Cappadocia has become a much loved restaurant in Bristol’s city centre since its opening in April last year, after becoming a favourite in Bath since 2019. The family-run restaurant offers authentic Turkish food and a friendly, lively atmosphere.
Situated on Baldwin Street, the two-storey restaurant is hard to miss, with a bright gold sign and colourful décor inside, the place feels inviting the moment you step foot through the front doors. It’s named after the location in Turkey that is known for its hot-air balloon filled skies, something Bristol is known for too, and it’s safe to say the restaurant has made itself a core part of the Bristol food scene during its short time.
I had never been to Cappadocia before, but its high rating on Tripadvisor, word-of-mouth recommendations from friends, and its status as a semi-finalist in the British Kebab Awards made me excited to go. Entering the busy restaurant, there was a mixture of couples on dates, large group outings and birthday celebrations.
Our server was friendly and welcoming when my partner and I arrived, seating us in a booth in the middle of the restaurant. There was a wonderful atmosphere as we were surrounded by plants, neon lights and even a hot air balloon structure hanging from the ceiling.
Our drinks order was quickly taken and we were given a jug of tap water as well. The majority of wines are Turkish so I tried the crisp Villa Doluca Semillion (£9.50 for a 250ml glass) and it made a great pairing for the food.
A complimentary basket of bread and dips were then placed on our table. The bread was fresh and paired with the olives, tomato chilli dip, and feta we had to accompany them.
Unsurprisingly, we devoured the bread rather quickly, to which our server offered us more, and although we wanted to indulge, we decided it was smarter to save room for the food we ordered.
Whilst there is a selection of delicious hot and cold mezze on offer, we decided to skip over it, with the bread serving as a great appetiser before our main course.
Wanting to try a bit of everything, we went for the ‘Cappa Platter’ for two (£49), which came with lamb shish, chicken shish, lamb kofta and chicken wings, as well as a colourful side salad and rice.
The star of the show for me was definitely the lamb shish, it was perfectly tender, deliciously flavoured and just melted in the mouth. The side salad was refreshing alongside the meat, and had a delicious dressing over it.
Unfortunately, the lamb kofta was the only part of the meal that didn’t hit the mark for us. Compared to the other delicious food we had tried throughout the night, this one seemed to lack flavour and was a bit dry, but the rest of the meal made up for it. And to be honest, we were too full to eat much else anyway.
We decided to glance at the dessert menu, which features a range of Turkish dishes such as baklava, halva, and islak cake, but our platter had perfectly sufficed, and although the options sounded delicious, we decided to pass on the puds this time.
When bringing the bill, our server gave us two pieces of pistachio Turkish delight which provided a sweet and fragrant flavour to round off our meal.
After eating at Cappadocia, it’s easy to see why so many in Bristol have come to love the restaurant. Whilst on the pricier side, the food is generally well-made and delicious, with generous portion sizes that certainly leave you feeling full. When I go back, I’m definitely going to save room for dessert.
Cappadocia, 30-34 Baldwin Street, Bristol, BS1 1NR.