Taksim Square
“Yum zucchini pancakes and the meze platter filled me up…best hummus and ezme of all times”
“The stuffed cabbage leaves are good but a little too soggy after delivery.”
“Iskender Kebab: Doner over homemade croutons and topped with tomato sauce and homemade garlic yogurt sauce , mozzarella cheese, served over a bed of rice.”
Taksim Square
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Walked past this Turkish place for the week or two we've been here and finally decided to drop in. The service was really friendly and fast. We ordered two sandwiches from them, a Falafel and a Lamb Adana which both come with a sliced pickle and steak fries. The fries where a nice thick cut and crunchy, which I enjoyed a lot. They offer two different sauces with their food, something closer to a marinara and something close to a ranch. The sauces are great on, well, everything. The bread they offer, the fries, the sandwiches, everything.
UGH TAKSIM, YOU DISAPPOINTED ME! A few months back I came with my parents for dinner and we had a good experience (read my old review if you're curious why it went down two stars). I was really looking forward to fulfilling my Turkish craving again!
This time I came with my parents and my brother. We ordered the hummus appetizer which was decent, the best was the warm bread that came with it. We also ordered the fried calamari appetizer, which we had last time and liked. This time, the calamari was SPOILED! It came out looking wet, soggy, and gross…not crispy and fried like it's supposed to be. It tasted and smelled overly-fishy and my brother said it tasted off. We ended up sending it back but it was almost like they made it two days ago, didn't sell it, left it in the fridge, and then popped it in the microwave before bringing it to our table. FAIL.
My brother had the diner kebab as his entree. I tried some and it was decent. My mom had a Greek salad which was just okay. I had the musakka, which my mom ordered last time. It was definitely the best entree of the evening but I think the portion was way smaller than I remembered it. My dad ordered the dish I was debating between getting, the Turlu, a traditional lamb stew. It was, AWFUL. The sauce tasted like it was straight from a can. The presentation was SAD. It was like someone who's just learning how to cook threw a bunch of ingredients in a crockpot and poured the contents of it on a plate thinking it's suitable enough for human consumption. NOPE. Our kunefe dessert was good, but after everything else that was sub-par, it's basically forgotten about.
I once thought I'd be a semi-frequent visitor at this restaurant. NOT ANYMORE.
I came here on a Saturday night and was surprised that there were just a few tables of people. My friend mentioned this was unusual and that she had been here when it was much more bustling in the past. Our waitress quickly brought over water and was very patient with us taking twenty minutes or so before even opening our menus. She suggested a great bottle of wine that we ended up really enjoying. We started with the hummus, which came with fresh, warm bread (not sure what it's called but it resembled pita pockets). The hummus had a great texture to it. For our meal, we all ordered the falafel wrap. Though wrap was good but nothing amazing, though I did love the potato wedges that came with it. Overall, I liked the food here and was pleased with the prices.
When I first walked in at 12.20pm on a Friday I thought I had chosen a place that wasn't that popular and scared me a little as I had clients joining me. However, after about 10 minutes, the restaurant was full – great sign I think.
Food was tasty specifically the lamb Adana – only issue was I wish I had ordered sides because it was only meat!
I loved Taksim!
Everyone gets fresh baked sesame rolls. For an appetizer, we had eggplant spread.
My dad and I split the mixed grill platter. Everything was tender, beautifully seasoned.
3.5 stars – My husband and I used to live just down the street. We ate in almost all of the restaurants in the area. Perhaps I was a bit hesitant in trying Taksim since Naya and Sip Sak (with similar cuisines and menus) are just down the street, but I'm glad we finally gave it a try on our latest visit.
We were given complimentary Turkish tea thanks to Yelp check in offer. The perfectly steeped teas were served in traditional Turkish cups. Warm breads with olive oil soon followed. Aromatic tea with fluffy breads – Great way to jumpstart our appetites as we waited for our entrees.
My husband who loves all kabobs opted for the lamb kabob with yogurt sauce. It was exactly everything he was craving – perfectly seasoned and charred – he didn't even care for the yogurt sauce. He polished his platter in no time.
I, on the other hand, wasn't as big of a fan of my entree. I fell in love with cabbage rolls from a Ukrainian cafe in LES last fall. When I saw it on the menu at Taksim, I was beyond ecstatic and knew I had to have it!
The cabbage rolls from Taksim however were served in 4 smaller versions (similar to the size of spring rolls) covered in tomato sauce. Portion was tiny compared to what I had in the cafe especially since it cost 4 times more. Taste – to be honest, was the most disappointing part – what I remember was that it was mostly sour. I drowned my plate with my husband's yogurt sauce to add a bit of needed creaminess and flavor. It wasn't terrible but it was pretty meh.
I was still pretty hungry after I finished my entree. More of a reason to get dessert! My husband and I shared their kunufe (baked cheese in pastry crust covered in honey). It was freshly made and required 15 mins of preparation. It was well worth the wait – melted, stringy cheese covered in warm, crunchy, buttery pastry crust, drowned in delectable gooey honey. Wished I skipped my main and order two of these!
Perhaps I ordered the wrong item. Their menu did consist of mostly kabobs. After seeing my husband enjoyed his meal so much and being wowed by their dessert, definitely willing to give Taksim another try.
It's one of my neighborhood restaurants where locals dine. Not a tourist trap! They make grilled smokey flavor babganoush which I pickup often to go. Their grilled lamb chops served with their rice pilaf is as good as you can have in Taksim Square area in Istanbul. This is authentic right in Midtown.
I prefer having the thin bread than the thick one they give you sometimes. It's less carb and better to eat with hummus or babaganoush.
My wife and I have eaten at Taksim many times, however, following what happened this weekend, we will not be returning…
Plain and simple, I ordered the chicken adana sandwich (for $11), to go. On the menu, the sandwich comes with fries. The waitress then tells us after ordering, that when you get it to go, it does not come with anything. The price should be less, right? WRONG! They still charge the same $11 for eat-in or delivery, except that when you get it to go, they don't include anything but your overpriced $11 sandwich.
Does this make sense to anyone out there???