Antepliler

4.5 stars — if I go back and I feel the same way about different dishes as well, I’ll bump this up.
We made reservations for a Saturday night around 8 pm. It didn’t seem entirely necessary because there wasn’t a long wait, but it doesn’t hurt. This place can get very crowded and better to be safe than sorry. Most tables were full and by the time we left, there was still a full house.
We were between several dishes, but we decided to go with the Sogan (onion) Kebab. Neither one of us had ever had this before as it’s not commonly found on Turkish menus. It’s a regional specialty. The dish is kofte (meatballs) and shallots slow-​cooked in a pomegranate sauce. The dish is served with rice. A few notes about the dish. There were about 8 pieces of kofte, but these were not traditional koftes. They were very tiny and you could tell they had been cooked on a skewer (as the kebab name implies) because they had skewer holes. There were more shallots than koftes, maybe ten or so. The pomegranate sauce was brothy, light, and had a hint of sweetness where the pomegranate flavor came in. If you didn’t know it was pomegranate, you probably would not be able to tell. But the overall flavour of the broth and the dish is amazing. It’s powerful, but not overwhelming — still light at the same time — and not too sweet. Garnish of one grilled green pepper and half of a grilled tomato as traditionally comes with Turkish meals. The dish is served with a side of rice that is amply buttered and has chickpeas as well. The dish of rice is way too small for the meal, particularly with the sauce. We had to order a second, which was pretty expensive for such a small side.
We also ordered the traditional shepherd salad with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and parsley. This was small portion, but big enough for two people to share as a side.
The meals are served with a complimentary basket of flatbread. It’s pretty good quality and soft. It’s a great pairing with the dishes, particularly to soak up extra sauces or if you order some of the mezes.
The ambiance is nice, although not as authentic as some of the other Turkish restaurants in the area. It’s a bit more modern and it’s roomier. Not as dimly lit and not as spirited, but more peaceful. It depends on the vibe you’re going for. I’m excited to go back and try some other dishes. Would highly recommend this place.

Antepiller is right in the heart of Islington on Upper Street so they’ve got a great location and perfect for meet ups with people. Great vibe in the area.
The outside of the restaurant isn’t that appealing, in fact, it’s very easy to miss as the outside hasn’t been renovated like the rest of Upper Street. Inside is a very busy Turkish restaurant — quite dim lighting with a better atmosphere than many other Turkish restaurants in the area. Many different ornate decorations and candles are decorated in the restaurant.
The food is good. Given the central location, the prices are definitely inflated more than the other Turkish restaurants in Green Lanes, even though it’s the same food. I had the Upper Street special which was basically lamb/​chicken shish mixed grill — definitely would order again. We got lots of sides which were worth it and came with pita bread. The portions of the pita didn’t match the size of the sides… but you can get free pita bread refills.
Personally for my Turkish fix I’d rather go up to Green Lanes — the ambiance may not be as good but the food portions are larger and it’s cheaper. If you want to meet up with people more central in Islington, Antepiler is a good spot and worth trying.

A Turkish friend took me here and everything is so delicious. Borek (spring roll with feta cheese and parsley) was good as a nibble and a start to main course. For the big meal, we had the lamb shish, which was excellent. The lamb was perfectly marinated and grilled. The rice that came on the side was good too and they put chickpeas in it. My friend tried the mixed platter which was really a good deal. It has kebab, adana kofta, shish and spare ribs. Such a good deal! The price wasn’t so bad at all. For dessert, Kunefe is heavenly! I like it better than baklava because it’s not too sweet and has cheese. This is where you should go when you miss a taste of Turkish food.

Was here for a dinner out with my boyfriends coworkers. So much food! Everything was very nice and the waiter had a lot of patience with us. It is great for big groups and the staff is also very good. Really happy.

Their lahmacun (thin dough topped with minced meat with herbs) is absolutely the best I had in the UK! It is very tasty and not too greasy. The Lahmacun is so good that I never got to try any of their other dishes!

I’ve been here two or three times in the last year or so and each time has been great, by far my favorite in the area.
The staff is very friendly and helpful, especially when it comes to questions on the menu or wine, which may be a bit more eclectic that most lists.
In my visits I’ve done both an extensive mezze, plenty filling for 2 people, as well as light mezze and entrees. Both have been excellent, though I really enjoy a nice selection of mezze since it can be so hard to decide on an entrée, which are quite good sized.

Antepliler was a great experience! Much improved from the depiction in the previous review.
Friendly and accommodating waitstaff who were extremely patient with my party of 3 (the third person was uncharacteristically late to the reservation). Though we had a reservation, i’m not sure it was entirely necessary. We ordered a sampling between us and got to try all sorts, and it left us feeling full and satisfied. The food came surprisingly fast and it was real easy to share. I was on the lookout for ‘greasy’ food, having read the other post on here, but I didn’t notice. The clear winner of the evening was the Cigar Borek which was a roll of cheese and parsley in philo dough, like a turkish spring-​roll, reeeallly good.
At the end of the night, they brought out a pearly inlaid box which was extremely intriguing and peeked all of our interests… it just contained the bill… just the bill… and a business card… no sweet for the road… they should rethink that last gesture! But i’d come here again all the same
TRIVIA! ‘Antepliler’ is ‘Londoner’ in Turkish, (per the manager).

So after passing the 3 Gallipolis on Upper Street you will find Antepliler which looks to be a bit of an upscale Turkish place. They place in your hands a massive menu that is bigger and heavier than most of my petite friends.
We started with a grilled halloumi salad (mostly halloumi and not really salad) and hummus which was tasty. I thought I ordered chicken on an aubergine purée – turned out I got lamb. I was so hungry at this point because the service had been so slow as was the kitchen I didn’t bother to complain. Unfortunately it was way too greasy. We were also disappointed with the bottle of shiraz-​cab we ordered.
I think this restaurant has potential and is not too expensive – just a bit of a ways to go and I would much rather invest my money in the tried and true Gallopolis a few steps away.