Istanbul in Leicester

Ordered a takeaway from here and was not disappointed! The wraps are amazing and are quite big for the price. Also ordered the mixed grill, which came with a lot of meat and rice as well as salad and yoghurt, which was good value.

The food is really good, I have tried the chicken and lamb shawarma as well as the wings. The meat is really well cooked, overall delicious. Service is quick. Prices are pretty reasonable.

The Istanbul Restaurant is fantastic! Mo and the rest of the team were wonderful and treated us like family. Couldn't recommend it enough!

The garlic yogurts sauce exceptional, beautiful lamb ribs.

Best restaurant Best service Best food Especially Rohan is a very nice chief 👌

It is so good restaurant, so delicious food. Workers are so nice with kids especially Mehmet, he is so helpful and kind with my kids.

We had a meal today . However the waiter was rude and charged me extra 2 pounds for sauce. I ordered mix starter which was 19 pounds but charged a lot saying that I ordered a platter which cost 37 pounds. Terrible.

quality of the food and service is excellent. We looked after by Mehmet, and received a first class service from the moment we walked in. A big thank you to all the staff.

Excellent food and service, must be the best place in the Midlands.

We’re really happy with our experience at the restaurant. The service was quick, friendly, and welcoming. The food was delicious, and the staff truly rose to the occasion, taking great care of our group of 19 people. We genuinely recommend this place!

From the moment you step into Istanbul, you’re welcomed with the warmth and charm you’d expect from a traditional Turkish restaurant. The ambiance is inviting, the food is full of flavour, and the service truly stands out. We were lucky to be looked after by Mehmet, who was absolutely fantastic – friendly, attentive, and genuinely passionate about the food and the experience. He made great recommendations and made sure everything ran smoothly throughout the evening. The mixed grill was a highlight – perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection – and the mezes were fresh and full of flavour. Don’t miss the baklava at the end – it’s the perfect sweet finish, especially with a cup of Turkish tea. All in all, a brilliant evening with delicious food and excellent service. We’ll definitely be back – and we’ll be asking for Mehmet again!

I really enjoyed today's evening.q The food was delicious and fast service, especially when there was 19 people. I really enjoyed it and I will be back soon .

Sucks. Ordered 1 only lamb chops took 45 mins to cook. Incredible!!

We have tried the lamb shawarma two times and both times the lamb was hard and clearly you can tell most of it is not cooked and it tastes like full of fat. Not good at all really

The place was a really good place and the food was really delicious and service was really fast and good

The restaurant was amazing and the food was very tasty. I highly recommend this place for some amazing turkish food

Lovely restaurant and very friendly staff. Really enjoyed the food more than I interpreted. I really appreciate the service especially from Binta!

This restaurant offers a genuinely turkish food experience. The quality is very good and the prices are good value. This restaurant is legendary on Narborough Road.. it's not fine dining... it's great dining. Perfect for a casual treat.

The food is absolutely marvellous and the level of hygiene shown is top tier 👌🏾

I've come here many times over the years and the food has always been top notch! The portions are quite big as well, so well worth the money.

My go to place to eat when family come over to visit Leicester! It has never failed to impress us and the portions are great too.

Binta was very cheerful and smiled all through our dinner. Food was great.

Kebabs were good, but they need to check the quality of the rice...first it was cold when served, waitress brought out a plate of replacement rice...but the rice was undercooked...not impressed. Gave up after that.

Best Turkish food and restaurant in Leicester. The staffs are friendly and very quick to help you with anything you need. Food 10/10 Restaurant 10/10 Service 10/10 Well definitely come again.

Beautiful food as always! Shout out to mustafa for his fantastic service! Best Turkish in Leicester handsdown!

We were served by Elna and had a lovely experience of great customer service. Food was awesome but we have to wait a little as the place was busy. Will visit again. Thanks

Really worst service I have ever seen at any restaurant the staff is very rude they show too much attitude on customer really bad service and the food is not cooked properly overall worst service

I had ordered 4 chicken shawarma wraps via Uber eats “order number 0B62c” , and they all were with raw chicken!!! Shame

Nice place in Leicester to enjoy Turkish Food.

A choice of great food that is served quickly. The staff were very friendly.

They don't treat people equally, especially delivery drivers. Money-minded and disrespectful staff and boss.

Owner is very rude. I have seen him shouting and speaking rudely to delivery drivers

Tried to call the restaurant on the phone to speak about my delivery, the person who answered the phone was rude and completely unhelpful. The food was cold and completely unedible. Would never eat from here again. Disgusting.

Istanbul has OVERRATED REVIEWS, falsely misguiding people to go there. Utter waste of time. Went a few days ago with my large family and had ordered the largeest £85 platter and it was an utter waste of my money. The food was bland, NO TASTE AT ALL. Very big waste of my money, had very high hopes but they were crushed down. The bread seemed like it was days old. Won't recommend this place, instead go to Antalya restaurant the on same road. Will always vouch for Antalya. The best Turkish restaurant with top tier food with very very reasonable price.

Very good restaurant, the dishes are generous and very good, the meat is of very good quality. On the other hand, for the service, the waiters forget to bring you certain dishes, especially starters, and count them in the bill (glasses of tap water counted as bottled mineral water), some make comments to customers. If we hadn't checked the bill carefully, we would go from £45 to £35...

Comida familiar a mitad de semana que era muy bueno. El personal era muy amable, los pedidos se tomaron rápidamente y llegaron de manera oportuna. Teníamos el halloumi, sigora boreki para empezar. Para la red tuve el kebab de verduras. La comida era increíble. Es de lejos el mejor turco que he tenido en Leicester. Todo tiene mucho sabor. Ya estoy planeando la próxima visita.

Very nice food. It very enjoyable.

Very fresh and delicious food, and exceptionally polite staff! Highly recommend!

Hello everyone🖐My elder son is uncomfortable with his gallbladder😔my younger son is sick with a 40 degree fever😌Today We left the hospital and were hungry. We decided to go to Etçi Baba with my family of 4 from the morning hours until the afternoon. It opened at 4.5 o'clock. We were very sad. We decided to go to the Istanbul restaurant and eat there. When I entered the door, ÉTÇİ BABA was the one who welcomed us and said, "How much does he look like Hasan Bey?" MEHMET BEY took us with a smiling face and sincere intentions. He took us to the tables inside. He said you can sit wherever you want. There is a Mr. Mehmet who knows his job, is professional and loves guests. Thank you to ISTANBUL RESTAURANT, I hope there will always be such good people in the world. First of all, it does not matter whether the food restaurants we go to are of good quality or the name, I can say that if they are not friendly to their guests, change those employees, if they are annoying, change those employees. Half of my life has been spent in customer relations. 25 years. I continued as the store coordinator of a Yugoslavian employer. How can we be the best, we need to feel how people are special, how they are special. When they come here, they first deal with us. I did research on how we should be preferred. And I always won people, why? Being sincerely intentioned, winning a lot of people. It is necessary to earn money, but first you need to win people. This is how MEHMET BEY won our family. Today we learned from him, the owner of ISTANBUL RESTORANT, ETÇİ BABA. It is a place. Mr. Hasan really looks like him. He is the one I said. He is here for a few days. Thank you. We waved and we were very happy. He waved to us from afar while we were eating. It is a privilege to find such beautiful places in the hands of such expatriates. Real Turks are those who show sincere intentions, smiling faces and polite behavior. I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY VERY THANKS TO MEHMET BEY AND HIS COLLEAGUES IN THE TEAM. MY FAMILY IT WAS VERY NICE TO COME FROM NEW ZEALAND AND TO KNOW SUCH NICE PEOPLE AND TASTE THEIR FOOD. IT BOOSTERED THE MORALE OF OUR FAMILY AFTER THE HOSPITAL🖐 THERE IS AN ISTANBUL RESTAURANT..IT IS LIKE A BOSPHORUS BRIDGE. FROM SIDE TO SIDE HE COOKS HIS QUALITY, UNIQUE FOOD TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER. THANKS TO THE WHOLE WORKING TEAM OF ISTANBUL RESTAURANT. THANKS FOR YOU, I WISH YOU GOOD LIVES.. SEE YOU AGAIN TO EAT YOUR DELICIOUS FOOD..🖐

Food is wonderful. Everything is perfectly cooked and fod is fresh. But sometimes service is a bit slow and whenever I order online the salad is old and j can tell its from a few days ago but overall I definitely recommend this restaurant.

Excellent food and service. Service from Mehmit was exceptional. Would definitely recommend this place.

The food was delicious and the staff are very polite! We were served by a wonderful waitress named Elna and she was very kind. Will definitely come back soon!

Fantastic staff and fantastic food. We were running late but they still managed to make space for us (large party) and even added a bit of a surprise for my son's birthday. Food as usual was fantastic and service was really good even though it was absolutely packed. Highly recommend.

We had reserved the seats prior. We had a great experience at Istanbul Hotel in Leicester, enjoying authentic Turkish cuisine. One of the highlights was the complimentary bread – fresh, warm, and delicious. We ordered the large Turkish platter (£75) and a smaller one (£30), which served nearly eight people. The meats were well-seasoned, juicy, and flavorful. The meze platter was also enjoyable. However, the rice was a bit disappointing compared to the rest of the meal. The staff were friendly and accommodating. As an added bonus, we received complimentary tea (not per head, but still appreciated). Overall, a solid four-star experience. Would return for the great food and hospitality!

Popped in for a dinner today for a lovely Valentine’s Day meal had to wait at the entrance of the shop for 10 to 15 minutes for a table for two people despite there being plenty of tables available seats were very comfortable. Table was nice. Atmosphere was a bit loud and crowded. However despite the menu being complex we were able to navigate the right food that we wanted. unfortunately the biggest letdown in addition to the crowdy and noisy atmosphere and people around us the customer, The waiters werent the most polite and seemed to be very inattentive and unresponsive. We had to wait a decent margin of time for the order to be taken and for us to pay for the order and for us to get our takeaway boxes despite all of these troubles the food was very delicious. It would seem as though it was dry than it was however the flavour of the rice and the chicken and the lamb was a very good quality very satisfied with the meal not with the service.

This was our visit. M.A was brilliant and food and his service loved it, would visit again soon

I've been in this Restaurant for several times and they good hospitality good service very polite people and we don't forget Mr MA who always take care of us when we come to the Restaurant, thanks very much 👍👍👍

The food was amazing, it had authentic Turkish traditional dishes, also the food was very delicious, the waiters and waitresses were very kind, especially M.A. He was such a gentleman.

I love the food here think best Turkish in Leicester however the service is not always the best. I don’t know if it’s the manager or just another waiter but he’s rude or has no customer service skills at all that’s second time visiting and same attitude. Other than that I really recommend food service not so much.

Have been there many times and always enjoyed the meal and it's great place for families

The food was great! The portions were really reasonable. Mehmet was exceptionally nice and made us feel really welcomed. Would definitely recommend!!

M.A was very sweet and friendly and gave us a graduation surprise at the end of our meal.

Worse customer service specially the ladu staff is unprofessional n food was not cooked well and took ages in preparations

We asked a blond lady for a mixed platter and even after 2 hours the waiter did not give it to me,and when I asked, they said i did not order,the restraunt manager came and told he will give it soon.After we got it,the meat was raw and tasted disgusting.

Friendly staff and good food 👍🏻

I always come here on my free weekends. The best Turkish food in Leicester. The customer service is always very friendly and welcoming, especially Mehmet Abi. He creates such a great atmosphere for all the customers and I know many others who also agree with me. The food is always also so fresh and the meat is also very juicy and perfectly cooked. I have never had a bad experience.

Mehmet always makes us feel so welcome. Sharing platter is so tasty, juicy chicken wings and smooth humous. Very efficient service from friendly staff.

it was delicious and the service was so good. Especial thank to Mehmet

Visited the restaurant yesterday whilst in Leicester, this is, alongside Etci baba Turkish, our go to restaurants when in the area. As always the food was splendid, we had the family platter and mixed sharwarma, kofte and some vegetables dishes. Unfortunately I have two negative points, firstly, they do not have a pray room for Muslims should one be dining during the pray time, as was the case yesterday for Majrib. I was advised the nearest mosque is about 7-10 mins walk. Other, halal restaurants including Turkish ones in Leicester offer this option, even if it’s in the store room. Secondly, no complimentary Turkish tea after spending £100, again, offered by other Turkish restaurants.

We had a family dinner 🥗 here. They were about to close restaurant although a warm welcome from their staff. Good hygiene and food was perfect too

Food not cooked well. Service quality extremely poor , staff highly unprofessional. Would never ever go again.

£6 for 10 olives? Absolutely disgusting. Come here every year. Portions have gone smaller. Prices are disgusting

Mehmet was very helpful. Nice food, good service

Really enjoyed the food and atmosphere, our waiter Mehmet was excellent and made sure we were well looked after. Highly recommended.

Great meal and great restaurant. Mehmet was very attentive and a great host.

Amazing food as always and Mehmet is gracious host. Would absolutely recommend to friends and family.

Amazing food and service was brilliant. MA was terrific host

Fantastic place to eat amazing and very good service. Came from Sheffield to eat here. M.A is fabulous

Best shawarma in town and great service from Mr. Mehmet 🙏

I am a regular been eating her at least once a week I always asked if they can cook my food extremely well done but the food always comes not even well done I asked just for red cabbage and onion but still give me all salad I tell them I am allergic to tomato’s but they still put them there they don’t care about their customers at all I have been stocking up on there chilli and garlic because it’s literally the best I freeze it so now I can stop ordering from there and give another shop my money that they’ll appreciate. Istanbul doesn’t care for us what so ever

Awful service from the manager who didn’t even give discount after trying to give us cold food after we did a delivery order that didn’t turn up. I called the restaurant to remake the food as it was cold after nearly two hours which they promised they would do- they tried to then give me the old order and thereafter not even take 10% off. Will never order from them again and I would absolutely not recommend the food - it was tasteless. Manager there didn’t want to provide his name but his service was SHOCKING.

I went for a meal with family ,meat and rice just cold ,asked waiter to microwave my platter, he taken it and bring back and it was hardly warm

We had a good time at Istanbul, we all ordered different things, and they all tasted great. The quality and quantity of the meat was good, they were seasoned perfectly and there was no delays in serving time considering how busy the place is when we went. I believe it is great value for money, I couldn't finish my portion and took the rest home. Mehmet took care of us and was very attentive, it made our time there worthwhile. This is definitely a place I would want to revisit.

Food was very nice. Best quality unbelievable.good customer service. I’ll recommend Istanbul kebab to my friends and family.Mr M A best customer service we will remember. Thank you Mr M A Kind regards your regular customer Abdul Korim Noor

FOOD WAS SO UNBELIEVABLY GOOD. THE MEAT WAS SUCCULENT AND TENDER. DEFINITELY COMING AGAIN!

The service and food was amazing. Turkish pizza(pide) was so tasteful, i highly recommend it. Turkish teas were perfect. All the waiters were kind and helpful. Especially Mr. Mehmet was very friendly and helpful 😀

Great taste with great service. Thanks to Mehmet for excellent and professional service

Always a good time at Istanbul with their mixed grill. The meats are great quality, seasoned very well and also comes very quickly too. I think it is great value for money, can never finish the entire plate as a fully grown man.

Really high quality food,absolutely it’s worth to pay , and M.A was really kind for finding the best food

It was my first time at Turkish food. The service we received from the staff at the restaurant was excellent. The food was amazing and I enjoyed the complementary tea too. Staff MA was exceptional. Very professional and pleasant. I’ll definitely be eating here again when I’m in Leicester.

Came for dinner with the family we were served by M.A, who was super friendly and took time to explain the dishes as it was my family’s first time trying Turkish food

The food and service was excellent our server M.A was made if feel very welcome

Great service from M.A and the food was amazing

Although, the place is clean but food hygiene is zero. I watched a lady mistakenly pressing her black shirt over the wrap. This could have been prevented if proper PPE had been employed. Besides, this lady might have been to toilet with the shirt, or might have trapped gems with the shirt. Please reevaluate your food safety policy and hygiene… we are almost in winter already, people shouldn’t come down with food poisoning because of avoidable poor food safety measures which if taken into consideration would have prevented it.

very cozy restaurant, great atmosphere, delicious food and good service. My family felt at home. Special thanks to the employee M.A. for support and service.

Great food. Drinks selection was a little dull. Unfortunately service wise we got stuck in a back corner and found it difficult to get the staffs attention. Other than that minor issue a nice meal. Obviously popular and busy.

Been coming here since it first opened, unfortunately the quality of the food has faded over the years. I wouldn’t mind the price increases if the food was good quality and insist on “Cash Only” on collection. I will be going elsewhere from now on 👎🏽

Today I was on business trip and came to Leicester from London. This is great Turkish restaurant with quality food. Mr Mehmet is very friendly and professional, his service is outstanding. Definitely, we will pop in again. Dervish

everything was good, only a minus for the administrator that everything is old, it should be modernized a bit, I have been coming occasionally for 8 years and it is always the same. a little gold is never much. ☺️success. very good food, very good staff, for once this. bravo👍

was packed on a Sunday evening! would come back here for the lamb beyti (:

Food unique,customer service excellent. They do everything for you to enjoy your day in their restaurant.

Heaven on earth. Best service, best food, best ambience. Staff is highly professional especially Mr Mustafa is very hospitable. Enjoyed his pleasing smile. Love to recommend this place to all.

Loved the ambience of this authentic Turkish restaurant serving a variety of mouth watering dishes ranging from scrumptious wraps to exclusive platters with generous portions of food. The staff were very welcome and special thanks to Aishah for a beautiful evening. We have come all the way from London to try authentic Turkish food and thanks to Mustafa for making a memorable evening along with the rest of the staff and outstanding customer service.

Wonderful place to eat and the staff are amazing 👏

Mehmet again with the outstanding service. Great value for money

Very professional staff, excellent food, attention to details... I'll highly recommend Mehmet thanks for the birthday surprise to my son... very appreciate

Very good and traditional Shish, perfect smell and ideally cooked. I was ordering online when I was unwell, so they put me a few extra pieces! I feel a lot better now and back for more! So thank you kind and professional people who work there:)

£37 for a sharing platter for 2 offering 3 cubes of meat is not only very extortionate but a little insulting!

Delicious Food. Good ambience. Mehmet was specially excellent with his service and took care of our large group. Elna was polite and quick with her service. She was helpful with everything we asked for.

Food is super delicious and tasty. Staff is very friendly 🥰 Highly recommend place