Istanbul BBQ Kitchen is located in large village in northern Leicestershire – Barrow upon Soar. A family run authentic Turkish barbecue, they celebrated their first anniversary in September and are popular amongst the locals.
A couple of weekends ago I went to visit my friends Emily and Liam, they took me here for dinner. They spoke highly of it last time I came to visit, so I was very excited to try it. Before we arrived we popped into Co-op opposite to buy some alcohol, as they don’t have an alcohol licence however they welcome all drinks. [which I personally quite like, alcohol in restaurants can be hit & miss].
Istanbul Barbecue Kitchen
We arrived at the restaurant and were immediately greeted with the smell of bbq skewers, to your left the counter displayed delicious fresh fruit and marinated meat. The restaurant was petite, we had to excuse ourselves from the family waiting for their food [to our right] whilst we past them. The staff were friendly, we were able to choose which table to sit at as we booked so early – 6.30pm.
The interior was bright with wooden features, their walls had their logo in black with an luminous blue outline. All the tables were placed with menus, ready for us to use. We sat down and our waiter had already given us glasses for our drinks, and helped us open and pour our drinks in. She also placed complimentary dips and pitta bread for us to start with.
After a couple of minutes of decision making we decided on our desired choices. We opted to dive straight into our mains [as we had a big lunch a couple of hours earlier]; Emily chose their Yogurtlu Chicken Shish – served on a bed of bread topped with tomato sauces & yoghurt dressing in sizzling butter and portion of rice for £10.50, Liam chose their mixed kebab for 1 – Skewer of Adana, lamb shish & chicken shish served rice, salad and bread £11 and chose their Mixed Lamb Combo – Adana lamb shish & lamb ribs also served with salad and rice £12.50
We didn’t wait long until our food had arrived, quickest meal I waited for – we all received large plates, I was surprised how generous the portions were, I’m glad I didn’t order a starter as I would have easily given up! My lamb was juicy and had a lot of flavour, no wonder why the locals love it here. Liam finished his in a matter of minutes [but to be honest he is a quick eater], I didn’t opt for the chicken because I always felt the chicken outside my mums house is less flavoursome, however Emily’s dish proved me wrong tender and a lot of flavour. Mine was delicious too also very juicy even the ribs, and the rice was cooked to perfection.
Sadly the portion size defeated me, but our waiter offered to pack it up and we could take it home, which was a lovely suggestion and I did just that. We asked for the bill shortly after, they gave us complimentary turkish delight treats. I’m personally not a big fan of flavoured delights but these tasted great, and was a delight to have after our meal.
I highly recommend a visit here, if you are nearby. The service was excellent, the staff were friendly and we received a quick service. [I think this must have been the quickest sit down meal I’ve ever had!]. According to my friends if you get a takeaway their portions are much bigger, and the price is still the same for takeaways or eating in – which I feel most restaurants should a bide by. I wish there was restaurant like this nearby where I live!
Their opening times are as followers Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 12am, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 12am.
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