Kebab Istanbul — Restaurant in Vaughan

I recently visited this restaurant to try authentic Turkish cuisine. While I can't vouch for how authentic it was, the food itself was delicious and well-prepared.

Unfortunately, my experience with the customer service left much to be desired. It made me feel uncomfortable and neglected. The server was attentive to other tables;serving water promptly, greeting them warmly, and checking in on their meals. However, our table did not receive the same level of care. I would have understood if the restaurant was busy and all tables were receiving similar treatment, but this was not the case.What stood out most was the stark contrast in how we were treated compared to others. Initially, I thought I might be overthinking it. However, my partner showed the same concern and I realized we both felt the same way, he is someone who is typically calm and unbothered but he also expressed the same feelings and was deeply upset. To give the situation the benefit of the doubt, we decided to ignore everything and concentrated on our food. Once done, we were waiting to order another dish. I asked my husband to go to counter and order but as we waited, we noticed the server checking in with the tables ahead of us, asking if they needed anything else. Despite finishing our food and waiting patiently, we were completely ignored. This confirmed our feelings of being treated differently.

In the end, we decided not to order anything further, quietly paid the bill, and left. This experience left us feeling unwelcome and even DISCRIMINATED, big words but I am sorry to say that is how it was which is something I have never experienced before. The way were made to feel can’t be expressed and I would not recommend to visit a place like this to anyone.

I sincerely hope this feedback reaches the staff and management to ensure no one else is made to feel this way...

Are you looking to try some Turkish food? This restaurant is located just outside of Vaughan Mills shopping mall.

The restaurant has nice rustic decor with comfy velvet bench seats. The walls have an accent wall decorated with small pieces of tree trunks with various countries and cities engraved.

We ordered the lamb chops 4 pcs $31.99. It was served in a nice display dish and cover. The lamb was seasoned well, and the meat was tender. It comes with rice and salad.

We ordered the Adana & chicken shish $20.99. You get one full skewer of ground beef, Adana kebab, and half skewer of grilled chicken breast kebab. The chicken was juicy and succulent. The beef was a little bit dry. The entree was beautifully displayed on a large wooden plank with Kebab Istanbul embossed. We also ordered the falafel appetizer $11.99 served with pickled shredded beets and mixed green salad.

Overall, the meal was decent, and we had some food to take home. The food is a bit on the pricey side. The total came up to $77 with tax. We also ordered 2 pops. The service was decent, and they did check on us to see if we were enjoying our meal. One constructive feedback, the server should ask us if this is our first time dining here. This goes a long way with overall dining experience. We would have liked some recommendations on what to order. I had to do my own research on Google reviews and look at my neighbors table to see what they're are eating.

I would recommend this restaurant and will probably skip the lamb chops ( too pricey) and maybe try the other entrees like shawarma, mixed grill, or the Pide...

I learned about Kebab Istanbul on social media and was immediately drawn to their highly appealing food pictures. I knew I needed to visit this place as soon as I could, and I'm happy I did!

When walking in, you're immediately greeted by friendly staff. I remember being told we could sit anywhere, and when my partner and I made our way closer to the door, the staff suggested we that we sit closer to the back where it would be warm. I really appreciated how considerate this was!

Our server asked if it was our first time, and upon saying yes, he said to ask any questions about the dishes, which was great to hear since I was unfamiliar with nearly everything on the menu.

I think plenty of the dishes were bigger portions, which are great for sharing and if you come together as a larger group! I ordered the chicken shawarma platter, while my partner got the beef shish kabob plate. I wanted to try the pudding they had for dessert but was already happily full from eating my dish. The chicken shawarma platter was generous as it came with fries, salad, rice, chicken, and two sauces - one was garlic and the other I'm not sure what it was. I think it had some cilantro in it and was red. I absolutely LOVED that sauce and wish I knew what it was called!

Overall, I really enjoyed the food and brought home the rest for leftovers!...