5 Turkish restaurants to visit in KL when the craving hits

Kofte & Kebabs: 5 Turkish restaurants to visit in KL when the craving hits

Sarah Khan

02 Mar 2018

1/5
Bahce Turkish Cafe
Bahce Turkish Cafe is a hot favourite among KL folks for its absolutely scrumptious, yet value-for-money Turkish food. The crowd of diners that regularly flock its space is certainly testimony to its food, so be prepared to head down a little before its peak hours for a seat. The cafe itself is unassuming, but hey - isn't the best of foods sometimes in the most nondescript of places?

153, Jalan Ampang, Hampshire Park, 50450 Kuala Lumpur

Photo: Bahce Turkish Cafe
2/5
Turkish Cafe Istanbul
Turkish Cafe Istanbul, located along a quiet lane in TTDI, serves both comforting Turkish and Western fare. It has a Breakfast/Brunch menu, as well as a separate Lunch and Dinner one. We love its Turkish Breakfast platter, which comes with gloriously runny eggs, sausages, potatoes, and also olives, traditional sucuk sausages, feta cheese and flat Turkish bread. Its lunch and dinner menu features hearty fare like generously-stuffed kebab wraps, juicy beef and lamb kofte, and also desserts. The cafe is run by a Turkish couple, so you can be assured its food offerings are authentic. Delicious and absolutely wallet-friendly, it's no wonder that Turkish Cafe Istanbul continues to be a fixture in the Mediterranean food scene in Kuala Lumpur.

No. 12, Jalan Wan Kadir 1, Taman Tun Dr Ismail

Photo: Turkish Cafe Istanbul (Facebook)
3/5
Tajine Restaurant
Located in the bustling Bukit Bintang area, this restaurant dishes out a hearty spread of both Middle Eastern and North African (i.e. Moroccan) cuisine in an atmospheric ambience complete with walls decked with quintessentially Turkish-style decorative plates, mosaic tiles and glass lanterns. The food is well-prepared as well; dishes include the Lamb Kofta Tagine, Shawarma and more.

Menara Bintang Goldhill 239, Jalan Tun Razak

Photo: Tajine (Facebook)
4/5
Kyros Kebab
Kyros Kebab specialises in - you guessed it - kebabs. The restaurant first opened two decades ago, after the owner's first kebab experience which had them "falling in love at first bite". As such, they brought this delicious classic Mediterranean delicacy to our Malaysian shores. Today, you can find Kyros Kebab in over 10 outlets in Klang Valley alone - which means there's always a kebab right around the corner the next time you're craving for one.

Various locations across Kuala Lumpur.

Photo: Kyros Kebab
5/5
Tarbush
Tarbush is the first ever Middle Eastern restaurant in Malaysia apparently, and prides itself on its passion for and commitment to authentic and fine Middle Eastern food. It started out with humble beginnings as a small sandwich bar in Ampang Point serving shawarma.

138, Bukit Bintang Street, Bukit Bintang

Photo: Tarbush

Bookmark this for the next time you’re craving a kebab fix in Kuala Lumpur!

Besides its insanely beautiful architecture, remarkable history and fascinating culture, one of the best things about Turkey has to be its food. Which is why we’ve made it somewhat of a culinary mission to find the best spots for Turkish food in the city.

In doing our research, we found that there aren’t as many strictly Turkish restaurants as there are ones serving broadly Middle Eastern cuisine. This is somewhat understandable considering how classic Turkish dishes like kofta (meatballs), kebab, and even baklava cuts across various Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and even South Asian cuisines.

While we’re hoping for more authentic Turkish-style lokanta or restoran cropping up in Kuala Lumpur in the near future, we daresay the doner kebab, manti and kofte offerings at these spots definitely still do the trick whenever we’re massive craving a taste of Turkey.

Turkish Cafe Istanbul might pop to mind whenever we’re looking for a kebab fix in the city, but if you’re looking for new places to check out in Kuala Lumpur for delicious Turkish food, head up above!

Sarah Khan

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