Historical version 1 of Mazi, CR0 2RF (view current version)
- 020 8662 8088
- 81 London Road, CR0 2RF (streetmap) (osm) (gmap) (bingmap) (streetview)
- mazirestaurant.co.uk
Turkish ocakbasi restaurant in Croydon. It does takeaway but apparently not delivery.
It's fairly small, seating only around 30 people if that. However, despite the casual atmosphere it's much more than just a kebab shop with seating; a mid-2013 refurbishment freshened up the decor photo and it would be perfectly suitable for a proper meal out.
The menu includes stews, kebabs photo, pide (a sort of Turkish-style pizza), and lahmacun (soft flatbread with a lamb mince topping) photo, and the restaurant is fully licensed. The stews are prepared in advance and displayed in a hot counter at the front of the shop photo, while the kebabs are freshly prepared on an open charcoal grill a little further back.
Kake and bob have eaten in and had takeaways from here several times, most recently in November 2014. We often get the stews, which are generally based on beans or vegetables in combination with lamb. Portions are generous, served over rice or couscous.
The kebabs are notable on two points. First, they're cooked over a proper charcoal grill, and the lamb in particular is beautifully judged, with a flavourful crust on the outside and a bordering-on-rare tenderness in the centre. Second, they're served not in cardboard-like pitta bread, but in soft, fluffy, fresh Turkish bread photo. Kake's favourite is the yogurtlu shish (£10 as of November 2014); cubes of chargrilled lamb and Turkish bread all soaked in a savoury, yoghurty, tomatoey sauce.
The salad is always fresh, and more flavourful than one might expect from what seems at first glance to be simple undressed cut vegetables photo.
On a Saturday evening visit in January 2013, they told us the pide is only available until 6pm. The lahmacun however appears to be available all the time.
Accessibility: A step to get in, and the corridor leading past the front counter to the seating and the back is a bit narrow. Another step to some of the seating. The regular toilets are down a flight of stairs in the basement, but there may be another one on the ground floor.