Ara Restaurant

Ara is a neighbourhood all-day restaurant on Whitechapel Road, East London, from chef-owner Murat -- whose Middle Eastern and Mediterranean roots inform a menu he describes as "dishes he loves to eat and share." Just a short walk from Whitechapel tube station and the Royal London Hospital, with Spitalfields Market and Shoreditch nearby, Ara is designed to be as welcoming for a morning coffee and brunch as it is for a relaxed dinner.

The menu is vibrant and eclectic, drawing on influences from across the Middle East and Mediterranean with everything made in-house daily from scratch. Signature dishes include smoked potato flatbread, mushroom dumplings, burrata, fried chicken with spicy citrus dressing, slow-cooked beef croquettes, bavette steak with peppercorn sauce, mussel skewers and chocolate Basque cheesecake. The menu caters generously to vegetarian and vegan diners alongside meat lovers. Bright and airy by day, warm and intimate by night. Open daily.