Chargal Mayfair, a wonderful Turkish restaurant – or rather dining concept – opened in December 2025 on Berkeley Street in Mayfair on the site which Jeru London occupied until last summer.
It lies directly between The Ritz London to the south and humming Berkeley Square to the north and it faces the Rolls Royce showroom (based in Mayfair since the 1930s). The word iconic springs to mind. And yet, Chargal is novel and innovative on many levels. First, the cuisine is Turkish, with Eastern Mediterrean leanings, and there is no more than a handful of sophisticated Turkish restaurants in London. Indeed, the restaurateur Serdar Demir who founded Chargal owns some of the best, notably Mantl on the Old Brompton Road in Knightsbridge and Skewd Kitchen in Cockfosters.
Second, Chargal is much more than a restaurant. It is really an Aladdin’s Cave which offers mezze dining in the front and back of the ground floor and bars, lounge space in the basement and dining, entertaining and lounge space on the upper floors. The site itself feels dynamic and flexible. The interiors at Chargal are rustic in tone – stone, wood and warm materials – which bring to mind the smoky Anatolian hearth and open fire cooking.
The menu at Chargal ranges confidently from hot and cold mezze, dishes which are usually small and shared and are characteristically Middle Eastern and Turkish, to main courses of fish and “mangal”. The latter requires some explanation, not least since it lies at the heart of Chargal’s culinary ethos. Mangal is a Turkish word which denotes both the cooking apparatus of a traditional charcoal grill and the shared social experience of eating around the grill, which is popular throughout Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries, notably Iraq and Israel. The concept may ultimately have its origins in the lifestyle of nomadic Bedouin tribes.
The food at Chargal is fantastic. Be warned, however, the portions are extremely generous, including the supposedly introductory mezze dishes, and it would be easy to over-order (at some financial cost).
A good entry point for the menu at Chargal is a light cold mezze dish, such as the mixed meze, which comprises seasonal crudités, hummus and muhammara (a rich, smoky and slightly spicy Turkish roasted red pepper dip), served on a bed of ice. From the hot mezze section, the chargrilled halloumi, bathed in cherry, hot honey, sesame and red pepper flakes is a house speciality.
The warm chargrilled octopus, judiciously sprinkled with smoked paprika in a herb dressing, is enormous, tender and could be a main course.
From the mangal section, the “janti ali” – chopped lamb fillet, smoked aubergine, red kaya peppers – is absolutely delicious, and the peppers have a thick, juicy flesh which is intensely sweet and ideal for roasting on a grill.
Pivoting to the Aegean, the Greek wild sea bass dish, wrapped in smoked bay leaf, coated in a honeyed lemon dressing and accompanied by a samphire salad, is wonderful. It is also the largest portion of sea bass which I have ever encountered in a London restaurant.
The wine list is international and extensive. The cocktails are great, and I thought the best was the floral “sultan”, a combination of lychee liqueur, dry white wine vodka and hibiscus gel. As an alternative, the “ottoman slap” combines raki, milk punch, elderflower liqueur, green apple, chilled cucumber and mint and is far more soothing than its name suggests.
For the bold, Chargal has a wide selection of spirits, including cognac, mezcal, rum, tequila, whisky and raki, the anise flavoured spirit which is the national drink of Turkey.
Finally, the staff is both attentive and discreet. Chargal is an exciting Turkish dining concept which is certain to enhance the buzzing restaurant scene in Mayfair.
Chargal is open every day from noon until 1am. There is a discretionary service charge of 15%.
Bookings may be made by email at [email protected] or by telephone on +44 20 3397 2277. Chargal’s address is 11 Berkeley Street, Mayfair, London
W1J 8DS.
