Review Bodrum Essendon - Essendon

Great customer service, we were greeted warmly and food were quick to serve. Food and drinks were really good. We got the banquet menu which was a bit pricey for the portions that we received. The saganaki cut was a bit weird as we got like 1 and a half triangle for two? 😅 But overall, we enjoyed our first time trying a Mediterranean restaurant.

Had dinner here with family for the first time today & we all loved it. Great customer service, we were greeted very warmly. Lovely ambience. The food was delicious. The saganaki, calamari & fish dishes, the mushroom perfectly done. Had kunefe for the first time & it was 👌 We will definitely be back.

We had dinner in a really decent atmosphere. We thank Mr. Aydın for everything, he is very warm and smiling, and he made us feel like we were at home. The food is really delicious, the service is perfect, I can recommend it to everyone with peace of mind, you won't regret it. Thank you and greetings.

The food was tasty but it's like fine dining. Seafood platter of two but there's 3 of us. Rockling fish very nice, but salad just so so. The Saganaki grilled cheese on menu written" is to die for" was so so for me. Food portion very small. Ordered seafood platter, 1 salad, half dozen oysters, 3 cascade beer, 4 baklava = $160+ We agreed that portion just too small, dont think we'll be back to this place

Absolutely the best food in Melbourne we eat out all the time and nothing compares to this the tastes are true authentic and everything is always fresh and consistent and we are never ever disappointed..oh correction only when they have sold out of their delicious seafood platter or amazing unique calamari salad, we eat there at least twice a week its home cooked fresh food and affordable and the owners are the nicest people in the world love Bodrum xx

5 star cuisine and service. As soon as you step in you know you are going to have a delightful experience. We requested plates to share and it was delicious! We started with fresh pita and dips. Yum ! Fish, lamb and chicken were tender and melt in your mouth tender. Dessert was the best Künefe I have ever tasted. The service very professional and friendly. We will back again.

So fresh. So very more-ish. You must have the trio of dips. All made on premises.... the taste will astound you. We had lamb, chicken and fish dishes. I could not believe how tender and delightful each bite was. Exquisite cuisine. This restaurant is certainly a must to visit. The host and hostess (owners) really care and attend to each person like family. As you can tell "I'm really impressed, especially for a first visit". Well done. Can't wait to come back to Melbourne to eat, drink and enjoy your hospitality again.

Always a pleasure and a treat coming here! The service is incredible and the food certainly lives up to the hype. The meat and seafood platters are to die for. They come with so much food, it’s impossible not to feel full. The staff are incredibly friendly and make you feel welcome. If there’s one item you need to eat, it’s the cheese cigars!! Even they know they are my fave. I can’t wait to come back :)

The food was great! Mostly the service was 10/10 felt very welcomed and at ease the minute I stepped in the restaurant. The price, quality and the range was amazing (very generous). The ambiance was something out of the Mediterranean, felt like I went overseas. Definitely will be returning, especially for the Turkish tea and baklava!

I don't even want to give it one star. I went to this restaurant with a friend and the owner of th restaurant made us feel very uncomfortable. He made numerous jokes about Australians, and noted that we couldn't eat vegemite at his restaurant. As a customer this was weird and I felt very uncomfortable throughout the meal. As a customer I expected better service, not just below expectation but beyond rude. Would not recommend. Beyond this, food was overpriced and of average quality.

Lacklustre vegetarian and vegan options.

Ate dinner here last week and came away very unimpressed. The Bodrum Calamari Salad had no taste and the food took so long to come out that the fresh beans were no longer fresh. The only good thing was the hummus. I will not be returning again and would not recommend dining here.

I 've been almost every Turkish restaurant in Melbourne and “Bodrum” is the most disappointing one. Food is so average, especially the fish menu, which was really poor. (any fish and chips place is better).Also, all the jokes about Australians are so wrong and rude.

Had a wonderful evening at Bodrum with Sandi, VAP and Stead.  Food was fabulous, we entrusted our host Aidan, to make recommendations on what to eat and his selections didn't disappoint.  The staff were all friendly and the service couldn't be faulted.  We'll be back again without doubt.

Experience wasn't great. We booked for 6 adults and a highchair, we were told they didn't have highchairs (why? It's a restaurant) and were told out kid could sit in their pram. Not ideal but ok. We arrive and there was literally nowhere for a pram. So we awkwardly had to shove him somewhere where we were absolutely in people's way.<br/>We all ordered the 55$ banquet as we were told service would be much faster with a group of 6. 1st course of dips came out promptly and there was plenty of dip and bread. We then waited 1hr and 45minutes for the next course. That is an obscene amount of time to have to wait.<br/>Food was nice but those 2 experiences very much tainted the night for us. As such I wouldn't recommend and we wont be back.

We came to Bodrum for a birthday dinner and as such enjoyed the set menu as organised by the hosts. The standout dish was definitely the calamari salad which was really fresh and healthy. <br/><br/>The seafood is the star of the show here showcasing the local coastal food of Bodrum a seaside city in Turkey. Other highlights were the sigara borek and dips. Definitely recommend

Serve time is a shambles, though the service is friendly and the food excellent. We ordered the $55 per person banquet, at the request of the owner- we think (in retrospect) because the service is a shambles, and at least with all tables having a banquet, the shambles is limited. The dips were delicious, the saganaki melt in your mouth, the seafood divine, the meat succulent and the baclava sweet. Expensive and shotty service but I still think give it a go- maybe theyll fix up their mistakes.

WOW!<br/>I must start by saying, whoever feels the importance of genuine and passionate service, MUST dine at Bodrum!<br/>Everything certainly tastes that much better =)<br/><br/>Took dad for his birthday, and rest assured, he had the best dinning experience in his 54 yrs....A man who doesn't particularly fancy seafood, ate everything without hesitation, and eagerly awaits our next visit.<br/><br/>We settled for the Essendon Banquet and immensely enjoyed every serving, full of exclusive flavours and quality produce.<br/>Timing between courses were perfectly spread, allowing us to settle before our next WOW.<br/>(Whoever say's they left here hungry, must have a hole in their gut!)<br/><br/>I highly recommend visiting Bodrum, and would like to (again) thank the team for an amazing dinning experience.<br/>We'll be back very soon!

Beautiful place. Best customer service I have seen in any restaurant and couldn't fault any of the food items. All the meat and fish were like butter. Stunning. Recommended.

Thank you Bodrum for a fantastic Mother’s Day lunch. Food was amazing and the service was fantastic. Can’t wait to return with our friends. Thanks Aiden looking forward to seeing you next tine we come in .

I love to eat out and hate getting disappointed but Bodrum, you ticked all my boxes. Firstly, great service, reasonably priced<br/>and most of all outstanding food.<br/>It brings coastal Turkish Medaterainian food to your feet In the heart of Melbourne. This seafood is to die for.<br/>Highly recommended.<br/><br/>

This place is awesome! Delicious seafood. Had the specialities (seafood risotto and prawn guvec)- both flavorsome and seafood cooked to perfection. Also had midye dolma for entree also really tasty. Definitely will be back to try more dishes. Really great ambiance too.

Fantastic service, hospitality and really warm atmosphere. <br/><br/>The menu is very Mediterranean and offers a real taste of coastal Turkey.<br/><br/>Starter dishes you have to try: Eggplant dip, Calamari Salad, Midye Dolma(Stuffed Mussels), Essendon Oysters. Ask for the lightly fried sardines as these are mainly offered on weekends. Mains: Prawn Guvec is a specialty and a must try for a first timer.<br/><br/>Always a very pleasant experience.

Greated at the door with friendly staff - service terrific food delicious - banquet was Devine,the meats tender and full of flavour- ambience spot on- ! Will definitely be back

For seafood lovers like me, this place is absolutely beautiful. Food is great and staff are very hospitable. Overall a very good experience.

*Service was outstanding <br/>* If you have travelled to Turkey then a little taste of Bodrum is what you get. <br/>*Must try the stuffed Mussels. <br/><br/>Turkish food just went up a notch. You won’t find kebabs but what you do gets is the cuisines love for the Sea. Fresh Seafood is on the menu and something they are recognized for. We opted for the banquet 65 pp and the food was endless. You won’t leave looking for McDonald’s. We did get a side of the stuffed Mussels as they were highly recommended and something that is widely available in Turkey along the Bosporus, so don’t leave without trying. The food was great and they created such a warm inviting atmosphere. Sit back have good food, friendly service and if your keen to try Raki, I would take the offer. Excuse the photos my friends simply could not wait and before I even got a chance they were digging in.