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    Jaffa Restaurant

    3.9 (19 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Jaffa Restaurant Photos

    JAFFA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Murvah I.

    Jaffa is my favourite eatery on the curry mile! The quality of food choices on the curry mile has deteriorated over the years, however Jaffa has remained great. The middle eastern cuisine has a very traditional feel to it and attracts customers from all over Manchester! I will happily drive 30 or more minutes just for Jaffa! I normally go for the chicken fatayers which are freshly prepared and the bread it is baked on is delicious. There are a wide variety of salad choices from the mezze selection which are all tasty. The kebabs and shawarmas are also definitely worth a try! Apparently it has been voted the 5th best kebab shop in the U.K. The service is always great and they take your order without noting anything down and somehow never forget anything! The prices are very cheap. I recently went and ordered 2 chicken fatayers a pizza and large mezze salad all coming to £13. I wouldn't go for the pizza again, as I think the other items on the menu are much better! Jaffa is definitely a hidden gem of Manchester, and I would highly recommend it to anyone for a quick, cheap and satisfying bite to eat!

    Large mix mezze - £3.80.
    William G.

    Only some Middle Eastern cafés and kebab houses are suitable for vegetarians, and Jaffa is one of these. The pizza and fatayer are cooked fresh on the premises, although the pitta bread are bought in. To the fresh bread, we can add homemade falafel and the extensive choice of mezze from Jaffa's display fridge which are all vegetarian. I ordered Spinach Fatayer (£3), Falafel (£2.50 for six pieces) and Large Mix Mezze (3.80) which was enough to feed two people at lunch for £9.30. The fatayer is the same dough as the pizza, just folded differently and was light and fluffy. My preference is for crispier and chewier breads, but this was still OK with me. The cheese and spinach topping was just OK, but then I am continually frustrated by tinned/frozen/overcooked spinach when eating out. Falafel were fairly plain and a little tough - but worked well with the yoghurt dip accompaniment and the mezze ordered separately. Mezze were hummus, tabbouleh, tomato salsa, salad vegetable mixes in yoghurt, pickled whole jalapeno - which merged together on the plate into a mild, yoghurty ensemble, but with enough texture from the salad and whole chickpeas to keep it interesting. One of my tests for healthy food is how I feel the day after. Going by this standard, I am finding some Middle Eastern or Mediterranean cafés impressively healthy, Jaffa amongst them. The simple, wholesome, homecooked food tradition seems to be to the fore in these countries along with good olive oil. One thing I would like to see is vegetarian versions of the hot daily specials over rice featured in Jaffa and elsewhere in Rusholme - green beans, aubergine and chickpeas over rice, anyone? As it was Ramadan and also the university holiday period, it was quiet when I visited. Ramadan and holidays aside, Jaffa is known amongst friends *always* to be full, and when passing previously I've noticed a really nice mixed crowd of students, Muslim families, white locals, everyone - if you want to eat with a cross-section of Manchester, with an ethnic slant, Jaffa is a good place with a very relaxed atmosphere. The décor is basic café standard but clean. One thing worth noting is the huge amount of seating upstairs - hard to conceive of ever not being able to find a seat in here, and could be good for an informal group meal or an intimate one away from the crowds. Toilets are on the second floor and therefore not really disabled-friendly. I would say that nearby Falafel (see Yelp) does a better, leafier falafel for eating straight and a better homemade pitta, but the respective mezze are swings and roundabouts. Not going on a whole lot of visits, but I feel Jaffa is the more relaxed, multi-cultural hangout for the westerner.

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    Review Highlights - Jaffa Restaurant

    The quality of food choices on the curry mile has deteriorated over the years, however Jaffa has remained great.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

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    Efes Taverna - A wide view of the buffet.

    Efes Taverna

    3.8(29 reviews)
    1.8 miOxford Road Corridor
    ££

    For the first year I was at my job I tried as much a possible to conceal how nuts I am however ALL…read moreHAS NOW BEEN REVEALED thanks to our super fun night at Efes. Firstly, it's really well set up for groups so look into it if you have a work/bday type do. There were about 15 of us and ordering and food delivery went extremely smoothly. They have a two course deal for £19.50 with loads of great options - I obviously had the mezze platter to start and the meat platter for my main. Both tasty although I might go for one of the other starters next time as lots of the mezze elements were great but you don't get that much of each because the overall portion is so generous (i.e. this isn't really a complaint). The meat I thought was a very high standard, I enjoyed every element. Nice condiments accompanying it too. We were a little late to arrive so the entertainment (live singing) started while we were still eating - this made it impossible to chat so they might want to consider better volume control depending on what stage people are at with their night. However the entertainment was in general great - not the best belly dancer I've ever seen but very enthusiastic. The waiters also danced which was hilarious (note: some of them quite fit) and then they got everyone in the restaurant holding hands kicking randomly not-so-Turkish-style. I think this was the juncture at which my friend who knows I yelp turned to me and held up five fingers. Finally there was some DJing and we were dancing until at least 1am (and I'm sure if we'd wanted to stay out longer than would have been welcomed). Hilarious and fantastic range of songs from current top 10 to Spice Girls Wannabe and a whole load of other cheesy classics. I danced like nobody was watching. Unfortunately a large number of my work colleagues were watching and some of them had cameras. Overall if you're looking for something sophisticated/upmarket it's clear from all the reviews this isn't the place but if you're a group and want a bit of a laugh with some decent good value food this is ideal.

    We popped to Efes on Thursday night and I have to say I'd probably give it a 3.5 if I could - the…read moreoffering was nice but there were a few bits which seemed to let down the experience. The best bits! 1. Tasty food and as much as you could consume in one seating - I only had 2 plates of mains and one of dessert but I seriously was struggling to breathe afterwards (in fact I couldn't even finish my pint in the next bar I was that full!) 2. There were some tasty Turkish treats but it was very international with all sorts - the lasagna was particularly enjoyable. £10.90 wasn't a bad price to pay for it. 3. The desserts were ace - profiteroles were so so so good! The bit's which let it down slightly 1. The beer selection was pretty lame with just generic lagers on sale - I only drank half of my Efes beer which looked like the best bet. No craft beer or ales. 2. The atmosphere was a bit lacking considering the buzz is that it's electric at the weekends - maybe they could do with adding something in the week! 3. I thought it was a bit (a big bit) of cheek putting a 10% service charge on our bill seeing as it was a buffet - I've seen some strange things in my life and this goes up there in the WTF stakes! Overall an enjoyable night out with friends but I'd struggle to five it a 4 on this visit.

    Photos
    Efes Taverna - Seating and the bar.

    Seating and the bar.

    Efes Taverna - Cold starter options.

    Cold starter options.

    Efes Taverna - A variety of pizzas.

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    A variety of pizzas.

    Hadramout

    Hadramout

    4.8(4 reviews)
    0.1 miRusholme
    ££

    I lived in the Middle East and ate Yemeni food weekly. Hadramout is a Yemeni restaurant and secret…read moretreasure in Manchester on Curry Mile. We arrived at the restaurant at just about noon when it opens. They saw us waiting outside though and let us in and gave us some karak tea! So warm and perfect. We thought that the only tables in the restaurant were downstairs at the entrance but it turns out there is a huge upstairs with carpeted rooms! There is a huge main room which seems to be for the men and then there are several smaller rooms in the family section. We decided to sit in one of the family rooms which is about the size for 2 people and maybe up to 4 if you squeeze in. As usual we started off the meal with some maraq lamb broth soup and salad. The salad dressing and sahawiq are in bottles which is so clever! It works really well to squirt the sahawiq over everything and it wasn't spicy here at all and tasted great with everything. I had also ordered some yogurt salad just in case to mediate any spiciness. For main dishes, we got lamb kebsa and chicken fahsa. I had originally ordered chicken ogda but the Yemeni guy said they couldn't make it in the black pots I think because there are too many bones. I don't like bones in the chicken ogda anyway and so he offered to make chicken fahsa which would fit in the black pot. It was my first time trying chicken fahsa and it was really good. They made it with a tomato base so it actually tasted like the chicken ogda that I like! So perfect. They also make malawah bread here which was awesome and made the meal complete. Another nice surprise is that they make fresh juice! We had fresh lime juice with the meal and it was really good. For dessert, we had some fatta masoob. It's very heavy and we were so full by the time we started to eat it but it was yummy. Hadramout is many times better than Queen of Sheba Restaurant in London and also 1/3 the price! We paid £22 for 2 people for this amazing and perfect lunch at Hadramout. For more information about Yemeni food, please visit here: http://yemenfood.blogspot.com/p/food.html

    It's beyond inexcusable that I had my first ever Hadramout last week. How did it escape my…read moreattention all these years? How indeed! Hidden away on one of the side streets off wilmslow road, this understated, simple decor eatery was a gem of a find. Arabic food has always registered on my radar perhaps once a month, but this discovery may change all that. The menu is quite expansive and the pricing is extremely economically viable given the huge portions of food on offer. The roast lamb and chicken comes slow cooked with the rice and is nothing short of divine. One portion is easily big enough for two people and no one is gonna complain about food for the next few days it is THAT filling. There's also a host of sides that one can try, the lamb soup has a sharp taste that once engulfed by the palate has a delayed endorphin fuelled chemical reaction (in other words: its mint!) I have therefore declared thursdays as Hadramout day. It's a long menu and I intend to get through it next year! Canny wait.

    Photos
    Hadramout - Mixed vegetables served in a traditional Yemeni clay pot.

    Mixed vegetables served in a traditional Yemeni clay pot.

    Hadramout - Mixed vegetables, naan, hummus and saffron rice (not pictured) came to GBP 6.70

    Mixed vegetables, naan, hummus and saffron rice (not pictured) came to GBP 6.70

    Hadramout - Smart café-restaurant décor with Yemeni TV.

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    Smart café-restaurant décor with Yemeni TV.

    Al-Quds - Look at the size of that naan

    Al-Quds

    4.9(8 reviews)
    0.0 miRusholme

    It was a red ford fiesta, banged up but our ticket to freedom. My best friend had managed to…read moresomehow keep it running for two years. The year was 2003. Fancy Al Quds tonight he said as we ransacked the fridge at our student house. The rest as they say is history. Since then I have been coming to this humble abode for a kobeda, for what is it now 11 years? How time flies. Every now and then I get the craving and I return for that perfectly baked longitudanal tandoori naan (the size of my forearm) blanketing a juicy Kobeda. The set up is simple, they have a fridge with freshly prepared, perfectly marinated meaty skewers of various varieties. You go in, you point at one and 4 minutes later you can enjoy the best meat in Rusholme. Now if I have previously I don't remember but I recently tried the chicken tikka recently. And low and behold it was one of those rare "Holy moly batman" foodie moments. The sauce they marinated the chicken with was close to perfection, the chicken was tender and cooked with expert timing. It was a thing of beauty, the memory of which still lingers, enticing me back into its delicious arms once again. I have thus far resisted, I'm reserving it for specific moments. Namely special celebratory occasions and those morale boosting occasions when life hasn't been nice. I'm fairly certain I'll be returning when neither are relevant and I just happen to be driving past it. I may even knock myself out cold with food coma by ordering a Kobeda/Chick tikka mix *gulp*. It could be my manvfood moment. Admittedly I don't think I'm that way inclined. Because if it was gonna happen it would've already. It's been on the menu for 11 years. No seriously go check it out if you are a carnivore. Word of warning though, your first Kobeda experience will leave all your hunger concerns dealt with for 24 hours at least. So if you plan on eating three meals a day the next day, take a rain check.

    Kebabs! Kebabs! and some more Kebabs! The food here is so amazing that I don't know another…read moreadjective that would exceed amazing! The food is fresh from the clay ovens, and you can see that the kebabs are freshly grilled with fresh sauces dripping from either ends. If you're at this moment, I urge you to go to this place and give their donner kebabs a try! It would reflect curry mile at its best! Al Quds is truly a place for excellence in all of the very competitive Curry Mile!

    Photos
    Al-Quds - Qype.co.uk

    Qype.co.uk

    Al-Quds
    Al-Quds - The letters "Clay Oven Kebab House" look like they have a snowy effect on them, weird

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    The letters "Clay Oven Kebab House" look like they have a snowy effect on them, weird

    Beirut - Baklava.

    Beirut

    4.2(12 reviews)
    0.2 miRusholme
    ££

    I've gotta say that I'm pretty pleased I used my trusty Yelp app to find this place, in fact it's…read morebeen on my radar for a while thanks to reading some great reviews from fellow Yelpers - but as I arrived in Rusholme and whacked out my app, it was handy to stand outside and have another good read of reviews which cemented my decision to go in! Basically this place does amazing Middle Eastern/Lebanese cuisine and on this occasion with it being Friday lunch time, I popped in just as they were doing their all you can eat buffet. For £11.95 I tucked into some amazing kofta, breads, dips, salad, wings - wow, so much great food just check out my snaps - plus there was lovely cake and pudding included to follow. The food was wonderful and tasty - really nice! To round off I bought an Arabic cardamom tea which was fantastic - really nice and complimented the meal well. It was nice to go somewhere not on my normal radar, I'll be back!

    In the heart of where else but Manchester's curry mile will you find..... wait for it... BEIRUT!?…read moreYes that is indeed right. Nope its not a randomly named curry house, Beirut serves food deliciouso Lebanese-o! For those not in the know, Manchester's curry mile has seen a mini Middle eastern revolution of its own. The Mile of curry is now equipped with a plethora of Shisha bars as well as restaurants such as Beirut. In honestly of alls, my first impression of the place was not great. The capital could be described as chaotic from the kids running around whilst parents going to town on their meat feasts to the directionless type waiting staff, more laid back than the kobedas on show. First impressions however don't last and I'm here to announce that the food thankfully did make a lasting impression. I'd personally recommend the mixed grill, even if I struggled to get through half of it. Don't be put off by the cover, its the contents of the book that count. If Beirut was a book, I would highly recommend it, it was a great read.

    Photos
    Beirut - Spicy potatoes (on buffet).

    Spicy potatoes (on buffet).

    Beirut - Lebanese sweet - semolina-based. (?)

    Lebanese sweet - semolina-based. (?)

    Beirut

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    Bakchich - Inside the restaurant

    Bakchich

    3.4(16 reviews)
    1.5 miOxford Road Corridor
    ££

    Overall, the impression from food was very good one! It was served fairly quickly, was flavoursome…read moreand tasty. Price range is 6-12 pounds, and dishes are enormous, so it is impossible to leave the place hungry. What I didn't like was the service - our party of 12 people received a one (!) jug of water and 7 glasses. When I asked the waiter for more glasses and water, they brought a couple of more jugs but still no glasses. Presumably, they assumed we were supposed to fight over them.

    I love Lebanese food so I was excited to hear there was a new Lebanese street food place in town…read more Buttttt I was very disappointed. The servers were nice yes, but the food was far from what I expected. I had the lamb shawarma, and while yes I realize it was only £3.50, any hole in the wall on the curry mile would have a better and bigger shawarma for the same price. It was very thin resembling more of a wrap with scant filling. I did eat the whole thing so it wasn't bad, but then I looked down and saw my little basket/plate. It was filled with oil. I tilted the basket in different directions playing with the puddle of oil running from side to side at the bottom of the basket (I posted a video of this). Then I saw my hands covered in oil and was immediately terrified knowing that I was going to wake up with puberty like acne on my face as a result of eating this shawarma. The garlic sauce was ok but then the hot sauce was definitely not spicy (less than Frank's red hot or tapatio). As someone who swears by her hot sauce, not having adequate hot sauce lost major points. Although the ambiance is nice and the servers are friendly, I am disappointed bc this place promotes itself as a trendy and lovingly crafted restaurant with authentic tastes of Lebanon, but with the copious amounts of oil, if I wanted greasy take away quality, I would choose the hole in the wall on the curry mile any day.

    Photos
    Bakchich - Interior

    Interior

    Bakchich
    Bakchich - Caprese cake

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    Caprese cake

    Pasha Restaurant - Mezze plate.

    Pasha Restaurant

    3.5(2 reviews)
    0.0 miRusholme
    ££

    This Kurdish café is located down an alleyway off the main road in Rusholme. Keep an eye out for…read moretheir sandwich board on the pavement - there is no fascia on the premises which are inside the black doors on the left side of the alley. Once inside the doors, there is no evidence you are still in England! (OK, maybe some football shirts.) K-pop videos play on the large TV, the walls are largely undecorated, and the occupants are mainly a close-knit groups of Kurdish guys enjoying their food. No menu! Instead, have a look at the contents of the deli fridge - hummus, sauerkraut, salad, olives - the food on the tables and in preparation at the tandoor oven and grill behind the counter. As a vegetarian, I was still drawing a blank and so Beston (the owner) brought out first a yellow consommé and then a tomato & okra soup for me to try. For £6, I've found I can enjoy rice garnished with noodles, the tomato & okra soup which serves as a sauce for everything, salad mezze and one tandoor naan bread - it's a good meal! I also tried a cold yoghurt and lemon drink which was refreshing, if a bit sour for my tastebuds. There is a lot more choice here for the non-vegetarian - various soups and stews are ready to serve. Also, I was as fascinated as a child by the sparks flying from the grill which is simply a metal tray of hot charcoal over which skewers are laid beneath a brick chimney - what more do you need! The vibe in here is like a Kurdish social club which left the door ajar - but you are very welcome to join!

    Great food great service bring your own wine relax and enjoy. Not expensive nothing is too much…read moretrouble highly recommended, bring your own wine

    Photos
    Pasha Restaurant - Rice with noodles.

    Rice with noodles.

    Pasha Restaurant - Tomato and okra soup.

    Tomato and okra soup.

    Pasha Restaurant

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    Jaffa Restaurant - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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