Istanbul Barbecue & Bistro in Liverpool

They catered for over 35 of us and were very good. Food was lovely. Great night

Booked a meal here for my sister in laws 40th. The service was amazing, food was gorgeous, very accommodating staff who made a fuss of the birthday girl! Food was well priced and it was a lovely atmosphere.

Quiet when there apart from us, service a little slow at times but staff lovely. Food superb, definitely come back.

Interesting restaurant with a concept of "Turkish breakfast" with sugar overload of honey, jam and chocolate spread. Menemen was not hot, just tepid. The bread was delicious. Serving staff members were very pleasant. Although there was a male person hanging around was a bit off putting (probably in charge). Clean toilet and wheelchair accessible. Service on the slow side, hence 4 instead of 5 stars. We will be back regularly and hopefully give 5 stars on a future visit. Would recommend.

I was taken out for a birthday meal by friends here. It was the coldest night of the year outside, but the warmest welcome inside. Denice and her staff couldn't do enough for us . The food was lovely, very fresh and well presented. We will definitely return and would love to try lots more dishes. The prices were very reasonable and there was lots of choice, for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegan alike. Thanks again, and we can't wait to return X

I have been here before and have always enjoyed it however after last night I will never go back. Our table was booked for 7.45 by 8.10 we had not ordered a drink or been given a menu. We should have realised then that there was an issue as the place was freezing cold with people eating in coats. I reminded the waiter that we were waiting and he said sorry everyone has come in at the same time. Surely they should have spread the bookings out. Finally ordered and got drinks. But noticed other tables were complaining about different things. We didn't want a starter opting for the complimentary breads which came about 8.30. Food came about 9pm. My partner ordered his favourite lamb ribs. Now I don't think its to much to expect some meat with the fat or is that just us. My food was ok. But we couldn't eat it as no sooner as it arrived it went cold due to the temperature in the place. We then gave up and asked for the bill. £56 for cold inedible food. I complained and said would not pay for the mains. The staff member apologised saying the boiler broke 3 days ago. They did waver the whole bill which was nice. But why the hell are they taking bookings in the middle of the coldest spell we have had knowing they have no heat and customers would have to leave their coats on to eat. Farcical. I felt sorry for the birthday meals that were taking place. I know restaurants are struggling but people also can't afford to waste money eating cold food. Really sad that we won't come back as one of my favourite restaurants in the village

Mi pareja y yo visitamos Estambul por primera vez en la víspera de Año Nuevo después de escuchar buenas críticas de mucha gente. Estábamos decepcionados. Después de sentarse en una mesa tomó 20 minutos para pedir nuestras bebidas. Nos dimos cuenta de que varias mesas recibieron pedidos incorrectos mientras esperábamos el nuestro. Pedimos un vino rosa y más grande para una segunda bebida y el camarero trajo un vino tinto con un más grande. Tenía la parrilla de mezcla que estaba bien, pero mi esposa tenía kebabs de pollo donde el pollo no estaba cocinado correctamente, así que obviamente no se lo comió todo. También recibimos un plato de patatas fritas que pensamos que eran parte de una de nuestras comidas, pero descubrimos más tarde que nos habían cobrado por ellos después de haber visitado. Conseguir la atención del personal de espera era difícil la mayor parte del tiempo y nuestros platos para nuestros entrantes no se quitaron hasta que llegó el principal. En general, aunque propiné un 5% debido a ser año nuevo tuvimos una experiencia muy pobre y no volveremos en el futuro.

Update: We just had Christmas dinner here on Christmas Day- everyone who had the roast agreed they were the best roast dinners they’d had, my moussaka was pure heaven and everything was delicious. we all had a fabulous time. Everything was sparkly, seamless and perfectly run. Thank you Deniz to you and your team for the most wonderful Christmas! very much appreciate all your hard work and hope you can all have a bit of a rest! Original review from June: 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.

Nuestra experiencia en Estambul fue muy buena. Nuestra camarera era muy amable y educado, la velocidad de servicio era excelente y la comida era deliciosa. Visitamos Estambul antes de las 10 AM y era bastante tranquilo. Una cosa a tener en cuenta es que las porciones son grandes; no pude terminar mi comida. En general, tuvimos un buen tiempo.

Pedí café, me dijeron que la máquina de café estaba rota, me dijeron que no tenían cerveza de barril, solo botellas. En serio, es la semana antes de Navidad. Controla tu negocio.

Hi I was in the Istanbul earlier today and I was feeling really depressed I was served by a lovely lady called paula she asked how I was and if there was anything she could do to help I felt so much better after her warm and conferting concern I will be sure to come back soon even if its to see Paul I really hope she gets some recognition I offended to buy her a drink buy she said no thanks its fine but thankyou anyway I know it was out politeness

Volví para otro delicioso desayuno turco. ¡Esta vez el café fluía así que 5 estrellas! Personal educado y profesional.

Came here for our Birthdays, food sooo yummy, forgot to take pictures. Staff so friendly and especially Denise, very accommodating, nothing was too much trouble. Could not fault anything. Even made a fuss of our dog Trixie too. Thank you so much. We will come back. Highly recommend 👌 👍 👏

Food was dreadful, wrong orders No atmosphere in the restaurant, you can smell the toilets throughout the restaurant Don’t waste your time or your money going. Not sure if it’s changed owners, but the place is dreadful. Staff so unfriendly

Mi madre y yo visitamos aquí para el desayuno el domingo por la mañana, ya que nos gusta probar nuevos lugares, disfrutamos mucho de la comida que era excelente relación calidad-precio, el personal era muy amable también, especialmente Denise que nos sirvió, el ambiente en el restaurante era genial y sin duda recomendaría este lugar para el desayuno. Volveremos para probar su menú de la noche la próxima vez, gracias por una experiencia maravillosa.

A excellent meal 10 out of 10 good prices

Brilliant food, great value. The service was excellent, particularly from Denise who was lovely. Highly recommended

Great food and service good atmosphere

I had lovely breakfast absolutely brilliant and fantastic service

Had the egg Istanbul for breakfast. Absolutely fantastic couldn’t recommend it enough. Atmosphere was pleasant and staff very friendly and quick. Will be returning.

My Turkish breakfast arrived quickly, a decent size with a nice variety. Pancakes where tasty but not much in the way of toppings. They have refillable coffee which is great, if you can get them to give you that refill ? So unfortunately, despite the welcoming staff and delicious Turkish Breakfast I left disappointed and needing a coffee !

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. ☹️

Great buffet at Istanbul Woolton! Excellent food 😀, thank you

Great food, nice staff.. highly recommended

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!!

Orderd chicken wings they were pink they replaced the meal and they were still pink same happend with my brother but he got mixed grill they replaced his mean and it was still pink. They gave us an on the house mix of meats they were fine. The service was amazing and they were understanding and helped sort it out in the end the chicken was still raw and we just didn't eat it.

Is it a factory lunch or a Saturday family breakfast? This morning, we went to Istanbul BBQ for breakfast with our guests—7 adults and 3 children. We ordered 6 Turkish breakfasts, but only 5 arrived. We asked for more bread, but they insisted they had brought everything, even though some items were missing. I was shocked by how careless and inattentive they were. Despite pointing out that the plate shouldn’t look like this, they didn’t offer to change it. They claimed they were out of plates due to being busy, even though only about 4 or 5 tables were occupied inside. I definitely do not recommend it!

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 😁.

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

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

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!