Istanbul Barbecue & Bistro in Liverpool

Me and my mum visited here for breakfast on Sunday morning as we like to try new places, we thoroughly enjoyed the food which was excellent value for money, the staff were really friendly too especially Denise who served us, the atmosphere in the restaurant was great and would definitely recommend this place for the breakfast. We will be returning to try their evening menu next time, thank you for a wonderful experience.

We haven't been here for a while so decided to go for breakfast. I asked for coffee as soon as we where seated, but it was just being made, fresh. My Turkish breakfast arrived quickly, a decent size with a nice variety. My daughter had pancakes which she really enjoyed but thought the toppings 'a bit stingy'. I asked again for my coffee, which duly arrived. The menu states filter coffee is refillable and not to be shy in asking. Well, you can't afford to be shy as you won't get any if you don't ask. I had to get up part way through eating to go and ask. They came and filled my cup but never returned to top up. Regardless of food a decent coffee can make or break a breakfast for me. So unfortunately, despite the welcoming staff and delicious Turkish Breakfast I left disappointed. I didn't even leave a tip, which is unusual for me. ☹️

Popped in for breakfast with a friend. Wonderful welcome from the staff and quick service. Breakfast was hit and full plate. Great value for money!!

First time here with my friends won’t be the last time food delicious service with a smile nothing too much trouble for the staff love it

Great atmosphere and decor.. Staff are excellent. The breads and dips were fresh and tasty, the Sucuk starter was fantastic, mixed grill for main was fairly good but not great, you got lots of it as well.

An absolute disgrace of a restaurant. We walked in to a completely empty restaurant and ordered some food. After 50 minutes waiting we have asked politely how much longer we would have to wait. The staff without any explanation or apologies said it will be another 10 minutes. At this point it was clear to us they have forgotten about us and we have decided to walk out. Given our bad experience it still did not stop them to charge us for our drinks.

We love coming to this place! The Turkish breakfast is amazing and the service is always great too!

A disrespectful place to their staff! Firstly, I hoped it didn't get to this, but they disrespected a full-time staff member who worked for them for over two years, earning for herself and her family. This restaurant praises themselves on being the busiest every weekend, showing their great reviews on social media but ignoring the fact they DO NOT PAY THEIR STAFF FOR MONTHS OR YEARS. She worked for two years, full time and slowly she was getting paid less each month. Their excuse were "We haven't been doing great this month" or "I will send it over by the end of the week". That never happened. The amount owed was more than £2000. 2021 the first sum was £3500. Today, the amount owed is £1700, 2024. Every few weeks, she went into the restaurant, without disrespecting any staff or customers asking very politely when she could receive it, they kept feeding her with lies, telling her to leave and she will receive it via bank by the end of the week/month. This visit happened in may, as well as june and july. Finally as her daughter, i have now started to get incontrol of this matter.

Third time we've eaten here and everything was as delicious as the first time. Staff are friendly, more so than others but service is always with a smile. Fantastic complimentary hot Turkish bread and dips so start your meal off, and all starters and mains we've had have been tasty. Always leave here full. We tend to go mid week and find we don't have to book - but definitely would book on a weekend. Can't wait to visit again soon!

Had a great night tonight for a 30th birthday celebration, service was amazing for the amount of us that attended , food was delicious all arrived at the same time couldn’t fault nothing , staff where fantastic .

Amazing food. I was in the area and decided to give it a go. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Food was very tasty and service was great.

Went on Saturday night, food was outstanding, staff were very attentive and friendly. Would highly recommend 👌

Great food at reasonable prices

The food here was incredible as were all the staff!. Mendo’s service was particularly excellent and Lucy on the bar was fantastic and so accommodating. Will definitely be back soon!

Such lovely food and a great atmosphere! Charlotte and lucy made the evening very enjoyable! Will definitely be back!

Waiter was great, very welcoming & funny. Made our meal which was also very delicious.

Had good there last night. The service was terrible and the pints were flat. The dessert come out mouldy. Will not be going back.

It was a busy day being Father’s Day, we came to celebrate the day with family. We completely understood that the restaurant was busy because it was Father’s Day, however we were served the wrong drinks multiple times, food came out wrong and we had to send it back to be changed etc.. it was just chaos really. Then when it came to dessert, they had completely ran out except for one tirimisu which I ordered. Sadly the dessert came out covered in mould! Thankfully I checked before I ate it! Anyway when we spoke to the server, he was so apologetic and he was absolutely great. This review is no reflection on the server as he was really mortified and honestly couldn’t apologise enough. Plus he was actually really lovely and friendly. The manager came over and did apologise but made some excuse they had been open since 8:30am etc.. when really his opening times should not have any bearing on the food being mouldy! We told him about our experience today and how it hadn’t been the best and he continued to make excuses that they had been open early. He simply didn’t care and walked away. The restaurant was clearly too busy and couldn’t cope with the amount of covers they had booked in. We knew this when we heard the chef complaining that he needed help near the bar. Probably shouldn’t book in that many covers in future. Oh and check desserts/food isn’t mouldy before serving or even storing in the fridge really. Wouldn’t say terrible because the mains were actually tasty and the servers were lovely

Superb place, the food is heavenly and I love the aesthetic and layout of the restaurant, you never feel hemmed in. And the best cup of coffee we’ve had in ages. Best time to go (for us) is the daytime as evenings get very busy, understandably.

Tasty food, excellent and quick service. Would visit again.

Visited on a Tuesday night to celebrate a birthday. Opted for a meze of different starter options and each dish was fantastic - lots of flavour and good quality ingredients. Service was friendly and fast. Will definitely visit again.

Fantastic early tea at Istanbul. The whole team were brilliant and the food exceptional. Highly recommended

Hi have eaten here for years the last 4-5 times it has gone right down hill we loved it that much we kept going back hoping the food might of returned to it’s original glory unfortunately not we was charged for Bred that would normally come complementary the Turkish guy handled are food with his hands the meat was mostly fatty and to top it of the guy offered us a gift if we logged on to Google and leave a 5 star review while we was still eating our food he was cleaning r plates and the battle with the swarm of flyes was a workout in its self we was soo disappointed we are going to try some new ideas in the area

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at Istanbul, i went for the chicken broccoli and it was a brilliant portion size. Charlottes service was impeccable and she regularly ensured our evening was going as well as we’d hoped. we will come again!

Lamb Souvlaki was excellent. Kids pizza was excellent. Charlotte was excellent. (Was a long flight home tho 😂👍)

Quite a poor experience - restaurant was dirty and none of the tables had been cleaned after customers had left. Ordered a Turkish breakfast - nothing like the Turkish breakfast I’ve had in Istanbul, menemem was awful (hardly any tomatoes and no peppers?) . Took ages to arrive. Quite surprised given number of positive reviews. Price was good but would rather spend a bit extra and enjoy the experience. Would not return.

Amazing staff service, great atmosphere and the food is DELICIOUS

Absolutely gorgeous place. We had the best little date night here, food is 11/10. For the price too. 2 for £14 cocktails and they are probably the strongest cocktails I've had for a long time. Mixed grill sharer was huge and delicious and huge calamari rings. Should be charging more.... we will be back. Our waiter was the funniest and most polite guy ever. We had a ball with him. They also have a lovely kidd play area we can't wait to bring our son. 100% be back soon.

It's one of the best restaurants I've been in the UK. Authentic Turkish taste and dishes. Tasty foods. Friendly service. I never thought the inside would be that much beautiful by the look of outside. It's so elegant. They have a children's play area as well. There are plenty of seating spaces. The size of the dishes is more than adequate for one person. All the beverage options are there as well, including cocktails and authentic Turkish coffee

Went recently. Hasn't changed since last time. Lovely food ,well looked after and excellent beer. Thankyou.

The spicy chicken dish is well recommended. Fantastic food with great service. We were looked after like Kings and Queens. Brilliant manager too!

Another great visit this afternoon to our favourite restaurant. My little girl especially loves the children’s play area. The staff are so welcoming and always make such a fuss over our little girl. The food is ALWAYS brilliant and good portion size I always have to take home a doggie bag. If you’re looking for a great meal out this is definitely the place to go! Thanks again will see you again very soon

Fabulous meal, very tasty food and excellent service, with friendly staff. Highly recommend.

Love everything about this place, food quality and service is excellent. We go here regularly and have had breakfast, lunch and dinner. Food is fresh and good portions, never had a bad meal here. Staff are friendly and very accommodating, can't do enough for you. Highly recommended can't wait to go back.

Went last night for first time and really enjoyed it. The food was amazing with very good portion sizes... so much so we had to have a box to take the leftovers home. The atmosphere was really nice, the staff friendly and couldn't do enough. I will 100% be going back again.

Had a great time here, very nice food. Great portion sizes and excellent staff. Will be going again soon!

Absolutely love everything about this place. Food quality and service is excellent, staff can't do enough for you. Great value for money and very accommodating, always feel really well looked after.

disorder and disorder and more disorder, they make mistakes many times with the orders, they only make excuses, mediocre food, the service leaves a lot to be desired

Come here for the first time today. My wife and I went for the English Breakfast, absolutely gorgeous, tasty value for money, all the staff were brilliant and friendly, definitely coming back

The food here is incredible, the ceaser salad is unreal and the staff are lovely and friendly, especially Lucy, Luis and Jess - who go above and beyond with their service. I’ve found myself coming 3 days on the trot for both the food and the vibes. 10/10!

Ordered takeaway only received half takeaway no salad no Pitta as stated on menu very disappointed we had to devide what was therebetween 3 of us .

I had mix grilled for 2 and enjoyed it very much. Freshly peeled fried chips along with tasty cosmos was the base of our plate covered by grilled chops, ribs, lamb tika and grilled chiken pieces. Very well and mild marinated lamb meat is melting on you mouth. Turkish grilled course can't be better than this. We had our meal outer in lovely and peaceful atmosphere of their yard space. The best part is their starter. Just baked fresh turkish bread with 4 starter cups of butter, yogurt, 2 other delicious starters are what makes you go back there. I would recommend it.

Over an hour wait for food dining in with terrible service

Very tasty and very warm atmosphere

Guven made sure we were very well looked after during our family meal. Great food with an atmosphere to match. Cheers Guven!

Delicious food in a beautiful restaurant with excellent staff! Definitely recommend this place and we will definitely be going back again! The staff can’t do enough for you, so friendly and welcoming. Lovely atmosphere.

We found this place while staying in Liverpool. What a gem. The staff are so friendly and helpful and the service is excellent. The food is amazing. It's so flavourful and very generous portions. We enjoyed it so much, we went back again this week. On the first visit we had chicken Iskender which was something very different to what we've had before at a Turkish restaurant. It was absolutely delicious. On the second visit we shared the jumbo meze platter which was also amazing. For dessert I had the kunefe which was so tasty and my husband had the best profiteroles he's ever tasted. We will definitely be returning next time we're in Liverpool. Thank you so much for looking after us.

We found this place while staying in Liverpool. What a gem. The staff are so friendly and helpful and the service is excellent. The food is amazing. It's so flavourful and very generous portions. We enjoyed it so much, we went back again this week. On the first visit we had chicken Iskender which was something very different to what we've had before at a Turkish restaurant. It was absolutely delicious. On the second visit we shared the jumbo meze platter which was also amazing. For dessert I had the kunefe which was so tasty and my husband had the best profiteroles he's ever tasted. We will definitely be returning next time we're in Liverpool. Thank you so much for looking after us.

Not long after I sat down, I put down the toasted bread with four kinds of sauces. It was very delicious and ordered a mixed grill for 2. The portion was huge. I also ordered grilled sea bass fillet. The menu listed fish fillet, but the owner asked if he wanted fish fillet or not. Whole fish, we ordered whole fish, and the portion was huge, but the price remained the same, so it was a good value. The grilled squid rings are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, perfect score. Will definitely visit again.

Had a fun night with great food at a reasonable price with a large party..all served in a reasonable time.

Visited this authentic restaurant for lunch with my husband and 90 year old mother-in-law. The menu was varied, all dietary requirements were catered for. The lamb stew, plus the aubergine, pepper and mushroom stew accompanied with bulger wheat was superb. Service with a smile, and I came away with a hand written recipe. 5 stars.

I visited Istanbul yesterday with my boyfriend, Rachle severed me and she was absolutely amazing, she was extremely friendly . I have never eaten here before and she recommended the Turkish breakfast and it was out of this world !! Really recommend this place for all occasions. Thank you instanbul and thankyou to our lovely waitress

Amazing food, service and atmosphere. As regulars we can't rate the restaurant enough. We are a large family and nothing is ever too much. Food is always outstanding and great value for money. We always feel extremely welcome and are always greeted with a smile.

I have been several times to the Istanbul never a problem, but I came across one this visit, they only had full fat milk so I couldn't have one of there lovely coffees, they are situated by some big brand shops so there was no reason to only stock the one. I was disappointed as I only had water. I asked for soya as an alternative but no. Come on Istanbul get more choices in.

Amazing as always, staff really look after you, I was a bit chilly from being outside and the lovely blonde lady turned the heating up for me! Sooo attentive! Food was absolutely amazing! I got the Eggs Istanbul, (like eggs benedict but their own Istanbul style.) Soooooo good!! Perfect poached egg! My daughter got the full English and said it was perfect too. Lovely atmosphere and we cant wait to come back again to try all the different variations of breakfasts. 10/10 from me.

Too much bread. Bread and dips for starter which is great as the bread was delicious. The main meal was a shared meat platter. The meat was on a bed of bread. Really it should be on a bed of rice.

Food was unreal highly recommend the halloumi kebab and garlic mushrooms! Service was top notch ;) will be back

Turkish breakfast was amazing. Staff were very friendly. Great atmosphere . 2 birthday celebrations whilst we were there and staff all singing Happy Birthday. Definitely will be going again ..

Absolutely love this place!!! The sultan kebab and the Turkish breakfast are to die for. Wonderful staff and service too!

A lovely place with beautiful food!! Everything we have tried from the menu has been top standard - everything from breakfast to evening meals. Staff always go above and beyond to make the dining experience fantastic. Would 100% recommend if anyone is looking for tasty food!

Came here for a birthday meal for my mum with the family and 2 kids staff so friendly made an effort for her birthday by singing even the other customers got involved with the singing an music was lovely the great bit for me to was the children’s corner /play area we sat next to the play area and it was lovely to eat i. Peace as they was entertained with all the toys such a great idea so if you have kids this place is a must so you can enjoy while they play

Had a lovely breakfast waited 25mins for drinks as they were really busy but food was very nice fresh and hot when arrived

Went recently, the quality and flavour is poor. Souvlaki platter was really bad and expensive.I won't back again.

Fabulous food as usual from Istanbul in Woolton Village. The Turkish breakfast was delicious and my partner loved his full English. Massive food envy too before we left looking at the meals on the next table. So worth a visit. Ask for Rachel, she will look after you x

We had a great experience at Istanbul last night, the food and service were excellent and the bill was very reasonable. The complimentary bread and dips to start are a lovely touch and so tasty. We will be putting this on our list of regular haunts.

The food and staff in this place are both amazing not to mention the atmosphere and feel of the place. We were served by Rachel the last few times we’ve visited and she’s great, absolutely nothing is too much trouble and always chatty and smiling. Would definately recommend this place for, breakfast, lunch and evening meal, great selection of drinks too.

Lovely place to go. Food is fantastic and you will not be disappointed. Friendly staff and service. We are going back soon.

Food was delicious, service was excellent. First time we have visited. We will definitely come back to explore more of the Turkish menu. Would totally recommend 👌 The breads are lovely and fresh.

Every Friday my sister and I enjoy great food at great prices with great staff, Rachel and the rest of the staff look after us, Every Friday we will be there. Cheers and thanks,

Quiet at lunch times but busy in evenings

Great experience here, great food and service, nice family run restaurant

Stumbled on this place at the weekend after staying in a hotel close by. The food was amazing and the best turkish breakfast we have had (husband is turkish and fussy, so this is major compliment) The istanbul eggs were honestly the best ever!! 👌 our daughter had the waffles. The place feels really authentic, staff and service is amazing. Couldn't fault anything. We loved it so much. We have booked again for this weekend and driving an hour and a half to get there 😁.

Absolutely beautiful place to go for food. Love this place so much. Guvan is just such a wonderful host, so welcoming and kind. We will be back soon. Thank you. Dave, Paula and Louie. Xxx

Had a lovely meal tonight. Delicious food and fantastic service.will definitely be back

We really enjoyed our breakfast visit. The food was delicious, staff were attentive and friendly and good value. We will be back!

Great place lovely food. Breakfast is excellent and well presented and well priced for what you get. Staff and owner are lovely and very friendly. Always have a lovely experience every time we go.

Great meal served by the brilliant Jess, great portions, really tasty!

Istanbul is a truly fantastic restaurant and our family's favourite. The food is sensational full of flavour and cooked perfectly every time we visit and the portions are very generous too. The decor and atmosphere are very warm and welcoming. The staff are always very helpful and friendly also and always go out of the way to accommodate my partner who has egg and dairy allergies including making her a version of the delicious complimentary puff bread that is safe for her to eat. I would strongly recommend visiting Istanbul.

Lovely atmosphere and the food had wonderful flavours, softest lamb I have ever eaten, it didn't even require chewing! Service a little slow but when the food is that good it was absolutely worth the wait.

First time visiting for breakfast! Food was incredible! Great service and lovely staff! The Bread wow, so nice!! Our nephew had the Turkish breakfast and absolutely loved it. All food and drinks amazing! We will certainly be back soon 💚

Had breakfast there and the food was delicious! We had unlimited tea and coffee and our waitress Rachel was so helpful. Will definitely be back

It was absolutely amazing experience. The dining hall is so clean and tidy right away after dinner for welcoming next client. The service is quick and considerate. The food is delicious and right amount for a hungry tummy. Thank you and will definitely visit again.

Istanbul seems to have had some problems of late, the place has definitely been turned around, the boss is keeping a close eye on things, our food, the service were excellent the place had a really nice atmosphere, well done to all concerned, we have no complaints whatsoever, we will definitely be back

Terrible service. Initially nice welcome; had to get servers attention for drinks, ordered food together to save time. Waited and waited for a simple coffee and a wine. 3 staff and a manager, come on. Got up and left.

We visited this restaurant on Monday 22nd of Jan for a family birthday... and what lovely experience we had. Amazing food and atmosphere and the staff were so friendly and hospitable it made the whole evening very memorable. I would definitely recommend this place and I would ignore all of the bad reviews as they tend to be on very busy evenings. If you go in the week you will 100% have a great night... Thank you! (the puffy bread is so good!!!)

Me and my family went for Christmas Eve food at Istanbul bbq and we had a brilliant time, We did not wait long for food and we each enjoyed our orders. The staff wee great and made us laugh with there birthday song, Jess who was serving us was absolutely fabulous and went out of her way to make sure we were happy, that our food was ok for us and that our glasses were not empty, she has a boss sense of humour and made our time here, good experience all round thank you Istanbul bbq

I hired the restaurant for a private function and I honestly could not fault them in any way! Absolutely fantastic support on the run up and incredible service on the night! Feeding 80+ people all in one go was no easy task and these guys made it seamless! All of my guests commented on how gorgeous the food was and how friendly the staff were, absolute 10/10 all around! Thank you all for making our night so memorable

Excellent food and service there for birthday on Saturday really enjoyed it

Love this place,Turkish breakfast was lovely food is always good,great service,top quality,would highly recommend 👌🏻

A lovely restaurant. Staff really attentive and helpful, couldn’t do enough. Food was lovely, great range of different breakfasts to choose from. Will definitely return.

Love the Turkish breakfast,had one this morning,bloody lovely,top place and top service

Food was amazing and staff were very friendly, highly recommend will be back asap!!

Been coming here for 10 years and the food and service has remained consistently of good quality. Giuvec and his staff are always welcoming and work hard.

Servis çok çok kötü Ekmek istedim gelmedi Çay istedim çay diye muhtemelen bulaşık suyu geldi ya da bardağa işeyip getirdiler. Evimde ekmek domates yesem hem daha karlı hem daha güzel bir gün olurdu !!!

Lovely food good menu & staff really nice

An absolute gem! The attention to detail in every dish was evident, and the staff's knowledge of the menu added to the overall enjoyment of our evening.

Went with my friend for a New Year’s Eve meal. We arrived late afternoon as the restaurant was just getting busier. After being greeted by a friendly waitress we were seated by the window. There was a very nice warm atmosphere in the restaurant and both my friend and I felt comfortable. We choose the Jumbo sharing platter, which was more than enough for two. My personal favourite are the cheesy spring rolls and the köfte, my friend likes the halloumi. We both enjoyed the dips which were delicious with the complementary puff bread. We both had a couple of cocktails. We have been many times and will definitely return soon in 2024. Happy New Year to the staff of Istanbul. 🥳

A delightful dining experience! The ambiance was charming, the service impeccable, and the cuisine absolutely exquisite.

Sadly this restaurant has gone downhill. Whilst the food is lovely, the service last night was shocking. We’d booked online, received two confirmation emails and called the restaurant to make sure everything was booked. On arrival our booking wasn’t on the piece of paper the staff member had. A table was found and we sat down after half an hour of waiting. Our first drinks were bought fairly quickly but it took 2 hours to get our food because the staff member who took our order, by her own admission, forgot to put it through. The order was however wrong with two starters being bought to the table instead of two mains, we were told it would be at least half an hour to rectify the mistake so were offered some rice and chips to go with the starters instead. Our second round of drinks had to be requested again because again she forgot! Understandably it was New Year’s Eve and busy, but that should have been taken into account by the owners and extra staff laid on to account for the increased footfall. We saw people walking out and one poor couple after waiting two hours for their food, which never came, were told even if they paid for the drinks they’d had they would still not get their deposit back for booking the table. Then there was the male staff member, possibly the manager or chef, arguing and shouting with someone in full hearing of the customers. We’ve been going to the Istanbul restaurant for many years and seen it grow, it’s just a shame the service hasn’t grown with the restaurant. I’ve never heard so many staff apologising about the service given. Last night, without doubt, was sadly the worst service I’ve ever witnessed in a restaurant. On leaving the restaurant people were queuing out of the door and standing in the rain because the tables they’d booked were not available. Sadly I doubt very much we’ll go back to the Istanbul again, which is a real shame as it used to be an excellent restaurant.

Overbooked restaurant, people queuing out of the door, some stood in the rain, I felt for the poor couple sat by the door with dripping wet people brushing past them!!! I’m not sure they even knew we had turned up??? Waited 30 minutes in the doorway with no acknowledgment!!! Left to go eat elsewhere. Very bad service which was a massive shame.