Dinosaur Cafe in Exeter

Excellent simple cafe serving Turkish food. Basic interior, but lovely friendly staff, tasty dishes and reasonable prices. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and had a good time chatting to one of the staff. Would certainly recommend for a lunch

Great welcome and the best Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food you’ll find! Always welcoming. Good value. Home cooked. Great atmosphere. Five stars. They even have simpler dishes for my fussy eaters when I come with the family. Thank you.

Just had a lovely relaxed lunch, so glad we found this place. We were visiting Exeter on holiday and found this on Trip Advisor. Had the sharing starter platter and moussaka and kofta meatballs for mains. The staff were lovely and chatty. Definitely recommend.

One of my favourite go to places for food!! Can't fault the food or the staff in this lovely little restaurant. Not too big so a really nice intimate setting for dates or a catch up with friends. A few of our favourites are the mixed platters for a starter and the lamb kofta. Would 100% recommend.

The most amazing food in all of England!! The food is full of flavor and the texture is just right!! The owner is very hospitable and has quite the passion for pleasing customers with his cooking.

Super little Turkish/Mediterranean cafe/bistro. Excellent home cooked Meze and main courses. Local beers and Turkish lagers. Friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Great value

Stopped here after arriving on the train from London for a late lunch. It was excellent! I'm sure if we lived locally, we'd come here often. Well-priced and delicious food. Lovely staff. A gem!

Had a very enjoyable meal at the Dinosaur Cafe. We had the kofte and moussaka both of which were very tasty. The accompanying salads and the homemade baklava were fantastic. It is very much home style cooking so better suited for those looking for a relaxed good value meal rather than fine dining. Service was very good and the food came out promptly which was ideal given that we were eating prior to a performance at the Northcott. We would definitely return.

No better cafe in Exeter! Brilliant home cooked food and so relaxed and friendly. Recommend the Turkish salad.

Fabulous. Really enjoyed brunch here with my son for a late birthday treat. Not been here for a few years now, but just as good if not better than I remember. I had the lamb stuffed aubergine with the house salad, and my son had the prawns with the salad. Both were excellent and would not hesitate to recommend this place. Hopefully be back soon. Lovely fresh food, warm welcome and very reasonably priced.

Our first meal in Exeter and it did not disappoint. Top notch flavor. Loved it! Great value and hope to go back.

Really enjoyed a visit to The Dinosaur. Lovely sitting outside in the sunshine, delicious Sigari Boregi. The owners are so friendly and welcoming. Will definitely return.

Absolutely delighted with my experience at Dinosaur Cafe in Exeter! The cozy atmosphere, combined with the warm and friendly staff, made me feel right at home. The Mediterranean cuisine was an absolute delight – the flavors were authentic and the dishes were prepared with evident care. I couldn't get enough of their Mousakka, it transported me back to my travels. A hidden gem in the heart of Exeter that's definitely worth multiple visits!

Great little restaurant. Good food, friendly staff and a nice ambience all at a very reasonable price. Will definitely go back for seconds.

I regret to say that my recent visit to Dinosaur Cafe left me thoroughly disappointed. The portion sizes were so small that I left the establishment feeling hungry despite having ordered a supposedly complete meal. To make matters worse, the waiting time was nothing short of excruciating, turning what should have been an enjoyable evening into a tedious ordeal. And to top it off, the prices for the minuscule portions were outrageously high. I would strongly advise anyone to think twice before considering Kebab as an option for their substantial meal. You will be fuller on the rice than on thinly sliced cube meat. A Grilled Prawns starter you will get 4 small prawns! Lucky you!

My husband and I had a lovely lunch here. Lots on the menu, good range. Very reasonable prices. Friendly service and quick service. The food was delicious and well flavoured. Would recommend a visit.

Fantastic meal, friendly service, reasonable prices - I wish it was nearby so I could go often, but I was on holiday with my husband. Don't miss out on this Turkish/Mediterranean style treasure. I will be doing detours to this restaurant any time I am...

Our third visit to the Dinosaur Cafe in Exeter after a recommendation from friends. The service is excellent, the food simple but delicious. Their Baklava is just amazing and the Turkish coffee out of this world.

I had the veggie cooked breakfast. Generous plate full of food, hash browns were lovely and crispie and the falafels were very tasty. Lovely meal. My partner had the falafels which were a very generous "starter". Crispie but moist, perfectly seasoned and a decent spread...

Excellent! Although I regularly visit Exeter I managed to miss this place but not again. Very good Turkish food and an amusing and attentive waitress. We came with some Dutch friends who also thought it was scrummy. Next time we are in Exeter, we’ll be...

We arrived booked a table and had a lovely relaxing meal. We had the prawns and haloumi starter with mixed and chicken Kebab main. Wow amazing and friendly service, nice chilled wine and I loved the Baclava and Turkish coffee will definitely go back before...

Enjoyed a wonderful evening at The Dinosaur. Was great to see it so busy inside on a Friday night and the restaurant had a lovely atmosphere. Chose a seat outside, watching the world go by with a delicious moussaka and glass of wine. The offer...

Very tasty food. My daughter and I shared a messe (they offer both veggie and meat mezze. We had the meat mezze). Then we shared the mussaka and the kofte. Again, very tasty and generous portions. We finished with two delicious Turkish coffees! Amazing experience

Lovely friendly café in great location and great value. Will definitely return. Nice walk into town centre from there.

Absolutely fantastic service and food at the dinosaur cafe. John, Piri and the team are so welcoming and lovely. The service is one of kind and I cannot reccomend this lovely place enough. We will back soon. Thank you

This is a lovely, relaxed café with helpful and friendly staff. We had a delicious meal, with starters, mains and dessert. All freshly cooked and dietary requirements catered for.

Absolutely beautiful place. Staff so very friendly and considerate. It's like going to someone's house and having a warm welcome. Food also delich. I had snacks in and a chicken kebab wrap to takeaway... Scrumptious. Will defo return

An excellent find(for us). Very good food and service. Reasonably priced. The mixed kebabs,kofte and gozleme were all excellent

Been wanting to try this cafe for a while and finally went with a friend today. All the reviews I’ve read were spot on….excellent food, good size portions. really friendly attentive service and reasonably priced, will definitely be back.

Omg what a hidden gem, such a relaxed chilled friendly vibe, I had the King Prawns with garlic and lemon which came with the most delicious assortment of potatoes in a lemon sauce with egg, sliced green beans with herbs, cous cous and a mixed...

Dinosaur Cafe has made university in 2020-21 bearable. I have been coming here for 2 years and am never disappointed. Fantastic place to study, I bring all my friends here to drink Turkish coffee and eat Baklava. The staff are ridiculously nice and the atmosphere is unmatchable. Definitely get the mixed salad, baklava and Turkish coffee!

We frequent Dinosaur cafe for many reasons, 1. great food, great portions and for a very decent price 2. great atmosphere 3. amazing service!The food is always made to the best quality, very delicious, very appetizing! Love the classics like the lentil soup and kebab, the recent addition of the grilled king prawns is extremely flavourful - absolutely love it! The people there are incredibly friendly and always welcoming customers with open arms.You won't find a better place in Exeter than the Dinosaur Cafe! Worth every single penny!

Not impressed my Chicken Kebab takeaway was very dry Would not order from here again. As I was expecting better You live and learn

Just had a takeaway from this lovely friendly local cafe, delicious food from an independent restaurant. Mixed salad is fantastic, chicken kebab superb and particularly recommend the sigara boregi! Special offer on self collect takeaways during lockdown too!

Popped in on the way through, friendly staff, knowledgeable about cross contamination and able to accommodate coeliacs

I have eaten at Dinosaur many times over the years and they have also catered to some events for larger groups. They are now offering a delivery service. I have only had good experiences here, in 15 years. The family are friendly and very welcoming. Their food is exceptionally good. Yesterday I ordered a mixed meze, which was fresh, beautifully flavoured and every bite was a joy. I also ordered rice and grilled meat. Unlike a lot of other places, the rice was fluffy and cooked to perfection. The lamb was tender, wonderfully seasoned and quite lean. The chicken was also really beautifully seasoned. It didn't take very long for my order to arrive, but it was such good food I would happily have waited rather than order from somewhere else. This little family owned place is one of the gems of Exeter. Wonderful food made by great people

Meal was fabulous! We had the vegan vegetable stew, vegan karniyarik, the Dinosaur mixed salad, and the falafel pita & salad, and it was all shockingly amazing!!!

Fantastic food, delicious Mediterranean menu. Pleasant and helpful staff Great quality and value for money

Hemos venido al Dino con regularidad desde que abrió. La comida es casera, recién preparada y simplemente maravillosa, y no puedes encontrar gente más agradable. A menudo también obtenemos comida para llevar del Dino.Me preocupé mucho cuando Abdullah dijo que él y Aysha se iban a jubilar. No tenía por qué haberlo sido. ¡La magia ha pasado! Ahora, bajo una nueva dirección, el ambiente y la comida maravillosa no han cambiado.Tenemos 3 restaurantes favoritos en Exeter. ¡El café Dino es uno de ellos!

Absolutely amazing place. Warm welcoming vibe, family feel. Good location. Great food. Great prices.

Un amigo me recomendó este café y fue realmente increíble. Gran ambiente y el servicio fue amable y acogedor. El dueño sugirió varios platos y todos fueron maravillosos. Mucho para elegir como vegetariano y por primera vez en años fue tentado por el pollo. ¿Conseguiste resistir ?. No podría recomendar este café lo suficiente.

Una cafetería encantadora y acogedora con una gran variedad de comida. Al ser vegetariano, los menús son generalmente muy limitados, aquí tenía muchas opciones para elegir. La comida era deliciosa, fresca y llena de sabor. El servicio fue amable y rápido y el ambiente era agradable. Recomiendo encarecidamente la ensalada, que fue una de las mejores ensaladas que he comido en un café. Lugar asombroso

I've frequented this place for nearly twenty years. At one time I ate there every day! That's how craxy I am about it.

Cannot recommend the delicious food here enough. The salads and starters are great. Lovely customer service as well!

What a great found! I went there with my partner and son for lunch and we absolutely loved it. Both the stuffed aubergine and the chicken kebab were superb and my son devoured his hummus, but I particularly liked the tarator, something I had never tried before

Realmente mimado con una comida para llevar de The Dinosaur Cafe y fue simplemente la comida más deliciosa que he probado en meses. Sabores increíbles, colores vibrantes, ingredientes frescos. La Ensalada Mixta de Dinosaurios y el Karniyarik fueron increíbles y realmente espero poder disfrutar de la experiencia nuevamente. ¡Usted no será decepcionado!

We came to this restaurant as we were in the area and didn’t want to travel far. What a lovely meal. The starters were tasty, the mains (we all had mixed kebabs) absolutely delicious. But...the Baklava was warm, fresh and scrumptious. Highly recommend this restaurant

We love the Dinosaur Cafe. The food is always first class. They are happy to share tips and recipes. Friendly and clean and very accommodating for our 2yr old. 5*!

Just had the most amazing meal at the Dinosaur Cafe. Salad was fresh and so tasty. Loved the Mousakka. Particularly impressed with the friendly service. Great little find. Will be back.

Just had our first Dinosaur cafe takeaway and it didn't disappoint! We had the humus, moussaka and baclava, all oozing with the authentic Mediterranean flavours we are used to when we dine in - a real lock-down treat! Definitely be back!

Friendly staff, interesting menu full of authentic food, salads are particularly good and all at reasonable cost. Definitely worth a visit.

Went here for dinner last Saturday and it was great, very comfortable and relaxing restaurant with great service. The food is simple but very tasty and well priced. Thanks to the host who was very welcoming, informative and professional. Will defiantly return.

When I travel, I look for places like this. Good service delivered by the owners with love and passion. And a great meal cooked traditionally with care and expertise. I keep coming back here and I’m never disappointed. The restaurant is nearly always full, a testament to the quality of the meals. Try the karniyarik, the baklava and the Turkish coffee. You’ll love it.

It was just a quick lunch, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. The man behind the counter (the owner perhaps) was happy to explain those items we didn't know, and smiled throughout. The mixed salad was very good, I would recommend that to share. We then both had something from the specials board, all very good, as well as a couple of small items from the meze list.I was recommended to try the Turkish wine, which in my experience is not a natural choice, but it was very good. All-in-all, a very good lunch, in a happy environment, and justifiably busy. It's a cafe but don't let that fool you, the food is good.

What a brilliant find. The name is odd it's true but the grub is proper genuine - good plateful of delicious home cooked food and really reasonably priced. I don't think we'd have got in if we hadn't booked but luckily they're on Facebook and j booked on there.

Good tasty food. We had the salad plate, falafel, yogurt dip and feta and parsley pastries. With some delicious wine!

The food, staff and atmosphere are exceptional. Reasonably priced and good portion sizes. cater for vegans and veggies so nobody misses out. Thoroughly recommend the mixed salad

Wir waren während unseres 3tägigen Exeteraufenthaltes 2x hier essen, weil es so lecker und nett war.Die Karte ist nicht unbedingt groß und jeden Tag gibt es 2-3 warme Speisen frisch gemacht. Unbedingt empfehlenswert. Die Mezeteller sind ebenfalls sehr empfehlenswert, der frischgepresste Orangensaft und der gute türkische Hauswein tun ihr Übriges.Dazu die enorme Freundlichkeit des Betreibers.Man fühlt sich wie in der Türkei. Hier muss man hin, wenn man in Exeter ist und authentische mediterrane Küche mag!

My first time dining here and we all had the stuffed aubergine. So tender and delicious and the portions were generous. All the mains looked inviting. Excellent value and a very warm welcome. Lovely fresh Turkish pastries for pud and good hot coffee to finish. Two course lunch with wine for three for under £60. What's not to like?

Just 5 minutes from Exeter Central station, Dinosaur cafe offers a range of very reasonable mezze and Turkish dishes in cosy surroundings, great local business

Highly recommend this cafe, as an evening restaurant too. The food is authentic, tasty and well priced. Rustic and genuine

Lovely homemade Turkish food simple but absolutely gorgeous. You don't need a big menu with food this good. Just like the food we enjoy in Turkey. Will definitely return if we are in Exeter again.

You can’t miss this place, just by the clocktower on the way into town. Big quantity of high quality food. Reasonable prices, doesn’t take long to get your order but it’s always very fresh. My Nan loves it.

Whilst visiting Exeter for the weekend I stumbled across the ABSOLUTE GEM which is the Dinosaur Cafe!!! Me and my daughter had a fantastic lunch and I would recommend it to everyone. We had a beautiful mix of starters with an amazing selection of salad- everything goes together so well.The owners were really friendly and gave us some recommendations of things to try. The pastichio and the lamb shish are to die for- i only wish i had a dinosaur cafe near me!!!

Fabulous food and beer experience in the Dinosaur Cafe. Only had a short overnighter in Exeter and my evening meal rescued a fairly dire stay. Highly recommended and I'll be back for more with a pocket full of cash (only).

Great food I had the lamb-meatballs, excellent finished off with a latte, at a good price will defiantly return .

Tuvimos una gran cena, un lugar muy informal pero acogedor, la comida es muy sabrosa. Tenía variedad de entrantes, las hojas de vid eran divinas, así que tuve que repetir? cordero tierno Shish y ensalada de col deben probarse! Lugar muy asequible, no puedo esperar para volver pronto

I go to the Dinosaur frequently and I’ve never been disappointed. There are a good selection of first and main courses, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, the baklava is marvellous, and I can recommend the Turkish coffee and Turkish wine.

Had dinner a couple days ago. Restaurant is very small, 8 to 10 tables. Service is very good and food is tasty and fresh, prices reasonable. I enjoyed the selection of tasty salads.

Great Ambience,very friendly staff,we chose the Mezze,starters tasty, but then the Mains all came together?Would have much preferred for food to have been drizzled through over a period of time? so as to have made a full evening of it?

Came here on a recommendation and had a Turkish mezze salad. There's an excellent range of GF food, and just a simple salad is amazing! There are so many things to try on the menu and it's good tasty authentic food. It's not a children's restaurant and it has nothing to do with Dinosaurs! We happily got fed and enjoyed the easy cafe feel to it.

Great fresh food and a cold beer, good service what more do you need, Closes at 9pm so allow time if looking for an evening meal.

Simply our favourite place to eat in Exeter. The food is always fresh and delicious, particularly the mixed salad. On top of this, the owners are so welcoming. Go eat there!

Dinosaur is a little oasis in Exeter. Step inside and you feel like you’ve stepped out of the city into a little bit of Turkey or the Mediterranean. The food is delicious, and all dietary needs are catered to - great for veggies and vegans, but food there for meaty folk, too. Very reasonably priced. Open until 9pm. A lovely place to go for a quiet meal or with a group of friends.

Inget fancy ställe rent stilmässigt, men vad gör väl det när maten är så god. Det känns som hemma. Prisvärt och vällagat!

The food at the Dinosaur cafe is very delicious. I had the assorted salad platter which had a good variety of interesting salads. The filled aubergine dish also looked very good . Service was excellent with helpful friendly staff.To be recommended.

This was my best food experience in Exeter so far. I had the dish of the day, Pastitsio, and it was great. Very tasty and it felt homemade. The owners are super friendly, and made me feel very welcome.

I know it's abit of a cliché but this is how we felt, after our meal here. It all started with a warm and friendly welcome from Ayse, who came over to say hello to a sleepy toddler. Jazz music playing softly in the background added to the relaxed atmosphere. Then the food, we had the kofte - lamb meatballs, and lamb stew, both were so tasty and moreish.. The portion size was good but we just wanted more!! We felt the love that went into the food and everyone (including sleepy toddler) agreed this was the best food we have had on our vacation so far.

Looking for a small family run type of eating place, we came across the Dinosaur Cafe. No fast food, everything cooked to order. Mainly Turkish food, which we had and thoroughly enjoyed, but they do other meals as well. Saw an omelette and chips come out, it looked huge, but so reasonably priced.

This is a family run restaurant with such kind, welcoming owners. They serve mainly Turkish food, and it is all cooked freshly to order. It is super tasty and their Baklava is the best in Exeter! Very good value and a friendly atmosphere make it a great place to come with friends. I’d thoroughly recommend the Dinosaur Cafe!

Love this place. Eaten here for 6+ years! I recommend getting all the salads, fresh orange juice, and leaving room for baklava. ... I also often leave having bought a book...

I popped in for lunch for the first time and was very impressed. The food is home made, delicious and presented nicely. The staff were friendly and helpful too and I think it’s a family run business. I’m very happy to recommend this cafe. So much nicer than one of the dull chain store cafes a few minute away in the city centre.

I had been to the dinosaur for breakfast once before and possibly a Meze sometime in the past. It was the day before Father's Day and my wife always takes me for a meal somewhere - but today, I wanted 'no frills'. I ordered a Shish Kebab which came with Rice and Salad and when it arrived, it did look very basic - I took a forkful of rice and my word, that was some real amazing rice - it was perfect, a great fluffy, but slightly sticky texture and a real deep flavour, there was no sauce on the plate, it didn't need it. The small slices of meat were also of exquisite flavour - I didn't want the taste to end. The plate was not large but it didn't need to be, I left feeling really satisfied and knowing that I took time in really tasting and enjoying my meal. I love the authentic, café feel and sense that it is not trying to be something its not - and you can even eat with a couple of foot high dinosaurs if no one else is....

Cuisine familiale avec beaucoup de saveurs. Nous avons pris en entrée les feuilles de vignes faites maison et une préparation au fromage. Ensuite des plats principaux aubergine farcie et kofte le tout servi avec 8 salades maison toutes meilleures les unes que les autres. Accompagné d une bouteille de vin 45 livres

Lovely little cafe that me and my boyfriend visited. Nice atmosphere, incredibly good, home cooked, food for a totally reasonable price. Will definitely visit again if we're in Exeter. Seemed LGBTQ+ accepting, if that'll be relevant for your visit

Great Turkish Breakfast, Tastes Like Home, Best Turkish Tea in UK, Most Welcoming Owners, Great Experience..

¡Visité el Dinosaur Cafe por primera vez hoy y no me decepcionó! El personal era encantador y la comida era deliciosa! Teníamos una ensalada de dinosaurio (cucharadas de cada ensalada diferente) para compartir, el falafel, el tzaziki como chapuzón con pan pitta (creo que esto se llamaba cacik) y el houmous & pitta. Todo encantador, fresco, sabroso y colorido. Volveremos ?? también tomamos té turco! Todo por 22: un delicioso y saludable almuerzo: ¡una buena relación calidad-precio! Mi favorito fue el falafel y la fritura de verdura frita que viene en la ensalada de dinosaurio! ??

Great tasting food, helpful friendly staff and good value! Had a oven cooked chicken, rice and salad and every single thing tasted amazing. Thank you :)

Pedimos varios entrantes y platos principales para una fiesta en casa. La comida, como siempre, fue sabrosa y realmente deliciosa. Se envasa en bandejas de papel de aluminio, listas para ser recolectadas a la hora acordada. Nos encanta el café de dinosaurios porque todo, desde la bienvenida a cada plato, se comparte con un sentido de alegría. Gracias.

Fabulous food and good value! Very friendly service by the owner. A really good find whilst we were passing through Exeter.

I have had many meals here over many years. It’s always been excellent. I can recommend it for both the freshly cooked food and the very friendly service.

An experience of Turkish food and culture. Always a warm welcome, great food and very well priced. If visiting Exeter it is the place to visit.

Excellent food with friendly service - Sish & chicken kebabs, salad & rice were just right for an early lunch with my daughter. Next time I am down in Exeter I'll drop in and try something from their interesting vegitarian menu

We visited a few days ago for our anniversary, the food and service were amazing. We ordered the falafel, moussaka, baklava, almond dessert, and Turkish coffee, all of which were delicious. The homemade flavours are just perfect and the fact that it's locally owned makes this cafe one of my favourites. I highly recommend people try this cafe over any chain because when money goes back into quality independent businesses it's money we'll spent.

What a lovely place! Such a warm and welcoming atmosphere, delicious food and very reasonable prices. Perfect for coffee and cakes- lunch- dinner, any occasion!

A traditional welcome and a very good menu. Once chosen, food came quickly and it was delicious. The best part of the night was the Turkish coffee which was wonderful. Overall a great evening and I look forward to my next visit. Recommended

Fantastic food and service, from stumbling upon this great place we was made to feel welcome, provided with wholesome and food with flavour. If visiting Exeter give the large chains in Queen St a miss, and check out this authentic place, the moussaka was amazing.

After having been several times the restaurant/cafe consistently has lovely authentic, traditional and freshly cooked food ..... and it is hosted by wonderful people !!!

Took some good friends here for an evening meal. Yet again didn't disappoint. Lovely home cooked food and another friendly welcome. Friends loved it.

The food is so fresh and delicious, can't get enough of the moussaka. Lovely family running the place, always friendly and welcoming. The Turkish white wine is surprisingly tasty and all of it is at a really reasonable price.