Gökyüzü Restaurant — Restaurant in London

Went here as part of a large group so did not have the luxury of choosing the restaurant. Having seen the sign when driving past on the A406 I was very surprised at just how big this place was. There is ample car parking on site and attendants help manage this which was good. We had tables reserved for our group and were seated easily without fuss.

Drinks orders were taken quickly but slow to arrive. It was a busy night so I understand times can vary. We did not need to order food as platters had been prearranged by the host. We had mixed hot and cold meze starters but was left disappointed with the hot plates. For each table (that seated 4) only 2 pieces of halloumi or Turkish sausage were given. It seems odd that for a sharing platter you get less items than an individual starter. The main platter gave an exceptionally generous amount of bulgar wheat and rice. There was enough meat for the table though again only two lamb chops meant not everyone could have. Overall the food was average and arrived lukewarm.

We had a mixed experience with staff. Some were friendly while others just had an air of contempt about them. The restaurant was very busy. I understand that waiting staff have a hard job but when they come across as rude it ruins the experience. We didn't feel rushed until one of the waitresses said we had to pay for the entirety of our meal before her shift ended. We asked why since we hadn't even finished eating and also wanted to look at the dessert menu. We we're told we would have to order with the next person. We politely pointed out our party was too large to easily do this and the waitress left cursing us.

What really soured our experience however was after having been presented with the bill and everyone paying, another waiter came up to us and said there was an outstanding amount on the bill. We asked how that could be as everyone had paid an equal share for their meal (drinks were paid for individually including tip at the time or ordering and did not make up our bill). The waiter kept insisting we hadn't paid the full bill even though adding up what everyone paid came to over what the original bill was including tip. The waiter threatened to get the manager so we said go ahead as we can prove we have paid. The manager never did come.

This could have been a really good experience and had the customer service been better I can forgive average food and still rate generously. But being accused of not paying when we had is not acceptable, neither is rude staff. Judging by other reviews it seems like we caught a really off night. I would have loved to have enjoyed a more favourable night but understandably I will not...

I had a truly disappointing experience with my family at this restaurant. The service was shockingly poor.

I had booked a table for 20 but later updated it to 30. Unfortunately, this change was not communicated to the staff, and we arrived to find seating for only 20. On top of that, only three sets of starters were brought to the table, (for a group of 30!) and I had to repeatedly chase the staff to provide more. When I brought this up, their response was, “Well, it’s complimentary, so why are you complaining?”

Despite repeatedly asking for basic things like water, tea, placing our order, and even having the table cleaned, I was met with resistance, excuses, and a complete lack of accountability. Instead of addressing our concerns and requests, the staff would simply say “okay” and then never follow through. When I raised a complaint, I was essentially told there was nothing they could do — as if the poor service was just to be expected.

Over half an hour after we had finished eating, I had to practically beg a staff member to clean our table. Their excuse was that they were short-staffed, yet it was clear there were more than enough employees on the floor. We ended up clearing the table ourselves. What made it worse was seeing other parties around us being attended to with far more care and attention, making us feel completely overlooked and unimportant.

There was no apology, no accountability, no empathy, and absolutely no sense of customer care. The staff were cold and unwelcoming. At no point did they check if we were okay or attempt to make us feel looked after — it felt like they just wanted us to leave.

I even suggested a small gesture of goodwill, like a discount or something complimentary, given the poor experience — but all they offered was more tea, which we already had after repeatedly asking for throughout the evening. No meaningful effort was made to make up for the service issues.

What was meant to be a special birthday dinner was completely ruined. The food itself was average at best and very overpriced. The only redeeming part of the meal was the kunafa.

I strongly advise others to avoid this place. There are far better restaurants out there that actually value...

Extremely Disappointing Experience - Ruined Our Family Celebration

On 11/08/24 at around 9:30pm, I visited Gökyüzü in Chingford to celebrate with my family, but unfortunately, the experience was far from what we expected. I am compelled to share our disappointing experience in the hopes that it might lead to some improvements.

From the moment we were seated, we noticed that the table had an unpleasant smell and was sticky, clearly not cleaned properly. While we tried to overlook this and enjoy our meal, the issues only continued to pile up.

When our drinks arrived, the glasses were filthy and appeared not to have been washed properly. I requested a clean glass from the waiter, who assured me she would bring one back. Unfortunately, she never returned, leaving us to deal with dirty glassware for the duration of our meal.

The real problem arose when our food finally arrived. The chicken wings were raw, which was not only unappetizing but also a serious health concern. We immediately brought this to the attention of the waiter, who said he would speak to the manager. However, no effort was made to rectify the situation or replace the dish. We waited for an update, but when we inquired again, the waiter simply stated that the manager had been informed and brushed it off with, "these things do happen." This dismissive attitude was deeply upsetting and completely ruined our meal.

Upon requesting the bill, we asked again if anything would be done about the raw chicken, but were simply met with another apology, with no effort to make amends. To make matters worse, as we were leaving, we noticed the manager casually sitting at a table, eating, while the waiter was trying to explain the situation to him. The manager appeared indifferent and unconcerned, which was incredibly frustrating given the severity of the issue.

This experience was incredibly disappointing and ruined what was supposed to be a special family celebration. I hope that the management at Gökyüzü takes these issues seriously and works to improve both their service and food quality. We will not be returning and cannot recommend this restaurant to others based on...