Istanbul Bistro & Bar — Restaurant in South Ribble

I'd been telling my husband for weeks we should try the Bistro. We finally did it and boy do I wish we did it sooner. We were greeted by the owner, who is also our friendly barber across the round-about, it was early and the bar was quiet, but when we followed him up the stairs we were greeted by a delicious smokey seared meat scent that joyously billowed from the open kitchen. Tastefully decorated, (where did he get his chairs? I want some for my dining room!) an intimate yet vibrant atmosphere, loud but wonderfully cosy, with a lovely view of the twinkling christmas lights on the round-about trees. We ordered for starters the Mezzo plate for two. Turkish bread with a selection of delicious dips. I'm not sure what the red one was exactly, but it was unbelievably good! Peppy but fresh, accompanied by a fresh tzatziki, Humous (hubby is not a humous fan but devoured that one) and another, sweeter beetroot spread. It set us up for what was to come. Marinaded chicken fillets with a fresh tomato sauce. The chicken was tender, juicy and the sauce! Bagfulls of flavour. Lamb Cutlets, I have never, ever, had cutlets quite like it, masterfully cooked, tender, juicy, flavoursome, crispy fat. Utterly to die for. It rather turned me into somewhat of a cavewoman gnawing away on every last scrap of meat on the bone. Full but anticipating more, we asked for the Baklawa for dessert, it must be good as they had sold out! Next time for sure. Generous dishes at a great price, friendly staff, warm and bubbly atmosphere. I have no doubt we will be back many times again. Happy Birthday Hubby, your wife out did herself on your...

Whilst we probably should have looked online at the menu beforehand so this response is partially of our fault, we were definitely shocked to find out that there is literally no vegetarian main courses whatsoever. Aside from chips or small starters (where we could've ordered multiple of but the price would've racked up compared to a single main course)

We were quite shocked because obviously there is a growing number of vegetarian people.

We were a little frustrated because when we left they asked if we were all vegetarian, as if we would let our vegetarian party member sit there and not eat. Maybe we were just a bit angry and being unreasonable but it was a little stressful.

We didn't eat there so I cannot say anything for the other food itself, it may have been lovely we just had a vegetarian party member and didn't want them to pay way more than us just because of menu restrictions.

I'm sure it's an easy fix, seeing as they have halloumi and such in stock (based on the starters available)

The owner seemed lovely and was very apologetic, which we appreciated. We decided to...

Went there on the evening of the 23rd March. It's quite a new place, it was once a bar that really was a bit of a dive. But a nice surprise waited for us: the place has been done up and is really quite cozy, with a friendly bar/cafe-esque atmosphere.

The waitress was affable, professional, and efficient. We were seated upstairs, where although the furniture and layout can at best be described as 'functional', the fact that one can sit there and view your food being prepared adds a nice fun touch to the proceedings. There was an adequate selection of beers to accompany the food.

At last, to the food! Quite simply put, the food was amazing. Portion size was good enough, very well presented, and as I sit here writing this, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. And to top it off, it didn't break the bank when the bill arrived.

In short: a nice place with top scran. If you find yourself in the area, do yourself a favour and give 'em a try.

All...