A fire gutted a popular Islington restaurant this morning.
Flames ripped through Gallipoli, a Turkish and Lebanese eaterie in Upper Street, shortly before 7am today.
Two fire engines and ten fire fighters raced to the scene and had the blaze under control by 7.35.
No one was injured and the fire brigade didn’t evacuate anyone from the flats above - but approximately 50 per cent of the restaurant was destroyed by the flames.
Ramsey Yara, who runs another branch of Gallipoli, said: “The whole place is damaged, but luckily everyone is fine. We will be shut for a while as we have to clean up and redecorate.
“It’s such bad timing - we had loads and loads of booking for Christmas.”
Many customers expressed their regret about the fire on Twitter.
One person said: “RIP Gallipoli the original on Upper Street. Hope you’re back on your Mezze feet soon.” An investigation team is currently examining the cause of the fire.
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