Ara is an all-day Turkish-Mediterranean spot in Aldgate that punches well above its weight class. With a near-perfect 4.9 Google rating across nearly 900 reviews, it's become a go-to for East Londoners who want serious adana lamb skewers and mezze without the Shoreditch price tag or attitude. Go for the food, stay for the value.
A 4.9-rated Turkish-Mediterranean all-dayer in Aldgate where adana lamb skewers and mezze deliver serious flavour at honest prices.
Book ahead for weekday lunches — the 4.9 rating means it fills up fast with local office crowds.
East London's Turkish-Mediterranean star with near-perfect reviews
Ara is the kind of place that restores your faith in London restaurants. Tucked away on New Drum Street in Aldgate, this all-day Turkish-Mediterranean kitchen has quietly built one of the most impressive review profiles in East London — a 4.9 Google rating across nearly 900 reviews is no accident. The menu is broad but not scattered: you'll find everything from burrata with crispy chilli peanuts to properly charred adana lamb skewers, all executed with a consistency that suggests someone in the kitchen actually cares.
What makes Ara stand out is the value. Multiple reviewers on Tripadvisor highlight the pricing as "fantastic value," which in a neighbourhood increasingly dominated by inflated City-adjacent menus is genuinely refreshing. The space handles both quick lunches and longer group dinners with equal ease, and they've clearly thought about the events side too — private dining and corporate bookings are part of the offering. It's not trying to be a destination restaurant; it's trying to be your local, and that's exactly why it works.
If you work or live around Aldgate, East Smithfield, or the Tower Hill edge, Ara should already be on your shortlist. The adana skewers are the headline act, but the mezze spread is worth building a meal around. Come hungry, bring colleagues or friends, and don't skip the burrata.