Yamabahçe — Restaurant in London

UPDATE: They have finally changed the manager. The new manager and his team were quite positive and showed Turkish hospitality manners. This is a big improvement on their side. For the prices, after price rises on menus around london, pide prices decent, lahmacun and soup is still a bit overpriced. Turkish music taste is on point and made the atmosphere warm and welcoming.

—————————————— Original review: 4/5

I must say, this Turkish restaurant in London truly rivals the taste of the best Turkish restaurants in Istanbul. The restaurant has a beautiful concept, and the meals are undeniably delicious. However, I do have some concerns regarding the partial halal menu. Personally, I would prefer if everything on the menu was halal. On the positive side, having an al-fresco dining option is a rarity in London, and it's a great feature. Nonetheless, I have noticed that the restaurant's seating arrangement could be better. The tables are quite close together, and I wish they would consider extending the restaurant to provide more spacious seating.

One area of disappointment is the menu pricing; I find it a bit pricey for the portion sizes offered. It would be great if they could consider adjusting their prices to provide better value for their customers.

One noticeable issue at the restaurant is the attitude of the employees, which can be described as apathetic and sullen. There have been instances where they forgot parts of the order, despite receiving feedback about the inefficiency of the staff. As a regular customer, it would be nice to feel recognized and have the opportunity to engage in friendly conversations with the staff, but unfortunately, that hasn't been the experience. Even after multiple visits, there seems to be a lack of familiarity, which can be perceived as impolite and discouraging.

On a positive note, I believe the restaurant could greatly improve by offering hot drinks and dessert during off-peak hours. I understand that it might be challenging during busy periods, but this could be a valuable service for the local Turkish community in London and help set the restaurant apart in the sector.

In conclusion, while this restaurant has its strengths, there are some areas that need improvement, especially regarding customer service and menu options. I hope they take this feedback constructively and work towards enhancing the overall...

Long 45 min wait on a Friday night during Ramadan. But sweet of them to give water and dates while we were in the queue. It’s a small open kitchen resto where there are only 3-5 indoor tables so we sat outside. It wasn’t a cold day and there were fire heaters.

We got: 2 lentil soup for 4 to share (9/10): The waiter offered a good suggestion of splitting one portion of soup into two separate bowls. Soup was amazing and even better with lemon. Comes with bread. Bean stew with pilaf rice (8/10): a friend is vegetarian and this was the only veg main other than pide. Slightly spicy and nice 2 Tandir (9.5/10): the lamb was AMAZING. Crispy outside and perfect amount of fat but super tender inside. Also comes with rice. Wish it had more juice and vegetables other than half a tomato and grilled chili pepper. Lahmancun (3/10): came with a plate of salad and lemons. expected it to be amazing but it came at the same time as the soup so it went cold quickly. Was dry and hard.

Overall it was a very pleasant dining experience 8/10. This was the only restaurant that had a queue in the area at 6:15pm on a Friday evening so that says a lot. The price is good considering it being in Bond Street/Marylebone area, similar price as other restaurants in soho. I definitely recommend and will come back for the pide and Turkish tea. Wish they had clearly labeled a V for vegetarian options. Now they only have vegan options labelled which is still highly appreciated. Also wish they had more veggie options other than pide. Otherwise very good place! Even better if they would do...

Hello,

I have been a loyal customer of Yamabahçe for a long time — even before it opened, I used to dine at Babaji Pide Salonu. The food has always been delicious, and your staff have always been friendly and attentive.

However, today (Monday, 13 October, around 4:00 PM), I had a disappointing experience.

My friend and I sat at one of the front tables. Our order was kindly taken by a polite gentleman, apparently the chef or supervisor, who was very professional. After that, however, the two ladies working in the front area (who I have seen before) completely ignored us.

We asked for bread and chili sauce, but nothing came. When we asked again, one of the ladies put the sauce on the table quite harshly. Our lahmacun was served without greens, and by the time we received them, it was already cold. Our tandır also got cold because we were waiting for the bread, which arrived very late.

Despite trying to get their attention several times, they did not make any eye contact or respond. It is now 4:41 PM and we still haven’t been able to order our tea.

I would like to specifically report the two female staff members working in the front area near the Pizza Express section. I don’t know their names, but I believe you can identify who they are based on the time mentioned.

I truly enjoy dining at your restaurant and have always been a happy customer, so I’m quite disappointed by today’s experience. I would appreciate a response regarding this...