I recently visited The Istanbul Kitchen, a Turkish restaurant located in Cheltenham, with some friends. Overall, our experience was quite enjoyable. The staff was friendly and attentive, making us feel welcome from the moment we walked in.
The food, for the most part, was delicious and satisfying. Portion sizes were quite generous, and we left the restaurant with satisfied appetites. The flavors of the dishes were authentic and well-prepared, and we particularly enjoyed the variety of kebabs and mezze options on the menu.
However, the only drawback was the pricing. We found the menu to be a bit on the expensive side, which was a bit of a disappointment. While the quality of the food and service were commendable, the higher prices left us with a somewhat mixed impression.
In summary, The Istanbul Kitchen offers a pleasant dining experience with friendly staff and tasty, generously portioned Turkish cuisine. If the pricing were more reasonable, it would easily earn a 5-star rating from us. Nevertheless, we would still recommend it for those looking for a delightful Turkish dining experience in Cheltenham, and we award it a solid 4-star rating.
The restaurant was very clean, the staff was polite and very professional all the time.
The food did come very fast and it was delicious, with fresh ingredients, very well cooked and a great taste.
The portions they are great for the price and quality.
Lots of starters, a great place to go for a nice shared meal, a good variety of them vegetarian.
We were pleasantly surprised by the deliciousness of the food served here. We ate the food based on Chef's recommendation and we were not let down by it. The starters, main course and especially the dessert were all delicious. Must eat here if you are in Cheltenham.
We had a nice time here whilst visiting the cotswolds. The staff are friendly and welcoming. We had bread and tzatziki as a complementary starter, which we enjoyed. We asked for the chicken shish and lamb adana kebab, but were given lamb pieces instead. We didn't mind too much as we enjoyed the food. We also ordered the beyti, which was delicious and I enjoyed the tomato sauce that was drizzled on top. To finish we had the rice pudding for dessert, which was also nice and not overly sweet.
Food is great here and very tasty. Oh my gosh lamb liver in chef's special was yummy. Food portions are also big here. One of the best Turkish restaurants in West/South-west UK.
Service is very good
Istanbul Kitchen was lovely! Our servers were great - they asked our party if we wanted to move to a nicer, window seat just because the view were nicer. They also provided recommendations on what to order. We shared a bottle of the house turkish wine which was smooth and great. I ordered the moussaka which was amazing and very filling! They had an extensive list of gluten free foods and vegetarian options which our gluten intolerant and vegetarian friends really appreciated. My only regret was that my stomach wasn't bigger so that I could try more food
Great food!! Great atmosphere!! Nice portions :)!!we had the sharer platter and it was really nice! The staff were lovely and food cane out quick. Having shots in the end (they bring in shot) was interesting but thought they should check if people are driving afterwards.
Cheltenham seems to be full of authentic restaurants. The Istanbul kitchen on Saturday night had belly dancing and birthday cake. I didn’t book in advance but I was lucky. I think it is a good idea to book in advance. There are a huge variety of Turkish and Mediterranean dishes here.
I originally went to this restaurant with a bunch of workmates but thought it was decent. The atmosphere was really good though. When it's someone's birthday they play music and get them dancing!
So about a year later I decided to go again with my girlfriend and baby. This time I thought it was great.
We went on a Saturday afternoon when it wasn't too busy. This time we all done the Istanbul party which is a sharer starter with 8 different starters. Which really enabled us to try all the different flavours they had to offer. Then as part of the deal you get any main and a dessert with it.
I had the king prawns and mussels for main and then I had the cheesecake for dessert. Both of which were great. Especially the cheesecake, I would happily have that again.
The staff were very accommodating for our young son who likes to make a mess!
The staff were great and they always offer you a free shot of Sourz when you leave!!
Definitely worth trying if you are in the area.
Organised an evening out for 10 people with just 4 days notice, they were able to accept the booking, even ringing the day before to ask the purpose of the event.
Due to personal reasons only 9 were able to attend, but we were able to order takeaway for the other person, no problem.
We all ordered on the night and the starter's and mains came out in good time, only one minor issue one starter was missing. The empty clean plates at the end tells you all you need to know if we enjoyed the food. Some even had room for pudding, they do place a 10% optional service charge on the bill, but given how well we were treated and the food and drink we were happy to pay.
To the staff a big thank you.
The fact the restaurant was busy on a Thursday night from the point we walked in at 7pm till we left at 10pm tells you how popular it is, personally I will be going back😋😋😋
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