london
Black Axe Mangal
• World food• Highbury
About the restaurant
Chef and founder Lee Tiernan’s love of offal and butchery was formed at St John, but his restaurant Black Axe Mangal takes flavour cues from the Turkish mangal – charcoal grill – restaurants of North London.
Food here is always full of flavour, cooking on a huge grill and in a purpose-built oven at the back of the dining room. Dishes like flatbreads with lamb kidneys are heavily spiced, and while the menu changes almost daily, the Bakken Special (which Tiernan describes as the OG BAM dish) is a slow-cooked lamb shoulder adorned with pickled red onion, roasted red peppers, pomegranate molasses and more.
Beyond its flavours, the other thing Black Axe Mangal is known for is its atmosphere – one of the rowdiest restaurants in the capital, its speakers pump out classic and new-school rock and metal, so it’s more a destination for a party than a quiet date night.
Reviews from the Web
Critic reviews
The Infatuation
From the moment you walk in, your senses go into overdrive. Cans cracking, stuff smoking, Slayer slaying.
The Guardian
Brace yourself: the aptly named BAM is a big hitter in every way – flavour, portion and noise
Standard
You can’t get anything like this anywhere else in London,” he sighs. I think about it. He is right.
The Independent
I’d like to tell you that there is a Black Axe Mangal coming to your neighbourhood, complete with faces of KISS band memebers spray painted on the grill, skateboards hanging on the wall and bright, floral oil cloths on the tables.
Time Out
Such well-made food should be allowed to sing with the aid of big flavours rather than be drowned out by them.
- 156 Canonbury Rd
- N1 2UP
- London
- Visit website
Awards
