Istanbul Restaurant — Restaurant in England

Don't waste your time or money There seemed to be almost 10 servers and only 2 were actually working, the rest were lingering waiting for instructions from the assumed manager while also being trained on the job Lentil soup was not good, grainy and lacked flavour overall, couldn't be helped by salt or Lemon. My friend who had some kind of mixed grill, the tomato sauce slathered on top tasted like knock off dolmio with miscellaneous turkish spice added on top. I ordered salmon which was raw (this is crazy bc salmon cooks in only 15 min?). Asked them to cook it for a bit longer and they gave it back to me without the chips, I then had to ask for the chips which took another wait and by that point I couldn't be bothered any more. I can't give them the benefit of the doubt bc they weren't understaffed nor insanely busy with a queue/wait. Mocktail pricing is incorrect, I was charged 4.50 but listed price is 3.00. If you have the budget to make your restaurant look nice then budget in to fix your menu with updated prices! Asked to charge my phone behind the bar and they gave me back my phone with no charge (accidents happen I guess) A couple came in wanting a table and the staff started cleaning around us while we were still seating and basically rushing us to get out for the next people. I understand mistakes happen and during a busy period you need to turn tables but this place was trash man. The toilets are BADDDDD watered down hand soap and rough looking stalls like omg hygiene on 0 guys paper towels and hand soap can't be that expensive? This is turkish food from Wish like I've never had turkish food this mid :/ The service was 3☆ only because one of the lovely ladies with the split dye hair and piercings was very kind and friendly and polite

Responding to this restaurants highly unprofessional review,

Your salmon was raw and cold to the touch. Fish is not steak and cannot be "well done" - it was raw. Plain and simple. There is more to seasoning Lentil soup than salt and lemon. The texture and taste was still poor and not to the usual Turkish standard. You were not busy just because both floors are occupied, we and several over parties were seated immediately. It was only when we finished, that the restaurant became busy. Please read my comment about the toilet again. You were watering down your hand-wash and did not have any paper towels to dry your hands which is a separate issue to your toilet being used frequently during busy periods (which is not the issue nor my complaint). There were also several idle staff during our time, you were not that busy. I have been to many different cities in Turkey several times, I have eaten at the house of my Turkish friends, and I have been to several Turkish restaurants in the UK. It is my opinion that this sauce was not nice nor did it taste remotely like any Turkish sauce, maybe a fusion catered to English taste. Once again, check your CCTV. We paid our bill and while we were standing and gathering our things you had already directed the next party to our table. You agree that the price of the mocktail is not on the menu. Your server did not mention the difference in price when I ordered the drink, nor that these were 'special mocktails'. Amend your menu, or ensure that your staff inform customers of the price.

Take this as constructive criticism and an indication towards adopting professionalism in...

The Great Istanbul Restaurant Adventure: A Culinary Comedy in Three Acts

Act I: The Optimistic Arrival Picture this: I waltz into Istanbul Restaurant last night, stomach rumbling, dreams dancing in my head of exotic spices and perfectly grilled meats. We order lahmacun for starters (because nothing says "let's ease into this meal" like Turkish pizza), and I go full commitment mode with a mixed kebab featuring chicken shish and lamb adana. I'm basically the UN of meat consumption at this point.

Act II: The Plot Twist Nobody Asked For In a stunning display of culinary time travel, our main courses arrive before our starters. The lahmacun eventually makes its fashionably late appearance—it's perfectly adequate, like that reliable friend who shows up but doesn't bring much excitement to the party. I dive into the adana with the enthusiasm of a food blogger on opening night, only to discover it has the personality of wet cardboard and the texture of... well, let's just say it was having an identity crisis.

"No worries," thinks optimistic me, "maybe they're going for that minimalist flavor profile!" So I pivot to the chicken, which is juicy but about as exciting as watching paint dry in beige. But then—plot twist!—I decide to perform surgery on the adana and discover it's basically still moo-ing. Or whatever sound raw lamb makes. Baa-ing?

Act III: The Great Disappearing Act I send the raw lamb back with the confidence of someone who believes in the restaurant industry's capacity for redemption. They promise a fresh one while I sit there eating chicken and watching my couscous slowly transform from "perfectly warm side dish" to "room temperature disappointment."

Time passes. Empires rise and fall. My couscous achieves the temperature of the restaurant's AC. We ask for takeaway boxes, planning to pack the replacement adana whenever it decides to grace us with its presence. Spoiler alert: it doesn't.

After what feels like enough time to actually raise a lamb from birth, I ask our waitress about my AWOL kebab. Cue dramatic kitchen conference that sounds like a heated UN debate. At this point, I've had enough of this culinary soap opera and make my grand exit, having basically paid premium prices for the privilege of potential food poisoning from a meal that remained mysteriously incomplete.

The Epilogue: Solidarity in Suffering Today I learned I'm not alone in this adventure—apparently Istanbul Restaurant is running some sort of accidental social experiment in "How to Turn Dinner into Performance Art." And just to add insult to injury, that raw adana decided to exact its revenge the next day. Thanks for the parting gift, Istanbul Restaurant!

Note: The lahmacun was the only thing that behaved itself that evening—solid C+ performance in a night...

Rude owner, excellent staff. Special shout out the restaurant manager whom I don't know the name of (respectful gentlemen with a tattoo on his arm, who has always displayed hospitality to his customers and was the main reason I visited this place frequently). The owner should learn from him. Evidently, I am not the first person to complain about the owner's treatment of his customers.

This review is about the owner of this place and his treatment of customers. I have no issues with the food, the service, or the atmosphere at all. In fact, in my 3-4 years of eating at this place I have had no problems whatsoever.

I have been eating at this place for years, ordering the same meal I usually order every time - I made the same order recently and was disappointed that the quantity of food provided to me was about half of what it usually is. I called the restaurant, and made it clear that I was not requesting a refund or asking for a free meal. I was only interested in an acknowledgment of the issue so that it wouldn't happen again. This was the first time I have had issues with my order here. Instead, the owner proceeded to gaslight me by telling me that the quantity of food I got was actually the standard quantity, and that for the past 4 years, I have been getting more food than I should have been getting.. (ridiculous proposition).

I took a photo of what I had received and went to talk with the owner in person. I explained once more that I am not looking for a refund or free meals, but that this was a matter of principle. The owner proceeded with manufacturing lies by saying that I complain about every order in another attempt at gaslighting me. I had told him that in my 3-4 years of eating here, I had never complained about anything, and that his staff who know me can attest to that. More gaslighting by the owner, somehow trying to convince me that I have always (for 3-4 years) received more food than I should have received. If this was the case, why would I be complaining every time as he falsely suggests?

It is sad that I won't be frequenting a place I used to enjoy going to anymore PURELY because the owner was rude and does not understand how to treat his customers. All I was looking for was an acknowledgement of the mistake, but instead, his pride cost him my business, and the business of...