Lemon Tree — Restaurant in Barnsley

First time ever being out in Barnsley and booked this restaurant because it was close to the Civic Hall, where 12 of us had booked tickets for a show there. Our group came from far and wide, Manchester, Hull, Germany, and Leeds, so we decided to all meet up beforehand and chose this restaurant without previous experience of it. To say the least, we were all pleasantly surprised! We had a warm greeting from the owner on arrival and the building itself is lovely inside, I expect it was once a bank or some other important building but nicely decorated and in good condition. We were shown to our table, which was in a good location, plenty of space to move around. Not an easy thing to achieve for a table of 12. The staff were all pleasant, attentive and professional and everyone in our group were really well looked after. The menu was as interesting as it was varied and while our group had a very wide range of ages and tastes, everyone found something they found appetising and everyone thoroughly enjoyed what they chose to order. Even my father, who is in his 80's and not the most adventurous of eaters, came to me after and said that his food was gorgeous and the coffee at the end of the meal was perhaps the best one he had ever had! Quite an accolade in itself coming from my dad! But everyone had a thoroughly great time at the Lemon Tree and if we ever get chance to eat there again, we most definitely will do so. Huge thanks to all the staff who made our evening...

I would strongly advise against dining at this restaurant. We originally booked for 10 people, but informed them a week in advance that 2 people wouldn’t be attending, so we only sent a pre-order for 8. When we arrived, they had only set a table for 6, despite knowing in advance that 8 people were coming. After some waiting, they finally found an extra table to add to the end.

The meal was extremely disappointing, and to top it off, when the bill arrived, it stated we paid £80 for a deposit—when we had actually paid £100. The waitress was rude and claimed it was because two of us had not shown (even though they never pre-booked and Lemon Tree never set up for them) and they had to turn people away, but this was completely false. They never set up for 10 people, and we would have taken up 8 seats regardless of our booking.

It’s beyond frustrating to be charged extra for no reason, especially when we spent a significant amount of money. It’s absurd to have a policy that doesn’t return deposits when you actually show up and spend. The service was awful, the food was terrible, and the overall atmosphere was unpleasant. The decor was tacky, the toilets were dirty, and the staff were unfriendly and miserable.

I won’t be coming back and wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. Save your money and go somewhere...

Incredible taste bud sensation at the Lemon Tree, a Turkish restaurant in Barnsley.

Julie and I had a date night called "Safari Meal," where we had a starter, main, and dessert at different restaurants.

Talking only about the Lemon Tree, where we began with the starter and our first visit there. Between us, we had "Garlic Mushrooms" in creamy garlic sauce with warm bread and "Sucuk," a Turkish beef sausage kebab with cucumber yogurt dip.

One could argue that nothing can go wrong making garlic mushrooms, but as someone who enjoys cooking, I'd disagree. This starter was heavenly perfection, complemented by warm bread. I made the mistake of not asking what type of bread it was because it was so scrumptious, dipping it in the sauce.

I was a little concerned that the Turkish Sucuk sausage might be too firm, but my suspicions were unfounded; the meat was tender, with just the right balance of spices.

The chap who served us was warm and welcoming and found our date night idea quirky, saying, "Before you go to the next one, have a little walk around."

It's given us the idea that, rather than having a traditional Sunday lunch this weekend, we will be having it at...