Ayos Restaurant — Restaurant in St Albans

Do not eat at this restaurant. My friend and I got food poisoning. I asked them for the ingredients list and they refuse to send them to me. Their customer service recover is atrocious. They are more concerned with their reputation than the welfare and of their customers. Here is the letter I sent you them after speaking with a rude, obnoxious manger on the phone.

“Dear Dara,

Thank you for your email. However, I must express my disappointment with the response provided.

Firstly, let me address the matter of seeking medical attention. Unfortunately, my friend who dined with me and also fell ill after our visit to your restaurant is currently bedridden and unable to visit a doctor, especially considering it is the weekend when medical services are limited. This underscores the severity of the situation and the urgency of addressing it. Additionally, I experienced diarrhoea within a couple of hours after leaving the restaurant.

It's worth noting that neither of us had anything to eat yesterday, further emphasizing the likelihood of the illness being linked to our dining experience at your establishment.

Your suggestion that our symptoms may be attributed to unknown allergies is both unwarranted and insulting. Neither my friend nor I have a history of food allergies, and to imply otherwise is dismissive of the clear indications of food poisoning. Moreover, your proposal that we undergo allergy testing at our own expense is absurd. If you truly stand by the safety and quality of your food, providing an ingredients list should be a basic measure of transparency. Yet, I have not received this information despite my initial request.

Furthermore, your assertion that no other customers reported issues on the day of our visit does not absolve your restaurant of responsibility. Food poisoning can manifest differently in individuals, and the absence of immediate complaints does not discount the possibility of contamination. It is concerning that you are more focused on defending your reputation than addressing the legitimate concerns of your customers.

Given these circumstances, I will report this incident to several regulatory bodies and authorities responsible for monitoring food safety standards, including the Local Council's Environmental Health Department, FSA, Trading Standards, EHO, and FHRS. I will also be seeking legal counsel to explore avenues for recourse and loss of earnings due to the severity of the food poisoning.

It is evident that, your restaurant needs to uphold the necessary hygiene and food safety standards. I am committed to ensuring appropriate action is taken to prevent others from experiencing similar harm.

I expect a prompt response acknowledging the gravity of this situation and detailing the steps you will take to rectify it. Please confirm that you are the manager or the owner and provide...

Went here on a quiet Sunday evening for an anniversary dinner. Starter was lovely & so was the wine. We ordered Chicken Sarma Beyti & Adana Sarma Beyti.

Within the first mouthful of the chicken, something hit my tooth - obviously something rock solid. I took it out my mouth and put it on the side of my plate; thinking it was a one off within the minced meat, I took another bite - and the same thing appeared. Slightly put off by the rock solid bits in my meal, I asked the waiter if I could swap to the Lamb, as my partner wasn't seeming to have the same issue. He basically said no. The manager then came over and patronisingly explained that mince meat tends to have harder bits in it, as it's a combination of various meats. He was so insistent and showed no inclination to take my dish away, that I actually believed him and decided to just eat everything but the meat.

My partner kindly swapped some of his lamb for my chicken, so I took a bite from the lamb. Again, a much larger lump hit my tooth. It was honestly rock solid bone.

By this point I couldn't physically eat much more as it was making me feel sick seeing the pile of bone crumbs accumulate on the side of my plate.

We stopped eating and left our plates as they were. The waiter came over to clear after about 10 minutes of waiting (even though there were only a few other tables), and genuinely asked how our meal was. I explained that I was really disappointed; that I didn't eat any of it, that within just 4 or 5 mouthfuls, they all had rock solid chucks of bone in it. He didn't apologise, he just explained that that is what minced meat is.

We asked for the bill. He bought it over, the starter, 2 glasses of wine and both mains were listed + service charge. We were in there for an hour, and had complained multiple times with full plates being taken back to the kitchen. I was quite shocked that he hadn't removed our drinks / the main that I hadn't touched.

I again expressed my disappointment, and said that I genuinely could've cracked a tooth. The same manager again explained that the put the meat through the mincer twice, but things still get through. I wasn't born yesterday - meat with bones are the cheapest cuts of meat; the fact the bones were scattered through my dish, is honestly the most unappealing thing a restaurant could serve. He still didn't apologise. I have eaten at many Turkish restaurants and never had bones in the meat so I'm confused why he was so insistent that it was normal.

We paid (no service charge) and left. It's a real shame, as we live on the same street and would've been keen to be long term customers if he had resolved it and given us some compensation. We will never return here.

(I have read back on these reviews and going back as far as last year, similar complaints have been made of rock hard bones being found...

Overrated and overpriced. Don’t be deceived by the ambience because you got a thick headed, completely non co-operative manager who thinks they serve the best Turkish food across Hertfordshire, which in my opinion is a big fat lie. Actually got served canned food thrown on a plate. When asked the manager he got defensive and didn’t even have the decency to apologise instead went on about how good they are and charged us for the whole meal, which in itself speaks a lot about the food and the restaurant. Bottom line is this is a big no go restaurant. Readers you’re better off having food from a kebab shop than this restaurant. If there was an option to give less than one star that would be my rating for this restaurant.

My response to the reply from the management further to my previous review. In 3 words. KITCHEN NIGHTMARE CHANNEL4. By justifying yourself and writing lies here doesn’t make your food any better. If I finished something on my plate doesn’t necessarily mean I liked it and surely you can’t decide that for me. People can eat because they’re hungry lol. Glad we only ordered 2 starters and 1 appetiser between 2 people. Also, the portions were so tiny that even a baby could finish them. You did no big favour by accommodating us in your restaurant, I hope you understand that it is a hospitality business that you run. Also, I would refuse to pay for stuff thrown out of a can on my plate. What is unrealistic are your claims of people loving your food because I am not the only person who has given you a negative review here lol. Also, I would now recommend foodies, friends, families reading this to seriously think twice before going to your restaurant because you are deceiving them with your ambience. As I stated in my previous review, it is a place to go only for the ambience not for the food (especially Turkish food). I say this having travelled across the lengths and breadths of Turkey and eaten authentic Turkish food in Turkey and numerous places across England. So when I expected to eat Turkish food, surely yours was not in accordance to my taste buds. This is a platform to review an individual’s experience so other people have a good look before they consider going somewhere. This is my review and your defence doesn’t really change my experience at your restaurant. Infact your food, presentation and customer service should speak louder than your arrogance. Good luck my fellow.

Citizens...