Turkuaz Fine Turkish Cuisine
“Food was fantastic, wine was good, and didn't hit the wallet hard, and the baklava was awesome.”
“They have live music and belly dancers here from time to time but I am never around to check it out.”
“The seating area was in a tent like place with dim lights and quietish setting.”
Turkuaz Fine Turkish Cuisine
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
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Such a cool restaurant! It feels like your in a tent in the middle of the desert….with electricity and English-speaking wait staff, apparently.
I went here with a group of co-workers and the restaurant staff were so friendly and accommodating of our 8 people table. We ordered a Large Cold Appetizer Plate (7 items) for $29.95…sadly each dip portion was very small, so I found that appetizer over-priced. However, the waiters always gave us more refills on bread, so that's a plus!
I ordered the Şiş Kebap (Shish Kebab) for my main and I was not disappointed. It was great…like all the other Shish Kebabs I've ordered in the past….well marinated, juicy and filling.
Great place and I will come back!
Have been meaning to try this place for YEARS. What took us so long??? It was excellent. From attentive, friendly service from Antoine and staff…to absolutely delicious everything. From the bread basket and the "lahmajeune (sp?)" to the lamb dumpling-things to the yogurt, donor, bread, tomato thing to the baklava…everything was perfect.
I love Turkish food, all Middle-eastern flavors are my flavors, and have been to a lot of Turkish restaurants. This one was the best. Flavor. Ambience. Service. Price. All just right.
Came here for lunch with my friends. Food was pretty good but definitely pricy. Small portions. Ambience is pretty good. Downside is no Airconditiong during lunch hours. Wierd! We were sweating !!! If you are looking for a hearty meal, I would not recommend this place.
This is a great neighborhood Turkish. The front bar area looks like a typical storefront ethnic restaurant, but they have tented over the area in back so that it looks like a caravan stop in Turkey–eat here for low lights and atmosphere. The dishes are quite authentic and emphasize lamb and eggplant as you would expect. Two of us shared the great salad with feta, the chicken liver appetizer, and Sultan's Delight (lamb and eggplant). All were delicious. For dessert out came baklava–it was a buttery treat and far superior to the cloying baklavas I've tried at most other places.
There were just two service lapses, one serious. A wine from Portugal was undrinkable– but they replaced it with something else. More serious, no one warned us that there was a hot green pepper in the Sultan's Delight that should NOT be eaten. First, it should be removed from the dish before serving. Second, diners should be warned. Someone in our party ate it and we almost had to call an ambulance. This should NOT happen. So apart from hot peppers, you can have a great meal here. But be careful.
It's not an exaggeration to say I've walked past Turkuaz at least 500 times in my life without thinking twice about it. I suppose I just wrote it off as some sub-par Manhattan Valley restaurant that was only busy at any given time due to convenience. Boy, was I wrong. Dining here was such a lovely experience! First time trying Turkish food and it did not disappoint.
Came here on a weeknight with a friend and was immediately struck by the decor. Knowing virtually nothing about Turkish culture, I don't know whether to call it impressively authentic or hopelessly kitschy. The cynic in me is going to go with the latter but regardless, I still enjoyed it. Somewhat dim lighting, a nice blend of deep reds, purples and blues, metal lanterns atop each table and plush chairs – I assume it's all an homage to tradition Turkish culture (again, apologies if I'm misinformed – this is total surmising on my part). To top it off, the staff is dressed in what I assume to be Turkish garb – each dons a velvety vest decorated with gold embroidery. So call it what you will, but I appreciate the effort here in creating a unique experience.
While the food here was probably a 3.5 for me, the service convinced me to round up. Other than receiving our food quickly, everyone here was so friendly and welcoming. Our waiter greeted us by saying "hello beautiful!" (make of that what you will…still haven't decided how I feel about that) and the hospitality continued throughout the evening. I drink far more water than the average person, so I'm always impressed when my glass is refilled at my drinking pace – so props to Turkuaz for delivering on that front. We were thanked repeatedly for our patronage as we rose from our seats and proceeded back out of this mini-oasis, so we left with a good taste in our mouths both literally and figuratively.
Speaking of taste (unintentional), let's talk FOOD. To start, we split the Zucchini Pancakes, which are served with yogurt. Definitely would recommend, especially if you're planning on sharing with a friend/friends. Flavorful with just a hint of crisp. I will echo what past reviewers have said, which is that the prices here are unnecessarily high. $9.50 for two zucchini cakes? Seems pretty steep to me. For my entree, I ordered the Chicken Shish Kebob, which comes with a nice heap of rice and a cabbage mixture that was cole slaw-esque, minus the excessive mayo. If you come only moderately hungry, you could easily make another meal out of your leftovers – they give you an impressive amount of chicken in this dish. The chicken was juicy and seasoned nicely – I always worry about ordering simple chicken preparations out because I can't stand blandness – not the case here. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for a healthier entree option. And again, 20 bucks for chicken shish kebobs? That was the one thing I couldn't get over. The food is good, but I wouldn't make this a regular spot if you're trying to eat frugally.
Overall this was a solid experience, but I likely won't return for some time. My bank account needs to breath a bit.
This looks like a small hole in the wall mom and pop restaurant from the outside, but it is so far from that. Walk through the bar area and you'll enter an absolutely massive, dining room. Everything is nicely lit and there is a very airy feeling there. The warm bread basket was a great way to start and it went nicely with our baked baby okra with tomatoes.
My wife got the grilled lamb chops for her entree and I went with the mixed grill option. All the food was absolutely excellent, service was with a smile and they even had live entertainment. I found the live entertainment to be a bit awkward, but it was also probably because I was not prepared for it. Price wise, they're a bit more expensive than other turkish restaurants that I've been to with similar quality food.
Ordered a to go dinner here and was impressed by the quality, amount of food you get and the price. Comparable Turkish restaurants in the Bay Area are a little pricier and not as tasty. The food is simple but done with high quality stands and very fresh. I would definitely come again for a sit down meal if I'm in the Upper East Side. Order was promptly fulfilled and the service was nice.
Flatbread – So good and fresh. Crispy, thick crust and soft, warm and fluffy crumb.
Tavik sis – Some of the best chicken kebabs I've ever had! The texture was perfect, juicy and meaty with a little resistance as you bit in. The meat was well marinated and had a tang from the marinade and smoky char from the grill. Yum!
Mucver – Fried, doughey, and pillowy. Great yogurt sauce to balance out the oiliness. Similar to a latke but with zucchini.
Very good restaurant. As all the Turkish and Mediterranean places in the city you can't go wrong with the usual stuff. The appetizer platter is great and it comes with a bunch of spreads and types of dishes. We ordered the okra which was ok. I make a much better okra dish. This one was on the plain flavor side.
I would give it 3.5 stars but I can't put 4 stars since many other great places better than this one are 4 stars.
I would recommend going to their all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch to taste every single dish. I never had brunch there but it's in my to-do list