‘This isn’t King’s Cross,’ opponents to kebab shop late hours tell council
Restaurant blocked from staying open until 4am after residents raised concerns
Friday, 24th January — By Daisy Clague
Cllr Martin Klute
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A TURKISH restaurant in Angel has been prevented from staying open until 4am.
Licensers blocked the request from Bursa Kebap Evi after hearing from residents complaining about messy streets and late-night noise.
It has been serving food on the corner of Upper Street and Charlton Place since 2023 and currently has a licence to stay open until half past midnight every day of the week.
But residents living in nearby streets began writing messages of objection when they learned that the two-storey restaurant was seeking permission to sell alcohol until 2am all week, and late-night refreshments until 4am at weekends.
One objector asked councillors not to “punish” neighbours and said that they already have to put up with “drunks, late-night noise, vermin, endless fast food litter from other restaurants and the noise pollution and antisocial behaviour inevitably associated with late-night opening and alcohol”.
Their message added: “The street is made up of working people, families and the elderly, who all need their sleep.”
Another resident – who has lived in Charlton Place since 1987 – said the new hours would turn the restaurant into a late-night takeaway, adding: “This is NOT King’s Cross!”
The nature of the area was part of Bursa Kebap Evi’s application to the council. It argued that Upper Street was already known for its “vibrant nightlife”, citing nearby venues like Flight Club, German Doner Kebab and Be At One – all of which stay open until 2am on some nights.
The latest late-night venue, Labybird Bar, has permission to serve drinks until 4.30am at weekends.
A final decision was made at a council meeting on Tuesday.
One of the area’s councillors, Martin Klute, is not on the licensing committee, but joined residents in urging the panel not to grant permission for the expanded operating hours.
He told the Tribune: “Eighteen residents attended, which one of the committee members tells me is unprecedented for an application that has not already received wide publicity.”
