The Grand Bazaar

GB is one of my favourites. Nice decor, laid back but attentive service, nice fresh food, outstanding value for money. Every time I'm in the area I have to visit.

Lunch set menu is a Bargain! £6.95 will give you 2 courses....and you could get grilled Halloumi cheese and later catch a whole grilled Trout, served with rice and vegetables....this makes it THE BEST DEAL in Cental London! You have to try Efes beer and don't forget to order bread! Don't hesitate!
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Leszek Romanowicz
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, July 08, 2008

My wife and I popped into The Grand Bazaar today for lunch,having not found anywhere that took our fancy in Mayfair that was not full to the rafters.

The Grand Bazaar is in a parade of predominately Mediterranean eateries in James Street, some of which I have frequented before; with no complaints about any of them.

Being Turkish-based, the menu is mainly meat-oriented, but we - both vegetarians - found ample to choose from the wide-ranging lunch menu, which is a snip at around £7 each for a starter and main course.

We shared starters of broad beans and fried aubergines with tzatziki and some wonderful fresh pide, following a bowl of mixed (obligatory?) olives nibbled upon whilst we scanned the lunch menu. All fresh, clean-tasting and faultless.

The main courses were both just right for our appetites. Sarah's "Cheddar and vegetable pide" was the Turk-ish equivalent of a pizza and came with some of the finest tomatoes to be had this side of the Bosphorus. No mean feat since she is a tomato-fanatic. My "Shepherd's spinach" (with tomatoes and potatoes) was accompanied by perfectly good rice with peppers and parsley and a garnish of adequate, but uninspiring, mixed salad items. I should add that, although a veggie, I do find most salads pointless and their charms are rather lost on me.

Coffee served with hot milk, accompanied by an apricot, almond and cream confection, hit the spot. The house red wine was, apparently, very palatable; I - being teetotal - just guzzled cups of dreamy coffee.

The Grand Bazaar seems a busy and lively place to eat, with much going on inside and out and as a result, service, although attentive, could be at times a little sporadic, although not in any way spoiling our enjoyment of lunch.

Improvements of some sort to the exterior seating area may well be afoot, as there was much measuring of the pavement space outside when we were there, to which I lent my expert services in holding one end of the tape measure.

Overall, it was the best place where I have eaten in James Street. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, the food was certainly very good value and the unhurried ethos, only a few tens of yards from the hustle & bustle of nearby Oxford Street, quite refreshing.

We intend to return soon and will recommend The Grand Bazaar to one and all.
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Ian Springham
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, April 16, 2008

I'm really bemused by the reviews this place has been given as I thought it was absolutley aweful! Firstly there was a really obnoqious guy on the door who wouldn't let us look at the menu in peace.

The decoration inside is nice and pretty authentic, but some things let this down like the menus which are falling apart and coke being served from cans!

My friend ordered a magerieta pizza with black olives which turned up un-pitted and the cheese on the pizza was cheddar, not very authentic. I ordered their special grill which rather confusingly turned up with carrots, peas, brocolli and potato wedges/chips! This was a shame as the meat was nice and if it would have been served with pitta and cous cous or even just a salad would have been much better.

I'm not sure if these anglosized menu choices are to catter for tourists from Oxford street but I would have much perfered a more traditional meal.
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Iain
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, January 03, 2008

great place.. we go here very often and always impressed with the hopitality and food. meze and balloon bread is great!! it is a bit cramped! but still nice and cosey!
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mizzy
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, December 08, 2007

My friend and I were shopping on Oxford Street when we stumbled across this little gem of a restaurant. We were going to have a pizza but the special lunch menu drew us in & we were so glad to dine here we were debating whether to carry on shopping!

The decor was amazing, you really feel that you're miles away from the busy London streets. The staff were very attentive & helpful & the food was fantastic. I would definitely visit here again, the value for money was extraordinary.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

I love this restaurant!

I first tried borek here, now i'm addicted! The food is amazing and the atmosphere is lovely. The tea lights from the ceiling and on the tables give the place a wonderful atmosphere. The only drawback was when almost everyone used to smoke in there, thankfully that has now changed!

The service is changeable, sometimes you get good service, somethimes it's quite poor. But the food is always delicious!

In my opinion, the food and atmosphere are amazing!

Service could be more consistent though.

Try the borek!
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Leila
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, August 16, 2007

I have been to this restaurant twice, the first time was two years ago and the food and service were excellent, we were even given a free dessert, but somehow I think this had something to do with the fact that my friend was Turkish.

This evening was the complete opposite, food was delicious but service was not impressive: we were forced to ask on two occasions for missing dishes, which is definite no no.

The decor is very original and welcoming but the noise level and the seating was terrible. Tables are placed very close to each other which means you tended to elbow the person next to you, also they did not have a non smoking section which meant that we left the restaurant reeking of cigarette smell (This will thankfully change in July).

I would still recommend this restaurant to the virgin diner who has never eaten Turkish food but do take into account of the above criticisms. HAPPY DINING!
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Nathalie Rakotoarisoa
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 5
Thursday, April 19, 2007

The Grand Bazaar is happily situated not far off Oxford Street, so convenient for travel. The food is great however the service was a little patchy, with 2 items not being delivered. If you want a quiet evening out this is not for you, the restaurant is full to capacity with tables and chairs and when full of customers the noise level is very high so you have to shout to be heard across the table. However despite these small things the food was very good and fresh. The bill for 2 courses with wine and tip came to £25 each.
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Seven - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 6
Thursday, March 01, 2007

Brilliant restaurant! I went there on Jelena's recommendation (see below) and luckily I didn't have the unfriendly waiter she had. I probably had the best service ever - friendly, sexy waiters and free schnapps at the end! ;)
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Andrea
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, January 30, 2007

This has been one of my absolute favourite restaurants for the past 7 years - the venue is decorated in a way that transports you to a romantic hideaway, with tee lights hanging from the ceilings, and warm friendly service. The venue, quality of food and value for money were 2 of the biggest attractions - until this Saturday, when I popped in with a friend and my sis. There was a handful of customers, and yet it took 20 minutes to receive our coffees - which were cold and didn't contain much coffee. The bottle of water never arrived, and when we tried in vain to get the attention of the waitress serving she carried on chatting to her colleagues. We had to put our coats on and attempt to leave in order to receive our bill to pay (not for the cold 'coffee'). I was so annoyed that despite the amazing food I am seriously thinking of boycotting the place!
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Jelena
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, January 24, 2007