Akarsu Turkish Restaurant & Grill in County Durham

Sorting outside in the sun in summer is unbeatable. Great food, great bunch of people. Love it.

Very busy and clearly sought after food in Akarsu. Was very busy inside with diners on both levels. The front of house staff were very good and friendly. Lots to go at on the menu too, real good quality authentic food too. Great location with views over the bridge and to the water. Very well decorated internally on all levels. All in all impressed by all aspects of the visit, the food was delicious. If your in town or considering a visit I'd call in here for food.

My wife and I came across this restaurant last night. Just a walk in but they made us very welcome. We are so pleased they had a spare table. The food was just amazing. Really top quality ingredients and cooked perfectly. Good size portions and lots of choice. Service was warm and friendly. Thank you for a great experience and we hope to return soon.

Julie unbelievable I would come back just for her smile fantastic canny girl brilliant ❤️

The food was OK for me, nices views from the restaurant though

Would thoroughly recommend. Food is delicious- good size portions and reasonable prices.

A delicious Turkish restaurant Its location is special on the river and their service is excellent. There is an Egyptian employee who speaks Arabic Potato hamsa feels like Umm Hanoun’s food Hummus is not the best thing, but there is nothing wrong with it The grilled variety is delicious. Everything, the kebab, ribs, and awsal, is all delicious The price is quite reasonable

Delicious outstanding Albana Kebab. I have eaten a good variety and this is really tasty. Big order kerfuffle, the waiter took responsibility and care of it perfectly. All restaurants should be so good.

The food is very good, and the dishes are very generous. Great choices for vegetarians and vegans too!

Akarsu is by far the best restaurant in Durham. The owner is absolutely lovely and service always fantastic. Would recommend.

The Best Turkish Food I had In The Uk The Service was amazing , staff were incredibly nice

Very nice attentive staff, lovely decor & large portions of food. Definitely will be back soon.

The atmosphere is nice, I think when Turks order food, tell them you want it Turkish style, and you will have it with its original taste. The team is good, the products and taste are on point. One of the best places in Durham

Fantastic as always, beautiful food, great service

Lovely food and atmosphere as always.

We didn't have a reservation but they still tried to clean up a table for us. Ali was really nice and helpful, highly recommended.

We recently visited this restaurant around 2pm for lunch. We ordered 2 course lunch meal. Starters were decent for the portion and taste. Main courses were not up to the expectation. Esperanza the falafel wrap was totally dry and crumble. Bread that was served with saksuka was great but the dish was cold. It was a disappointment as we waited for more than 45 minutes to get just the starters served.

Very disappointing visit to this restaurant today. The service was unfriendly, we were made to feel very unwelcome. The waiter spoke to us very abruptly and the service was ridiculously slow, we waited over 35 minutes for our main courses which is totally unacceptable. The alarm siren sounded in excess of 5 minutes, directly above our table which was very distressing for our infant. No member of staff acknowledged the obvious inconvenience of having an alarm blaring directly over your head, nor did they apologise. Other people that ordered food after us, received their orders before ours which was strange. Surprisingly, I observed that the same waiter was very friendly and attentive with other customers but not us, which was very sad to say the least. I cannot help but wonder whether this differential treatment was due to prejudice. The food was mediocre and nothing special at all. As someone that frequently travels to Turkey and has done for over a decade I was looking forward to flavourful, authentic food but sadly this was not the case. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this restaurant and I will not be returning. Please do better and improve your customer service skills as a matter of urgency.

We visited as a group of friends and honestly had a great experience. The food was absolutely delicious full of flavour and freshly made. The staff were friendly and welcoming, the atmosphere was lovely, and the service was excellent from start to finish The restaurant was clean, comfortable, and even had great air conditioning, which made the experience even more enjoyable. We truly loved our time there and will definitely be coming back. I’ve already recommended this place to others it’s easily the best Turkish restaurant in Durham. Highly recommended ❤️❤️ Best wishes

Tasty food, good service. What more do you need.

Wonderful restaurant with amazing food. Excellent staff and service. I would like to give a special mention to the member of staff who ran after me with my house keys which had fallen out of my pocket and I hadn't noticed.

Really good turkish food, very big portions for the reasonable price. Must have!

Just had an utterly delicious dinner here. Sooooooo tasty and friendly service. If we're ever up here again we'll definitely come back ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The best turkish food iv had in the north east

Fantastic food and very delicious specific mixed grills, after eating I write the feedback.

Good portions of well cooked food. Friendly staff especially the Patron.

Wednesday night Buzzing Always made welcome by staff Quality of Food amazing as usual Well worth the money Not disappointed Thank u 🥰🥰 Cold meme platter Lamb and chicken guvec Seafood guvec

Generally surprised with a total of high score for this place, maybe it used to be good ages before, but been there this weekend, and it was below mid hence wouldnt come back. In short: - Dirty place, tables + chairs + 4 out of 6 menu boards were covered in some food.. - Food was below mid, cold snacks were from yesterday, bread was reheated and not fresh as well. Shish kebabs were marinated but not cooked properly, burned from outside and raw inside (this happens when you are rushing to make it). - Plates & Forks were dirty - Price defo doesnt match the quality - No atmosphere at all as songs dont match Turkish aesthetic at all.

If you know anything about Turkish food you'll realise this is the worst you will ever get with no authenticity whatsoever; we visited with friends and the service was abysmal, the decription of the dishes (e.g. whatit contains) is different from what is served, the food is tasteless, the meat is chewey, the lamb is more fat than meat (low quality cheap cuts), humous prepared out of a cheap tin quality, hot starters are minute cold and burnt, service is awful with a bad attitude and without any alcohol, the cost is comes up to £50 per head...massive cost for low quality ful of fat dishes served with poor attitude...awful awful awful. Never again

Great food, great service, lunch deal is excellent value for money. Authentic Turkish food and drinks, and nice touches like a little dish of Turkish delight with the tea.

Akarsu Akarsu Aksarsu… boy do I love you. My go to for consistently fantastic food in beautiful Durham. Not much else to say really. I’d recommend the mixed platter for starter.

The staff were very warm and welcoming. The food was delicious and offered excellent value. I highly recommend the sharing board with a side of hummus. The venue was very clean and tidy, although it could be a little breezy if seated near the entrance.

We were booked to have a meal on the river walk but unfortunately they had to cancel due to water problems. We decided to see if anywhere else we're serving and we came across this little turkish gem. First time here and won't be last, food was delicious, meat was soft and very tasty, and service was spot on, friendly staff. Prices were reasonable too. Thanks for great first dining experience

I have been here several times. The food is great. I like the iskander tavuk the best. The yogurt is also very authentic. The service is great.

Great food and service. We were unfortunately seated right next to the door. The outcome was that we had constant cold air blowing on us when people entered.

Excellent Turkish restaurant in the heart of Durham. Very affordable prices for tasteful dishes. Side are a bit small for my taste but they are filling!

Excellent attentive service, very good quality food and decent value. Nice atmosphere and environment . Strongly recommend

Great meal for reasonable price. Very professional and friendly service. Chill atmosphere for couples or business lunch. We will definitely come back.

Not great. Wrong starter brought to table followed by no better than luke warm moussaka. Neither the Moussaka (which has been replaced with a hotter version) nor Arkasu speci kofta tasted of flavoursome lamb.

Wonderfully flavoursome courses with a pleasant ambience and good service. Wide vegetarian choices. I recommend highly.

What an experience, great food, great service and they’re not taking your eyes out price wise. I had the seafood platter and it was spectacular. Will def be here again.

Popped in on early on a Saturday evening...Seated no problem , it is on two levels...Both of us were very happy with our choices of main courses and my baklava dessert was nice too...Would definitely return when visiting Durham again.

Great food and service, will definitely be back when we visit Durham again

We have been here on a few occasions, and it never disappoints. The staff are friendly, the food is amazing and the atmosphere is just right.

Mixed grill is the business!!!!

This place is lovely and the food so flavourful! I will definitely come back. Lunch menu is great value.

Our favourite restaurant ever. Amazing food, service and ran by an amazing family.

Delicious food with nice service by Ali

Great spot and excellent grub. Cracking selection of meat and meat-free options. Staff are attentive. Recommended.

Wonderful meal - very tender and well marinated meat. Staff were very relaxed and great fun singing happy birthday with authentic / live music.

Lovely fresh food, wonderful service and friendly staff. We loved the story about the seal 😉 would come back to durham for this meal!

Came here for the lunch menu on a Saturday which was a good deal with the starter main and drink for £18 each. Food is tasty and fresh and service was friendly, wasn’t too busy and had a good atmosphere. We even got a free pin for our jackets with the evil eye logo as a little souvenir at the end. Many thanks! 🧿

Fantastic food, especially the baklava, great service and lovely atmosphere

I went here for new years with my boyfriend and I cannot stop thinking about it. My baba is from Turkey so I spent a lot of time there eating my Hala's pilav, I have never in my entire time in England found a restaurant that does pilav as good as hers. Other so called Turkish restaurants don't use authentic recipes .. I am still craving this pilav... it was so incredible everybody in England must go. Çok çok çok teşekkur ederim 😍😍😍

Amazing Middle Eastern food at great prices. We went for the lunch menu, which was very reasonable. A lovely restaurant in a prime Durham location. Cheers!

Had the lunch deal of starter, main and drink. The best meal I've had in a long time, and excellent value for money! The flavours were amazing and portions generous. Will definitely be back.

Some of the best food we've ver eaten. Service by Ahmed was excellent. Seafood dish was simply amazing. All food was excellent. Appropriately priced. Great experience.

Been many times and the food is always delicious. Restaurant is nice and clean. Lovely Service.

Ahmed was the BEST!!! Lovey food and excellent service!

10/10 service from ahmed and rasin blue eyes considering we had a big group they were very friendly and welcoming love them

The food there is awesome, it doesn’t have weird taste for the meats and the atmosphere here is very chill, the portions is also quite large. Overall, is a very nice restaurant

Always excellent food, highly recommended

Arrived here during a short visit to Durham by chance after our intended place to eat was closed. Everything we had was really lovely. We arrived at 4:30 on a Friday and the place was almost empty but by the time we were leaving at 5:45 there was no space left upstairs and the large group had gone downstairs so I guess this place is deservedly popular!

The food was delicious, and the staff are kind

Good service of staffs. They have the best Pirzola in Durham

The best turkish restaurant not only in Durham, but also one of the best i have tried in the UK. Seafood guvec is the dish that i order everytime, served with a rice. Highly recommend for you to try. Full of different seafood and the sauce is just second to none. Never had something similar in other places.

Good food and great service. I nice and easy place to eat Turkish

The best authentic Turkish specialty the lamb.

Great service, huge portions! View of the river, easy access from city centre. Friendly staff - super super huge portions!

Amazing food and great atmosphere. Love the decor inside, looks stunning and the artwork downstairs is really beautiful too! Food tastes incredible every time and the staff are great. Would highly recommend if you want authentic Turkish food. Adana kebab and biscoff cheesecake are my go to.

Lovely ambiance and excellent service. The food was absolutely delicious. Would highly recommend this restaurant to others. Great example of Turkish food.

What a find from trip advisor. Entered to a busy restaurant but were found a lovely seat overlooking the river. Did take a while for staff to come take our drinks order. Food was amazing. Don’t bother with starters but two main and fries which was more than enough food. The meat was cooked perfect and was tasty. Loved the dips and the fries were crispy. Will definitely return

Lovely food and staff, we love it and always come back !!

Today we have been served by Ahmed. The customer service was excellent. He is very friendly, polite and always and happy to help. The food is excellent and very good quality. Highly recommend. Thank you to all staff for the hard work 😁

Amazing experience at this restaurant today! I came with my family and Julie was absolutely fantastic. She was amazing with my baby niece and couldn’t be more helpful. She really made the experience special!! Thank you so much Julie. Food and atmosphere was amazing and couldn’t fault service or price!

I'm really impressed with this place, I have to be so careful with my milk allergy and our server was spot on and even came back to the table to tell me certain things had milk in (I did check the allergens menu first) and offered me substitutions. The food was lovely and great value as well, will definitely be back!

Coffee is absolutely horrendous!

We visited this wonderful restaurant yesterday for the first time...wow! The best Turkish food out of Turkey 🇹🇷 It was so authentic! The portions were extremely generous and the food was sooo tasty. I would highly recommend a visit. All staff were very friendly and helpful too. Cok cok lezzetli!!! Tesserkurler for a super meal!

Wonderful; great service food was terrific

A really nicely set up restaurant that had an authentic Turkish feel and nice lighting as well as a very unique stairwell down to a second seating area. The service was great and the menu was extensive enough to suit most tastes. We opted to have a Tapas style dish of prawns along with the house mixed grill. Along with a drink each it came to just over 40 pounds. The lamb chop was extremely tender and flavourful as was the mixed meat skewer and the kofta style lamb kebab. Altogether a very tasty and satisfying meal for 2. Top service also.

Had an excellent dinning experience food was great quality and tasty, the service was great.

The food is fantastic here, one of the best Turkish meals I've had outside Turkey

Delicious n authentic Turkish food. Priced reasonably. Good vegetarian options. Generous portions.

Had a lovely experience trying authentic Turkish food. The Turkish coffee certainly kept me awake, but was well worth it! Loved the Turkish delight on the side too - finished it off perfectly. The service was very good. I can see why people recommend this restaurant.

Great place for a meal and excellent welcome.good service by friendly staff.🤓👌

The food was great and the service for quick.

Great food (I had guvec). Not expensive.

Terrific meat sharing platter. The service was good. The atmosphere downstairs was not as good as it looked upstairs. We would definitely be back.

After lots of good reviews we thought we would try. Bad choice. Cold food and no apology. Very busy restaurant but without any sole. Other Turkish restaurants in Durham are far better. I think the venue attracts people because of the sunny and busy street. A disappointment as I had heard lots of good reports. 👎👎👎

We have eaten here multiple times as the lunch time deal of 2 starters, a main and soft drink is fantastic, and also available on a weekend. All of the food is fresh and tasty and the restaurant feels authentic. The Turkish apple tea is amazing!

Food was ok, the falafel could have had more flavour and after the meal I had a salty taste in my mouth that I couldn’t get rid of.

We had dinner at Akarsu. The staff were very friendly, helpful and efficient. We had chicken and lamb kebabs which were beautifully presented, absolutely delicious and served with rice, dips and salad. The portions were huge. We really enjoyed our meal and would love to return.

Very good meal - huge portions so be aware!!

Lovely food, a great selection for gluten free and coeliacs. Waiting staff very pleasant and knowledgeable. Would definitely return with family.

They are kind and polite 😊their food is so delicious and with fresh ingredients 👍

Had a lovely lunch here this week. Weather was on our side so we managed to sit outside. Service was good. The real stand out was the food though. We ordered from the lunch special menu where you got two starters and a main for 13.95 (I think! It was good value anyway!!). That meant we could get all the starters between us which came with bread. Then we had a grilled chicken kebab dish that came with two dips, salad and rice. The quality was excellent and portions were spot on. A really great spot for lunch, totally recommend!

Food was well presented and delicious. Excellent quality. Time between starters and mains was very long as was the wait to pay. Appeared to be understaffed. Couldn't fault the food though.

Delicious food in an atmospheric setting. My sister and I went there at lunch time and could enjoy looking out at the river and one of the Durham bridges while surrounded by lovely Turkish lamps and sitting on very comfy chairs. We had Cacik and Hummus to start which were both delicious served with delicious warm bread. Then I had a vegetarian Guvec casserole which was a juicy mix of fresh aubergine, tomatoes and peppers served with really tasty rice. To drink I had Ayran, served cold in a copper tankard. Our waitresses India and Elise were very helpful and attentive.

Amazing experience food was full of flavour and the quality of the meat so tender. Service was outstanding

My favourite restaurant in Durham! We had a mix of small plates which were all absolutely delicious and finished off with a baklava. The food was delicious and the staff were helpful and efficient.