Journal / Turkish cuisine
What to order at a Turkish restaurant (first-timer’s guide)
First time eating Turkish food? Here is what to order: meze to share, a kebab or grill, ayran or wine, and baklava — with SoBha’s Highgate menu as the example.
· 3 min read · Highgate, London N6
If you have never sat down to Turkish food, the menu can look long. This is the order we give friends who ask “what should I get?” at SoBha in Highgate.
The simple formula
- Two or three meze to share
- One grill per person (or a mixed kebab for the table)
- Baklava or kunefe
- Ayran, Turkish tea, or wine
That is authentic Turkish cuisine in four lines. You can spend more, but you do not need to.
Best meze for a first visit
If you only pick three starters from our menu:
- Hummus — everyone knows it; ours is the baseline
- Cacik — yoghurt and cucumber, the cool counterweight to grill
- Borek or falafel — pastry or pulses, so the table is not only meat
Add halloumi or sucuk if you want something fried or spicy.
Best kebab if you eat meat
- Unsure: SoBha mixed kebab
- Lamb lover: shish kebab or pirzola (cutlets)
- Spice: adana kofte
- Lighter: chicken shish kebab
Iskender is the one with yoghurt, tomato sauce and pita — order it if you like a saucy plate rather than a dry grill.
If you do not eat meat
Turkish cuisine is generous to vegetables: stuffed aubergine, roasted vegetables, falafel and hummus, coban salad, spinach and feta. Mediterranean pasta and fish also sit on the same menu if you want to lean that way.
Drinks that make sense with Turkish food
- Ayran with kebab
- Turkish tea after dessert
- Efes if you want beer
- Yakut or Cankaya if you want wine from Turkey
- A crisp Italian white with sea bass
Dessert: do not skip it
Baklava if you want crunch and syrup. Kunefe if you want something hot and slightly salty-sweet. Kunefe takes about ten minutes; say so when you order mains.
A sample table for two at SoBha
- Hummus, cacik, borek
- Mixed shish kebab + chicken fillet or sea bass
- Baklava to share
- One ayran, one glass of wine
Book that table at 179 Archway Road, London N6 5BN, or read more in our Highgate Turkish restaurant guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Turkish food very spicy?
Not by default. Adana and chilli prawns have heat. Most meze and shish are herby rather than hot. Ask us to turn chilli up or down.
Can I order Turkish food for one person?
Yes. One meze plus a chicken shish is a complete meal. Sharing is tradition, not a rule.
What time should I come?
We open from late morning. Dinner service fills up after 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays — reserve if you can.
More from the kitchen
Turkish breakfast in Highgate: weekend brunch on Archway Road
Weekend brunch in Highgate with a Turkish twist: eggs, borek, sucuk, feta, avocado and Mediterranean plates at SoBha, 179 Archway Road, N6 5BN.
Mediterranean food in North London: what to eat at SoBha
Where to find Mediterranean food in Highgate and North London — sea bass, salads, olive oil cooking and Turkish grills at SoBha on Archway Road.
A guide to Turkish cuisine: meze, kebabs and baklava
What is Turkish cuisine? A clear guide to meze, kebabs, bread, yoghurt and baklava — and how we cook those dishes at SoBha in Highgate.
