Daphne Restaurant in Cheltenham

Daphne is always a great place to get away from the festival crowds in a pretty side street just off the Royal Well Crescent and a short walk from the vibrant Promenade. Ilhan the owner and chef is always there with a warm welcome and cooks everything fresh to order. We love the fillet steaks and last night’s were just perfect, not an ounce of fat in them and cooked medium rare just as we asked. The mixed mezze mini salad starters are really tasty too, including minty tabbouleh, fish and beetroot salads, all home made and served with baked bread. It is a family run business and so if you can book ahead that’s great to help them prepare service but they always welcome walk ins too.

Wonderful food helpfully described by the friendly owner/chef. The calamari was cooked in a type of batter which we hadn’t tried before but would definitely recommend as it was delicious. We enjoyed all the food but would suggest the main & dessert course portions could have been a little larger.

A wonderful cosy evening in a beautiful setting. Excellent food all made to order and the service was impeccable and friendly. Catered well, with lots of choices on menu, especially for my vegetarian partner. House white was not fab, but a nice bottle of Chilean white complimented our meal. Baklava is really sweet and rich but lovely and combined with lemon sorbet which was my favourite choice.

Didn’t know where to go for lunch whilst visiting Cheltenham but happily chanced on this welcoming restaurant. I love Turkish cuisine and this definitely did not disappoint. My husband and I shared a large meze starter. Spectacular carrot meze with a sweet carrot confit in olive oil. Our main was a shared mixed grill of kofta and a mixed meat kebab with a delicious Mediterranean salad with balsamic dressing. Moistly cooked and served with a tsatsiki and chips. The perfect lunch. Thank you.l

Daphne restaurant opened especially for us on a Sunday evening. We were made very welcome and enjoyed lovely food and drinks. Our host really looked after us and we would love to come back for a meal. Highly recommended, thank you.

Going by reviews We decided to give this place a try after not being able to get into our usual Turkish eatery … Upon arrival we felt this place was very dated very basic furniture. I ordered a house wine (only wine by the glass!) one of the worse wines I had ever tasted, I ordered a soft drink to take away the taste. Although the waiter was very pleasant in describing the menu .. the menu was very small. We opted for the olives and breads which i found disappointing followed by vine leaves (dolma) and feta pastry (borek) also very disappointing and basic. For mains I had fillet steak which was very chewy accompanied with saute potatoes and grilled veg … which was a mere garnish and a sauce costing an extra £2,95 already on the steak as opposed to an actual side I could apply myself. My friend having a mixed grill which was tiny pieces of meat on a skewer with a tiny garnish of oily chips and lank salad, After not eating all day this bearly touched the sides. We then had the tiramisu as a dessert albeit an Italian dessert !?! (And supposedly the best ever .. sorry but I have no words specially when the baklava was off the menu this night. Now after a Turkish we love a traditional Turkish tea however this wasn’t to be yet a normal English tea neither of us could drink. The shock of all was the cost for the best part of £100 we was then asked how much will we pay as service is not included .. after already feeling ripped off and feeling obliged to also give a tip was very overwhelming. I felt the little gift at the end of the meal of the Turkish eye on a safety pin was a nice touch. But all in all would I return .. I think not.

Overpriced food, small quantity, slow service (took over 30 mins to get the bill).

Very nice small restaurant with a big reputation for great food. Delightful setting, nice staff and happy atmosphere. Food very good, maybe portions were a little small, but overall a great meal and nicely explained menu by the floor team.

A beautiful restaurant right in the heart of the town centre. A hidden gem really! It was quiet for a Friday night, but we were made to feel very relaxed and welcome and I personally just think more people need to realise this lovely place is there! Two of us had the mixed grill, which was delicious. A friend had a gorgeous looking seafood risotto and another the fish of the day. We had two large mixed mezi platters to share between the four of us, it was a nice fresh mix of 5 different dips with a bread basket too. The baklava for pudding was equally sweet and sticky and delicious, with the ice cream side being a fresh lemon flavour. Overall a lovely family run restaurant that just needs more people to create a buzz for the place.

Independent, family run restaurant. Tasty plates of food combined with excellent service. It’s a big ‘yes’ from us!

Thank you Ms. Funda and Mr. Ilhan for their delicious food, interest and concern.

A wonderful hidden gem of Cheltenham, exceptional food and always exceptionally welcoming! The Seabass Special and Mixed Grill is amazing. Their Mediterranean salad is magic, our favourite place to eat out in Cheltenham!

Absolutely magic! Table for two on a Saturday night at Daphne. The food was fantastic... mixed meze (fresh), calamar (cooked in butter, wow!), chicken shish (succulent), Patlicanli kofta (beautiful) and baklava with lemon sorbet (perfect). The food is so fresh and Ilhan was a really warm and welcoming host. We had a great evening and definitely recommend.

Food was on the whole very good and all clearly cooked to order. The mixed grill (pictured) was excellent as was the tiramisu home made desert. The weakest dish we had was the calimar which, whilst fresh had an egg coating rather than something crisp, I assume this is a regional variation and whilst interesting was not what I expected and didn't work IMHO. The other dishes we had were the mixed meze which had a very nice beetroot and yoghurt dip, lamb special (pictured) and another home made desert that was somewhere between a strudel and a swiss roll and contained apple (but thankfully no nuts today despite mentioning them on the menu, so we were able to have that) Portion sizes were just right. As it was the run up to Easter we nearly had the place to ourselves, there was only one member of staff in the place who did service and the cooking, despite this we were well looked after and he was able to explain which dishes contained nuts and chickpeas including which did not that day as he had prepared them all himself. Would definitely recommend.

We fancied something a little different in terms of cuisine and Daphne’s certainly didn’t disappoint us. The menu was varied and very reasonably priced. There was a good range of choices and the sea bass was particularly delicious as was the lamb with plums. The owner was extremely helpful and the service was excellent

The service was second to none, both attentive and personal. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, it was like being on holiday for the evening! Lots of choice on the menu and everything we had, both food and drink, was delicious. We’ll be back!

Food was excellent and service was brilliant. Very friendly and informative waiter and all the food was delicious. Will definitely be going back!

We had a lovely meal this evening. Service was impeccable and so warm and personal. Beautiful little extras that made the evening feel special. Every course was delicious and we will visit again whenever we are in the area. Thank you!

Great food and service, enjoyed the experience. Menu was explained, service was attentive but not “in your face”, and it was a great lunch out. Thank you.

We were greeted by Ilhan who was very friendly and he explained the menu to us in great detail. All of our food was cooked to perfection and was full of flavour and it was one of the nicest meals that I have tasted. We could not recommend this restaurant or the owner enough and will definitely return in the future.

Five of us had lunch here: Borek, Grilled Halloumi and small meze for starters. All home cooked and tasty. Our mains were just as good: juicy chicken kebabs, vegetarian dishes, reasonable portions too. The baklava came with lemon sorbet and was enjoyed by all. Turkish Coffee was authentic, very enjoyable. Waiter was friendly, patient and had a lovely way to connect with clients. Will come again!

We were looking to book a christmas night out for a group of 14 people, so I though I would try booking a meal for my wife and myself to try out this resturant. Really enjoyed the fresh food and the service was spot on. Now booked in for all 14 friends, fully confident that the we are in for a good night.

This wonderful family run restaurant never disappoints. Yet again wonderful food and always served with kindness and understanding. We have a few dietary needs and visually impaired and Ilham read the menu and explained the food.

Very good food and excellent service.

We had a lovely meal. Service was friendly, the food was tasty and good value.

Visited midweek evening. My friend and I were welcomed by the friendly owner who made us feel completely at home and clearly explained all the dishes to us. On his recommendation we had the sharing mezze dips with bread to start. Each dip was clearly freshly and lovingly made and each tasted fabulous. Mains were a mixed grill and meatballs with aubergine. The presentation of each dish was simple and clever, but the taste of every single thing was sublime. Every mouthful of food was packed with flavour and was rich without being overpowering. Dessert had to be baklava, which was clearly home made and tasted so good I had to take some home to savour another day! Will definitely be returning - this is a real gem in Cheltenham.

Booked here on the basis of good reviews and when we arrived the owner said "You must be..." Great. Perfect start. Wine list is relatively short but interesting and my companion found a favourite bottle which was well worth the money and more. Mixed Meze to start with which we shared, extra bead provided when we needed it, 5 absolutely beautiful, fresh things to taste, just yummy, zesty and delicious Main courses were equally well done, the mixed grill, served on kebabs was a sufficiency which didn't need more because of the richness of the textures and evident quality of the ingredients. The grilled marinated meatballs, aubergine, tomato topped with mozzarella was equally delicious, the aubergine was cooked perfectly. Managed to squeeze in "probably the best tiramisu you'll ever eat." Fair. It was. Baklava was sweet without being sickly. It's rare to find a family owned restaurant where you meet passion for culture and good food. It felt like you were dining with friends who'd invited you to experience their food, their culture and their lives. Wonderful. Can't wait to return.

In Cheltenham for a short break and decided to try Daphne's after reading the reviews. This was our first experience of Turkish food and we weren't disappointed. Received a warm welcome from the friendly owner who was happy to explain each dish to us. We started with Borek and Mixed Meze, followed by Chicken Guvech and the Daphne Lamb Special. For dessert we had Baklava and Mele Lunga. Even though the restaurant was quiet being midweek, for casual dining in a warm and friendly atmosphere, and great food, it is ideal.

I found this restaurant recommended on tripadvisor . We decided to choose The Daphne because the reviews were good and the Turkish menu was great for us as we are both vegetarian and there were plenty of options unlike many other restaurants where the vegetarian meals on offer are limited . We weren’t disappointed the food was delicious and the owner/chef was very helpful and attentive. We would highly recommend ! A lovely independent establishment.

This restaurant is run by an amazing couple. The food is wonderful - both traditional Turkish and experimental. It's so welcoming it's unreal and it is a place I think of to go to for a special occasion. Honestly it must be one of the best places to eat in the county

Reviewed by the wife and friends… Shocked to see so many positive reviews having had a fairly poor experience. On arrival, we found the restaurant to be almost empty on a Friday night which immediately raised suspicion. The staff were somewhat unorganised and extra keen to take orders before the full party had arrived. We ordered calamari for starters which came out resembling something somewhat more like a squid omelette. The prawns were very small and not particularly flavoursome. When the mains arrived, they were equally unimpressive, small portions and a very sad looking salad. A side of fries was ordered which arrived undercooked. To point out that the main courses were priced at around £15-£20, so not reflective of great value for money. As for desserts, the less said about those the better - Let’s allow the images to speak for themselves. Overall, a rather underwhelming experience having set a level expectation from online reviews. We had not expected fine dining. However, as a group of three spending over £100 there was no excuse for small portions and below average food quality. We won't be returning anytime soon.

Warm welcome on a first visit to this place. The food was completely delicious, well presented and full of flavour. Good wine list at reasonable prices. Pleasantly busy and good ambience though the hard decor meant it was slightly noisy at times. Good varied menu with plenty of guidance, will certainly return for more.

Lovely independent place in Cheltenham. Great quality food, freshly made. Very attentive host, all of his recommendations tasted amazing. We had the meze, mixed grill and the tiramisu, which were all delicious!

We went as a table of 7 to celebrate both our daughters exam results. We had a lovely meal and were very much looked after by the gentleman owner. I had the Seabass which was very tasty and everyone else enjoyed their meal especially those with the Mixed Grill and those that had pudding. After dinner the chef and joint owner came out with small gifts for my daughters. It was such a lovely, relaxed family atmosphere and the prices were reasonable. We look forward to visiting again.

I went to this lovely restaurant yesterday for the first time and I was looked after so well by Ilhan. I just love Mediterranean food having spent years going to Greece and Turkey. Ilhan explained everything that was on the menu, the choices were just amazing. I just wanted to order everything as they all sound so delicious. I ordered 4 starters and I had dessert too as was on limited budget having done a big shop before I got there and everything was so good and delicious. Just love their Calamares cooked in butter, it was just so yummy. Whilst at the restaurant I took photos of the food and sent them to my family and friends and for sure will be bringing them all here. I will certainly be going back as I would love to try all the other dishes. I will highly recommend this restaurant to everyone, if you’re looking for a high quality Mediterranean food and be well looked after, Daphne is the restaurant for you and for sure you will not be disappointed.

We arrived at an off peak time and had the pleasure of a lovely chat with the owner. Truly lovely food, prepared from scratch with clear passion and skill. Impressive and gorgeous vegetarian selection, well worth another visit, as we were too full this time for dessert!

Great, authentic Turkish food in the heart of Cheltenham. We visited on a Tuesday night. The menu options were explained. The hospitality was great. The food was tasty and fresh cooked from scratch (you can tell!) The recommendations were spot on. We’ve made a note to return when we’re back in Cheltenham for the literature festival in October. 10 out of 10 for Daphne. It’s too easy to opt for chain restaurants when you are on holiday but honestly, this is so worth a trip. You wont regret it! When we were leaving, we were offered a little keepsake to ward off the evil eye and bring luck! It’s safely attached to my purse.

What a disappointment. After reading lots of great reviews we were really looking forward to our meal. Starters...mixed meze was a selection of some dips with a slightly stale baguette slices. Few people in our party had king prawn starter - 4 prawns with a tiny bit of salad. Quantities were shocking for the price of food. Onto the mains..again very small portions of average food unfortunately. Couple of people in our group had issues with the meat on their main which were quickly dismissed by the waiter/owner. Overall not a great experience.

We visited for lunch this Tuesday. We hadn't dined at Daphne since before pandemic. It was great to return. We were met at the door and given excellent service by Ilhan. Food was delicious . Just as we'd remembered. They also still have draft Efes! Such a lovely atmosphere. We will return again.

Absolutely excellent food, full of flavour. Good value for money. Helpful and friendly service. Definitely recommended

A very nice restaurant that focuses on a more premium experience but also still being affordable, all the way down to the little details like having the menu explained, appetisers, home-made desserts (that were very good by the way), and more. Yes the portions are smaller, but that's because the idea is you have a 3 course meal. After which you will feel satisfied. The flavours were good, the wine was tasty. It's nice and secluded which adds to the atmosphere.

A lovely family run restaurant…… it was like being welcomed into his home with decor by his wife. Simply charming! Service was excellent throughout .attentive but not obtrusive . Oh n tge food was delicious!

Would happily recommend. Very nice and authentic

Food was freshly made, full of flavour. I would highly recommend this restaurant. Friendly host and reasonal prices. The whole experience was great

Amazing evening with lovely food and service, best place we've been in months! Thank you

What a beautiful restaurant with the most delicious food and incredible service. Best place we've been in months!

Delicious meal with excellent service. Well priced for city centre eating. Staff friendly and attentive. Good options for vegetarians.

We had an excellent meal as a couple to celebrate our anniversary - I chose Daphne's as they seemed to cater well for my wife who's a vegetarian. We weren't disappointed with good starter and main course options. The service and food was excellent -...

We are lucky to have so many great restaurants in Cheltenham. Having read some negative reviews regarding slow service and portion sizes, I must admit I was a little hesitant when choosing this restaurant. Not a bit of it. How wrong I was! The service...

A lovely evening out to celebrate a birthday with family and friends Attentive staff and lovely food Not the cheapest but will certainly return

We came across Daphnes by chance Myself and my husband had a wonderful meal Food was plentiful and the service was excellent and not rushed Will definitely return when we visit Cheltenham again Highly recommended restaurant Really was a fabulous find

Another lovely lunch at the Daphne. We chose from the lunch menu, which not only was great value but very scrumptious too. Great for vegetarians, lots of choices. Proper Efes beer and home made food and desserts alone are worth a visit.

Wonderfully light , authentic Turkish dishes. The sea bass ( the fish of the day) was beautifully seasoned and delicious , and the mixed grill was equally good . We will be visiting again .

We enjoyed ourselves at this cute Turkish restaurant in Cheltenham. My wife and I typically share dishes, and we couldn't decided which of the two entrees we ordered was better. Top it all off with amazing baklava and its definitely worth your time to try...

What a lovely place, food was exceptional, and the waiting staff were brilliant I would highly recommend

Another friendly restaurant in Cheltenham which oozes character and personality. The menu is very traditional as is the decor. If that is what you're after, then this restaurant ticks all the boxes.

We visited this restaurant on our anniversary weekend away. So glad we chose this for the day itself. The best food we have had in ages. Stuffed sea bass was out of this world. Cheltenham need to know about this gem they have. Would highly...

Great restaurant, everything is exactly as on the web site! Food was really tasty (Turkish) and waiter and chef / owner were really friendly, informative and attentive. Will definitely go back

Great restaurant, everything is exactly as on the web site! Food was really tasty (Turkish) and waiter and chef / owner were really friendly, informative and attentive. Will definitely go back

We spotted the set lunch menu in the window and thought it looked appetising. It didn't disappoint and was delicious. They were very happy to cater for my husband's gluten free dietry requirements. A lovely warm welcome and excellent service, made this a lovely lunch...

Amazing food, terrible decor! I just had breakfast it was fabulous, eggs sushuka style. BTP queuing out the door, we were the only people in the restaurant.

Lovely restaurant with incredibly friendly and knowledgeable staff who explained what the different choices on the menu were.

Discovered this gem of a restaurant in a quiet backwater of Cheltenham. Lovely food with friendly service where nothing was too much trouble. Highly recommend.

Returned after discovering this little gem at Christmas. Food was excellent - made and served by the knowledgeable and hospitable owners. Lovely ambience which is so individual and a pleasant change from eating in a chain restaurant.

First and last time we visited that place. Small portions, high prices. No compliments, no bread, no water for free. Calamar tasted fried eggs. Baklava - sweet and sugary. No choice enough for drinks and food. Compared with the other Turkish restaurant, miles away, sorry.

Small plates big prices 🤦‍♂️ otherwise good food but not enough for the money 😬. The atmosphere is like a restaurant in 1980's no music and old furniture. Definitely i will not come again. Thanks for the service 🙏

Lovely atmosphere, food was delicious and Okan our waiter was superb; really friendly professional polite and attentive.

5 out of 5. Excellent service. Polite staff. Reasonably priced meals. Fantastic fresh food for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. This is somewhere we keep coming back to.

Booked well in advance for our stay in Cheltenham - having read some good reviews here. Unfortunately the service and stinginess of the portions lets the place down. Just one chap in the restaurant on a Saturday night doing everything (& only one chap viewed...

Beautiful place with 5 star service and the food well that was wonderful would highly recommend.

The food was great but the service was not good. We waited 1/2 hour to order drinks and 50 minutes to order food and then we had to ask for the bill three times! It was busy but one member of staff serving was clearly...

We found this place online because we were looking for inspiration for our Mediterranean themed wedding menu. The food was amazing. I had chicken shish and I've never had chicken so succulent before and the flavour was delicious. My partner got mixed grill with chicken...

fantastic food. friendly service. great homemade tirasumu

Only 4 stars for atmosphere as we were the only table of 4 people. We had fun though. I would definitely recommend.

The restaurant is warm and welcoming, staff very friendly. The starters were nice, but could have eaten 2 starters. As for the main, the portions are a tad on the small side. Also we both thought, although the meal was pleasant, there was definitely too...

Lovely restaurant with helpful friendly owner. Food freshly prepared with excellent options.

Very nice restaurant with friendly helpful owner who made sure we had an enjoyable experience. Great food options which were all freshly cooked and owner adapted dishes for my vegan wife which she really enjoyed. All 6 of us really enjoyed our 3 courses and...

Wonderful food and friendly attentive staff. I’m gluten free but still ate very well. Authentic Turkish food…unfussy. Flavoursome with good sized portions. It was quiet for a Friday lunchtime in December. That’s a real shame as it’s such a great place to eat. Do give...

Good food, good wine, good service and reasonable

We really enjoyed eating here this evening. There is a lovely relaxed and authentic atmosphere, the service is friendly and the food is delicious and beautifully cooked. There is a good choice of vegetarian options too. Also, if you haven't made plans for Christmas Day, drop by and pick up the menu.

Authentic atmosphere as soon as you enter. The staff are welcoming and informative and will provide recommendations if you prefer. The food was absolutely delicious and we can't wait to go back.

Fantastic flavours We had an amazing visit from the moment we came through the door. The waiter was very informative. The meal was full of amazing flavours. A great relaxed vibe.

A dull, wet mid-week was brightened up by our trip to the Daphne. A warm welcome and seated very efficiently on the ground floor which given its Georgian design manages to feel uncrowded but intimate at the same time. The menu was explained in detail...

On arrival everything seemed in order, plenty of tables already taken. We were met and shown to our table for 2. I believe it was the owner who explained the menu to us which was fine. We arrived at 7.30pm and ordered drinks and food....

We had dinner at Daphne on Saturday night. I loved everything about it. The setting is a grand Georgian terrace and it feels like an old fashioned restaurant (in a good way, family owned and run, quality of cooking and service, real passion and care....

The menu says the tiramisu is the best you've ever tasted and its not wrong. The food was very good. We enjoyed it immensely. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place.

From the moment we walked in the door, we were made to feel welcome and given great service. The food was beautifully cooked and presented from starters through to desserts. The menu was explained to us at the beginning and at no time were we...

Really poor value for money. Expensive dishes with very small portion sizes. A starter + main will leave you hungry and cost you upwards of £23. Even with the increased prices, one should be able to eat satisfactorily for that price. Oh and also they claim their Tiramisu would be "the best you ever tasted", however it is really awful. Very sweet, sugary and lacking the usual tiramisu ingredients completely.

Had a pre-theatre meal at Daphne yesterday evening; it made for an excellent start to our night out in Cheltenham. The host welcomed us to his restaurant, brought us menus and took our drinks order promptly. The range of food was tempting, but we narrowed...

Even though we had a relatively small order, we had excellent service, informative and quick. We loved the mixed meze- they brought extra bread to finish it up. We're definitely returning.

A very enjoyable evening with delicious food and drink and a very pleasant ambience. I suspect this is a hidden gem and that’s fine by us

So glad we found this place on trip advisor and decided to give it a go. Fabulous food, attentive host who took the time to explain the menu and make recommendations all of which we took up. We started with the mixed mezze and followed...

Lovely calamar starter in soft buttery batter, and fresh home made mezze salad starter - each one with a distinctly different taste. We both ordered the fillet steak - flawless; so lean and cooked medium rare as we asked. Third course soft syrupy baclava and...

We had our elopement dinner here and it was lovely. Amazing food and service. Beautiful atmosphere.

All around lovely experience. We enjoyed the balsamic set, mediterranean salad and mixed grill (chicken and lamb).

Fantastic evening. Waiter went through menu and made recommendations and the food was amazing. Atmosphere was great and very friendly. Highly recommended and we’ll all be definitely returning.

Great ambience, service and food

My husband and I had dinner here recently and were very impressed. All the food is cooked to order which is great. We shared a calamari starter and instead of the usual crispy batter this was cooked in a softer butter and the squid was...

Lovely experience! This is Turkish food at it's best! Perfect mixture of attention and reserve from the very welcoming staff. Finesse sums it up nicely - thank you.

It is important that you breeze through the started. Mere excellent. Onto the lamb in a tomato sauce which is stunning. And then the tiramisu just one of the very best I have ever eaten. Go and try. A great night guaranteed.