Agora in Portsmouth

Food amazing, service & staff really good. We visited for the first time one Saturday & the evening was so good that we booked again for the next Saturday. Well done everyone. See you again soon

Simply delicious! We chose our favourite meze dishes for the 5 sharing option and all were excellent. It was good to see the food being cooked and the staff were very attentive.

Must say, the first time my self and friends visited this restaurant, as a Persian my self I know a good kebab and meat when I see one..this restaurant did not disappoint!! The service was great as well. I will definitely recommend and return.

This was our first time visiting this restaurant and the food was amazing and will be going back

My family and I have lived in Cyprus, and travelled extensively in Greece, Turkey and the wider Mediterranean. Somehow, this little restaurant in Portsmouth is possibly the best Med food we’ve ever had. Restaurant was packed from opening time so the local community clearly recognise how good it is too. We had a mixed meze to start and a mix of kebab / Pirzola / vegetarian / yoghurt mains. All were delicious.

Absolutely disgusting service and behaviour from staff and head waiter, booked a table for 4 people for over a week in advance..got there on time standing room only..got seated. Then got moved.. rushed for an order..got starter and a bottle of wine before you know it without any table checks or are you ready for your main meals type conversation...here it is ..we are still eating our starters and they are taking the plates away and reorganising the table to fit the mains on. This was the start of it..emptied the old bread bowl into the new one. I told them I was not ready..my wife was still trying to eat her starter as he was pulling the plate away. My friends felt they were forced into starting their mains as they are not wanting to upset anyone. I asked them to take the mains away as we were not ready. They took mine as I had not touched it but refused my friend's as they had literally had a mouthful They had a further 2-3 mouthfuls and could not and did not want to eat anymore. I told them I no longer wanted my mains as they had made the experience an unpleasant one they came back with the bill and said they had deducted the starter and told me to shush..I said this was not good enough and I will not shush..so now they clear the table including the 2 glasses of virtually untouched wine and the bottle they struggled to lift the 3 plates of virtually untouched food and told us to leave..my friend went and paid the bill in which they graciously excepted payment for EVERYTHING including the wine but except the starters....RUDE ...AND NEVER AGAIN

I really don't know where to start ? My wife and I was invited to join friends for dinner at this fabulous food place Anyway we met up , gradually made our way to the restaurant for 8 o'clock, a table for 4 people that we had booked over a week previous. We moved in from sherlock ( good choice) Met by the main waiter..tables being cleaned and trying to sort out who sits where as it was very busy Anyway..we order starters..get them ...very nice too Then we have with no notification ..our mains.. sorry...not ready...his response ...sorry we are busy..we had no table checks and no one asked if we were ready for our mains.. .we were still eating our starter I sent my main back to the kitchen as i needed a break our company had started to eat the mains and the waiter refused to take theres back as they had started to eat...they left a good 2 thirds on each plate the head waiter was now being rude and insisting they had eaten most of it.. he then came back with our bill reducing our bill by taking off the price of the starters ..NOOO....RUDE.. OUT AND OUR RUDE....you came and cleared the table took the glasses and bottle of wine and made everything very uncomfortable. Asking me not to raise my voice when you was trying to make it our fault Our friends still insisted on paying and you graciously took the money.

Consistently the best food in Portsmouth. Well done Agora.

My friend booked this and when he showed me the website I was really unsure. When we got there it looked far better than on the website. If I had gone with the photos on the website I would not have booked but my friend recommended it. I am glad he did and saw past the poor website. The food was really really good. Huge portions. Service was also great. Would definitely recommend.

I have lived two lives. One life before I tried the baba ganoush, and the life I live now.

We came here last night for a birthday meal and couldn’t fault a single thing. Friendly service, tasty food and a great atmosphere. We will definitely return.

Nice Turkish cuisine Great option

Nice place the food was great the portions were large and the staff were friendly and helpful ,first time there will go again very extensive menu

Good authentic turkish food, with large portion sizes and good desserts I ordered lamb beyti, mint tea and their semolina dessert with ice cream Honestly so worth it and food is halal which is excellent as I was visiting portsmouth and was concerned about where to eat where I can sit in and have a decent atmosphere Decor is a bit outdated but nevertheless I enjoyed the food :)

First time here, but we will be back. The chicken was really tasty and so tender, with great quality. Starters were good, too. We had the liver, and it was enough for two. The portion size is excellent. In fact, I had to take some home to enjoy again today!

Had an excellent meal with friends. Great atmosphere, and fun to see the expertise of the chef at the grill! Tasty food and generous portions.

The food itself is good- at a little higher price point than other comparable places in Southsea. However, we found ourselves wishing we had gone to one of those other places after being rushed off our chairs at the end of the meal. Booked a table for 7.30 and had starters and mains within an hour. We were asked if we wanted to see desserts which we didn't, but then quickly given the bill and told we needed to leave immediately as they needed the table for an 8.30 booking. Good thing we didn't order a dessert or a bottle of wine! Of course this was after we had paid the bill which included a service charge that I would not have paid had I known I was about to be thrown off the table! We could see the next couple waiting by the door and felt awkward sitting there while we finished our drinks. Strikes me as a mistake in organisation which they did not take responsibility for, happy to churn through as many customers as possible. In no world is 1 hour a reasonable timeslot for an evening meal on a Saturday. Won't be coming back.

Great restaurant, and the food was excellent with a real home cooked taste.

Love the mixed grill, friendly staff too.

Incredible little place. The food portions were perfect and the service was spot on - not too much or too little, they could really read each table to determine how much attention diners needed. We had starters and mains and not a single negative comment could be found, the food was tasty, not overly seasoned (which is good), it was brought out by a happy member of the serving team at a temperature where you could tell it was fresh from the kitchen and not from being sat under a hot plate. The wine list was great too. All in brilliant - cannot wait to go back.

Nice place 👌 Nice food 👌 Good Chef👨‍🍳

Great night out. Lovely atmosphere, great selection of food and at a very reasonable price.

Amazing Middle Eastern food. Everything is cooked in the wood fire which is visible from the seating area which adds to the atmosphere. We ordered loads of starters (baba ganoush, hummus, tatziki) and everything was amazing, it’s hard not to get full from the starters because you don’t want to stop eating! Mains were amazing and went down well. Good for vegetarians and meat eaters alike!

This was our second visit to Agora, the first time I ordered the chicken and it was an extremely tough texture, it couldn't really be eaten, we decided to give it another go thinking it was possibly a bad batch of meat but the second time was an even worse texture. We notified the lady who was serving us that we were unable to eat the main due to the almost crunchy texture, she told us "yes its probably just full of nerves" 😳(major ick) then she pretty much rolled her eyes before giving us the bill, no offer to remove the uneaten main from the bill or even address what we had said. She was EXTREMELY rude. I will say though that every other dish we had was unbelievably good, so so delicious, we had a lovely little spot over by the grill to which was super cosy. The one main wouldn't be enough to stop us returning but the lady who served us would be. She very reluctantly deducted the chicken kebab off the bill but not without making it known just how peed off she was, major eye rolls and death stares, my husband actually looked up and asked her "what her issue was" because she was very obviously trying to get a reaction and she just walked away, didn't see us off out the restaurant or anything.

Great food with very good service. Busy restaurant so it’s best to book. A very varied menu, staff will explain what the dishes are.

This was a casual visit and so pleased we chose the Agora. The food was exceptional I had the Chicken Sach Kavurma and my friend had the Lamb ribs for our mains. The portions were more that generous. Also the service was exellent Very attentive waitress and the food was served in a resonable time.i would throughly recommend this restraunt and will be returning soon.

Great food, quick and friendly service and a lovely atmosphere. Would recommend to anyone

Beautiful food along with excellent service, spoilt for choice with the menu, so many mouth watering dishes on offer, we’ll have to come back! Thoroughly enjoyed our evening. Perfect for a pre theatre meal if you’re going to The Kings

Absolutely beautiful amazing food along with excellent service, staff very efficient and friendly, so much to choose from on the menu, so that’s another excuse to come back! Perfect for a meal before going to The Kings Theatre. What a find!

A little gem of a restaurant! Food was incredible and the staff were lovely and attentive. I highly recommend a visit

Family run business & they run it 10/10 a young & handsome man who I believe is only in his 20s & goes by the name of baran looked after us & his 2 sisters I would recommend this place. You will come away being stuffed. Food great.

Amazing food and lovely service will defo come back! Thank you guys

We shared a number of starters and mains. The way to go

Really nice well cooked food would definitely recommend it

Really lovely meal and the staff are brilliant, will definitely go again. Lamb shank to die for.

Fantastic food, brilliant service, managed to fit us in last minute. Thank you Agora. 5 🌟

We had to wait for the booked table, but was amply compensated and well looked after.

We had such a lovely meal here last night. Amazing food and brilliant service. Looking forward to visiting again.

Great restaurant, every time we have been has been amazing

Update 2: Still the best restaurant in Portsmouth. Update: Nearly 18 years after I first came here it's still great. The decor has been updated a few times, but the menu is the same: hard to improve on perfection. I don't come as often as I used to (children get in the way) but still get greeted like an old friend. Our favourite Greek Restaurant outside of Greece. Friendly staff and good food reasonably priced.

Dropped on this restaurant by chance It was full on a rainy Monday evening but managed to squeeze us in The food was delicious best moussaka I’ve had outside of Greece 🇬🇷 The staff were really nice Would highly recommend

Food tasted over salty. Might be as we do not use salt much at home. Overall the food was excellent as before, good quantities also.

Visited with work colleagues whilst working on the Portsmouth University graduations. Warm welcome, fantastic food and atmosphere. Only wish we worked in Portsmouth more often. Highly recommend.

Excellent food had a mixture of starters incl seafood, babaganoush, liver, sausages and pastries as a meze mix. Iced coffee was great too! Could do with a touch of air con on hot but busy Monday nite. Always a good sign. Warm and friendly service. I will be back.

If I could I would give them 0 stars. Booked on the 6th of May for my graduation dinner with my family who had travelled down for the event. Turned up at my booking time and told the place was closed for a party and that the I had received a call and a voice message to let me know that day or the day before (great notice!). My family and I were rushed out with no empathy/apology/ or remorse just simply that I was wrong about not having a phone call and nothing could be done. No follow up has been received either. I had one missed call 6 hours prior to my booking while I was graduating. (still unsure if it was even the place due to no message!) I had no voice message, no text, no email no attempt at another phone call. Everywhere else was fully booked obviously as it was graduation and I was left getting a takeaway while my family had to drive home. So an awful end to what’s supposed to be a great day. Booking over 2 months in advance in order to secure a place for my graduation was not good enough.

My sister booked Agora for her graduation meal. We turned up for our 8pm reservation after her graduation to be told it’s closed for a party. We were told by the women there that she had called and left voicemails for everyone who had made a reservation. My sister had no call, no voicemail, no text, no email. Extremely disappointed as she has been looking forward to taking us here.

We went for an early evening meal on a Saturday in July. Great service and food.

Definitely a place the locals know and love, though definitely in need of an extension as there is so many people that want to go here! As a result it does take a while to get the food(we waited around 45 minutes to and hour) and the food was extremely hot. The portions are very good, however, and I could barely finish my moussaka. I feel in terms of it being a Turkish/Greek restaurant it definitely leans more towards its Greek side in its dishes though does have some Turkish dishes as well. The byrek was okay, though I may be biased as I was expecting more of a pie like how it is made in Albania rather than the rolls served here, as is in greece. I enjoyed the moussaka and cannot fault it other than it being extremely hot. The food was a little out of our price range at around £20 per main course, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and this is definitely a place you should be visiting if you are ever in Southsea.

Been here several times and visited again , food is brilliant and customer service is amazing , they gave me the wrong order and rectified the issue very quickly! Their yogurt lamb kebabs are lovely, my family had the lamb shank, and the kasarli and chicken lofte. More bread can be requested to have with the meals. Lovely Greek and Turkish place to visit in Portsmouth I will be coming again :)

An absolutely great Greek restaurant. Brilliant food and attentive/friendly service pitched just right to make it an even better meal than the food alone would have made it. Really decent prices with loads of variety on the menu. Well decorated inside and out. Spotlessly clean inside. This place really does put some effort in to give you the best eating experience that they could manage.

An absolutely great Greek restaurant. Brilliant food and attentive/friendly service pitched just right to make it an even better meal than the food alone would have made it. Really decent prices with loads of variety on the menu. Well decorated inside and out. Spotlessly clean inside. This place really does put some effort in to give you the best eating experience that they could manage.

Looking at all the other good reviews .......the chef must have been on holiday when we visited. Staff were friendly but food was very underwhelming and expensive for what it was. Portions were massive but I would rather have a small portion of nice well cooked food than a massive portion of rubbish. Liver was overcooked, dry and unseasoned the rest of the food was salty .... so salty and £8.50 for a house white wine what a joke , I won't be back.

The restaurants atmosphere was amazing and the owners daughter Berfin was ever so welcoming and such a great host. The service was impeccable, the food came so quick and very fresh. The food was delicious. As a fellow turkish person i enjoyed it so much as i believe its hard to come across good turkish food in UK! Overall 10/10 service, to top it off during a conversation i briefly mentioned that we were in the restaurant celebrating my birthday and they went above and beyond by bringing out a surprise slice of cake for me. Thank you again

Great food, great service. Overall wonderful experience.

Accommodating and warm staff, lovely atmosphere and the food is outstanding. Definitely one of my favourite places to eat and, considering the choice we have on our doorstep, this is an achievement.

Food,service and atmosphere were amazing,we had mixed grills and chicken Kebab.Will definitely be returning when visiting Southsea again.

Way overpriced for the poor quality of food. The chef might have been watching but it was clear that he had only a basic idea of what Turkish cuisine is. Credit to them that they didn’t charge us for the two mains we returned. However not going back as the standards are below minimum.

We booked dinner with family to celebrate our anniversary, it was one of the best experiences I’ve had. The ambience, the service and most if all the food! Just amazing! If you’re visiting Southsea or the surrounding area - this is most definitely the place to eat! Superb!!

We were 6 people eating at Agora this evening for my parents 25th wedding anniversary. The best experience I’ve had in Portsmouth, the food was so delicious, the service was outstanding, such a wonderful evening. We will all be back again. Thank you so much to the Team.

Outstanding restaurant. The service tonight was fantastic and prompt. The variety between Greek and Turkish cuisine was great, and the food was outstanding. Would highly recommend and will most definitely be joining the regular haunt list.

All round fab and would go back.

Cannot fault this restaurant. Meals were high quality with an extensive choice, and the service was friendly and efficient. One of the best Turkish meals I have had in the UK.

Absolute gem of a restaurant. Lovely relaxed friendly service with amazing food, lots for a veggie Coeliac to eat and well signed on the menu. Will be returning soon!

Samo mogu preporučiti, predivan ambijent i super hrana. Doručak je nešto najfinije i najvažnije u mom životu.

Enjoyed a lovely meal on a Sunday evening. The food was excellent and cooked within full view of the restaurant. I would recommend:

Excellent food. Good portions. We were sat on first floor and a cramped table. Ground floor tables were good. Will visit again.

Food is amazing and the bread is addictive

The best mixed grill, consistent everytime they don't miss Update: food still bangs

Excellent food, friendly staff and nice surroundings. Nice extensive choice for all tastes and generous portions. Would certainly recommend that you visit as soon as you can.

If you want to eat a really good meat and mezze’s, I definitely recommend it, friendly staff, professional service and a very friendly warm atmosphere. I recommend it to everyone.

Delicious food and plenty of it . Highly recommended.

Have been eating here for years. Never again. The meal , liver kehbab and rice was so salty at the bottom of the plate that it made me gag. I politely complained to who I assume was a manager and said that I thought it was in the rice. He stated there was no salt in the rice , and that it was the liver. May have been both, but definitely the rice. He stated he would take half of the bill. When it came to it, he meant half the bill for that dish, stating I had eaten half of it! How cheeky, does he think I was trying it on for half a dish? I may not be wealthy, but I’m not that broke and don’t want to ruin our evening for half a dish. He then agreed to take that dish off the bill and we left. He didn’t seem to care about our experience and just wanted us gone. If it had just been a bad dish I would have chalked it up as just a slip up. But after the bad way it was dealt with, we will be voting with our feet. Never going back

Been here many times and always a great experience. The owner and the staff are super friendly and the food is so good! 👏👏

I cannot believe I have never been here before! A great family restaurant. The daughter and son front of house so welcoming as are all the staff been so attentive. The food was amazing great portion sizes and great value. Will definitely come back.

Had bitter experience with the hospitality and politeness. I think they prioratise people according to their color. We(me & my wife)asked if we can sit in a different area, they mentioned it was booked, however, it was empty the whole time we were there. Even though we mentioned our sitting place is congested, they didn’t pay any heed. The food is so so, kind of overpriced. I have experienced more delicious food around some other Turkish cuisine restaurant in Portsmouth with reasonable price and more polite and engaging customer support. We wanted to try Agora and the experience we had, don't have any wish to go there anymore.

A wonderful restaurant with great service, fantastic food and a great atmosphere. I love it that you can watch your food being cooked in a traditional manner by just one cook who is incredibly skilled at what he does. The food was delicious and plentiful...

My favourite restaurant in Portsmouth! Have tried many different Turkish & Greek places, but none match the taste, service and standard of Agora. My mum never likes food in restaurants and even she fell in love with it!!

Every time I pass by Agora, the place is jam-packed, and no wonder: The food is lush. I went there for my birthday, and it was one of the best meals I had all year. It's colourful and warm inside, and staff are inviting and...

My wife and I visited the Agora for the first time and will definitely be returning. A great selection of food to choose from and fantastic service from the team - I really enjoyed the Izmir Kofte I had for my main. Highly recommended.

Wonderful starters had the atom and borek to start followed by a mixed grill. Flavours were nice. Would go again

The ambiance was wonderful and the staff were lovely but I was underwhelmed by the food. The moussaka was not very much like I'd ever had before (and it is my favourite dish on the planet) and was very expensive. I'd like to say I'd go back and sample some of the other dishes which may well be wonderful, but I don't have money to burn.

Lovely food, great service, and lots of choice on the menu

The narrowest restaurant I've ever seen,overrated,quiet expensive…

Once again the food was fantastic, as was the service. Definitely one of the best places to eat in Southsea.

Most popular Turkish restaurant in Portsmouth. Food was excellent and mouth watering. Both atmosphere and decore will attract anyone who wants to spend good time with friends and family. Traditional music and Turkish lamp will set good vive. Service was amazing, they helped us to decide and recommend the popular tasty dishes. They maintain cleanliness. A bit costlier than other restaurants in this area, however, quality and quantity of the food won’t let you regret. They serve halal food.We took the set menu 1, which was enough for 5 people. I will recommend this one if you come in group or with your family. Table booking in advance is recommended. For starter we took hummus,hummus kavurma,mitti kofte,dolma,atom.For dessert - tiramisu and mixed dessert.We enjoyed every single dish. They have a kids menu and some vegan options too. We will recommend this restaurant to everyone.

The wine selection was impressive.

Has halal food. Very eurocentric though. Food was high quality.

Really nice atmosphere, great caring service. Food was good. A bit on the expensive side.

Amazing food, service & atmosphere. One of the best restaurants in the south coast. Everyone has to try

Perfect food but damn cold! it is not normal in the 21st century to be heating a restaurant in the center of Portsmouth with a small stove placed above the front door! I certainly won't be visiting again as I was extremely disappointed with my...

Food was very good! Menu had no Manakish!

Very nice Turkish/Greek restaurant. Good value and service

Restaurant had a lovely happy noisy buzz and food was really interesting

Went here for dinner last night with a couple of friends by chance and very pleased we did. As the whole experience was outstanding! Between the 3 of us we shared the set meal for 2 and there was easily enough for 4 people, the portion was unbelievable. The quality of the food was amazing, the fresh bread served warm was great, the kebabs were all so tasty. If you have space for desert then you have to give the tiramisu, it was the best I have ever eaten. I will definitely be returning here again in the future.

Lovely meal, all of us thoroughly enjoyed our food, lovely ambience too

Amazing place I highly recommend!!!!! Super friendly staff!!! Tasty food good portions and reasonable prices! I suggest to make a reservation to be sure you have a place to sit! Incredible vibe!!!! Amazing job!!!!! Looking forward to visit again!

Always a great meal at this restaurant. Lovely atmosphere, reasonable prices and excellent service. However on my latest visit we were charged 10% service charge ( table of 3 ) which I think is new ? Now, I always leave a tip for good service...

Fantastic food and wine, very friendly service. The Turkish wine was superb and very good value for money. The grilled sea bream was the best I have ever had.

Nice food, awesome place, nice ambiance

Great food and service, not the cheapest but we knew that before we went, and was good value. Quality and quantity in the Set Menu. Make sure to book direct on the phone if going on Friday or Saturday. Turkish Red wine was nice!