Mezze Me | Turkish Food in Abergavenny

Pete and I have recently moved from suburban London – our home of nearly three decades – to a small village in rural Wales. We now live just outside Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, an area we’ve previously visited only as holiday-makers.

Of course, we’ve been keen to explore our local restaurants, with plenty of recommendations kindly given by local residents including a flurry of praise for Mezze Me, on Frogmore Street. The restaurant describes its menu as “fresh and homemade Turkish and eastern Mediterranean food”, and in the 6 months they’ve been open, they’ve already grown a loyal customer base, Pete and I included.

Lahmacun at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

The menu is divided into cold and warm mezze, wraps, and mains.

Selection of dishes at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales Selection of dishes at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

Over two lunch time visits, we ordered a selection of dishes to share.

Halloumi at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

Halloumi bites with a yoghurt, garlic and cucumber dip (£5.50) are coated in breadcrumbs, fried till crisp, and served piping hot. The cooling yoghurt dip is a perfect foil; these disappear far too quickly!

Baba Ghanoush at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales Hummus at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

The Baba ghanoush (smoked aubergine, tahini, garlic and lemon puree, £4.20) is one of the best we’ve had, smoky, silky, fresh. It’s a real delight, mopped up with the fresh Turkish bread provided.

Likewise, the Hummus (£4.20) is excellent, just the right texture, the perfect balance of chickpea, tahini, lemon and garlic, and a generous portion too.

Breakfast eggs at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

The Turkish village breakfast (eggs fried with beef salami and served with bread, £6.20) seem a touch expensive for what they are, but the robust spicy flavour of the salami is a treat. My personal preference is for the eggs to still be runny rather than set, which I’ll ask for when ordering next time.

Lahmacun at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

It’s unusual to see Lahmacun (turkish flatbreads spread with spiced lamb mince and grilled) in the Mains section rather than sold individually as mezze, but since they’re often compared to pizzas, perhaps it makes sense. Here, you get two for £9.90, which is more than we’re used to paying in the Turkish restaurants we love in London. But they’re tasty, and perfect folded around the raw onion garnish, and eaten with one’s hands.

Kofte meatballs at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

 

Kofte (£11.50) come in the form of five small minced lamb patties with a small serving of rice and vermicelli pilaf, mixed salad, a grilled sweet pepper, a piece of bread and sweet chilli sauce. The kofte are delicious, as is the rice, but I’d prefer a more robust chilli sauce than this East Asian style sweet one.

I make the same pricing comment about the kofte as the lahmacun: I’m used to much larger portions of this dish in London (meat and rice in particular), for the same price or less; I hadn’t expected Abergavenny pricing to top that of London, but perhaps the scarcity of Turkish food allows for a premium to be charged?

My quibble on some of the pricing aside, the food is very good, freshly cooked and full of flavour. The service is warm, friendly, and welcoming, making this an excellent choice for lunch or dinner on your own or with friends.

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Selection of dishes at Mezze Me Turkish Restaurant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

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27 Comments to "Mezze Me | Turkish Food in Abergavenny"

  1. team NotLeafy

    Those halloumi bites sound so good think we’d have seconds! Love fresh Turkish bread, get ours locally – about .5m long for £1 and delicous warmed through.

    Reply
  2. Ceri Jones

    Mezze. In Wales?? My how things have changed! It looks delicious Kavey, have never made it to Abergavenny before. Hope you’re enjoying everything the new life has to offer!

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    kaveyeats

    There are some great restaurants in Abergavenny and the wider area. I’m missing South East Asian food but a fair few multicultural cuisines are represented! 👍

    Reply
  3. Susy Heathcote

    Mehmet also runs The Station Hotel on the Brecon Road. It’s not a hotel but an excellent village type pub. They often have excellent music there too.

    Reply
  4. Heidi Roberts

    Turkish meze is one of my favourite meals! I walked by a Turkish restaurant the other day and the smell almost wrapped itself around me and dragged me in!!

    Reply
  5. Louise

    I LOVE Mezze! My only problem is, that I always compare to when I lived and worked in Turkey as a Tour Guide. Somehow it never really tastes the same! Maybe the ingredients in the “mother-country” are just better! Anyway – the dishes look really delicious!
    Louise x

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes I think it’s hard to match exactly, and I know there are regional variations, even between two restaurants in the same town. For sure a factor may be the ingredients here versus there. The Baba ghanoush was one of the best we’ve ever had though!

    Reply
  6. Priya Iyer

    I’ve always been fascinated by Turkish food, and have just started exploring it. There is so much delightful food the cuisine has to offer, especially for vegetarians!
    All the food you have had here looks incredible. I especially love the look of those Halloumi Bites! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Stephanie

    So glad that you are settling nicely into your new home town! I love Turkish food, and this post had me salvating! Those haloumi bites look AMAZING, never had them before although I love the cheese! Can never go wrong with baba ganoush!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    It’s a great town. We’d visited a few times as tourists but now living nearby! ❤️

    Reply
  8. Putri

    Yes, I agree with you, the first thing to find out in a new neighborhood is their hidden gems, especially restaurants. And how lucky you are to find a good Turkish restaurant in the area! This post totally reminds me of the food I ate in Turkey, and now I miss them all. I love how Turkish food can be so flavorful yet so light.

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    Yes, it’s full of great flavours but the ingredients, such as aubergine and chickpeas, shine through!

    Reply
  9. Brenna

    Yummm! I haven’t had a ton of Turkish food, but I love the Mediterranean food that I’ve had. I think I’d love this place!

    Reply
    kaveyeats

    There’s a lot of cross over in the cuisines of the various countries that have a presence on the Med, for sure!

    Reply
  10. Manjulika Pramod

    Abergavenny sounds interesting. I don’t know much about Wales. I hope you are settling in well at the new place. Well the food pictures definitely suggest you are. I am a great fan of Turkish food and these pictures made me hungry. I would go for the Turkish village breakfast for the spicy salami. Kofte and Halloumi bites would be on my plate too.

    Reply
  11. kaveyeats

    They are great, the flavour of the beef salami is really robust which works so well with the eggs.

    Reply

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