For a welcoming atmosphere and a huge range of delicious Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, this Turkish restaurant is hard to beat.

The Venue
You’ll notice Baraca from the beautiful hanging baskets that adorn the front of the building, separating it from the loud colours and lights of other bars and restaurants in the street. Like the outside, the internal decor is understated, with wooden tables and chairs and a few old-looking sofas at the front.

The restaurant does look a little dark and basic, but too much glamour would ruin the traditional atmosphere. Lamps and other decorative knick-knacks hang from the ceiling and walls, giving a unique and authentic touch.

The People
Waiting staff are friendly and polite, and are happy to explain the ingredients of the more exotic dishes. Service is quick, but you won’t feel rushed even though the place is usually very busy.

Baraca is very popular, and is usually filled with both Brits and foreigners. You’ll see many families, groups and couples dining here.

The Food
The menu has possibly the largest selection of starters you’ll ever see, as well as a wide and varied range of main courses. If you find it hard to choose one of the many delicious starters, the Meze Baraca is worth a try and samples several of their best starters such as falafel, humus and borek (fried pastry filled with feta cheese). It’s £5.95 for one or £9.95 for two but the portions are generous so you could easily share.

The main courses range from £6.95 - £14.95, and include skilfully cooked dishes such as marinated chicken breast, kulbasti (chargrilled fillet of lamb), and Mediterranean steak (with mozzarella cheese and basil pesto). There’s also a wide range of vegetarian dishes such as vegetarian iskender (seasonal vegetables with cubes of pitta bread in a yoghurt sauce).

If you can manage dessert, they start at £2.75, and include apple crumble and ice creams as well as Turkish desserts such as kayisi krema (dried apricots stuffed with cream).

The Drink
There’s a good range of spirits, aperitifs and liqueurs from £1.70. Bottles of beer include Stella and Efes for £2.30, and pints are around £2.60. Wine is reasonably priced at £9.95 for the house bottle or £2.30 a glass.

Hot drinks include tea and coffee as well as traditional Turkish drinks such as laz kahvesi (hot milk with Turkish coffee) for £1.70 and kocakari cayi (cinnamon, cloves and aniseed) for £2.50.

The Last Word
The basic decor might be a little off-putting at first, but if you give Baraca a try you’ll find that the menu has something to suit most tastes. The thoughtful preparation of the delicious dishes is bound to impress even the most sceptical of palates.

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