About Kilim - Turkish Cafe & Takeaway, New Zealand

We first established Cafe Istanbul in Cuba Street, Wellington in 1991, and launched Cafe Pasha in 1992 on Dixon Street. Our partnership with my brother came to an end in 2003 when he moved to Tauranga and set Zeytin Cafe, the first one in Mt Maunganui and the second in The Strand in Tauranga. We sold Cafe Istanbul in 2005 and set up Istanbul in Carterton as a Turkish shop and cafe/takeaway.

After returning back to Wellington with the Kilim Cafe concept which was to provide good quality Turkish cafe style food at a reasonable price. In 2009, we set up Kilim Napier and Kilim takeaways in Havelock North.

My recipes are based on classic Turkish recipes and my mother Emel's cooking, which I always enjoyed. I only twist them a tiny bit with my personal touch.

We only use New Zealand lamb and beef!