19 Numara Bos Cirrik II
The table gets salad, hot flatbread and grilled onion swimming in pomegranate molasses before you have ordered anything.
Why go
This is the Stoke Newington branch at 194 Stoke Newington High Street, and it is a different premises from the Cirrik in Dalston that carries the same name. The Infatuation scored it 8.0 and keeps going back for beyti wraps and lentil soup (The Infatuation). Its Turkish guide calls the room a quiet ocakbaşı spot
and says the kebabs are superbly grilled.
Chris Pople ate here in 2008 and rated the house bread some of the best of its type I've had in this country, fluffy and rich.
The charcoal grill sits in the room, which is what separates an ocakbasi from a kebab shop, and Jeff's note flags the same thing: this one is a sit-down.
Hackney inspected the kitchen on 4 December 2023 and rated it 2, improvement necessary. Food handling and management both scored 10, and the cleanliness and condition of the building scored 15, which is the poorest mark in this batch. There has been no re-inspection since (FSA).
Order this / avoid
- Order: lamb ribs. Both reviewers on record pick them out, The Infatuation recommending
a plate of lamb ribs or tender chicken kebab in this calming space.
2 Beyti and lentil soup if you want Jake Missing's regular order. - Avoid: walking in without the hygiene rating in mind, and confusing this with the Dalston Cirrik at 34 Stoke Newington Road, which is a separate record holding a 5 from January 2026.5
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation (Jake Missing, 18 June 2021, 8.0):
Numara Bos Cirrik II is one of our favourite Turkish spots around Stoke Newington. It's a straightforward, old-school ocakbasi restaurant that just makes downright good food.
1 - The Infatuation, Turkish guide, with the caveat attached: it
may not have the same energy as those in the thick of it, but its kebabs are superbly grilled.
2 - Chris Pople, Cheese and Biscuits (13 October 2008, 7/10): praised
gut-busting portions for not very much money
and marked the grill down because parts of it wantedextra seasoning and/or spicing.
3 - Time Out London (Leonie Cooper, 26 February 2024), about the sibling:
The chic ocakbasi of choice in Dalston, Cirrik has a way with the Turkish classics.
That is 34 Stoke Newington Road, not this address.6 - Local rec: a local told Jeff this was the best kebab in London. REAL, and no published source makes that claim about this branch.
Good to know
- Address: 194 Stoke Newington High Street N16 7JD, about a kilometre north of Dalston Junction, walkable from Stoke Newington rail.
- Timing: listing sites put it open late, to around midnight. No hours could be confirmed from the venue, so check before a late run.
- Booking: walk-in. The room takes groups and solo diners alike.
- Hygiene: FSA record 469523, rating 2 under Hackney, inspected 4 December 2023. Hygienic food handling 10, cleanliness and condition of the building 15, confidence in management 10.
- Dietary: nothing published by the venue. Not flagged.
- The other one: Cirrik, at 34 Stoke Newington Road N16 7XJ in Dalston, is the sibling and it is next door to Red Hand. Different building, different inspection, and the one Time Out lists.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Order: "Adana." REAL. No published source names the adana here, so that pick is his.
- Note: "Local said best kebab in London. Sit down." REAL. The sit-down point is the right distinction, because the grill is in the room.
Verdict
could-visit — A quiet old-school ocakbasi on Stoke Newington High Street, where the charcoal grill does lamb ribs and chicken kebab well enough for The Infatuation to score it 8.0 and call the grilling superb, and where the free bread, salad and pomegranate-dressed onion land before you order. Chris Pople rated the house bread among the best of its type in the country back in 2008 and marked the grill down for seasoning. Two things hold it here rather than higher. Hackney rated it 2 in December 2023 with a 15 on the condition of the building and has not been back. And the branch a kilometre south in Dalston, which carries the same name, holds a 5 and gets the current press.