ornaments.

The service was very friendly, the food was delicious and the music

complemented the atmosphere perfectly.

I will definitely be coming back to this wonderful restaurant.
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Paul Oakwood
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, June 17, 2007

I can't understand some of the negative reviews I've read here.

I've been coming to Iznik for years with my two (then young and occasionally trying!) children and I can say that I have never experienced a problem. We are always made to feel welcome and I am hard pressed to think of other establishments that have been more accomodating.

The food is always delicious and the atmosphere unrivaled.
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Janice Hunter
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, June 07, 2007

With all the other great Turkish places in the area, why would you opt for this? Service was okay, food was also okay. Really nothing to write home about in any capacity. Even though we were the only ones in there, we were made to feel like it was an intrusion (this was 1pm on a Wednesday afternoon). Portions were also quite small comparitively to other restaurants in the area. Give me a small hole-in-the-wall place on Green Lanes anyday.
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KL - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 3
Friday, May 11, 2007

I have to agree with the earlier comments about this place being unwelcoming to small children. Though I had been many times before, and always enjoyed the experience, we went there once with friends with a sleeping baby in a small pram (not one of the '4 wheel drive' types! ) Though the restaurant was empty , late lunchtime, I have never seem people make such a fuss about moving a couple of chairs to make space for us. We were treated sourly for the rest of the meal.

It's a great shame, because we have vowed never to return and up until then it had been a favourite. We raised it with the staff at the time, but a complete lack of interest was shown.
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Neil
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 6
Friday, April 20, 2007

I had a birthday dinner at Iznik with some of my closest friends and

it was a wonderful evening. The food was delicious and presented well

(I ordered the specialty dish Chicken Iznik). I had never eaten

ottoman cuisine before but I was more than impressed. The service was

polite, warm and very accommodating. We had booked a table for 8 and

another 2 people joined us (more the merrier I always say). The staff

were kind enough to accommodate the two extra people with the minimum

of fuss even though it was a busy saturday night.

All in all it was a great dining experience. I would definitely recommend it.
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Raj Jadeja
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Saturday, April 07, 2007

This place is on the slide: a year ago it was a treat in every way, how things change. The food was distinctly ordinary, the atmosphere indifferent: why bother?
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 4
Thursday, February 22, 2007

I loved Iznik for dinner, but went there for lunch the other week and was severely disappointed with the service.

This is certainly one child-unfriendly restaurant and we should have known the minute we walked in that our toddlers were not welcome - this is despite the fact that we were the ONLY ones at the restaurant at this time.
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4
Wednesday, February 14, 2007

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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- View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 4
Sunday, December 03, 2006