Tad
Monday |
Open 11:00 - Closes 00:00 |
Tuesday |
Open 11:00 - Closes 00:00 |
Wednesday |
Open 11:00 - Closes 00:00 |
Thursday |
Open 11:00 - Closes 00:00 |
Friday |
Open 11:00 - Closes 00:00 |
Saturday |
Open 11:00 - Closes 00:00 |
Sunday |
Open 11:00 - Closes 00:00 |
All In London Review
Great food but the service will certainly scare some people away.
You know the food is good when people brave the exhaust fumes of Mare Street to get a table at Tad. It’s much more exciting to sit at one of the exterior tables that line the restaurant, given that the Ocakbasi’s interior is so simple. The open space is filled with tables and ornamental pieces but all you really need to see is the beast of a BBQ. Hot coals line the pit that covers half the restaurant’s bar from where you can watch a continuous rotation of lamb, chicken and fish passing through.
Service can be frantic, slow and brash but what arrives at our table on this occasion is worth the wait. The lamb shish is left succulent whilst remaining in possession of a gentle char. The salty rice that accompanies it is moist and rich – and dare I say it – savored more than the meat. Meatballs come next. The dish is a rich stew reduced to a spicy, oily soup of sorts completed with minced lamb balls submerged. Going ‘off grill’ is an audacious move and one that is rewarded. The meatballs and their sauce are the star of the meal. That is unless we include the bread and side sauce. Grilled onion and pomegranate sauce comes together and the bittersweet pleasure of it has the plentiful bread supplies dwindling fast.
The menu has a long list of Turkish meals including whole fish dishes but we stick to the classics. Tad is a simple, unassuming restaurant that thrives on the food alone. The bustling atmosphere, coupled with the heat from the grill, makes it an intense experience that is well worth the schlep out to Hackney Central for fans of real Turkish food – just don’t expect any smiles from behind the grill.
Reviewed by T.A.O
Published on Aug 13, 2013
Useful Tips from AIL Users
Soups and specials!
Try the aubergibe kebab it's delecious.
Best For
Where to get London's best kebabs
Shish, these are good.
Anybody who has ever found themselves hungry in Hackney and down to their last £1.25 would be grateful for the existence of Tad’s lahmacun. The lamb and salad rolled flatbread is one of the cheapest meals around. Beyond that there is a selection of lamb stews, proper shish kebabs and more.
User Reviews
from London
Apr 1, 2017
from Hackney
Jan 25, 2017
Aug 8, 2013
However, the food is always good and I takeaway regularly. The bread with grilled onion-pomegranate dip is too good to let go - even if they forget to add it to the bag half the time. Service terrible - food good.
Jan 12, 2012
Jan 6, 2012
Oct 3, 2011
What the hell happened to this place! We waited approximately an hour and a half for our food before I asked once again to the waiter. Being rude he stormed off and slammed two large plates of cold burnt food on our tables, to rub salt in our wounds 5 minutes later him and his colleagues started placing chairs on the top of other tables to indicate they were closing. So here's where the nail really got hit in the coffin, as we were hurriedly scoffing into our meals they again slammed another small dish down this time the bill!!!
If you guys want a good Turkish restaurant with decent food and value for mone around mare street, head to Anatolia or Cirruck which is near hackney downs station. Great food and great service consistently.
Jun 6, 2011
The first time we went was for a birthday with 12 guests the bill came to £250.00 when the bill came and we was about to pay the waiter mentioned that he was expecting a tip. He was given a £10.00 tip but if he didnt ask we was going to give £20.00. He didnt even let us pay the main bill before he asked for it.
The next time we went the same waiter was very rude and arrogant. we ask for food to takeaway and the chips were a joke if counted in the portion was around 15 chips so we mentioned it to the waiter to have him look and roll his eyes in his head. He then snatched the credit card of the payer of the bill and stormed away no smiles throughout the evening. one of the takeaways were paid in advance never turned up we then had to request the money back and he was furious and began to have a go at the person whom refunded the money. The female staff here are very polite but as for the male staff they need some customer care training we spent around £150.00 at the last meal and thats how you get treated. i will never attend this restaurant again nor recommend it to anyone ever again. the food is ok but there is much better out there. Do not attend this restaurant if you do not want to have the same experience.
from E8 3HQ
Mar 5, 2011
So explore a bit more and don’t risk an unpleasant evening. 05/03/2011
Name: Seila Sarramian
Location: E8 3HQ
May 23, 2010
Jul 22, 2009
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