Testi Restaurant

A nice little restaurant in Stoke Newington. It opens out and you can dine outside. We were a family of 10 for a birthday celebration. Staff were busy so not particularly attentive. Our tables were uneven, so kept wobbling when we ate. We had to keep asking for various things - water, ice, toothpicks etc. The water is room temperature, so distastefully warm and needed a lot of ice to make it palatable. We were initially only given one basket of bread to share between 10. The food was ok. Not the best Turkish food we've had and we've had Turkish food at a number of places in London. It's always frustrating to spend money and be disappointed. It's more of a couples/friends venue than one for families. It's very hot inside, especially during the heatwave when it was 36 degrees outside. No air conditioning and no air circulation. We were all sweating whilst trying to enjoy a meal together, so really uncomfortable. A vagrant stopped in for water and totally put us off as she wreaked of urine and waited at the counter which was right behind our table. All in all, a one off.

a month ago · via Google

Amazing Turkish restaurant in Stoke Newington! The grilled sea bass was outstanding, perfectly charred, aromatic, and very tender. The mixed grilled meat was also delicious and went really well with rice. Portions are generous, and every main comes with salad and freshly grilled bread. Everything is cooked over charcoal, giving the food a wonderful smoky flavour, but the restaurant has good ventilation so there’s no lingering smell. Friendly service and a great place for family gatherings or dinner with friends. Highly recommended!

8 months ago · via Google

Absolutely loved our meal here. We ordered the Testi Lokum Kebab and the Grilled Salmon, and both dishes were outstanding in their own way. The Lokum Kebab was the highlight — perfectly charcoal-grilled, incredibly tender, and full of that rich smoky flavour. We also tried a couple of mocktails, and they were surprisingly good — refreshing, well-balanced, and not overly sweet, which is rare to find.

8 months ago · via Google

STICKY situation. I visited this place on a recommendation since its recent revamp, however I was disappointed with the level of service. The underside of our table was covered in some sort of sticky liquid, exacts of which I couldn't figure out, but it ended up staining my girlfriends trousers. It was supposed to be a relaxing night out with her, but turned into a dry cleaning bill. The solution offered to us was to either table swap, or a wipe it down... nothing more. It's almost as if they didn't want to take ownership or apologies for what happened due to embarrassment; but I think this is just me trying to justify their lack of customer service. When questioned for how and when we wanted our food and drinks to come out, none of it was brought out at correct times, or in the correct order, and not as much as an apology was made after I paid for the food and left. The bench seat had salt, crumbs and even a cigarette-burn/hole on the fabric of the seat/bench. The place was moderately busy, but there's no excuse for poor hygiene/cleanliness. Luckily, the chef was cooking over an open charcoal grill for the most part, so we didn't have any overwhelming concerns around food hygiene. In fact, if it wasn't for the above - I'd say that the food was average given its price range and location. Oiled bread = delicious. Hummus = average/decent. Iskender kebab (chicken or lamb) = average/decent. Rice = not worth a penny/left over quality. Chips = below average/takeaway standard. Grilled Onion = impossible to mess up/decent. Salad = looked tired, tasted decent. I paid £65 for this... don't believe the hype.

5 months ago · via Google