El Turko Charcoal Grill is a family-owned Lower Hutt restaurant shaped by the cooking background of Murat and Turkana Akyol. Murat grew up in Şanlıurfa, in southeastern Türkiye, and the restaurant keeps that connection visible through meat cooked over real charcoal, warm breads and food prepared from scratch. The room operates as a licensed restaurant and also welcomes BYO wine, giving diners the flexibility to settle in for a full Turkish meal rather than treating the menu as a quick kebab stop.
Charcoal is the heart of the savoury cooking. Lamb shish and chicken shish pick up the direct heat of the grill, while Adana kebab turns seasoned minced meat into a more deeply spiced option. Diners can order these preparations on their own, fold them into a kebab or choose an Iskender-style meal that combines meat, bread and accompaniments. A family platter makes the grill especially easy to explore in a group, bringing several flavours to the table without everyone ordering the same main.
The menu is equally convincing away from the meat. Cigara böreği offers a crisp pastry opening, and dishes such as shakshuka and stuffed vine leaves broaden the mezze selection. Falafel, mücver and halloumi can anchor salads or lighter meals, while hummus and other house-made dips arrive with fresh flatbread. These choices give vegetarian diners a genuine route across the menu, and their cooling, herb-led flavours also make useful contrasts to the smoke and spice of the grill.
Murat's training as a pastry chef comes through most clearly at the end of the meal, where baklava continues the restaurant's handmade approach. Gözleme and bread-based dishes show that the same attention to dough also belongs in the savoury part of the menu. Taken together, the grill, mezze, breads and sweets make El Turko suitable for a table that wants to linger and share widely. The appeal lies not in a single signature plate, but in moving between charred meat, crisp pastry, fresh salad, rich dips and a syrupy dessert.
Address: 146 High Street, Hutt Central, Lower Hutt 5010, New Zealand
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El Turko Charcoal Grill Menu
Finger Foods
SHAKSHUKA
A Mediterranean appetizer featuring fried eggplant, zucchini, potatoes and green peppers, all nested in a rice garlic tomato sauce. This dish served alongside Turkish bread.
CIGARA BOREK
FETA CHEESE, MOZZARELLA CHEESE AND PARSLEY ROLLS
DOLAMDOS
a vine leaves stuffed with herby & lemony rice. served with mixed salads and tzaziki dips
DIPS WITH BREAD
choose 1 from our home-made dips. served with T-bread. (hummus,spicy ezme,tzaziki,walnut dips,babaganosh, carrot dips & beetroot dips.
Meat Iskender
A box with salads, your choice of base whether with rice or turkish rice serve with dips, your meat option & homemade sauce
LAMB ISKENDER
comes with your choice of base whether with rice or turkish rice, Lamb, fresh salads which are letuce,carrot,onion, tabouli, red cabbage and tomato cucumber, hummus, beetroot, and cacik dips
CHICKEN ISKENDER
comes with your choice of base whether with rice or turkish rice, chicken doner, fresh salads which are letuce,carrot,onion, tabouli, red cabbage and tomato cucumber, hummus, beetroot, and cacik dips
MIX ISKENDER
comes with your choice of base whether with rice or turkish rice, Lamb & Chicken, fresh salads which are letuce,carrot,onion, tabouli, red cabbage and tomato cucumber, hummus, beetroot, and cacik dips
Veggie Iskender
A box with salads, your choice of base whether with rice or turkish rice serve with dips, your veggie option & homemade sauce
FALAFEL ISKENDER
comes with your choice of base whether with rice or turkish rice, falafel, fresh salads which are letuce,carrot,onion, tabouli, red cabbage and tomato cucumber, hummus, beetroot, and cacik dips
MUJVER SIKENDER
all meals comes with rice or Turkish rice, mucvar (fitters grated zucchini & carrot mixed with dill, parsley, spring onion, garlic and red peppers.) , fresh salads (letuce,carrot,onion, tabouli, red cabbage and tomato cucumber), hummus,beetroot and cacik dips
HALLOUMI ISKENDER
all meals comes with rice or Turkish rice, fresh salads (letuce,carrot,onion, tabouli, red cabbage and tomato cucumber), hummus,beetroot and cacik dips
Authentic Charcoal Grill
all meals comes with rice or Turkish rice (contains Gluten), salads, dips,and homemade tomato sauce.
LAMB SHISH
Charcoal grilled marinated lamb cut into cube pieces & place in a metal skewers
CHICKEN SHISH
Charcoal Grilled marinated chicken breast, cut into cube-sized pieces and threaded onto metal skewers.
ADANA KEBAP
Savory charcoal grilled ground beef combined with fresh herbs and spices, then threaded onto metal skewers.
EL TURKO KOFTA
A grilled beef mince blended with fresh herbs and spices, shaped into flat circles.
OTOMAN FEAST (MIXED GRILL)
A combination of delicious savory adana, juicy chicken shish and tender lamb shish
PIRZOLA (LAMB CUTLETS)
A charcoal grill lamb cutlet marinated with Mediterranean spices
EL TURKO SPECIAL FAMILY PLATE
A PLATE THAT FILLS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY UP! FIT FOR SHARING.THIS PLATE IS SERVED WITHE FRESH SALADS AND HOMEMADE DIPS, ALONG WITH OUR FRESHLY CHARCOAL-GRILLED MEATS. PLATES INCLUDES: TWO LAMB CUTLETS, CHICKEN SHISH, ADANA , LAMB SHISH, MUJVER AND FALAFEL
Platters
MEZZE PLATTER (VEGETARIAN)
Comes falafel, mujver, sigara borek, halloumi, feta cheese, dolma, olives, dips, salads, and Turkish bread.
MEAT PLATTERS
Comes with chicken doner, lamb doner kofta, grilled tomato, salads, dips and turkish bread.
Veggie Kebabs
A dairy-free and yeast-free flatbread, filled with fresh lettuce, carrot, onion, red cabbage, and your choices of protein and 2 sauces
FALAFEL KEBAB
MUJVER KEBAB
HALLOUMI KEBAB
Meat Kebabs
A dairy-free and yeast-free flatbread, filled with fresh lettuce, carrot, onion, red cabbage, and your choices of protein and 2 sauces
CHICKEN KEBAB
LAMB KEBAB
MIX KEBAB
Meat Salads
a box with full of fresh salads, dips, your choice of meat and topped with chef sauce.
CHICKEN SALADS
MIX SALADS
LAMB SALADS
Veggie Salads
a box with full of fresh salads, dips, your choice of veggie and topped with chef sauce.
FALAFEL SALADS
MUJVER SALADS
HALLOUMI SALADS
Keto Dish Option
KETO ISKENDER
Comes with Lettuce,red cabbage, tomato, cucumber, walnut dips, tzaziki, grilled halloumi and cauliflower rice & top with turkish home-made authentic sauce
KETO KEBAB
Comes with Lettuce,red cabbage, tomato, cucumber, grilled halloumi & your choice of sauces
KETO SALAD
Comes with Lettuce,red cabbage, tomato, cucumber, walnut dips, tzaziki , grilled halloumi & top with turkish home-made authentic sauce
Gozleme
GROUND BEEF & MOZZARELLA
A grilled flatbread filled with cooked spiced ground beef and mozzarella cheese. served with salad and tzatziki
SPINACH FETA & MOZZARELLA
A grilled flatbread filled with spinach, feta and mozzarella cheese. served with salad and tzatziki
Meat on Chips
CHICKEN ON CHIPS
LAMB ON CHIPS
MIX ON CHIPS
Bread Dishes
TURKISH BREAD
GARLIC BREAD
CHILI GARLIC BREAD
CHEESY GARLIC BREAD
OLIVE CHEESE TURKISH BREAD
Kids Menu
TURKISH BURGER/ CHIPS MEAL/ RICE MEAL
CHIPS MEAL
A BED OF CHIPS TOPPED WITH GRILLED CHICKEN AND MAYONNAISE AND TOMATO SAUCE
RICE MEAL
A BED OF RICE TOPPED WITH GRILLED CHICKEN AND MAYONNAISE AND TOMATO SAUCE
TURKISH BURGER
burger bun filled with turkish meatballs, cheese, lettuce tomato &mayo sauce add drinks & fries -$20
Sides
LARGE CHIPS
SMALL CHIPS
CURLY FRIES
FALAFEL BOX
COMES WITH HUMMUS & OLIVES
MUJVER BOX
COMES WITH HUMMUS & OLIVES
RICE BOX
Dessert
BAKLAVA
Made of layers of filo pastry with chopped nuts and sweetened honey or chocolate syrup.
HALVA
A rich and wholesome sweet made of sesame
TURKISH DELIGHT
A traditional treat in turkey
CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU
Layers of coffee-soaked ladyfingers and rich mascarpone cheese, flavored with chocolate and topped with cocoa powder.
LEMON/ CRANBERRY CHESEE CAKE
CREAMY, MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH CHEESECAKE LAYERD OVER A CRISP BISCUIT BASE, DELIVERING THE PERFECT BALANCE OF SWEETNESS AND RICHNESS WITHE THE FLAVOURS OF FRUITY-FRESH LEMON OR CRANBERRY ,YOUR CHOICE
Hot Drinks & Cold Drinks
HOMEMADE LEMONADE
CANNED DRINKS
CHOICE OF COKE/COKE ZERO PEPSI/ PEPSI MAX SPRITE/SPRITE ZERO MOUNTION DEW L&P
AYRAN
TURKISH TEA
TURKISH JUICE
BERRY FLAVOUR LEMON FLAVOUR LIME FLAVOUR PEACH FLAVOUR MELON FLAVOUR POMEGRANATE FLAVOUR
TURKISH COFFEE
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+ Log your visitHow prices compare
Against typical prices in Wellington
- Garlic bread Typical in Wellington: $11.50 $10.00
- Kebab Typical in Wellington: $19.00 $19.00
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