State of Turkish Food in the UK 2026
A data report on where Turkish food is in the UK — the country's Turkish restaurant capital, how the map is spreading beyond London, hygiene standards, search demand, and where the biggest gaps between demand and supply sit. Built from Food Standards Agency, ONS Census and search-demand data across 318 councils.
Key findings
- 01
Enfield is the UK's Turkish restaurant capital, with 62 Turkish restaurants — more than any other council.
- 02
Adjusted for population, Westminster and Haringey are the most Turkish-restaurant-dense areas in the country, at over 23 per 100,000 residents.
- 03
London is home to roughly 29% of all UK Turkish restaurants, but demand is spreading — Wiltshire alone has 35.
- 04
UK searches for Turkish food run to about 369,875 a month, and "kebab near me" alone draws 301,000.
- 05
62% of rated Turkish restaurants hold the Food Standards Agency's top 5 hygiene rating, with an average of 4.31 out of 5.
- 06
The biggest supply gaps sit outside London — Swansea, Oxford and Bristol show strong demand with relatively few restaurants.
The UK's Turkish restaurant capital
By sheer numbers, Enfield in north London is the UK's Turkish restaurant capital, with 62 Turkish restaurants — just ahead of neighbouring Haringey, home to the famous Green Lanes strip.
| # | Council | Turkish restaurants |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Enfield | 62 |
| 02 | Haringey | 61 |
| 03 | Barnet | 53 |
| 04 | Westminster | 52 |
| 05 | Hackney | 47 |
| 06 | Tower Hamlets | 44 |
| 07 | Birmingham | 44 |
| 08 | Leicester | 36 |
| 09 | Wiltshire | 35 |
| 10 | Manchester | 35 |
Adjusted for population
Per head of population, Westminster and Haringey are the densest, each with more than 23 Turkish restaurants per 100,000 residents. (We exclude the City of London, whose tiny residential population of under 9,000 produces a misleading figure.)
| # | Council | Per 100,000 residents | Restaurants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Westminster | 25.5 | 52 |
| 02 | Haringey | 23.1 | 61 |
| 03 | Enfield | 18.8 | 62 |
| 04 | Hackney | 18.1 | 47 |
| 05 | Islington | 15.7 | 34 |
| 06 | Camden | 14.8 | 31 |
| 07 | Tower Hamlets | 14.2 | 44 |
| 08 | Barnet | 13.6 | 53 |
Turkish food is spreading beyond London
London still holds the largest share — about 30% of all UK Turkish restaurants — but the category is well established across every region, from the South East to Scotland and Wales.
| Region | Turkish restaurants |
|---|---|
| London | 883 |
| South East | 447 |
| East of England | 403 |
| North West | 241 |
| East Midlands | 188 |
| South West | 178 |
| West Midlands | 167 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 159 |
| Scotland | 126 |
| Wales | 93 |
| North East | 51 |
| Northern Ireland | 21 |
Hygiene standards are high
Turkish restaurants score well on food hygiene. Of those with a rated inspection, 62% hold the Food Standards Agency's top rating of 5, and the average rating is 4.31 out of 5. (Figures are aggregate; we do not single out individual businesses.)
What the UK searches for
Demand is led, overwhelmingly, by the kebab. "Kebab near me" alone draws around 301,000 searches a month, with strong volumes for baklava, döner, lahmacun and Turkish breakfast.
| Search term | Monthly UK searches |
|---|---|
| kebab near me | 301,000 |
| baklava | 60,500 |
| kebab shop near me | 60,500 |
| doner kebab | 40,500 |
| turkish delight | 40,500 |
| lahmacun | 22,200 |
| shish kebab | 18,100 |
| turkish breakfast | 12,100 |
Where the gaps are
The biggest opportunities are outside the London clusters, in places where search demand outruns the number of restaurants already open — led by Swansea, Oxford and Bristol.
| # | Council | Monthly searches | Restaurants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Swansea | 1,280 | 2 |
| 02 | Kensington and Chelsea | 3,430 | 6 |
| 03 | Bristol | 8,460 | 18 |
| 04 | Oxford | 2,230 | 5 |
| 05 | Salford | 1,260 | 3 |
| 06 | Plymouth | 2,250 | 6 |
Explore the numbers for any council on its feasibility page.
Methodology & sources
Restaurant counts are compiled from Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme open data (Open Government Licence v3.0) and Google Places, classified as Turkish by name and type. Population figures are ONS Census 2021. Search volumes are UK keyword demand data. Per-capita figures divide the restaurant count by resident population; the City of London is excluded as a residential-population outlier. This is a 2026 snapshot.
Press & researchers
For press & researchers: you are welcome to cite these figures with a link to this page. For a specific breakdown or the underlying data, get in touch.