Mediterranean BBQ

This is one of the best restaurants in england to experience authentic turkish cuisine and hospitality. here’s why i say so: on the 5th of july 2025, i called this mediterranean bbq turkish restaurant at 181 east road in cambridge. i had read in the press, including the cambridge news on 27 december 2024, that this turkish restaurant was among the cambridgeshire restaurants and takeaways named the best of their kind in england. i wanted to judge for myself. the telephone conversation didn’t go well at first, perhaps due to a language barrier with the kind lady who answered the phone. i asked about the shared platter for two, but she wasn’t able to provide enough information about the portion sizes. as this was my first time ordering from the restaurant, i wanted to be sure that the portions were generous—true to the famed turkish hospitality and generosity. she was honest and explained that, due to the current cost of living crisis, turkish restaurants have been forced to reduce their portion sizes. she added that they weren’t happy about it, as it goes against their culture of offering generous servings. i gave up and hung up. but something told me to try again and give the restaurant a chance. this time, i ordered the platter for four instead of the platter for two—just to be on the safe side. i’m so glad i did. another reason i called back was that, after checking other turkish restaurants in the area, i found this mediterranean bbq turkish restaurant at 181 east road was the only one offering similar portions at a much lower cost. you can check this for yourself online. when i arrived to pick up my order (this was a takeaway), i could hardly lift it—it was heavy. the kind lady made a point of handing it to me personally. she was polite and friendly, and she told me she had added a few extras, perhaps because of the initial communication difficulties over the phone. this was a lovely gesture. when i got home and opened the meal, all my concerns about portion sizes disappeared. if these were their “reduced portions” due to the cost of living crisis, i wonder what the original portions must have been like! i discovered that the platter for two at mediterranean bbq turkish restaurant could easily feed three or more people. with the platter for four, we had enough food to share with neighbours and still had leftovers for the next day. i imagine this is how they would do it in turkey. the food itself was freshly cooked and perfectly seasoned. how do i know it was fresh? it tasted fresh—the meat was tender, not chewy, and the flavours were balanced, enhancing rather than overpowering the natural taste of each type of meat. the lamb ribs and all the other grilled meats were soft, juicy, and melted in the mouth. you could tell they had been freshly prepared that very day, unlike at some restaurants where over-seasoning is used to mask a lack of freshness. that was not the case here. the seasoning here complemented the natural flavours—you knew exactly what type of meat you were eating, even with your eyes closed. my friends, family, and i promised ourselves that we’d definitely return to this restaurant—this time to dine in rather than order takeaway. i told the kind lady and the chef that my name was mikaeel. i hope they’ll remember me when i return with my whole family!

The restaurant is much bigger and nice than it looks from the outside. it has nice bright skylight and nice decor inside. very nice dining experience. the food was really good too. loved all the grills and hummus was nice texture. the staff and their service were lovely. just had really great experience overall.

Nice turkish restaurant with good portion sizes. open till late. plenty of tables and not too busy! a little bit expensive.

Wooow, what a place!!! everything is really clean, the food is better than expected, service is gentle and quick, fair prices. do not miss this restaurant, you won’t be disappointed.

Lovely food. lovely staff a bit pricey but would go again. sells alcohol nice sitting area at the back..

First time i've been there today, very friendly lovely staffs. i called and reserved the table as it was a last min plan and other places were booked up. i really enjoyed the meal though i think they could've done better as i've had turkish before and it was awesome, just need to improve a lil more on the flavours and not over cook the dishes. lahmacun was a lil bit too crispy plus a bit burnt and doner was quite hard as well as shish, everything else was fine. just a lil touch ups that's all it needs.