We FINALLY made it over to achingly cool Berber & Q and it was worth the wait.
Obviously this place doesn’t take reservations (too cool for that) but you can go and put your name down, find a bar (or wait at theirs) and they’ll give you a bell when your table is ready.
Situated in the old railway arches, this place is now pumping out loud music so don’t go expecting a romantic chat over fine china.
Quite frankly, this place is the opposite of that. Food comes piled up on trays, you will need at least 10 napkins. And we LOVED IT.
Start with some bits & dips, the hummus is served with mountains of pillow-y soft pitta, the whole garlic is smoked and drizzled with tahini for a creamy stinky treat.
Pricing may look steep as you’ll want to order lots, but trust me when I say we massively over ordered (and then ordered more), portions here are decent.
All the meat is so juicy and perfect, ideally you’ll go in a group and order everything! We manged to get through the hand-pulled lamb, the Merguez sausage & the Joojeh kabab and everything hit the spot.
You’ll get more bread with this little lot, as well as the most addictive chicken salt known to man, you’ll literally just want to dip your bloody finger in it.
Don’t skim over the pickles section of the menu, we recommend the B&B dill cucumber which is perfect with the lamb.
Obviously this place is all about the BBQ – but that DOESN’T mean it’s all about meat. Oh no, the must have dish here is surprisingly Cauliflower shawarma which can be ordered either by the ¼, ½ or whole, again served with that delicious tahini. Also gorgeous was the blackened aubergine with lemon yoghurt and burnt chilli sauce.
Desserts feel like a slightly last minute addition to the menu, with only two on offer but I’ve got a feeling the chef knows you’re going to gorge yourself on the above.
Also, we love anywhere with quirky toilets – be sure to check them out before you leave.
A really fun night, perfect for a group of friends, a little slice of New York cool in Hackney. We can’t wait to return.
