Shayda's Restaurant in Shepway

Not my first and certainly not my last visit to Shayda’s, great food, great restaurant, great staff, without doubt the best in Folkestone

Wanted to try this Turkish restaurant for ages and finally did so on Sat. What a gem of a place. Me and my two sons had the shared platter. It was amazing and such good value. Shayda the owners daughter was so welcoming and so friendly and is a credit to the restaurant. If your looking for amazing food, amazing service and very reasonably price please give this a try. Will be back soon Shayda.

Excellent music and décor. Very friendly and attentive waitress. Delicious food. We'll be back. They do Folkestone proud.

The service was excellent they could not do enough the food was really delicious and it is very reasonably priced.We are going back on Valentine’s Day

Delicious Turkish food with large portions all served by a lovely intelligent waitress with a lovely smile and disposition

Went there on a Thursday with two friends and ordered the meatballs for starters and mixed grill for the mains. Both were excellent. 2nd time I’ve visited and had the meatballs both times, very tasty. Mixed grill was full of flavour and was excellent with the garlic mayo. You get a great selection of meats. The service was excellent and will definitely be back.

Dined here recently with friends. Great atmosphere. Good menu with very friendly staff. Two of us had the chicken shish, two had the sizzler . We all enjoyed our food greatly.

Had lunch with couple of my colleagues at this restaurant for the first time. I was completely taken by how delicious our lunch was. We had a combined cold starter/Meze for the three of us with Turkish naan. I was very impressed not only by presentation but also how tasty the starters were. The main was two mixed grill and a chicken shish. I have eaten in many Turkish restaurants but I must admit this one tops the bill in quality as well as the quantity. I will definitely go there again.

Had a lamb chops takeaway and the chops were completely overdone, again.Previously I had had the same problem and in recompense, my next meal was not charged for. The owner actually seemed shocked that they were overdone.The restaurant do know me, and last Tuesday, when I had the takeaway, I was waiting for my food, sitting outside the wonderful Bouverie Tap. At first I didn't see the owner waving to advise that my food was ready. When I did and went to collect, we even joked about the food not being overcooked as I hadn't seen him...When I called to advise that the food was overcooked, I spoke to the chef.....he basically said it was my fault as I had not asked for them to be pink. What a joke.

Excellent food and service. Very accommodating to my wife and I plus welcomed our pooch while outside (important). Food chicken sizzler was ok lacked a little something and a bit oily but tasty all the same (maybe this is how it’s done). I had a mixed grill and it was amazing, really well presented and definitely filling. All in all just a lunchtime visit but lovely people lovely place and great food. Well done.

Lovely restaurant with excellent Turkish food. Pity that they never seem to have the soup even though it is on the menu. The staff are lively and very welcoming

Came for dinner on a Friday night. Was given a nice intimate table ideal for a romantic setting. Service was great and made to feel very welcome. Had a meat platter to share and all meats were cooked to perfection.We will be back soon x

Well, I'm not going to take away the fact that the food is good. But I did get the wings as a main which was almost £14 and I only got 5 wings with a bit of what I'm pretty sure was cheap! If not packet rice. i have been a chef in very high esteemed restaurants and some around the area to. So I am well aware of how much ingredients cost. Charging that for what I got is a complete disgrace. I will keep this review up untill I get a email with a reason for why I was soo over charged for something that would be a normal started portion

This is a restaurant I have been to many times. So to celebrate the restaurants reopening there is no better place. You like Turkish food? You will love Shaydas.

So nice to be be back here for a delicious lunch at this family run restaurant with friendly and welcoming owners. Let's hope that normality is not far away.

During this lockdown you have learnt to look forward to the little things in life. Shaydas is my little thing and we have waited so long for it to return. Even if it is takeaway it’s still just as amazing as it is in the restaurant. The kofte is to die for and the salad!! Nom. It’s a wonderful family run business with amazing Turkish food, the best in Kent. I would have uploaded a photo but I’d eaten it before I could write a review.

Just had a takeaway from Shayda’s and it was delicious and fresh as always. I can’t wait to able to come back and sit down for a lovely meal. Lovely hot food, fresh salad and nice warm bread. Highly recommended and very fairly priced.

We love to visit Shayda's and always enjoy the food, service and atmosphere. Unfortunately we can't visit them at the moment but their take away food is really great. Generous portions, beautifully cooked, piping hot and delivered with a smile.

Lovely lunch out with family. Had the meze which was delicious and will certainly return there. The waitress was also very helpful and efficient

We have a lovely evening but the food let it down. I am positive that most of the food was not prepared there and with authentic food I think it has to be. Food bought in and is boil in the bag type (as I describe it) will not have the authentic taste and is usually bland. Serve a small but freshly prepared menu.

Lovely food, great service. Kofte and chicken shish delicious. Will definitely be back after lockdown. Starters of bread and olives were also surprisingly good

As usual the service was excellent, very friendly staff and delicious meal freshly cooked to perfection. I enjoyed scrumptious calamar (thick, tender in light batter) served with salad and tomatoes etc, followed by Lamb Shish with rice and salads. The lamb was oh so tender and the rice and mixed salad mountains possibly representing the Taurus Mountains in Turkey, were very pretty and tasty too. We could not manage a dessert but enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee and a raki. Would recommend this place to everyone - in a safe covid environment. Great value for money. The Darwish family are oh so kind and generous!

Such a wonderful experience we ate here last night friendly staff amazing food and great value for money. Will definitely be back again.

Had a lovely meal at Shaydas last night, wonderful hosts as always. Delicious fresh food, and a nice relaxed atmosphere. Thankyou for a lovely meal and we’ll see you again very soon.

Me and my family went to shaydas for a birthday meal and it was absolutely amazing. The service was outstanding very friendly and polite. The food is on another level, the best Turkish food I have ever eaten, so fresh, plenty of food and with the freshest ingredients. Highly recommended

Staying 1 night in folkestone on a Sunday it was hard to find too much open but we saw this restaurant and it was busy.Reataurant is smart and modern and the menu is good.We opted for the starter platter to share and the mixed meat platter to share for mains.Starter was lovely,russian salad,hummus, vine leaves and much more,really fresh and delicious. The main was huge,chicken,lamb,kofta,kleftico,cous cous and more.It was huge and really good.The owners daughter gave us complimentary baklava,a nice touch.Just over £60 including a bottle of wine.A great find.

My husband and I were greeted by a very pleasant young lady who served us the most delicious Turkish Food Ive had since being in Turkey. The food was like being in a top class Turkish Restaurant. This was our first visit but will definitely not be our last. I was also very impressed with the cleanliness like a lot of ladies I judge by the Toilet. Which was spotless. I would strongly recommend this Restaurant

Has a lovely lunch in this restaurant a couple of weeks ago. We ordered the special mixed platter so that we could try everything. The lamb was beautiful, the shish was really tasty, and who can resist chicken wings. All served with salad, bread, olives, rice and another grain, I think bulgar, but I'm not sure. Great value all round.

Visited today with my 11 year old son, the waitress was friendly food served promptly. I ordered a mixed chicken and lamb shish my son had a chicken shish. Both tasted ok but this was not what we were used to from other London and Essex based Turkish restaurants. No free bread, olives, Turkish sauces, or Turkish sweets at the end of the meal provided, which we have found to be standard everywhere else.The meat and rice were tasty and cooked well but the potion sizes were far smaller than we have been used to. The salad was basic and small, no lemon or flavour added to it, quite dull and disappointing really. Having been spoilt for taste at places such Kervan Saray in Essex my son and I would consider elsewhere.

The food was excellent. If there was something in the dish you didn’t like, as with a friend of ours, she didn’t like onions, the dish was cooked without onions. Nothing was any trouble. The staff were lovely and made you feel very welcome. We would recommend this restaurant for food, cleanliness and ambience. Well worth a visit

Amazing food. Fantastic service. Definitely reccomend to anyone who likes Turkish food. Couldn't do enough for you

We had a decent meal here with friends. Good friendly service, the menu is still very varied , so something for everyone. We sat outside which was ideal as the day we visited was scorchio. We had a bottle of Yakut Red wine which is one of our Turkish favourites . We shall return.

We popped in today on our visit to Folkestone and enjoyed a lovely meal with super service. I boy was tired, so was given a couple of chairs to lay down on by the attentive and friendly waitress. The bread and olives to start on their own were delicious, but after our chicken sizzler and casserole were beautiful. Lovely grilled, yet tender chicken and beautiful sauce. A lovely meal and service.

1st time to Folkestone in years. Found via Tripadvisor. Gorgeous table outside free. Prompt, friendly service, great food, just lovely! Don't hesitate in choosing Shayda. We loved our waitress!

So pleased you are open again . A lovely lunch. Very welcoming and hospitable. Everything fresh and delicious.

We ordered a takeaway as the restaurants is not yet open to customers. We ordered 1 cold and 1 hot mezze 2 specials and some beers and wine as we had familly coming round.Te food was excellent the staff wonderful ad the freebies given to us baklava were exceptional. I can only highly recommend ts restaurent as they always strive to offe the best food ad customer service.Top class place

Ordered a takeaway from shaydas restaurant in folkestone. It was brilliant the portions where garguantesque the taste unbelievable the best turkish dish I have tasted. I can highly recommend this place as you never get disappointed by the service or the quality.

Decided to have a home delivery during lockdown as have had many amazing meals at Shaydas restaurant. We chose the chicken sizzlers, the special sauce was delicious. The quality was equally as good as it is to eat in the restaurant. Very yummy. The staff are always very helpful and friendly. Would definitely recommend.

Shayda’s offer a delivery service on Friday to Sunday evenings during the Lockdown. We’ve now had two meals at home, they’ve both been excellent as the restaurant quality survives the delivery process. The only downsides of eating at home are that the presentation isn’t as good and of course the interactions with Ibrahim and Shayda who do so much to create a good atmosphere at the restaurant.

Have been to Shayda’s a couple of time and my family visit regularly: The food is always absolutely fantastic and the service even better. The family are lovely & Shayda is an excellent waitress who always has her eye on the customers and seems genuinely pleased to give good service.Have eaten in a lot of Turkish restaurants in the past and family visit Turkey yearly. This is one of the best Turkish restaurants in the restaurant and I would highly recommend it!

Accommodated us with a last minute booking, very hospitable staff and attentive. I couldn’t decide between three dishes and our waitress kindly assisted with their best sellers. Starters of halloumi, hummus and garlic mushrooms were first class, I went for the lamb chops for mains which were amazing! The restaurant is well fitted out (even the toilets were of a high finish). I spoke to the owner about how great the lamb was and he told me about how he sources all of his meat fresh. It’s refreshing to eat somewhere where the owners take such passion in their work. For great honest Turkish food from a lovely family run business definitely go to Shayda’s. I’ve tried the others in Folkestone before but will be coming back here in future.

What a lovely family run restaurant with tasteful decor and staff were very hospitable. I took my wife and kids on the spare of the moment to celebrate our anniversary. I called only to find they were full. Then seconds later they called to say there was a cancellation. We turned up and the dishes were delightful. The lamb's liver was the best we have ever tasted. They made me realise there is more to Turkish food than just kebabs. Thoroughly enjoyed our time there especially their baklava tasted so fresh. Compliment's to the chef and Shayda herself who looked after us superbly. The father (the owner) should be very proud of his children!

Me and my partner went with our 3 month old daughter.The Lady, I believe her name was Shayda, was so lovely. Very attentive, we felt well looked after and she was always so considerate of our daughter.The food came out on time and was amazing! Couldn’t fault it at all.All in all a great 2nd experience here and will definitely be back again. 5* service and 5* food

We were four and enjoyed a variety of dishes, all of which were well served, ample and delicious. Three of us had the calamari starter - huge pieces beautifully cooked with salad and a lovely light dressing. I then followed this with a lamb dish cooked to perfection with the finest ingredients and authentic Turkish taste.I was so well satisfied I could not manage a dessert so settled for a cup of coffee to finish the lunch time. The two friends who came with us and had never been to or heard of Shayda's were most impressed with everything, the warm welcome and such well prepared dishes.

Lovely food and atmosphere. A good choice and meals adjusted to taste and preferences. Could not fault anything. I will be a regular customer in the future.

An unexpected visit, as on our way to Tesco express to get something to cook for dinner when we spotted Shayda’s we had a lovely early evening dinner, I decided on having a selection of starters and my partner had the chicken sizzler & mushrooms which we asked for all together, it was superb served with the Turkish flatbread which I love, a little gem of a restaurant with friendly hosts, we will be back.

We were served both by the owner and a very pleasant quiet young lady. Both were good at listening and remembering our requests. Food arrived quite promptly.

Food was delicious, cannot fault the sharer starters and sharer main courses. The atmosphere was superb as well, made to feel like we were part of the family and literally cannot wait to return!

We have visited this restaurent on few occasions now with a group of friends and each time we were welcomed with warmth and smiles.

Started with meat balls and prawns, which were very good, and more than enough for starters.

Lovely, clean and friendly restaurant. Fantastic food, I had the Lamb casserole and it was beautiful with succulent soft meat. The staff are so friendly and welcoming. Couldn’t fault it.

Had the meat platter between three of us. There was plenty of food to go around. Definitely worth a visit and you get a bit of everything.

Had the pleasure of eating in this establishment, great find . The staff were so friendly and lovely , really made a genuine effort to please . The food was delicious, cannot fault a thing . Will be returning for sure .

Probably the best food we’ve had in Folkestone and such great value for money in comparison to other places. Food was so fresh and there was so much of it. We ordered too much as the menu was so tempting so would just get the mixed grill for two next time instead of a starter too.

Visited for meal 6pm on Sun...as always welcome was warm and friendly. Food was excellent, as always,( in my experience of many visits). It is consistently good and great value. Highly recommend a visit

We visited midweek for dinner. Restaurant was fairly quiet but got a bit busier later. Staff were friendly and professional and the menu has a good range of authentic dishes. My started of hellim was very tasty but Sue’s sauté potatoes were outstanding and great for sharing. Mains of wings and Adan’s kebab were also well cooked and delicious. All in all a great evening and so nice to have the owner chatting to diners and taking a real interest in the food.

A nice family run restaurant. Food very good with an extensive menu.Service excellent and courteous. I fully recommend this restaurant

What a great find. The staff were incredibly helpful, pairing dishes, my friend is vegetarian so recommend what would be great. We both loved the food and for me the beer.

I had lunch here with friends, a vegan, a vegetarian and a carnivore. We all loved it, the food was amazing and the service outstanding!

Great food, excellent service and a clean and pleasant place to eat. Food was fresh and very tasty and the service was timed just right and not slow or rushed. Will be going back.

Asked to come back for a better experience and we had a great meal. I hope it goes from strength to strength!

A big choice of menu, friendly and helpful staff, and - best of all - delicious food. We’ll do our best to come back next year to try another of the specials. This was some of the best Turkish food we’ve tasted.

We stopped and sat outside for a Turkish tea and coffee one afternoon and my visitors were so impressed by the owner we returned a day later for dinner. We were not disappointed by the extremely friendly service and the especially good food!

We took our friends today for their first visit there and they were blown away by the beautifully cooked food and the

Was here for lunch, and was a little surprised by the high prices and lack of lunch specials, which most Turkish restaurants in the area offer. What I was told later was that they do have a lunchtime “special” menu, but unless you ask for it they do not offer it. Misleading or what???? Sorry to say, but this put me off eating here again, despite the fact that the food we had was good.

We visited on the basis of a recommendation by our B&B; and were not disappointed. In fact our expectations were exceeded.

Made to feel so welcome with Abraham the owner always on show, they give a wide range of top quality food in its authentic themed restaurant, always smiling and service is on time. I recommend the Sarma Lamb Beyti with garlic mushrooms to start.

An attractive little restaurant with a very well priced lunch menu at £7.95. Excellent value for money. The food was delicious, the meat very tender and very filling. We were served two courses with a basket of very tasty flat bread, dips and a side salad. A complimentary piece of baklava and turkish delight came just prior to our coffee. Drink prices were only £1.50 for a soft drink and £1.80 for turkish coffee. The young lady serving gives the impression of being ready to go out of her way to be friendly and helpful. A credit to her father who owns the restaurant. There is outside seating. The toilets are smart and clean. The bill came to just £22.50 for two courses, two soft drinks and coffee for two.

Visited on Friday night with a group of friends. Food was delicious and staff were excellent and so attentive. Thank you!

Having to overnight in Folkestone, I set out to find something different for Dinner and found Shayda's Turkish Restaurant. I entered an empty dining room (not unusual at early evening) and sat down with a mid sized and varied menu. I selected a Chef's Speciality (Kleftiko) with boiled rice and after a 20 minute wait I was served dinner. The meal consisted of a microwaved Lamb Shank sat in a large Soup Pate, surrounded by 2 boiled potatoes, a few pieces of onion and sliced sweet peppers, all lurking in a pretty tasteless red and watery sauce. Having eaten both Greek and Turkish produced Kleftiko in various parts of the world, I can only say that, whilst edible the version at Shadaya's was at best un-memorable and at worst purely disappointing. An experience NOT to be repeated, Sorry!!!

Of the 4 times we have attempted to visit this restaurant, on only one occasion have we been able to dine. On the other 3 occasions the staff have stated they are closing early despite listed opening hours and earlier phone calls to allude to the contrary.

My partner and I visited Shayda’s with friends on a Saturday night. We were advised to book in advance as it gets very busy! We were booked in for 8:30 and arrived and was greeted by friendly and attentive staff who seat us at our table. We were recommended some starters and mains and wine to suit. We had the most amazing food and atmosphere was amazing. We will be back!!!

We’ve now become regular visitors to this restaurant and LOVE the consistent standard of the food (delicious, fresh and flavoursome) and the staff - they are beyond attentive and friendly, it is honestly a pleasure to eat here from start to finish. Highly recommend.

This is the second time I've eaten at this restaurant and on this occasion we took friends. The food was excellent from the cold meze and hot meze starter we shared between four. The main meals were generous and excellently cooked. I had the mixed grill and struggled to clear the plate.

Went with a friend to lunch here today, and I was very impressed. The menu was concise but not limited, and very reasonably priced too. 2 courses was £7.95 and a soft drink only £1.50.

Fantastic food. Great atmosphere. Eat here, you will not be disappointed. But I really do need to know what special ingredients go in to the garlic mushroom starter. OMG, unbelievable. Just the best I've ever tasted.

Family trip to this great restaurant. The food was very good and really well presented. The owner and his daughter were most attentive and welcoming. We will certainly visit again.

Our first visit to this restaurant, for a lunchtime family birthday gathering. We were immediately made to feel at home, and despite our dithering for ages over the menu, the service was very attentive.

Attended for my dads birthday and couldn’t be more pleasantly surprised! Lovely family run restaurant, the owner is incredibly attentive and couldn’t do more to make your experience the best he can. Food was incredibly presented and the lunch menu was more than enough for all of us. If you have the chance please do book! Amazing, thank you.

Visited on Monday night for the first time. It will not be the last. Staff could not have been better and food fantastic. Very reasonably priced and manager made sure everything had been ok. Give it a go and you won't be disappointed

Delicious meal and very attentive waiters. Well worth a visit to this establishment, for the best Turkish meal! I took my girlfriend along and she LOVED her meal too.

Visited this restaurant at the weekend with some of my girlfriends, although they were fully booked they kindly managed to squeeze us in. My friends shared the Shayda’s special and I had the lamb ribs, what a find! The meat was so tender and cooked to perfection, being gluten free I was unable to eat the rice and couscous which comes with most of the dishes, however nothing was a problem for the staff as they very kindly offered me chips and salad as an alternative. Overall had an incredible experience with excellent food and really kind and caring staff, who even opened the door for us when we left. Will definitely return soon!! Thank you

Perfection is all we can say !!! Beautiful decor and wonderful atmosphere will definitely return !! The food was fabulous so fresh tasty and authentic!! The staff were amazing so kind and genuinely lovely particularly the waitress I’m sorry I’m

We booked for a meal at 8pm and arrived 15minutes early. Given a table and gave our order. The starter of garlic mushrooms had almost no garlic and my partner had to get the waiter’s attention to get his bread.

Popped into here last week it was excellent everything was fabulous. Love the food to bits . Recommended

I thought I’d give this place a try today after reading great reviews on here, and I can honestly say it deserves the full 5 star review. I have eaten in a lot of traditional Turkish restaurants in Turkey and London and this place is up there with the best and it certainly outshines all of the other Turkish restaurants in the area. Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted absolutely exquisite. The lamb chops and ribs just fell off the bone and were deliciously tender, both the chicken and lamb shish were perfectly textured and full of flavour and the Adana kofte was meaty and perfectly spiced. The presentation was also perfect. Not to forget the complimentary Turkish dessert tasters which finish the meal off perfectly. I would highly recommend Shaydas. Thankyou for a delicious meal.

The restaurant has a nice ambiance and very pleasant staff, the food is very tasty and not over priced. Highly recommended

On a Friday night in Folkestone we stumbled on this place to eat - and we were so glad we did.

We had the lunchtime menu at £7.95. It consisted of two courses. The portions were very good and the food delicious. Friendly service and the food was well presented. We were given a good portion of very tasty bread and a complimentary taster of dessert which was very welcome. We left feeling full and satisfied.Drinks were reasonably priced too. I am looking forward to a return visit.

Our first visit and certainly not our last. The meal we had was very well-prepared and expertly presented. Portions were very generous. Service was prompt,friendly and attentive. Good range of wine and beer.

Were made to feel so welcome, including the young child. Staff were so friendly without being in your face. The food was unbelieveable. Thank you for a great evening, we will be back soon!

Shayda’s restaurant was very inviting, they simply couldn’t do enough for me and my family. We all enjoyed an excellent meal, the food was outstanding and the staff were exceptional. Our young children were both made welcome and we felt it was good value for money for the 4 of us. We will definitely go back again.

A lovely meal and catered well for vegetarians. Thoroughly recommend.We will be returning soon. Very happy

I come to Shayda’s at least two times a week! All the friends I bring, love the place! We love it because of the great food and coffee! The staff are so friendly and welcoming! They make you feel a part of the family! Top marks!!!

Called this restaurant Thursday evening to book a table was told we was fully booked but if we have any space we would call back. Got a call back and got our table. The place was full when we arrived. Very good service and delicious food at a very reasonable price. We will be back

Well this restaurant is certainly a find! Tucked away in Bouverie road West it is very friendly, lovely food and the decor extremely smart!

Went in for dinner out of the blue. Had the most amazing food, I regularly eat at Haz in London & Hattusa in Sevenoaks, to have a Turkish restaurant as good as those in Folkestone is amazing! Very reasonably priced too. Family run business, they are all very welcoming and friendly. Will definitely be returning regularly (and we live in Ashford!). 5*

Went here tonight with a group of friends and had the best time. From the moment we walked in the owner and staff made us feel so welcome. The food was delicious and presented in such an appetising way. Will be visiting again very soon. Would urge everyone to visit and support a lovely family owned business.

New restaurant absolutely fabulous. Highly recommended. Food and service 5 star. Folkestones new best place !! X

Wanted to try this place since it opened having heard so many good reports, finally did and wasn't disappointed, beautiful food and the mixed kebab is succulent juicy and exquisite the lamb is tender as is the chicken and kofte, lovely fluffy rice and the humous and flat bread and olives are great and Im not really an olive or humous fan until now. Fresh tasty side salad also and the owner was very nice and had a good laugh and joke with him, he even brought us a little free baclava. Will definitely return very soon undoubtedly the best restaurant of this cuisine in Folkestone well done awesome