Turtle Bay

Wonderful food, fantastic atmosphere, and far from expensive. The waiter was really helpful and friendly. Just what the doctor ordered on a wet and wild Saturday afternoon. Can’t wait till my next visit!

Came here on a whim with work as we were all booked in to go to Beef and Pudding, in January, only to arrive there and be told as there were 16 of us, they couldn’t offer the 50% offer we booked via. Which was fine, but it was more due to the attitude of the staff as to why we walked away and headed to Turtle Bay as a second option.
Anyway — what a great second option! I had roasted duck wraps to start which were crispy, hot and really tasty. They were pretty large for a starter so well worth the money, thus sharing them with a friend. I also kicked off with an Espresso Martini like I usually do, and it was a decent one, coming from a regular Espresso Martini drinker…
The main meal was my highlight though– after taking about 15 minutes to decide what to chose because the menu is sooooo good (They have a section called ‘one pots’ and I couldn’t pick which Caribbean themed curry pot I wanted as they all sounded fab) I opted for the ‘Rastafari Run Down’ one pot — a combination of butter beans, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes, coconut milk and all sorts of veggies with brown rice and fried dumplings. It was creamy, spicy and full of flavour, and I felt like I was getting a real mix of veg. Really enjoyed it, and would like to go back and try the other versions.
If you didn’t want a one pot, they have amazing burger options and jerk pit BBQ choices too.
Can’t say I have had fried dumplings before but I would recommend them after trying them here — possibly not the healthiest, but have all the taste of regular fluffy dumplings with a crispy coating.
Nice atmosphere, attentive staff, and overall great food. I’ll be coming back here.

I’ve been very positively struck by Turtle Bay! Went there for a lunch, my first experience with Caribbean cuisine. You know what? Terrific! Every dish is so colourful, just as the rest of the environment. Everything reminds of some exotic place, not only lights, colours and music, but also the waiters singing while serving customers. The staff is lovely, indeed.
At first I was somewhat skeptical about the simultaneous presence of fruit and meat/​fish in every dish on the menu. But I had to change my mind. My chicken was excellent, just as the vegetable gravy: its hint of chilli matched perfectly with the sweetness of the potato mash; and what enriched the whole dish was the fried platan indeed.
Prices are very affordable, mostly under 10 pounds for one of the main courses. I only regret not trying their selection of cocktails, but this is just another reason to come again.

I ordered curried chicken, and I was not served authentic Caribbean food as I expected. What I got tasted more like a Thai curry, which although not unpleasant, was not what I wanted. If I want a creamy coconut curry, I’ll go to Try Thai. On the plus side, the atmosphere was great, and the cocktails delicious. If I go back, it’ll be for BOGOF cocktails alone

Entered on a Saturday afternoon at 5:30 to go for dinner. This food outlet was very busy but they accommodated us. To start with I had pulled pork salad this was absolutely gorgeous priced at £4.95. For my main course I had half of jerk chicken served with rice and beans and this was priced at £9.95. The cocktails was on buy one get one free until 7pm, so I had two cocktails (one was a strawberry daiquiri and the other one was a Mojito). If you have never been to this Caribbean restaurant, it is worth it. The waitress was so friendly and couldn’t do enough to help. That’s why this restaurant is getting five stars from me.

As i walked in i thought i was on holiday. The place is designed as if we were in the heart of Jamaica. I instantly felt relaxed aster a day at work. There were playing reggae music. Between 2 – 7 and 10-​midnight is happy hour so all cocktails are 241. The bar maid recommended us our first cocktail which was a raspberry reggae its was nice and sweet. We then chose a beachcomber zombie. This consisted of 4 different types of rum, absinthe and tropical juice.
Well recommended for somewhere different to start or end your night

I first came across this place when I was at uni in Nottingham and loved it! When I heard they were opening another I was super excited.
I headed here on the weekend (after booking) and on arrival we were seated promptly given how busy it was. The décor in this place is exactly how I remembered — with the Caribbean feel its pretty awesome and has that laid back vibe! The bar is almost like a a beach hut and the open kitchen allowed the insane smell to waft out into the room too.
I always opt for the one pot Mango and Shrimp curry which is seriously amazing. Served with rice and a flatbread this dish hits the spot. The favours from the spices are so re-​freshing. I am a caribbean foodie convert after tasting the majority of the food on their menu! My ex-​housemate (from the Caribbean) also convinced me their food was almost like the real thing too — kudos to Turtle Bay for your authenticity.

Um es kurz zu fassen: ein richtig geiles Restaurant was man von draußen nicht erwartet. Die Mukke ist gut aber etwas laut also nichts für lange Gespräche.
Das Essen ist karibisch. Viel Fleisch, viel mariniertes, viele Starter und scharf gibt es auch und es schmeckt alles super. Wir haben vier unterschiedliche Gerichte gehabt und die waren alle der Hammer.
In der einsehbaren Küche wird u.A. gegrillt aber man riecht absolut kein Rauch. Die Cocktails sind sehr gut gemixt und zu späterer Stunde auch alkoholisch sehr konzentriert.
Das 2−4−1 Angebot gibt’s von 11:30 bis 19:00 und dann wieder ab 22:00.
Die Preise sind Manchester-​bedingt recht hoch.
Wir hatten sehr nette Bedienungen und die Empfangsdame hat sehr starke Ähnlichkeit mit Angelina Jolie. :-) aber das nur am Rande :-)
Also: hingehen lohnt sich.

I really like the décor of this restaurant which is fun and thematic without being too gimmicky or formulaic. Also I love fairy lights.
Service was very attentive when it came to putting in drinks/​food orders but the food took a long time to arrive.
Nobody was very enamoured of the various bread-​themed things they ordered — flat bread was apparently quite tough and chewy. Two friends shared the trini doubles (bara roti and chickpeas), neither finished the roti.
I had had enough pierogi for two people for lunch so just had a starter — king prawns and a side of plantain. I’m used to getting plantains fried to order and felt like these had been sitting around a while, not so good. The prawns seemed a bit overcooked, having a crumbly texture and the fishy oil completely saturated the flatbread that was served underneath it all — which was a shame as the oil didn’t taste so great.
My friend tried the fish curry recommended by Jonny Q and said it was delicious, the little bit I sampled definitely tasted good — great coconut flavour. Would return for that, and I think it’s a reasonable price at £9.65. Some of the chicken I saw being served looked pretty good too (but can it be better than Buzzrocks? I highly doubt it). I also liked the look of the goat burger which comes with plantains but given my plantains weren’t great and others didn’t like their bready things maybe not.
Definitely not a good place to go for a quiet chat or where a small group are trying to have a conversation because it’s so noisy the person right next to you can barely hear you.

A great spot to catch up with a friend over lunch! Service was friendly & quick and the food portion was a brilliant size with amazing flavour. I went for the jerk chicken wrap, which was on the lunchtime bites section of the menu. At £6.95 it felt quite a pricey lunchtime option, however I feel I got value for money, with the spiced chips and ‘slaw both great accompaniments. The wrap had a great kick to it, perhaps almost too much of one for the faint hearted! Really enjoyed my meal and will certainly be returning to check out the rest of the menu

I had been here before for a cheeky cocktail or four but never for food… It’s really hard to find a decent Carribean restaurant these days especially if you’re used to eating the proper stuff :)
I’ve had high hopes for this place for ages, particularly since its been in the local paper, singing it praises.
So finally I came here for a celebratory dinner, to be greeted by a fantastic waitress. She looked after us all evening, to a point i tipped my first tip in a long time!
Here they offer traditional Afrikaans food… chicken wings, patties, salt fish, jerk prawns, goat curry! And lots of nom tasty cocktails… I was really overwhelmed with the choice!
Because I was on a detox, I concentrated on the mocktaiks. the banana and peanut butter was banoffee in a glass :) nom nom nom
After some time later we decided to try the jerk sweet potato fries, chilli squid and meat patties for starters. For the mains we both chose the curry.
The starters were flavoursome and well presented with fresh avacodo and coconut shavings… the fries were amazing, seasoned to perfection with naughty mayonnaise .I knew if demolished the rest of these I wouldn have no room left for the main!
Taken away, a large traditional pot landed beneath my nose. the lid was removed to expose the tasties within. curried whitefish with rice and peas. it didn’t look a huge portion but half way through I had to wave the white flat bread. my companions goat curry was nice, but I have had better in past, when it’s been cooked on the bone. it was still good .my only crticism is the flat bread tasted like it was from a packet.
Overall a really nice meal, at £50 for 5 drinks and a two course meal each.bargain.and the waitresses service did not waver. The two for one cocktails are a steal, I will be coming back.

Dined here last week for the first time!!!
Got in just on time to nab some cocktails on 2 for 1 happy hour, they were yum but only criticism is that you have to order two of the same kind of cocktail which is a bit naf… I’ll stick to revolucion de cubas if I’m purely out for happy hour in future!
The food itself was delicious, jerk ribs to start, ½ jerk chicken with sweet potato fries for main and the spicy chocolate pot with coconut ice cream for dessert! Potions were plentiful and food full of flavour!
The restaurant itself has great décor and a lovely atmosphere with reggae beats in full flow, service was also 100% and the management made an effort to catch us on the way out to ask if we had a nice evening and thank us for our custom!

Turtle Bay is a decent establishment and a nice addition to the diverse Manchester restaurant scene. The glittery lights outside are inviting and evidently a lot of thought went into the interior design. The bar is ideally placed near the entrance and was bustling with rum drinking punters when we arrived on an otherwise quiet Sunday manchester evening. I was recommended the place by a few fellow Unilocalers before a friend suggested we try it ahead of a standard visit to Wasabi. I agreed.
This particular location has been somewhat cursed with it changing proprietors over the years. Being next to Wetherspoon’s isn’t ideal, watch out for stumbling ethanol fuelled clumsy folk on weekends. But it’d nice to see Turtle Bay hopefully stick around for good.
So, all initial signs were good as we approached the illuminated feeding abode. But the real question was would it be the authentic foodie haven I so desperately wanted it to be when all was said and done?
The answer unfortunately was anything but emphatic. Don’t get me wrong, the ambiance is convincing as is the food but I can’t help but think the décor screams: «like me I’m authentic Caribbean» in the exact same way Rev de Cuba screams: «like me I’m authentic South American»
The reality is, this is another Chain restaurant owned by the same folk who own the Las Iguanas chain. British entrepreneurs looking to dip into the «authentic» themed restaurant/​bars armed with an army of marketing/​PR folk are becoming increasingly/​annoyingly common/​convincing. And yes they have a place in society but no amount of props can hide the truth from real foodies.
Case in point, does anyone actually believe that if you arrive at a bar in Barbados at 7:01pm (when the cocktail 241 happy hour ends at 7pm) the staff will abruptly/​rudely refuse to humour you? Upon jokingly asking the waiter if he could squeeze us into the happy hour avec une round of cocktails, I was met with a stare more appropriate had I ordered a portion of baby kittens for starters!
Sure there was Carribean music, sure the layout was meticulous but much like that alien in the woman’s body in Mars Attacks I was too aware of what lay beneath it all.
I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken wings and Mo’Bay chicken in a very warm and friendly environment. The place is obviously very popular with crowds itching to try «flavours of the Carribean.»
For me though, it was a foodie equivalent of driving a ford mustang with a Ford Kat engine. But it’s nice to be seen driving a Mustang right?
I do recommend it though, the same way I recommend Transformers movies to movie buffs (visually stunning but don’t expect anything resembling a film narrative) This restaurant has it’s place and people will continue to like it thanks to the marketing and the resultant high footfall. I on the other hand with my general distrust/​dislike for chains will most likely not be a regular.

Following recommendations from a colleague I was keen to try out the offering at a Turtle Bay. Caribbean food, drink and culture are so popular I’m surprised there aren’t more of these restaurants. The only time I’ve eaten Caribbean food in the UK before it has been either home cooked or a takeaway.
Turtle Bay did not disappoint. I had the Blue Mountain Goat Curry. This is served in a metal pot with rice & peas and a garnish. The goat meat was deliciously tender and really tasty. My dining partner had the Jerk Lamb which was quite a large portion and the meat, although not as tender as the goat, was equally delicious.
Deserts consisted of a Banana Toffee cheesecake which was pretty good and a Dark chocolate pie which was distinctly average — just a warmed up chocolate brownie with ice cream.
What stopped it from getting 5 stars? Limited beer choice. Only red stripe or Carib. And I was disappointed with my desert. The main course in isolation deserves 5 stars, but the overall experience I have to knock it down to 4.