Cafe
Istanbul Manchester - reader comments |
"My
friend had visited the restaurant on many occasions and had sang its
praises, so I was very much looking forward to the meal. I ordered
from the lunchtime set menu with Hummus and flat bread which was a
nice lead up to the main course. The portion was very generous
and I had to stop myself from having any more as I thought I'd ruin
any appertite for the main course, the Spit-Roast Lamb. When it arrived
it appeared to be lamb donner meat with rice (obviously Turkish spit-roast
lamb), but I was looking for a little more finesse
I think. My friend asked for the lamb to be extra crispy, so in future
I would ask for it to be prepared like that. The portion again was
sizeable, but if it hadn't been for the chilli sauce accompaniment,
the meal could have been a touch bland. All in all, a good
experience, the service was very friendly and polite,
and I would go back with the knowledge of how best to ask for the
food."
- paul, bolton 13/8/08 (visited on a friday lunch) |
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"We've
been looking forward to visiting Cafe Istanbul for quite some time
and, so it was, we decided to visit as a whole team, making up a party
of 8. First impressions were good, a nice modern restaurant with a
friendly welcome
and it was very busy for a Friday lunchtime. The intimacy of the restaurant
made getting into our seats rather difficult without interrupting
those on surrounding tables and the huge laminated menu card didn't
help matters much either - they were bigger than the table! Aside
from being squashed together, akin to being on an airplane with a
big fat businessman sat next to you fighting for elbow space, the
food was great value for money and the Karisik Mixed Grill (£12.90)
was so big it increased the claustrophobia. The chargrilled combination
of lamb cutlet, lamb fillet, Istanbul lamb, spit roasted lamb and
chicken with rice offered a great selection of Turkish specialities,
whilst the Hot Chiken Salad (£10.90) was also worthy of note.
The Spit Roasted Lamb Doner Kebab (£11.90) was popular and certainly
a better alternative to those on offer at most takeaways in Manchester.
All in all, Cafe Istanbul is a good choice for those wanting to taste
Turkish cuisine, however it's probably better suited for smaller parties
than our own (in both belly size and number), unless you can reserve
one of the round tables. It's not hard to see why it's nearly always
busy though, although I'd be interested to see how many afternoons
are 'written off' after diners return to their offices following a
huge mixed grill!"
- restaurants of manchester - 9/10/08 (visited on a friday lunch)
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"More
of a place to visit with friends and family than for a romantic evening.
We have visited a few times and have found the food to be consistently
good. The meat plates are huge - we have
big appetites but always end up taking some home. The mixed starters
are good value and great for sharing. Our daughter
always enjoys the prawns (and she's fussy!). Great for a relaxed
lunch."
- melanie, wigan 14/4/08 (visited on a sunday lunch) |
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| "I
love this restaurant and make it my business whenever I go to a show
or I am in Manchester city centre for any reason to visit. Service
is really good with friendly staff, food is excellent."
- joan mason, swinton 15/3/08 (visited fri evening) |
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| "We
have been to this restaurant twice now, and we have always enjoyed
the meals. The staff are very friendly, and will
help where ever possible. On both occasions we got there at 12noon
and didn't leave until gone 6.00, not because of slow service, but
because we enjoyed ourselves so much, we lost track of time. I'd recommend
Cafe Istanbul to anyone, and tell them not to be put off by any bad
reviews!"
- donna, failsworth 19/2/08 (visited thu lunch) |
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I went during lunchtime, my 2nd visit to the restaurant. I would recommend
this place for lunch time. Can't fault the food and service.
You'll certainly come out feelin' well fed!"
- matt love, stockport 18/1/08 (visited on a friday lunch) |
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| "I
have dined there on a few occasions and have always enjoyed
the food. However the last experience has put me off for
life and I will never recommend it to any friends. We received the
worst service you can imagine. Then to make matters
worse, they had the nerve to add a service charge! For what? Waitresses
were all rude, miserable and made you feel unwelcome. From the moment
we sat down, we felt rushed and constantly told when we had to leave
the table. Never again"
- kate, manchester 13/12/07 (visited on a saturday evening) |
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little gem hidden on Bridge Street - definately worth trying
as you will return!!!"
- rebecca boland, manchester 5/7/07 (visited on a wednesday evening) |
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