caravanserai

an exotic name and interesting place. the meze and kofta and borek delicious. it's not a regular for us but doesn't disappoint. it's palatable turkish that's accessible.

went there for lunch on
mothers day. portions are generous. it is not overly expensive and the food yummy. we had the meze for entree, mixed platter for two for mains, fig mousse for dessert with coffee. i can now hardly walk! dessert came with pomegranate and pistachios on top- not too sweet but good none the less. both main and entrees came with warm turkish bread. koftas, chicken skewers, garlic prawns and green beans were part of the main. all were delicious. we will return. good value meal.

tasty cuisine; too pricey. not having eaten in a turkish restaurant before i found that the food we got on the platters, to me, were extremely similar to greek and persian. i know that this restaurant must hate this comparison, but it's the best way to describe their food. although what we sampled was delicious, the prices were too expensive for what you got.

a large group of us went to caravanserai on a tuesday evening (may 1) which was lucky as it was their special night: banquet dinner for $29.99 (regular price $39.50). what a great way to try a variety of menu items, especially for those who were unsure of the cuisine.

we started with the caravanserai meze ($24.50) which gave everyone a chance to try items like humus, babagounosh (eggplant dip), kalamata and green olives, feta, artichoke and turkish bread. a delicious way to wake up your mediterranean taste buds!

quite familiar with greek dishes and having a brother who works in a persian restaurant (run by an iranian family), it was easy for me to recognize all of the food that showed up, even though they had slightly different names.

the banquet dinner consisted of: kofta (meatballs, the same as greek "keftedes"), shish kebap (chicken skewer; "joojeh kabob" in persian), ispanak borek (filo pastry filled with spinach and feta: "spanakopita" in greek), and sebze (grilled eggplant, zucchini and roast capsicum, similar to "mirzaghasemi" in persian).

the kofta was quite large (about 3 bites) and the mild flavour of the herbed beef was complemented nicely with a light tomato and chili sauce. the chicken shish kebap was tender and juicy with a slight bit of charring enhancing both the flavour and texture. topped with a cucumber yoghurt, this combination of tart and savoury is a fun way to tickle your taste buds! the ispanak borek pastry was light and delicate with a slight flakiness which added to the smooth richness of the melted feta and warmed spinach. expertly done, this is always one of my favourites when made correctly! and lastly, the sebze vegetables were beautifully roasted together but still slightly al dente giving a subtle crunch to a dish roasted in what i believe was a tomato-based sauce. fantastic authentic… and vegetarian!

to finish on a sweet note, a few plates of desserts appeared. all in bite-size squares, the baklava and turkish delight were easy to recognize but there were a few others but just as sweet and delicious!

i can't comment on the service as large platters showed up and we passed them around to each other. but the food did come out at a good pace and was nice and fresh. the ambiance of the restaurant was relaxing and casual and for those sharing platters, it became more of a lively and interactive experience.

this is a restaurant that i would have loved to come back to, but after seeing the price of the mains of the same food we just had, it was way too exorbitant! the dishes averaged in the high $20 to mid $30, which is crazy as the ingredients used are not overly expensive; i can comment on this as i have inside knowledge of a persian restaurant.

i would recommend caravanserai to those who would like to try something different or who want to expand their horizons on the food front - it is delicious, no disputing that. i would like to visit this restaurant again if they were to lower their prices, but in that this is highly unlikely, then it's highly unlikely that i will be returning.

great turkish food. i went here with a group of 5 people as we're all big fans of turkish food, having travelled there. it was so crowded and a little noisy but that adds to the atmosphere. the food itself was delicious and authentic. the tasting platter was fantastic - but i could hardly eat my main afterwards! i think we got the set menu and everyone was very happy with the dishes.

great experience here!. i had great difficulty in getting a reservation here, so when i finally did i was hoping i wouldn't be disappointed - and i certainly wasn't. the three of us got three different dishes, and all were simply delicious. some people have mentioned that they thought the decorations are a bit tired, but i didn't find that to be the case at all - it felt very authentic and provided something a bit different to every other restaurant in town. our food was fresh and brought out very promptly and i have no complaints about the waitstaff - although i have heard (not only on here) that some people disagree. nevertheless, the dining and atmosphere will not disappoint!

nice turjish place. great service,
really really busy but really efficient service, though the food was not as 'traditional" aas one might expect, really nice food, and good atmosphere.
paid 100 bucks for starters huge main and nice desserts and tea and coffee
we were really satisfied and spent aa great saturday night.
trongly recommend the place

great food. caravanserai would have to be one of the best turkish restaurants in brisbane. we did not have to wait long for our entrees and mains to come out. food was amazing. the homemade turkish delight is to die for.

food was great, will be coming back here again for sure. a great experience at a reasonable price. byo is a big plus as well. only thing i would change is scrap the 3 or 4 plastic chairs you have for the wooden ones!

this is one of my favourite restaurants in brisbane. the mezze platters are amazing. beautiful ambiance. always great service. only big disappointment is the catering to vegans. they offer the holumi and polenta stack but then it comes without holumi or polenta.. so it's just vegetables? i would love to see a better vegan option on the menu!

love the food , very yummy, the muscles are tasty, the platter is definitely yummy, would like to see more traditional dishes and flavours.

the good was good but had to wait ages for it. the nation's came out an hour and half after entree and meals were close to cold. will try it again but earlier in the evening and on a weeknight. the baklava is the best i've tried

prepare to wait. the food was absolutely delicious, but the service ridiculously slow. one hour between starter and mains! my husband is a diabetic and was on the verge of a hypoglycemic attack waiting on food, if i hadn't gone up and told the staff i dread to think how long it would have taken. all of the tables around us seemed equally fed up waiting. such a shame, as the food was so good.

orange blossom special, i found your review very informative yet hypercritical to the max. you just gave this restaurant a big wrap and then said that you wouldn't be returning given the prices which you didn't even pay! you seem to have the down low on how cheap the ingredients are yet you have no idea what over heads this place has and neither do i! your experience was positive yet you left a negative overall response of which will many punters will read. i hope they see it the way i did.......

the share platters will blow your mind. i loved the low-light setting and great for a date or a catch up with the fam over fantastic food. if you like turkish food, look no further, because this has to be the best of the cuisine in brisbane.

many visits, much delicious, so taste. caravanserai is the place for any occasion. whether you're wanting to impress on a first date or trade laughs with a big crew until closing time, the restaurant provides the perfect setting. grab a bottle of plonk from across the road, get some dips and a platter on the hook, and settle in for a great night – guaranteed.