There is nothing that women look forward to more than a catch-up dinner with the besties. Coping with hectic schedules often means that if we don’t live with our girlfriends we don’t see them on a regular basis. While texting and tweeting is all good, it just can’t be compared to a good old face to face chat. I mean, there is a limited number of ways a girl can express her anguish over not having enough money to buy those Chanel shoes with emojis before she needs an actual human shoulder to cry on.
With that in mind, I’ve rustled up the top three places to have a gorgeous dinner with your girlfriends, tried and tested by moi!
- Antepliler
An absolute staple of mine (and my family’s too: we always find any excuse to go there!), I recommend Antepliler to everyone I come across. They have two branches: one in Upper Street (Islington) which is beautifully adorned with turquoise mosaics, and the other in Green Lanes (Haringey), a little more understated and simple.
However, both serve up the best traditional Turkish food in the capital and house a domed brick oven, where their delicious pide and lamachun is made. The menu has a lot to choose from: grilled lamb, fish, chicken and kebabs are served with a generous helping of Turkish rice and fresh salad, as well as dozens of other dishes guaranteed to get your taste buds watering.
Though the meals are filling, they don’t leave you feeling sluggish or like you’ve eaten a takeaway. You can see for yourself that the ingredients used are fresh and of the highest quality. Words of advice: don’t leave without trying out a glass of kava, the traditional Turkish black tea. It’s free and… Oh, so delicious!
Prices are also very reasonable: for a family of five we never spend more that ÂŁ60 there. It gets very busy in the evenings, especially at weekends, so be prepared to wait a while. Despite that, service is super friendly and efficient, so you won’t be standing for long.Â
- The Breakfast Club
The best thing about this place is that you have can breakfast for dinner (or brinner, as it’s called), and who doesn’t love that? They serve up every breakfast dish imaginable, from stacks of American style pancake to Eggs Benedict.
But if brinner is not really your thing (shame on you, btw!), don’t worry as they also serve burritos, pies, wraps and burgers, as well as smoothies, beer and cocktails to quench your thirsty needs.
With branches in Angel, Soho, Battersea, Hoxton, Spitalfields and one opening soon at London Bridge, you should have no difficulty in choosing whatever location suits you best. Just note that the Soho branch is “bring-your-own-booze” and the Angel one isn’t really suited for large groups.
The BC is perfect if you are looking for a Sunday morning hangover cure, and I would recommend you definitely try out the Bloody Mary here… It’s perfection.Â
- Rodizio Rico
There is a unique system set up here. Instead of ordering what you like from the menu, waiters come to you with the meat on skewers. You can pick and choose as you please from their large variety on offer, including chicken, pork, beef and lamb. There is a gigantic array of sides to choose from at the buffet too: they have everything from fresh salad and coleslaw, to rice, pasta and bread.
And you don’t have to worry about trying to catch the waiter’s eye to get some more food, as that has already been taken care off. They have coasters on every table – one side is red and the other is green. Keep the green side up and waiters will automatically come to your table with new meat to try, or flip it over to the red side when you are stuffed to indicate that you don’t want to be served any more food.
Though the restaurant can get a little crowed it has a lively atmosphere, almost like being on the streets of Rio during the carnival. When I went for a friend’s birthday dinner, they even had a live Brazilian band, which really added to the party atmosphere. It is a great place to have dinner before going clubbing, to the cinema or to a concert, and they have four branches to choose from: Islington (Upper Street), Fulham Broadway, Notting Hill and the O2 Arena in Greenwich.
Do you agree with our top 3? Is there any other restaurant you would suggest for a girls night out? Let us know in a comment!
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Pictures from Weekend Notes, The Beehive Speaks and Highbury Gardens