Gallipoli Cafe & Bistro

having spent 3 weeks in the middle east you would have thought that this cuisine had bored me-but i was craving hummus and the aroma of lamb and beef drew me in to this busy restaurant. I took the window seat and ordered the hummus and a side order marinated lambs liver to start. I also ordered plain carrot juice without orange-what arrived was carrot juice with orange-never a good combination. the hummus was ok but the bread was a pitifully small portion and was clearly not produced on the premises-flat and cold. The lamb and chicken shish was average and came with rice (which I didn't request) would have preferred more salad. That said i can imagine this place is buzzing in the evenings and a preferred option to the horsemeat served in the local kebab takeaways!

The meal at Gallipoli was by far the most memorable of the 5 nights out for dinner during a recent stay for a trade show in Islington.  I had seen a mention on the recommendations info video while on my Qantas flight, which put me in the mood for Turkish food - something you can't get in my small town.  The boss and I were in search of an Italian restaurant when we passed Gallipoli, and as it was beautifully lit and looked busy, we decided to try it.  (There was a slightly tipsy patron standing outside that just gushed about how good the food is - they should hire her!).  It's a smallish restaurant without feeling crowded, and has a lovely warm ambience. Quite by good luck and great timing, we got the table just inside by the big picture window. It was comfortable and out of the way of the other tables - perfect!  The gorgeous lighting comes from the myriad hanging Turkish glass lamps, which are colorful and just fantastic to see.  I went for the large mixed mezze platter, a selection of 13 different small portions of starters and mains.  (There is a smaller platter offered but I wanted to try it all!)  My boss ordered the mixed grill, as recommended by the enthusiastic patron at the door.  We were not disappointed.  The flavors were just over the top and the portions generous.  Service was very good too.  Had this not been the last night of my visit, I would have been there for dinner at least 3 nights of the 5.  Next time!

Stunning place with stunning food.  recommend it to anyone to go. 

I love this place. Staff is very friendly and food is delicious

Great Turkish food. Mouthwatering aromas. It offers best deal in price and quality.

I went a short time ago for my unique birthday the afternoon meal and will only state that this place is extraordinary, Divine, delightful, enchanting. There likely aren’t enough adjectives to explain this places grace.we had starters, mains and desserts and many types of four individuals had nothing at all to complain about, for my loved ones, that claims a lot and we were still talking regarding how good it was today. Our waitress was talkative and revealed his appreciation on the menu that is something I a great deal appreciate and the chef turned out to communicate to us that is something I wish more places would do given it shows an interest and appreciation of your customers.Service was friendly and knowledgeable too. A wine was recommended to suit the dishes we had chosen and bread, butter and water was proferred rapidly.Mains included several different dishes, I don’t recall what everyone had as most people started sharing food that has a delighted promiscuity.To get flawlessly sincere, I suppose this is my new favourite restaurant.

Passed this place a few times along Upper Street and had always thought it looked nice but passed it off as probably being a bit pricey and not that great.

Decided to take a chance on it the other night and was not disappointed. The atmosphere was bustling and I get the impression that its no tthe place to linger over wine and conversation but was an ideal pre-movie meal. We tried the vine leaves which were a little small for our liking but the flavour was fine, better was the babaganoush. We’ve been searching for a decent version of this lovely aubergine dip in London and have finally found it…delicious. My wife and I both had lamb kebabs which were grilled to perfection and no shortage of smokey bbq goodness.

All in all a solid place to go if you fancy a quick, tasty meal, with good atmosphere. We’ll definitely be back.

Fine lunch. Artichoke hearts go well in a crisp red cabbage and salad with dill dressing. Char-grilled chicken breast on bed of wheat rice, sultanas, garlic, pine nuts and cream! Wow! £7.95 , I think i'll be back. Great service from waiter who was proud of the food

My favourite Turkish restaurant in London. Great food quality and service. Give it a go. Everyone i know who has been there raves about it too.

Ate at a table outside here at the weekend - the atmosphere was lovely but it was a bit noisy inside! The food was great; I had a chicken kebab which was a very generous portion, but was perhaps a touch on the dry side (and I got a very strange look when I asked for some minty yoghurty).

Overall, very good value and very friendly!

My sister and I stopped here for lunch at the weekend and I chose it simply because it had a spare table outside. I'm so glad we did choose it because the food was delicious. So full of flavour.

The 2 course lunch menu is worth every penny. My sister had a spicy kofte filled with cheese and I had the chicken with pitta and salad. To start we shared the most amazing dip with chunks of bread.

The staff are friendly and it's got a good vibe about it. I think being seated indoors might be a bit cramped though... all part of the bijoux charm I suppose.

A small place and they pack you in tight but the atmosphere is great. We had dancing in the chairs and belly dancing! Food was ok, we had meze for 3 which was fairly standard (falafel, kofte, houmous, haloumi etc) but was nice.

Would go again for the atmosphere and was good value.

The meze collection for two or more people is excellent value for money for less than £9 per person. You are served over ten dishes including items such as hummus, falafel, vine leaves, stewed lamb, chicken and various bean salads.

Round it all off with one of their superb desserts which adorn the glass window by the entrance of the restaurant.

The combination fresh mint teas are wonderful (try the mint tea with rosewater v. nice). The Turkish apple tea is also quite pleasant but pretty sweet.

Vegetarians are catered for well here too.

The lunch special was a good deal - 7.95 for 2 courses - so we both chose the red lentil soup and the seafood paella. The lentil soup was really nice - a little lemony and perfect for an autumn day. It was served with a generous basket of Turkish bread. Then the seafood paella came out and it was huge! I counted at least three big prawns, four mussels, and about four substantial chunks of various kinds of fish (I spotted tuna, salmon and swordfish). Lots of nice bits of vegetables in there as well, and the rice was deliciously flavored. There was also a side salad of rocket and cucumber that went really well with the savory paella. Service was friendly and there was a nice atmosphere inside - not too lively but not too quiet either.

Excellent service and value for money. We went last night, the restaurant was packed, yet our waiter was efficient, friendly and good for a laugh!

The food was more than enough, and enjoyed by everyone at our table. The vegetarian with us noted that she had a good selection of dishes to choose, which is not usually the case. The lamb knuckle absolutely delicious!

Overrated! For someone that adores Turkish food and will salivate over tarmasalata, this was a major disappointment. People had been raving to me about the food here and it was a big wah wah!

We ordered the vegetarian meze plate to share and a bunch of other dishes. The meze was not great, a mess of similar-type cold dishes - it just seemed unfriendly. Can you describe food as unfriendly? Well I'm going to!

I was looking forward to our prawn dish, but that never arrived, it was put on the bill though. Thanks.

The waiters do that creepy standing around your table thing that you get in a lot of small restaurants and all the lamps and decor on the walls and ceilings must be hellish for a claustrophia sufferer.

Soz Gallipolli, I will not be back.

Confusingly, there are three Cafe Gallipoli's along this street so make sure you know which you're going to if you've made a reservation. The food is delicious, the portions are huge and the set menu is a bargin. The atmosphere is very lively, and you get to watch people make fools of themselves dancing on tables.

I have been to the Gallipoli at 120 Upper Street and had a great time however I do slightly prefer the one at 102 Upper Street.
I’m not sure but I think this is the original Gallipoli and I just love the atmosphere in here and I love all the turkish lamps that adorn the ceiling. If you are over 5 and half foot tall you will probably have to bend down to get round some of the lamps, but they do all look stunning.
The set menu for a group is great value and I will be dragging my work colleagues there for our Christmas meal this year.

The food here is really good value, very tasy and service is friendly. It’s quite a cramped place but that adds to the atmosphere, especially when it’s someone’s birthday and they’re encouraged to get up on the table and dance! The food is hot and cold meze and grillied meats, although on the weekend they do english breakfast and at lunch they do sandwiches in pitta bread with falafel, kofta etc. The squid is really good, as is the scampi, chicken wings, humous and grilled meat. You can really fill up on a good meal for £15 if you don’t have much alcohol. The staff are very friendly and it’s a great place to meet up with friends.

I try and eat out as much as I can afford (so not very often!), and despite wanting to go to try different places, frequently find myself back here! I’m a massive fan of Turkish food, so anywhere that does it well will quickly become a favourite.

Although it can get extremely busy, the service is always good and the food always of a great standard. The Meze plate is more often than not my starter (really varied selection, always freshly prepared - or at least it seems like it!), and I usually have a lamb steak or kebab as the main. The meat is always tender and the flavours subtle but tasty.

I’m not a fan of tagines and the like, so tend to stay away from that side of the menu, but I’ve been here with both friends and family - and have never heard a bad word, not least a complaint.