Welcome to our Hole in the Wall series, where we show some love to London’s best affordable eats off the beaten track. No fuss. No glamour. Just the good stuff.
My first love was the steak burrito; its round shape a marvel of product design – the portable pleasure pellet – foil wrapped and, like a swaddled infant, immensely satisfying to cradle in your hand. Then I moved to London and had an affair.
First with the Lebanese shawarma wrap. We broke up too, though we’re still on good terms and catch up most weeks. Then I encountered the £2.50 gözleme at Niyazi Usta Artisan Bakery on the corner of Roman Road and Usher Street. I think this might be Tower Hamlets’ best kept secret, and we’re in it for the long haul.
Step inside and you’ll see a row of glass displays showcasing Turkish sweets like baklava and savory takeaway staples, but as co-owner Semra will tell you, the customers in the queue snaking out the door are there for one thing: the cheap, tasty and made-to-order gözleme.
Gözleme is a traditional street food from Turkey, consisting of a large disk of flatbread, commonly stuffed with tangy Turkish white cheese and spinach, melted to perfection on a large metal dome, and folded into a triangle.
A third of the bakery’s floor space is dedicated to a makeshift gözleme assembly line just to satisfy demand.
But behind the bakery’s explosive popularity is a familiar story of struggle in the face of a global pandemic. “We opened in 2020, only three days before the first lockdown was announced,” she said while organising a tray of baklava next to the window.
During the second and third lockdown, the business was able to survive and then flourish as restrictions were lifted on take-out food and word spread of Niyazi Usta’s delicious snacks. Now things are looking up.
On my way out, I grabbed a cheesy gözleme and made for Victoria Park, which is exactly what I would suggest to anybody who finds themselves on Roman Road during these much needed months of warmth and sunshine.
Niyazi Usta Artisan Bakery is located on 67 Usher Road, E3 2HA. They’re open Monday – Sunday from 8:30am until 4:30pm. The 8, 276 and 488 buses stop nearby, and it is a 13-15 min walk away at Bow Road station and Mile End station.