Istanbul Kebab House — Restaurant in Mississauga

Istanbul Kebab House Review: A Mediocre Culinary Journey

Nestled in a bustling corner, Istanbul Kebab House beckoned with the promise of authentic Turkish cuisine, boasting an extensive menu filled with tempting delights. With high expectations, I delved into their offerings, opting for the Mixed Grill, Lamb Chops, Hummus, and a few extras. Unfortunately, my experience at this restaurant left me wanting more, and not in a good way.

The Mixed Grill, priced at $72, was a generous assortment of various kebabs, making it a suitable choice for sharing. It included veal and lamb doner, chicken doner, beef shish, chicken shish, beyti sarma, chicken wings, chicken kofte kebab, and a single baked bread. While the selection was impressive, the overall taste only managed to achieve a modest 7/10 on my scale. The chicken wings and hummus were noteworthy, but the rest of the offerings failed to make a lasting impression. The lamb doner, in particular, stood out for its succulence, complemented by the accompanying bulgur.

Moving on to the Lamb Chops, priced at $35.99, I had hoped for tender, flavorful cuts of meat. However, the marinated lamb chops, slow-cooked on a charcoal grill, failed to deliver the expected burst of flavor. Served with bulgur, salad, and freshly baked bread, the dish left much to be desired. It was clear that a great deal of care was put into the preparation, but the final product did not live up to its potential.

The Hummus, at $9.99, was a simple yet essential side dish. Though it displayed a pleasing balance of chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice, it was nothing extraordinary. The addition of paprika offered a slight twist, but it wasn't enough to elevate it above a standard hummus dish.

As for the service, it was underwhelming. For a meal that cost approximately $150, I expected more attentive staff. No one inquired about the food quality or whether we needed anything throughout the meal. When I sent back cold bread, the replacement was only slightly warmer, falling short of my expectation for freshly baked bread. Furthermore, repeatedly requesting water, ketchup, and other essentials grew tiresome. The practice of providing water bottles instead of a complimentary jug of water was an inconvenience, particularly for someone like me who prefers to stay well-hydrated during a meal.

The ambiance left much to be desired as well, with a "meh" factor at play. The restaurant, located in a busy area, offered no respite from the chaos, and I had to wait for about 25 minutes before securing a table. Their reservation system, which requires you to provide your phone number and party size but still results in a wait, is far from ideal.

Istanbul Kebab House attempted to sweeten the deal with some Turkish delights from their sister store, but these too were a letdown. The free Turkish tea at the end was a nice touch, but it didn't elevate the dining experience to a level of distinction.

In summary, Istanbul Kebab House falls short of its promises. With a service rating of 5.5/10, a food rating of 7/10, and an atmosphere rating of 6/10, it fails to justify the journey from afar. There are better alternatives in the realm of Turkish cuisine, both in terms of taste and overall dining experience. While it may have its enthusiasts, I, for one, will not be returning to this...

In sharing my experience at this restaurant, I must articulate my disappointment with the utmost sincerity. As someone who prefers to accentuate the positive, I regret to convey that my encounter at this establishment was profoundly disheartening.

Anticipating a delightful iftar dinner for six adults and a child, we reached out the day before to secure a reservation, only to be informed that reservations were not accepted, a policy purportedly based on a first-come, first-served system.

Respecting this, we arrived an hour ahead of iftar time the following day, brimming with excitement. However, upon entering, we were met with a palpable chill in the air, devoid of warm salutations. Despite the presence of numerous staff members, our presence seemed to be overlooked entirely as we patiently queued, longing for acknowledgment.

Left with no recourse, I approached a manager to inquire about seating for our party, only to be met with a curt dismissal: "No tables available." Perplexed, I gestured towards an unoccupied table nearby, only to be informed it was reserved.

I couldn't help but express my bewilderment, reminding the manager of our previous exchange. However, my plea was met with a terse retort, "Sorry, you'll have to wait at least an hour and a half," before he briskly departed.

Forced to endure the biting cold outside, having travelled nearly 45 minutes to reach the establishment, we commenced our fast with the modest provisions we had brought from home: water and dates.

After an interminable wait of almost two hours, we finally secured a table. Eagerly, we ordered two mixed BBQ platters, a chicken shawarma plate, a mixed dips plate, and a chicken kebab with eggplant. Regrettably, the culinary experience fell far short of our expectations.

The food was excessively salty, lacking in flavour, and the beef disappointingly dry. Even the naan bread arrived cold, further diminishing our dining pleasure. The portions were scant, and the exorbitant prices seemed unjustifiable given the subpar quality.

As we neared the conclusion of our meal and requested complimentary tea, we were met with yet another instance of discourtesy, with one of the proprietors tersely informing us that tea was not served to children.

Reflecting on this experience, it is with a heavy heart that I affirm my decision never to revisit this establishment and unequivocally advise against...

I read the reviews, before going to this restaurant, which were very misleading.

We were offered a small table in the middle of the walk way, which we declined, because table was fit for someone drinking tea not having a meal.

We ordered a ginger ale and yogurt drink and the server arrived with a Coke and yogurt drink. We had him correct the order.

Next, we ordered the mixed platter, which consisted of; doner Chicken, grilled chicken breast, grilled kebab, lamb wrapped in pita and surprising they didn’t have the other item which was suppose to be in the platter so they offered more chicken.

The food came in 8minutes. We had to wait another few minutes to track down a server for garlic sauce and hot sauce, they offered one small container of garlic sauce with the platter which was consitant with the amount of food we ordered.

Again we flagged down a server to bring pita bread, as our platter only came with meat.

The pita arrived, which was hard as my husbands arm. We attempted to eat it, but it was not chewable. It was dry, hard and smelt like soot, not appetizing.

The meat was not seasoned, it was dry and flavourless. It tasted like it was prepared on a dirty BBQ/Grill.

We noticed other people in the restaurant were receiving their meals within 5 minutes. Which could only mean, the food was warmed up and not made upon order.

Our food was warm, it was definitely sitting there and warmed up once we ordered.

Also a server, who appeared to be under age , dropped hot sauce all over a lady who was sitting at the first table we were offered, and their food ended up on the floor, table was tiny good thing we declined sitting there.

A server, delivered a bottle of water, to our table that we didn’t order. We then inquired about it and he said oh sorry wrong table.

No one checked up on us or asked how the food was, because if they did I would tell them, it was horrible!!

Overall, the meat smelled like it was prepared on a dirty grill. I would definitely not recommend this establishment due to; lack of service, poor quality of food and a dirty washroom. Half the time we were waiting around on a server and correcting our orders.

I would not recommend this establishment We left...