Having recently been refurbished I’d thought I give this place a go. I went for an Adana Shish and have to say it’s is by far the the best Adana I’ve ever had and that’s saying something as I’ve eaten a lot of them. The meat was perfectly cooked, still juicy and had such a unique blend with the added spice mix. Don’t be scared by what seems to be slightly high prices just for a kebab, as all their kebabs come as a large size as standard, 2 skewers served on a wrap with a huge portion of Turkish rice. You also get a basket of flatbread that is used to wipe the meat while it is being cooked and soaks up all the amazing flavours. You also receive a side of mix chopped salad and I even got another side of chargrilled onion that was dressed in this amazing pomegranate juice. With all the extras it such good value and everything was so tasty. Will go back if I’m in the area.(Visit — 27/02/2015 Lunch)
James B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Santa Cruz, CA
Plenty of unique options. I had lambs liver which was very tasteful, not too much of a liver taste. Also, there is aryan(kefir, yogurt drink) on tap. I payed £7.70 in total. Spiced rice, friendly service, good upkeep.
Marek Z.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Mile End / Globe Town, London, United Kingdom
This place was bustling on a Sunday evening, which is often a good sign. I had a lamb köfte kebab and it was excellent — delicous but not in a filthy way. Highly recommended and I will definitely be going back.
Krista A.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
You’ve gotta taste the stews here. Extremely flavourful and a variety of options. They serve your traditional kebabs, etc., but you can get those anywhere. It’s the stews that rock! They always have a vegetarian option that is wonderful, too. When I first started coming here, it was a little rough, but the food was great. They’ve recently refurbished the upstairs and downstairs… and the food is still great. Highly recommend this place if you find yourself in Dalston on Kingsland Road and looking for some place more flavourful than Nandos. …And they don’t rape you on price!
Zelaikha A.
Rating des Ortes: 3 London, United Kingdom
As soon as we saw the huge trip advisor banner I got the feeling this place was not for me. Maybe it’s better post hangover as according to previous reviews, but I don’t do hangovers anymore so i wouldn’t know. Maybe I’m harsh because I love to make soups and stews and these were just not that good to me. My husband wasn’t impressed. The service was ok, we didn’t get a receipt.
Luke Y.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
This place is cool and has saved me many times at 5am after a night on the razz. I like the relaxed dining vibe inside and the weird as fuck photo of the baby on the wall has kept me pondering the meaning of it for the last ten years. Haven’t had the stews for years but remember them being OK — I normally just fuck with the lentil soup tbh. It’s particularly good with a drop of garlic oil, squeeze of lemon and chilli flakes in there –give it a go. Actually I just remembered a couple of weird incidents that occurred here in the past. One of the main members of staff used to bully a friend of mine every time he went in there and it used to get a bit awkward. Also, I almost had a fight with the owner once over a misunderstanding we had over a joke. I was quite drunk to be fair, but he really overreacted and got right in my face. I remember going to grab one of the metal chairs and was going to chuck it at him but luckily my girlfriend at the time grabbed me and pulled me outside. I think it’s ok now though, they must have forgotten as I’ve been back loads and all is forgiven on my end. Solid place.
Peter D.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Francisco, CA
There is no set menu. Varies each day. I enjoyed a selection of 3 dishes. Very tasty. Veg options available too.
Mike A.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
This is a corner restaurant in Dalston that serves good, fresh Turkish food. To differentiate from the many«ocakbasi»(barbecue) restaurants, in this one there are four or five daily specials prepared and displayed at the window. Some examples of which I’ve had are lamb shanks, chicken and vegetables, and a vegetarian stew option. It’s sort of a cafeteria style setup. When you arrive you are seated, then the waiter will brief you on the specials, but you can also go to the display area and see for yourself. The bread is provided free up front. Very soon after your meal is brought to the table, along with any drinks you ordered. The overall experience is quite fast and efficient, and it’s very reasonably priced. You could be in and out for a sit down meal in 35 minutes if you wanted. A nice thing about this restaurant is that being located on a central corner in Dalston, and having full windows on two sides, at night especially you get the feeling of being in one of the centers of the world, London-wise, like the intersection of Hanbury and Brick Lane on a weekend, for example. This adds to a nice atmosphere while eating, and it makes you look forward to heading out to sample the nightlife in the surrounding area.
Amy D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
It’s open late(maybe even 24 hours?), although I’ve always been put off the food because it sits out in trays. that said, I’ll often get a takeaway rice pudding(sutlac), which is excellent.
Gintin
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
Pretty darn good. All the staff were really friendly and they held my baby while we ate which was a big bonus! The food was delicious and inexpensive. I would definitely recommend this place over the Nandos over the road!
Francis M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
Been Coming here for years, Consistently delicious food. Good value and friendly staff. More of a café type vibe but perfect for a quick meal any time of the day as its 24hours :) — lentil soup is my favourite. 5⁄5
Uli B.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Mill Valley, CA
I have to admit, it’s been ages since I last ventured out to Dalston… even though it is supposed to be the new hipster central! And given that I was practically a novice to this area, I whipped out my phone to consult the opinion of my fellow Unilocalers as to where they suggest a starving bloke should find consolidation for his stomach. Sömine popped near the top of the list with overwhelmingly good reviews — amongst others, one by Lizzie G, whose reviews are generally superb! I walked along Kingsland Road, with its mixture of ethnic supermarkets, trashy clothing stores and fried-chicken shops. But the further North you go(towards Stoke Newington), the more the area seems to become«cool», as you can find hip restaurants and coffee shops for the yuppies and hipsters that slowly, but surely seem to «gentrify» this area. Sömine is as low-key as it gets — in fact, it resembles a cheap cafeteria of my long-gone university days. But let’s turn to the food for a minute: they mostly offer stews, which are on display already from the outside. The guy behind the counter explained to me the various flavours/ingredients and in the end decided on a vegetarian stew and a stew with minced lamb and aubergine. He ladled them both on a soup-plate and on the side he served me some pickled vegetables and rice.(I specifically asked for the rice to be served on a separate plate.) What I liked best about my dining-experience here was watching the kitchen ladies making Turkish raviolis right there in the restaurant(see photo). For some reason, this act of making food right here and there, made me believe that all their food is made with a similar passion…
Adin V.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Fort Collins, CO
This place is amazing! Not only is the food fantastic, but the service is ridiculous awesome! We showed up at 6:00 in the morning with a group of 25 or so people and these guys had food on our table for everyone within 15 minutes of us showing up. Granted, our only options were 3 kinds of soup, but the soup was delicious! It came with all the bread we could eat and they gave us free tea as well. They also let us put our ipod on their music system, since there wasn’t any music playing when we arrived. Top notch service and good food make this place a wonderful stop for anyone at any time(as they’re open 24⁄7.) Highly recommended!
Vicari
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
It doesn’t look much from the outside but the food will get your tastebuds going and you will be back for more. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. An absolute treat on a cold winter’s night. My favourites are the chicken soup and the aubergine stuffed with lamb. It’s open 24hours and does takeaway and the staff are always friendly. It’s so cheap that sometimes I choose to eat there rather than buy food from the supermarket and cook it. Check it out and then like on Facebook! I made a page in honour of their great food!
Elle P.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
This place has been open for years since I was in secondary school and I would always walk pass the shop front, taking a peek at the selection soups/stews that they were selling at the window. I usually pop over here after having drinks in a nearby Shoreditch/Dalston. Its a great place to go if you need sobering up after having a few drinks before heading home. For roughly £6 you can get a basket of bread, pickled vegetables, a bowl of rice and soup. As a poor student, my friend and I would sometimes share one meal between two which is enough to feed two females. I must point out that after taking a few of my ‘english’ friends here, they seem to have a phobia of eating meals with bones in it. The meat in the soup/stew is served on the bone which isn’t that scary, but to others it is. so opt for the chicken if you are a first timer. This place deserves full stars, not because it is a classy place to eat but became its very homey and honest restaurant, selling tasty turkish food is value for money. The fact that it is open for 24 hours, means you can stroll in at 2am and still get served — thus gives it extra brownie points.
Domini
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
great tasty food, firendly service, very quick, fairly basic looking restaurant but had a no-nonsense charm. would definitely recommend it especially for a pre Rio bite to eat. wasn’t as cheap as i thought but two meals for £15 is very good when the portions are good and ingredients real and full of flavour
Ericak
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
If you’re missing home, specially if you’re from any part of mediterranean, I suggest a visit to Somine. In the midst of loads of turkish meze and doner kebabs restaurants this one offers what looks and tastes like home made(turkish) food. You can grab a nice bundle at any time(it’s open 24 hrs) and get warm for a very fair price. When the waiter asks about the rice, definitely go for it, it’s the best I’ve ever tried. Great for those gray winter days. Suits bothe veggies and no veggies.
Huddy H.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Croydon, United Kingdom
Where do i begin… Affectionally titled ‘mikes’ somine is a fabulous after club/pub eatery. Friendly helpful staff who always make you feel welcome, even if you stumble in, try to nick the lamar and attempt to converse in broken ‘turkish’ that you learnt from your holiday to bodrum last year. The soups are a favourite and the endless barrel of bread and dips are THE best. Always end the night with a turkish tea and if your lucky a magical pyrotechnic display with a napkin and some rice pudding! AMAZING…i heart mike’s
Lizzie S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 London, United Kingdom
It makes me happy that the other people that have reviewed this place seem to love it as much as me. This is like my second home only to me and my London family we call it ‘Mike’s’. Mike’s is run by some of the nicest and friendliest people i know, they are open 24 hours and serve great soup… wait there is more; it’s just a hop skip and a jump down the road from Jazz bar, so after a heavy night out you can warm up and chow down. When you sit down I suggest you get the bread, pickles and dip. They do a selection of dips and if you ask nicely they’ll give you both spicy and spinach — it has replaced the old spicy spinach dip that they stopped making, so you have to mix it together yourself! The best soup is by far the lentil but if you have a sensitive stomach you will be cursing Mike the next day if you have it. Chicken is good for the inexperienced. I know they do other food, but with all the bread and dips you don’t really need more. Why do we go here after a night out? It’s a great place to have a chat and talk about everything that has happened throughout the night! Basically this is the place you go to instead of getting a kebab on the way home, or at least it is for me. It’s more civilized as you can sit down and chat and it ridiculously good value for money. At the beginning of a night out my friends and I will all say together ‘Can we end up in Mike’s tonight?!’
Katy I.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
Turkish food is delicious and in Dalston, there is a huge Turkish community, selflessly sharing their culinary wealth with the masses as we speak. Somine, one of the best Turkish restaurants in the area is open 24 hours a day to satisfy those late night/early morning cravings. You can eat in or out here, I used to live across the road, so on a winter night, I’d grab a Somine and a bottle of wine after work and chow down in front of Eastenders. You can see the steaming vats of goodness from outside and the smell of tomatoes, lamb, potato and various other ingredients hit the olfactory senses as soon as the door swings open. Its best to go here early evening as by 5am the selection can be bit disappointing, I have often taken home a tasteless tomato soup, instead of the delicious lentil and chicken concoction I was dreaming about on the 149. Everything comes with tasty rice and a bag of bread so big that you’ll be eating it for the rest of the week(with hummus if you’ve got any sense). All this for about £5 and its almost too much for one person, so unless you’re a gluttonous pie muncher like me, one dish from here is perfect to share.