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!!!)

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.

Lunch for three people that costs less than $30?…read more Unheard of right? Not at Zaatar! If you're looking for quick, fresh and well priced middle eastern food then this is your place. Great for families and friends who want to share a few dishes in a casual (think: fast food) environment. It's certainly not going to win any decor or ambience prizes, but I like the family-friendly atmosphere and it hit the spot when I needed lunch in a short time frame. Order and pay at the counter and then take your wooden spoon table number and set up at one of the many tables. I shared two mixed plates of mezze (felafel, kibbeh and other fried morsels), salads (super fresh fattoush and tabbouli) and dips with Miss 3 and my favourite +1. The mix and match approach to this style of dining is great when you're trying to please varying tastes and appetites. I could have lived with less of the fried pastry-like mezze and more of the felafel so next time will specify which mezze we want rather than leaving the selection to the server. I'll also be trying out the lebanese pizzas. Starting at a mere $1 and constantly being made in full-view of the floor. Pro tip: Grab a bottle of hot sauce from the water/cutlery

Clearly Flemington Kebab House isn't part of my morning coffee tour of this 'hood, but if it were…read moreopen for breakfast I wouldn't put it past me to get a coffee from elsewhere and then come here for the remainder of the morning meal. It's so yum! I first came across this place a few years back, when I was 'between houses' and staying with a friend in Flemington. When I think back on that summer I remember laying under the air conditioner eating warm, fresh Turkish bread and home made dips. I revisited Flemington Kebab House the other day to get some picnic goods - although the shop front has aged a little since I was last there, the bread is still as fresh and soft, the baba ganush and hummus still amazing. Yum!

Babajan has an interesting menu with lots of options but their exorbitant prices and elitism is a…read morebit much So my friends and arrive to a very busy crowded cafe. We are seated outside on little stools. It's a hit day. We feel like salads. Their counter salads look great but come with a catch. You can't order a salad as a main only as a side and you can't mix two. And it's a small side place of 13.50. Or you can get takeaway for two salads for 13.50 is a small sumo sized salad cup. Why because they're promoting something called responsible cafes so apparently cardboard takeaway containers and plastic spoons are responsible. Yes the waiter thought it was a bit much too but what can he do. 13.50 for a small salad takeaway is already overpriced. Yes I had the fish bulgur salad which was sensational and their eggplant tahini salad was to die for but I had takeaway walked 10 minutes to Edinburgh gardens with better seating less noisy and a nice atmosphere. Also their small sized coffee is 4 dollars and weak. Recommend getting takeaway only. You won't be saving the environment but you will definitely make less of a hole in your pocket. Menu is definitely to die for and staff are lovely despite the insanity that prevails.

Best breakfast I've had in a while! I kinda don't want to tell you all how amazing it was so I can…read morekeep this place to myself! We got greeted with smiley and friendly staff - always a good start to the day. Place is small but the turnaround was pretty fast! We got a table straight away. The cuisine is turkish-greek and the dishes are absolutely delicious and full of flavour. We tried a bit of the spanakopita to start, which was no less than my greek grandmother's homemade pita! We had the baked eggs and avocado ezme with a side of sesame koulouri and no joke we licked the plates clean! So much flavour and very generous portions. There are so many options for those who want a takeaway - a cabinet full of delicious pitas, salads, boreks and little bites! Oh coffee is from code black and perfect! Can't wait to try some more dishes!

Phenomenal Turkish food, mouth watering vegan falafel kebabs, bottomless cups of Turkish tea &…read moreimpeccable service, will definitely come back every time I'm in the area

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!!!!!!!!!

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.

The place was established in 1978. The meat and gozleme tasted like they were also made in 1978…read more The hummus was watery and Baba Ghanoush was bitter. Bread was disappointingly bad. The service was abysmal. Entrees were not staggered from the mains, nor were dishes cleared, so the table filled up with the terrible food. The decor was incredibly dated and tacky, and the whole place looked sticky.

Huge range of Savory options and amazing selection of sweets. Gozleme was made fresh to order, lamb…read moreoption was delicious with 3 sauces, spicy, pekmez (a molasses type syrup) and honey. Dolmes were huge, we ordered too many Really well priced. Service isn't their best suit but the food is well worth it.