October 3, 2026
KID restaurant in London arrives in Soho with expectations already crowding the doorway. Sertaç Dirik helped turn Mangal II into one of London’s most interesting Turkish restaurants. David Carter has a habit of backing rooms that know how to make fire, bread and noise feel like culture rather than branding.
This new Frith Street restaurant is built around Turkish cooking, particularly the Central Anatolian food of Dirik’s family, filtered through British produce and a very Soho sense of theatre.
It is early days, but KID looks like the sort of opening that will be difficult to book and easy to discuss. Come for bread, charcoal, kid goat and the feeling that dinner has a pulse.
At a Glance
Best for: Soho dinners, Turkish food, counter dining, groups and date nights
Cuisine: Contemporary Turkish, with Central Anatolian influence
Location: Frith Street, Soho
Price: Mid-to-high London dining
Signature dishes: Tombik pide, grilled sourdough pide with kaymak butter, içli köfte, Cornish scallops, lamb saddle and braised kid goat
Atmosphere: Warm, smoky, energetic and grill-led
Nearest station: Tottenham Court Road
Booking tip: Book ahead, or aim for counter seats if you want to feel close to the kitchen
What Is KID?
KID is the first solo restaurant from Sertaç Dirik, whose family-run Mangal II became a serious London reference point for modern Turkish cooking.
Here, Dirik steps away from Dalston and into Soho, working with David Carter, the restaurateur behind OMA, AGORA, Smokestak and Manteca. That partnership tells you something about the ambition. KID is not designed as a modest kebab restaurant with nicer chairs.
The food draws on Dirik’s Turkish heritage, his family’s cooking, and techniques refined in London and Copenhagen. Central Anatolia is the anchor, but the restaurant is clearly speaking in a contemporary London accent.
The Atmosphere and Design
KID occupies a Victorian corner building at Frith Street and Bateman Street, which already gives it useful Soho drama.
The room is arranged around fire, with a central grill, counter dining and an open sense of movement. Downstairs, a bakery produces pide in a wood-fired oven and sourdough grilled over the mangal before being brushed with kaymak butter.
The design brings in Turkish folk craft without turning the place into a theme. Expect earthy fabrics, hand-stitched details, warm tones and the kind of casual glamour Carter’s restaurants tend to understand.
The best seats should be near the grill. This is not food that wants to hide behind a wall.
The Menu
Bread is the correct beginning. Tombik pide is baked in the wood-fired oven, while seeded sourdough pide is grilled over the mangal and brushed with kaymak butter. It sounds like the sort of opening that makes a mockery of restraint.
Meze and salads bring freshness before the fire takes over. Çökelek cheese is made in-house and served with summer peas and carosello cucumber. Turkish sivri peppers come with herbs, pomegranate molasses and shavings of kashkaval cheese aged in Kars.
The richer dishes are where KID becomes more serious. İçli köfte is filled with slow-braised aged ex-dairy beef, roasted onions and grape molasses. Cornish scallops are grilled over coals and served with wood-roasted horoz beans in a sauce of scallop roe, white wine and dried pepper paste.
Larger dishes move to charcoal and clay-pot tandır: Cornish lamb saddle with roast garlic and sivri pepper ezme, and braised goat kid cooked in the wood oven. This is Turkish food with memory, smoke and enough London polish to make Soho pay attention.
Drinks & Wine
The drinks list should be treated as part of the meal rather than an afterthought. Turkish food like this needs acidity, spice-friendly wines, cold beer, sharp aperitifs and something cleansing between bread, lamb and goat. If the restaurant follows the Carter pattern, the wine room and bar will matter almost as much as the grill.
What to Order at KID
Best bread: Seeded sourdough pide with kaymak butter
Best meze: House-made çökelek with summer peas and cucumber
Best vegetable dish: Sivri peppers with herbs, pomegranate molasses and kashkaval
Best starter: İçli köfte with aged beef and grape molasses
Best seafood: Coal-grilled Cornish scallops
Best sharing dish: Braised kid goat from the clay-pot tandır
Best seat: Counter dining near the grill
For two people, start with both breads, order two meze, the içli köfte, scallops and one larger dish. For a bigger table, the kid goat is the point.
Who Is KID Best For?
KID is best for diners who like Turkish food, fire-led cooking and restaurants with real energy. It should work for Soho dates, small groups, counter dining and anyone who followed Dirik’s cooking at Mangal II.
It is less suited to people looking for quiet formality. KID sounds warm, busy and built around appetite.
Is KID Worth Booking?
Yes, especially if you care about London’s modern Turkish dining scene. KID has the right combination of chef, restaurateur, room and concept.
The danger is hype. Soho loves a new opening, and not every new opening survives its own first wave. But the menu has substance: bread, dairy, pepper, lamb, scallops, goat and smoke.
Book early, sit near the fire and let the pide make the first argument.
Practical Information
Address: The Tapestry Building, 53–55 Frith Street, London W1D 4SJ
Area: Soho
Nearest station: Tottenham Court Road
Cuisine: Contemporary Turkish
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 12pm–3pm and 5.30pm–10pm
Restaurant style: Grill-led dining room, counter seating, bar and private dining room
Accessibility: Accessible, with accessible toilet listed
Walk-ins: Available, subject to space
Best for: Turkish food, Soho dinners, counter dining, groups and fire-led cooking
FAQs
What type of food does KID Soho serve?
KID serves contemporary Turkish food with a focus on Central Anatolian cooking, British produce, house breads, meze, charcoal-grilled dishes and clay-pot tandır cooking.
Who is behind KID Soho?
KID is from chef Sertaç Dirik, formerly of Mangal II, and restaurateur David Carter, whose restaurants include OMA, AGORA, Smokestak and Manteca.
Where is KID Soho?
KID is at The Tapestry Building, 53–55 Frith Street, London W1D 4SJ, on the corner of Frith Street and Bateman Street in Soho.
What should I order at KID?
Order the tombik pide, grilled sourdough pide with kaymak butter, çökelek cheese, içli köfte, coal-grilled Cornish scallops and braised kid goat if available.
Is KID expensive?
KID is listed in the mid-range bracket, although a full Soho dinner with wine, larger sharing dishes and service is likely to feel more premium than casual.
Is KID good for a date?
Yes, especially for a date that wants energy rather than silence. Counter seats near the grill should be the most atmospheric option.
Does KID accept walk-ins?
Yes, current listings note that KID accepts walk-ins, although booking is strongly recommended while the restaurant is new and demand is high.
KID Restaurant London Bookings
Capital A List members can make bookings for KID below.
