Akbaba's Turkish Cuisine — Restaurant in South Island

Very difficult to understand how this place has obtained such a high rating - it was really quite average, and poor in many cases.

We ordered a mixed meat platter and shared - the size of the portion was ok, with regards to the rice and meats, albeit the meat was quite dry. However the sauces provided (a key part of a Turkish meal) were really quite poor in quality and inadequate in volume.

The houmous was runny in consistency and had no structure to it at all. The "spicy" sauce was closer to a jar of Dolmio pasta sauce, than it was spicy sauce - really was crap. The tzaziki had no mint or cucumber in it - two of the three main ingredients; it literally tasted like sour cream.

When I asked the server for more sauce (despite the poor quality, it was all they had), he was really quite sarcastic and smarmy, saying that it's a marinade - so i shouldn't need more. Interesting take on what a marinade is - last time I checked it was different to a sauce.

Then it came to the bill; they have inflated their prices by 20% but have yet to reflect this on their menu - it was just sprung upon us at point of payment. No prior warning; nothing. First time experience for me, in a restaurant.

Needless to say, we would never return, and I suggest others...

Not only was the food delicious, I got the best customer service I have experienced in a long time. I've tried alot of kebabs but none have compared to the one I got from Akbabas in Blenheim. The meat was tender and fresh, bursting with tantalizing flavours, I usually opt out of getting vegetables in my Kebab as they often don't look very appetizing nor fresh, however I was pleasantly surprised at how fresh and delicious the vegetable selection was at Akbabas........ and they did not disappoint. My Kebab was not only delicious, it was fresh and bursting with flavour. If your looking for the perfect take-out but are often disappointed by the selection and quality then I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you try ☆AKBABAS☆ Blenheim. Absolutely fantastic, fast and efficient customer service, warm welcoming atmosphere and the BEST Kebab I have ever had (and I have tried alot unfortunately they are usually rather disappointing and bland) but the one i had from Akbabas Blenheim was delicious I will definitely be adding them to my regular dine-out list. Looking for something a bit different, full of flavour, fresh, reasonable price and fulls the stomach then I highly recommend ☆♡Akbabas♡☆ you won't be...

I visited today, craving turkish food, which i have been bought up with and of course love. I ordered the vege mixed meze. It didnt come with everything it stated on the menu first of all. 2nd, the man who appeared to be the owner, when plating my order, rudely questioned why i ordered it when i didnt want 2 of the sauces. Thirdly the stuffed vine leaves where very off and even the smell was off putting. We had a bite each (half a vine leaf) and that alone has left us feeling very ill. My partner especially has a very sore stomach. As soon as we realised this was off we asked our friend what she thought, who couldn't bring her self to smell it too close, it was that bad! We went back to the restaurant to let them know, the owner was very rude and insisted it was ok. This is clearly not the case, i love stuffed vine leaves and these were very bad, smelling and tasting like dirty sewage water. Incredibly disappointed and will not be returning. We gave them the benifit of the doubt and were treated like dirt. Will definately be sticking with our favourite Yum Yum kebab shop, who serve amazing food every time with exceptional...