Bramhall in Stockport is home to lots of brilliant eateries; be it restaurants, cafes or bistros. Indeed, Juniper Cafe, located just down the road topped our recent poll of Stockport’s best cafes for families in the ‘best food’ category. In addition to Juniper, Bramhall also plays host to perhaps our most favourite restaurant across the whole of Greater Manchester – “Turquoise”! In addition to the restaurant, the guys behind Turquoise have recently opened Turquoise Patisserie, located just a few metres down from the restaurant.
In fact, the kids love Turquoise so much and eat the same dish each time they go – with such regularity – that it is now known ubiquitously by the kids (and us) as ‘the rice and chicken restaurant’. We now know the staff very well and have good conversations with them. Sammy is a well known celebrity, always giving the chefs a high five as he goes to watch them cook his ‘rice and chicken’!
So read on, to find out why!
Key Features of Turquoise
Turquoise is located at the entrance to the Bramhall Village Square precinct off Ack Lane East just a short 20min walk away from Bramall Hall. Turquoise is in any case a large restaurant, but in recent years, the restaurant has expanded outwards, incorporating a large window fronted verandah, overlooking the main road. This large glass fronted exterior makes the restaurant extremely light and airy – especially in the late afternoon when the sun shines in, lighting up the restaurant. Coupled with the modern decor inside and the well spaced out seating and tables, it makes you feel like you have plenty of room in the restaurant.
We find this especially important when eating out with kids. Mila and Sam are no exception and they can be noisy (and extremely annoying) and so it is good to feel like you aren’t surrounded by other groups of diners. In fact, especially later on in the evening and at weekends, the restaurant can get extremely busy, but in fact you feel pretty anonymous!
Ambiance
Turquoise can get very busy, especially on ‘pay day Friday’, generally at the weekend and of course on special occasions such as Mothers Day. Even on Mondays – when almost every other bar and restaurant in Bramhall is closed – you will be guaranteed to have a few groups of people eating.
However, never does it feel crowded and nor does it feel too quiet. In fact, whether it’s packed out or relatively empty, you will always feel comfortable. And this extends to whether you’re dining as a couple (me and Noemi will go alone when we have family to babysit), whether you’re there with kids or a big adults only group – the school mums always have at least one social there each year!
We love that the kitchen is completely open and visible from the restaurant. You can easily view the chefs doing their thing, but also have conversations with them about what they’re doing. It also adds a nice buzz to the atmosphere when they throw out a ‘sizzling dish’ or set the grill on fire!
Diverse Menu Offerings
We have purposefully avoided describing the restaurant as either for instance, “Lebanese, Turkish or Armenian”. Nowhere on the menu, or on their website do they actually describe the cuisine. There are hints to suggest that the cuisine is Turkish – for instance on the hot starters they serve Turkish Sausage (Sucuk) – however, they carefully refer to the restaurant as Mediterranean cuisine.
Perhaps one slight criticism of Turquoise is that they don’t run a specials menu, nor do they routinely change the menu. In fact, we’ve been visiting for over seven years now and to the best of my memory, the menu has never changed. However, the menu is diverse and varied and you’ll never be struggling for choice, whether you’re after a smaller mezze selection – either combining your own favourites, or going for more of a traditional a la carte meal.
Our Favourites
Especially when we visit with granny and grandad, I will opt for the ‘Mixed Chargrill Feast’ sharing that with my dad which comes with a huge selection of meats including doner, skewered chicken, lamb kofte and masses of salad and rice.
When eating just as the four of us, Noemi and I will either go for a selection of smaller dishes and share that between the two of us, or go for a main dish. They do serve a ‘mixed chargrill feast’ for one, which again is great, alternatively the Apricot Lamb (Tandir) is one of Noemi’s favourites! If we opt for a selection of smaller dishes we’ll often go for something along the lines of Stuffed Aubergine (Imam Bayildi), Feta Cheese Pastry (Muska Borek), Kalamar and the Chicken Wings (Tavuk Kanat).
As you’ve probably guessed, the kids only ever go for the fillet of chicken with rice on the kids menu (which also comes with a scoop of ice cream as a desert). The chicken served for the kids is also served on the mixed grill and is also the eponymously named ‘Turquoise Chicken’, under the ‘Grill’ section of the menu.
Turquoise, isn’t cheap, you’ll be paying on average £20 for a main course and between £5 – £9 for one of their starters. The kids meal is a set price of £8.50, in contrast a kids meal at one of ‘the lounges’ will cost £5.95 and that includes a drink (but not desert). Add in drinks and you’ll easily be paying upwards of £70 before factoring in alcohol, however, never do we feel the meal wasn’t good value.
The Puddings!
Despite the obvious link with Turquoise Patisserie, do not expect to see many (any) of the cakes from the cafe served up in the restaurant. In fact, the only “sweet treat” that you’ll see in both is the baklava.
If you have room for a pudding after your meal, make sure that you go for the Tiramisu! The Tiramisu is made by one of the waitresses and is heavenly! It’s also a huge serving and extremely rich. Each time we go, Noemi and I think and discuss that we should really share the Tiramisu, but in reality, we end up having one each!
Do not go, if you have a weigh in at Weight Watchers the next week!
What Sets Turquoise Apart?
Aside from the quality of the food, what we also love with the restaurant is they will always adapt the meal to any request. The Imam Bayildi (Stuffed Aubergine) is under the cold starters, however we prefer it warm which they will duly serve up accordingly.
Similarly, the kids meal is actually ‘chicken and chips’ but in an attempt to be slightly healthier, and because the kids love their rice, we always ask to swap out the chips with the rice! So far, no request has ever been too much.
On top of that, we have never had a bad meal! We must have eaten at Turquoise over 20 times now and always leave thinking that it was a great meal! Service is always prompt – even when the restaurant is packed, – and the staff are always friendly and attentive. Nothing is too much to ask!
Customer Reviews and Feedback
And it’s not just us who loves Turquoise Gourmet! At the time of writing, Turquoise Gourmet had received over 500 reviews on Tripadvisor, with an average rating of 4 stars!
Some examples of recent reviews include:
Love this restaurant. The staff are so friendly and welcoming. The food is amazing, I regularly visit Turkey and all that is missing from the experience is the sunshine.
Chez05
Ten of our ladies had lunch yesterday at Turquoise in Bramhall and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We have previously dined at their other branch and this one certainly lived up to it’s name
I am sure that we will be back again at some time in the future as it was really enjoyable.
Glenys 236
Practical Information
Location and Contact
📍 Turquoise Gourmet, 1 – 2 Village Square, Ack Lane East, Bramhall, Stockport SK7 1AW
📞 +44 161 439 9898
Opening Hours
- Sunday – Thursday 12:00 – 23:30
- Friday – Saturday 12:00 – 00:00
Where Can I Park?
We’re assuming most people will be coming by car, and not cycling to Bramhall!
Turquoise Gourmet is located centrally within Bramhall. There are an abundance of carparks located nearby. The closest is the Village Precinct Car Park which is run by Stockport Council. It is relatively small, with only 81 spaces and the spaces are quite tight.
Especially if you come late on a Saturday afternoon you may find that you struggle to get parked. If that’s the case, then you can easily park in Meadway Car Park East located a few minutes walk up from the restaurant and has plenty of wide spaces.
At both car parks expect to pay approximately 30p per hour; however parking is free after 18:00 and on a Sunday!
Discover a Taste of the Med Right in Bramhall
Discover a taste of Turkey right in Bramhall! Dive into authentic dishes, relish the warm ambiance, and make memories at Turquoise.
Book your table now and embark on a culinary journey you won’t forget! 🍽️🥂
