Yelken Restaurant — Restaurant in Great Britain

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A true gem of Brighton – authentic food, heartfelt hospitality

Yelken, which means “sail” or “wave” in Turkish, is perfectly named for its location just a short walk from the Brighton seafront. Like a gentle wave, this restaurant leaves a lasting impression — calm, refreshing, and full of flavour.

We loved it so much we went three times in one weekend!

Owned by the warm and welcoming Ali, with his skilled colleague Malik in the kitchen, every dish is cooked fresh in view, offering exceptional and authentic Mediterranean/Turkish cuisine.

Some highlights from our visits: – Butterfly prawns – our daughter’s absolute favourite. – Karniyarik – a traditional eggplant dish that’s rich and comforting. – Lamb stew – one of Ali’s signature dishes, and it’s a must-try.

For starters, the Cacik (cool yogurt, cucumber, and mint dip) with fresh bread is perfect, and the Ayran drink adds a healthy, probiotic-rich touch to the meal.

The food is unforgettable, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the passion behind it all is clear. Support this incredible local business – it’s more than deserving of a...

Read the great reviews and decided to take my mum there for lunch. I had already seen the menu and they have about 4 pasta dishes, which was perfect for my mum. The first staff member to serve us was very friendly and welcoming. When he took our order he said they couldn't serve pasta, although it was unclear why, something to do with them just having opened up. When I asked how long it would be for pasta, I was told 10 minutes - I said that's fine. When the pasta was served, it looked and smelled delicious, however, was not cooked through properly at all and we asked that it go back. We were then told that they can't do pasta?? It was a bit odd. My mum had the king prawns which she did like and I had the halloumi salad which was tasty and filling. We were not asked if we enjoyed the meal or offered any further drinks. My mum used the toilet there and found a man in there brushing his teeth! Not sure what that was about. Overall, they were not especially apologetic about the pasta situation and one member of staff just seemed a bit lost. I probably wont be back unfortunately,...

This place really has a great atmosphere and the staff are lovely and helpful, the interior is beautiful and the chairs are comfy! The food is really good I especially like the homade baklava it is syrupy, nutty absolutely what you want in a baklava..... I'm now still dreaming of it, it was that good!! The stuffed aubergine was really tasty I've never had it before and would get it again, my dad hasn't had that dish since leaving London and so it made his night to see it here!! I had such good dolma stuffed vine leaves they were vinegary and meaty, I've never really liked them that much before or been to fussed but this place changed my mind!! I would get the appetizers they where all good especially the dolma and olives. The drinks are lovely I especially loved the Turkish coffee and tea, it takes me back to the days when we could travel to Turkey and Cyprus. The staff when above and beyond to make us feel good, he even made us some mint tea fresh even though he did not have to. So over all I would highly recommend coming to this place for lunch or dinner and experience it for...