Topkapi - Ottawa

I love Turkish food! the flavours are sharp, the ingredients are allowed to shine. ... But what they serve at Topkapi is a poor substitute for Istanbul's rich culinary culrure. The food was cold and every dish tasted like the last as if everything had been flavoured with the same homogenous marinade. This, combined with service that lacks any of the graciousness of a true Turkish host, make the experience underwhelming.

Slow service. I had hoped the others' comments about slow service were one-off situations. Unfortunately, I went in May 2015 and service was extremely slow even though Topkapi was not packed. The waitress took too long to ask for our orders, took too long to check if we needed anything, etc. Terrible service.

They should hire new waitresses. Went there for dinner last night with my wife, the food was amazing but a bit slow to come. The waitress put flowers on every table but ours? then as I was still eating she comes and takes my wife's plate without asking. I found this very rude as if she wanted us out of the restaurant asap. its not like we took forever to eat, we were eating as fast as they were bringing the plates. So I finished my plate and asked for the bill. No turkish delight or tooth pick? but she has the guts to bring me a survey and a pen. This is when I decided her tip would be $0.

2 hour wait before receiving our food. I will never go back. More than 2 hours before receiving our food. We had to ask twice when our food was coming

We had a groupon for this restaurant and were very interested in trying it out. We were greeted with a smile and quick sitting at our table (we did make reservations which is suggested). Wee had the sample platter to taste a little of their dips and apps. All the dips in the platter were excellent. I especially liked the red pepper dip. My main was the Kuza Kulbasti (thin grilled lamb) and it was outstanding. Great flavour and seasoning, grilled perfectly medium. My wife has the Turkish meatballs and like the lamb were seasoned extremely well. There was a lot of food in our meal, but we still tasted some desserts. Coconut pudding and the caramel brûlée were just as tasty as the other pieces of our meal. We will return ... With friends and would recommend this unique cuisine.