We took my in-laws here for lunch because my mother in-law loves the restaurant; it has a homely…read moreatmosphere with Turkish souvenirs on the wall. I think that the relaxed atmosphere and that it is quiet on Saturday is one of the reasons why my mother-in-law likes it. The menu is not extensive but covers all the main Turkish dishes and even had something for my fussy brother-in-law - the hamburger and chips. That satisfied him. The Turkish bread comes out of the oven, is cut up and brought straight to the table - we kept on going back for another basket of it. Apart from my brother-in-law who just ate the plain bread (it is tasty enough). The rest of us enjoyed the Turkish bread with the two large humus and carrot dips. My mother-in-law likes the chicken kebab but I prefer the doner kebab covered in yogurt and a tomato sauce. All of the dishes come with salad and rice with pine nuts except for the hamburger and chips - I can't imagine my brother-in-law eating salad. And the cost of the meal and keeping the in-laws happy was very reasonable.

My family is Turkish. We cook Turkish Food. My parents own a kebab shop. My mum's cooking is…read morefantastic. There you go - my biases are on the table! I never like going to Turkish restaurants. I find my versions of everything to be much more interesting, and generally, Turkish restaurants are lazy. A bit of yoghurt, a bit of garlic and throw in a random vegetable - voila! A Turkish dip. Zzzzzzzzzzz So my hopes weren't very high. I have learnt to keep my expectations pared down. Well, I can reveal that this is the best Turkish restaurant I have ever been to. We walked in at about 12:30 on a Saturday and there was no one in there. The baker was there and he gave us a table and told us someone would be out shortly after giving us some menus and telling us he was still baking. We ordered some Turkish beer (clean, crisp, fresh), a couple of dips and a couple of mains and a potato salad. It was all to die for! The capsicum dip is the nicest dip I have eaten in my life. I don't know what was in it apart from the roasted capsicum, but I wanted to lick the plate. The beetroot dip was a very good version. The very lovely lady who appeared to be the owner and our waitress was just sublime and she threw in a smoky eggplant dip for free. This too was divine, as was the potato salad. The mains we got were the Turkish pizza and an iskender. The Turkish pizza was paper thin and beautifully crisp - beautifully flavoured. The iskender was an excellent version - the bread was beautiful. I have to say, this place is more expensive than your average crap Turkish place on Sydney Road, and the serves are smaller, but it is fantastic. I would highly recommend it. (when we paid, the lady gave us a piece each of her home made Turkish delight - OMG!!!)

Absolutely beautiful food, all the dips were delicious along with the falafel & kibbee, bought…read moreextra to take home.

Had some nice lamb pizza for four dollars. Was quite sweet. Minced lamb atop half a pizza base. My…read morefriend ordered the veggie pizza which was four slices. So pizza sizes can vary. Make sure you confirm what you're getting. Tried some delicious feta beetroot salad and eggplant Dio. Coffee today was A-OK. Quick service. And self serve cutlery and water.

Had very high expectations for this place based on all the reviews, but ended up pretty…read moredisappointed. The food was OK, but not nearly amazing as we'd expected. Possibly that's because we ordered their vegetarian options, which were all side dishes -- maybe they're more known for their meat options? Either way, they should really up their vegan and vegetarian game! We went for my boyfriend's birthday -- so, yeah, it was a special occasion, which made our experience even more disappointing because our expectations were set so high. For starters, even though we'd made reservations two weeks ago, we were squeezed into a tiny little table with four patrons on either side and very little elbow room. We could hear all of the conversations of the two tables next to us and they could hear our conversation. Didn't make for a romantic birthday dining experience, that's for sure. On the plus side, the service was very attentive -- a French girl who knew exactly what was and wasn't vegan. She pointed out the various sections of the menu and our various options. My boyfriend started with a drink (arak gantous/abou raad), a strong aniseed-flavored liquor. He enjoyed it but I stayed far away based on the smell alone, haha. Then for our entree we ordered: - taratoor (almond and tahini dip) - hummus dip - crudites (fresh veggies to dip in the tahini and hummus) - pickled veggies to dip in the tahini and hummus This was probably the highlight of the meal -- I really loved the taratoor and the hummus was good too, although the flavour got a little repetitive compared to some hummuses (hummi? lol). The portion sizes of the entrees were good so we were actually starting to fill up. So next we ordered: - 1 serving of crunchy potatoes seasoned with garlic and coriander - 1 serving of rice pilaf - 1 serving of freekeh None of these wowed us. The crunchy potatoes were very very dry and honestly needed a sauce of some kind. My boyfriend ate three potato cubes and flat-out refused to eat the rest, leaving me with a very bloated potato-belly at the end of the evening because I hate wasting food so I had to eat the rest of them :/ The rice pilaf was nice enough with barberries and pistachio, a traditional Persian sort of dish, but like the potatoes, it was very dry. The freekeh with pomegranate dressing and almonds was just not very nice. My boyfriend ate most of it and I avoided it. Ultimately I think the problem is this is the type of restaurant designed for share plates, and the vegan options were all side plates to share, not mains. And as side plates they didn't go together well as a cohesive whole. There were literally no vegetarian mains available (much less vegan mains) and I think this is a real shame. It forces veggos to select these side dishes that don't really form a complete meal, and everything ends up tasting very dry and odd together. Rumi should definitely make more of an effort to come up with a vegetarian (preferably vegan) main so that nobody misses out. So. Yeah. Probably avoid this place if you're vegan or vegetarian. We spent $86 altogether and for that amount of money (and a birthday celebration dinner!) we expected to be much happier with our food and experience.

Bear and I came here because we had seen Anthony Bourdain's visit. Though the food here was good,…read moreeverything felt incomplete. Like we ordered the lamb and got a delicious lamb shoulder, completely on its own. Who just wants to munch on red meat? As a Middle Eastern, may I make a quick suggestion? Please add back in the flat breads, the rice, the potatoes. They are needed. We ordered the: Crispy fried school prawns - Delicious, needed more sauce 'Batata Harra' - Really good, needed a (any!) sauce. Advieh marinated lamb shoulder - Needed something to accompany it. Shaved Cabbage Salad - Really underwhelming. Don't recommend. I can't remember the rest. It's a shame because the potential is definitely there, but it definitely misses the mark. Ambiance and service could improve too.

Found a bandaid in our falafel wrap. Took it back and the guy laughed. So fucking gross.read more

I've eaten here about five times over the last couple of years but tonight was the last time. To be…read morefair, the food is always good. I'm fairly certain that most dishes are handmade and it definitely shows. Creamy dips, falafel made from fresh herbs and mashed chickpeas, homemade salads. Only the bread appears to be baked elsewhere. The big, BIG issue is their service is always polite but also very slow and they're often overwhelmed by the complexity involved in even a small order. Tonight I ordered the $18 'Large Falafel Meal' which - according to the photo - included two dips, two salads, a pile of falafel, and Turkish bread. I was the only customer there. I gave the guy behind the counter $20 and instead of giving me my change he asked which dips I wanted. I showed him and he explained to a second person how to assemble the meal in one of their aluminum take-out trays. (There were three people behind the counter, even though they are never, ever busy.) I figured I'd just get my change at the end. After waiting almost 10 minutes he handed me my bag and I left, forgetting to remind him about my change. The bag seemed very light, so I checked it on the way home and it was the smallest 'large' I'd ever seen. The 'two dips' were approximately two heaped tablespoons of each. The 'two salads' were a few pinches of a dry coleslaw with five or six slices of pickled vegetables on top. One small Turkish bread was included, but cutlery was not. It was so meager that I stopped at the supermarket on the way home to buy more food. $20!! I felt cheated, which is not a great post-dinner sensation. Never again.

Ready to satisfy that pizza craving without the added pizza guilt? Get your butt to The Moor's…read moreHead. What they save in calories and carbs, they serve you in taste. From the pictures, it does look like this is a canoe pizza creation. But fear not, it's all an optical illusion that anyone can tackle. No tomato sauce, no cheese, no traditional shape? Must be inauthentic. Which is exactly what Moor's Head call their boat shaped pizzas. I was trying to have a meat-free weekend, so from the "inauthentic" pizza side of the menu, I was in between the Istanbuli, the Shams of Tabriz and the Omar Sharif which all caught my eye. I ruled out Omar, he had three cheeses going on that I wasn't ready to commit to. With the hint that the Istanbuli was their most popular, I went with the masses. Oh my was it good. It's a refreshing change from what you thought you knew about pizza. On pide (Turkish bread) there was pumpkin, spinach, caramelised onion, tahini yoghurt, dukkah and parsley. Altogether it was yum, filled with taste. Because the two of us shared one pide, or inauthentic pizza, we wanted to try something on the sweeter side. The Jamil came to us in it's cute triangle shape. It was stuffed with ricotta and honey with walnuts to add some crunch and a helping of nougat ice cream right on top that melts it's way into the dessert as you eat it. I left with a light-no regrets feeling, already contemplating my next visit.

Amazing and different Pizzas with ultra friendly staff. The…read moreMoorshead can be quite busy and rightly so, the food is great. Thornbury is definitely the place where all of these cool little eateries are popping up. The food has a middle eastern twist to it and it is a welcome surprise. They serve different types of beers too. Get yourself northside and book yourself a table at this place, there will be no regrets.

Mankoushe is named after the main food source here - mankoushe. It might be best described as…read moreLebanese pizza, but really, it is its very own thing and it very good indeed. This teeny, tiny take-away is run by two brothers with a little help from their mama, which is kind of adorable, no? Tables are limited but there is space if you can find it. Otherwise, the wait is never too long for your take-away treat (unless it's mega busy, which it can be at times) and you get to jig along to whatever rocking tune is blasting out whilst you are there. Then it's just a short walk home or to the closest bench, curb, car bonnet, wherever is convenient to park your arse, and chomp! Thus far I have tried the haloumi, the spicy feta, the rocket cheese and the ton. For $2 extra you can have your dough made of organic spelt too. I'm not going to stop till I've tried each and every different mankoushe on the menu. There are 26 different kinds, or 52 if I try each one made with organic spelt as well. I've got some eating to do.

The odd hours of operation may leave you high and dry, but this Lebanese bakery is a newbie to…read moreLygon St. Opening in 2011, it has much of what those found on Sydney can offer - cheese pie, spinach and cheese pie is a winner - but is located closer to the East Brunswick Club than any other of it's kind. Nice people and you're served quickly, and while eating in is possible most choose the takeaway option. A good after lunch bite or late night pick up.

A group of friends from work decided to have a banquet here on a Friday night. There was plenty of…read morebread, dips, grilled meat and eggplant. The Turkish bread is great and baked fresh. It is BYO wine and we had several bottles of red open, so I'm not sure of all the details. The restaurant is a bit of a barn, a huge space filled with tables and no decor to speak of but when it is full of people this doesn't matter. It has such a lively, friendly family atmosphere. On another table that night there was a large Turkish family celebrating the birthday of the family matriarch. The children are playing around the dance floor waiting for the arrival of the belly dancer. When the belly-dancer does start the Turkish grandmother from the other table was eager to be invited to dance with the belly-dancer. Belly-dancing is a traditional part of Middle Eastern celebration, although one of the guys from work was embarrassed by it; but that's his problem and not the belly dancer's. After the belly dancer, there was more entertainment: a Turkish singer in an amazing red gown and a man playing Turkish dance music on a keyboard as people got up to dance. It was an amazing evening, a banquet and a complete floor-show at a very good price. I never expected so much.

I'm going to be honest and tell you that I haven't sampled many of Melbourne's Turkish restaurants…read more But I don't think I need to when I have a regular as delicious and reliable as Pinarbasi. Before Pinarbasi, I never knew that Turkish food basically revolved around breads and dips. How I lasted 24 years before discovering this I will never know. Every time I go to Pinarbasi we have a banquet, which includes bread, dips, meats, baklava for desert and coffee. It's awesome every time. A review of Pinarbasi would not be complete without mention of its resident bellydancer, who does her thang on Friday and Saturday nights. It's... interesting, to say the least. Not to mention entertaining, as there is always some middle-aged, overweight man aching to get up there are gyrate against her, which, lo and behold, she is more than accommodating of. Great for groups and super cheap- one of my fave "off the beaten track" cheap eats.

One of the best Lebanese restaurants in the world . I haven't been to Lebanon, however this tastes…read moreas authentic as my grandmother's Lebanese recipes. If you love Lebanese food then make sure you don't miss out . I would fly here just to eat here especially if I'm in Australia in another state . I love this place one of my favorite restaurants on the planet

I love this restaurant so much!! My parents came here…read moretogether when they were younger and last month when we came back to Melbourne my parents brought the family here. And even though we originally had a reservation for 4, when we called ahead they had no problem changing our reservation to 6 which we really appreciated. The food was incredible. Looking at the menu, I had no idea what to choose because everything looked so delicious! I ended up deciding on the kibbee (which was honestly one of the best things I have ever tasted) however I also tasted the chicken and rice, lentils and rice, and the dips with pita. I would absolutely recommend ALL of those dishes as they were all incredible!!! The dessert was equally amazing and the portion sizes were perfect! Despite being fairly busy, the waitstaff was very helpful and quick. I really appreciated everything that they did to make our dinner perfect. The atmosphere of the place was very comforting and the candles really added to the vibe. Everything about the decor made it seem like I was in a whole other place for the night. I have never been to Lebanon and I hadn't eaten very much Lebanese food before but after eating there, I really want to fly directly there. My family has their recipe book and when I tasted their rice and lentils I was immediately transported back to my childhood. Their food felt so nostalgic. I have a peanut allergy and the staff was very informative and clear about the nuts used in the kitchen. If you have a treenut allergy I would advise you not to come as Lebanese food does have a lot of treenuts, however Abla's was very safe for me and I think anyone else with another allergy would feel very assured with the way that the staff handled it. Overall our experience was incredible and Abla's is an amazing place! If I lived in Melbourne, I don't think very much could stop me from going every day!! I definitely recommend this restaurant to everyone!!!!!!!!!

That moment you just want a kebab. You've been there too. We all have. Don't lie to me…read more In my neck of the woods, kebab shops are in abundance. Don't ask me why. I guess there are plenty of us who end the day by sighing 'Screw it. The broccoli in the fridge can wait.' I've passed the aptly titled Kebab House plenty of times before, located on the corner of Nicholson & Scotchmer. It's within handy screw-it distance from several pubs and while it might not be the closest, it's probably the best. The range is pretty average but the quality is great. A friendly smile greets you, and seating is provided for a short wait (or a sit down if for some reason you prefer to dine in the typical atmosphere vacuum of these kind of places). After a while, you pays your money and you gets your food. No surprises there. We all know how it works. The food is a step above. Think fresh ingredients, perfect sized servings and good wrapping so you can eat as you stagger, ahem, walk home without getting it all down your shirt like I've definitely never done. You're looking at $10-12 for a kebab so not cheap but fair value for a quality bite. Recommended.

Dropped in here for a quick dinner before some drinks. Was…read morepleasantly surprised. Super friendly service, a choice of Turkish bread or wrap for the kebabs, good menu variety. The chicken kebab on Turkish with everything was tasty and flavourful. WE sat in the little back section to eat and the best surprise of the night was a little plate of turkish delight and baklava that turned up as we were finishing our meals. Great little place for take away or a quick eat in. Highly recommend it!