Turkish Kitchen
“They have a lot of promotional events ($22 all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch etc) that you should take advantage of too.”
“I managed to get an entire plate down and had no problem fitting in some baklava, pastries soaked in honey, and custard.”
“Everything was great but the Pathcan Salatasi and Hunkar Begendi was out of this world.”
Turkish Kitchen
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I came here for an event and sat in the private upstairs area. They served us a buffet set of food, which usually is not the best. However, I was thoroughly impressed by the food. From the fresh tomato and cucumber salad to the other Mediterranean items (lamb, chicken, beef) and hummus, it was all really delicious! The rice was salted, but the dishes themselves were not overly salty or greasy.
It's among the better Turkish places I've been to in New York. I would assume the general restaurant itself would be just as good if not better.
I love Turkish food, and I especially love doner kebab and Iskander kebab dishes. My two favorites! From the moment I walked in and looked at the menu, my eyes were locked onto the iskander kebab, which I ordered. Although it's a little pricey compared to other Turkish restaurants I've been to, the food was really good. The meat for my Iskander kebab was cooked nicely, it retained its moisture and tenderness. My friend ordered the lamb chops, also cooked to perfection, the lamb was so tender and seasoned perfectly.
I'm really confused as to why this place has so many positive reviews. Maybe I didn't order the right thing, but I doubt I'd choose to come back again to try something else. I got a rice dish with only lamb meat. Considering the dish was close to $20, I expected there to have been some vegetable options other than an oddly cooked quarter of a tomato. The unreasonably expensive food was subpar at best and I felt like they were trying way too hard to push unnecessary items to us. For example, instead of a regular dessert menu, the server comes around with samples of the options wrapped under saran wrap. Also, they kept trying to promote their brunch, which I will most definitely not be trying. Maybe a lunch special might be worth it, but I wouldn't recommend coming for dinner.
I keep returning to this solid Turkish spot for their fantastic price-fix dinner at $21.95: 4 filling courses of tasty treats.
The sigara and the yalanci dorma are pretty good, and so are their shepherd and green salads. As entrees, the doner kebab and the lamb with okra are both well prepared. The baklava is tiny, but still satisfying.
Overall, it might not be the best Turkish food I've ever had, but it's pretty darn close (I spent two weeks in Turkey this summer). And for what they charge you in their price-fix, it's an unbelievable value.
The service continues to be outstanding. I know I will continue to go back.
Great food overall. Nice atmosphere, service was a little slow but overall good. Best part was the chicken kabob and chicken adana, marinated so well and delicious.
If you have the fortune of coming with a Turkish friend, just let them do all the ordering and prepare for an amazing meal. This restaurant is perfect for large groups. We came with a group of 18 in the end, and my Turkish friend said he kept on calling a few days before to up our reservation. They have two floors and the second is where all the large parties are seated. I even saw one party with a table spanning vertically from one end of the room to the end. Turkish Kitchen must be really popular with Turkish people because apparently at one table there was a famous Turkish model. The one with a tattoo on her shoulder. Didem Soydan maybe?
Appetizers:
Lahana Dolma (Cabbage stuffed with rice, onions, pine nuts, black currants, and herbs) – I really liked this. Very healthy and light appetizer to start off.
Yalanci Dolma (Vine leaves stuffed with rice, onions, pine nuts, black currants, and herbs) – This is the grape leave version of the stuffed cabbage. Tastes pretty much the same as they use the same filling, but with a slightly rougher texture from the grape leaves.
Midye Dolma (mussels stuffed with rice, onions, pine nuts, black currants, and herbs) – The stuffing they used in the cabbage and grape leaves version is spooned on top of the mussels.
Icli Kofe (cracked wheat bulgar patties, stuffed with ground lamb, pine nuts, black currants, and walnuts) – This was my favorite hot appetizer. It's basically this delicious fried croquette stuffed with ground meat. Lots of flavor and spice in the meat itself. You're supposed to eat this with lots of lemon.
We also ordered hummus and baba ganoush to go with the free bread that they kept re-filled, but those were pretty standard. The free Turkish bread was so fluffy and buttery though. It was hard not to gobble the whole basket while waiting for the food to come.
Entrees:
Ikendar Kebab – Very standard dish according to my Turkish friend, but definitely order this entree. You won't regret it. This dish consisted of delicious tender grilled lamb covered with a tasty tomato sauce. The meat covered pieces of sauce soaked pita bread, which at first I couldn't tell it was pita bread.
Kuzu Guvec – This was a casserole dish full of lamb and delicious potatoes, mushrooms, and other vegetables and topped with cheese. So delicious. I didn't really taste the cheese. Overall a very delicious and hearty dish. It also came with a tiny portion of rice.
Hunkar Begendi – This dish consisted of pureed eggplant topped with some kind of chicken stewed in a tomato based sauce. The eggplant puree reminded me of mashed potatoes. The eggplant was a little too thick by itself, but better eaten together with the chicken.
Dessert:
Kadayif – We were all stuffed, but my friend really wanted us to try this Turkish dessert, which he described as a pastry made from cheese, but doesn't taste like cheese. I was hesitant at first, because I'm not a fan of cheese. I'm glad I tried it. Better than baklava, and it really didn't taste like cheese at all. It had an interesting somewhat sticky texture in the middle and crispy bird's nest exterior. The outside was very sweet and had powdered pistachios on top. I would love to come back just to order this dessert again.
The whole bill came out to about $33 including tip and tax per person, which for this feast is very reasonable. That $33 also included coffee and drinks ordered by other people. I heard that on the weekends they have a brunch buffet. AYCE Turkish food?!?! I'll be back.
On a side note, I wanted to order the Lahmacun, but my Turkish friend said this is considered really cheap street food in Turkey. They overcharge in the U.S. for this, so he made me not order it. :'(
It was my first time eating Turkish food besides street food and it was fabulous!!
We started off with the cigar looking rolls of phyllo dough stuffed with cheese and spinach. It was simple, yet tasty. It says on the menu that it is pan fried but it felt more like a deep fried item. Just FYI! Delicious though! Our second appetizer was recommended by our kind waitress as the most popular. It was a mini pizza topped with ground lamb and spices and that was amazing! Very delicate flavors dancing on the thin bread. Loved it!!
Our entrees consisted of the striped bass. The fish comes whole so we asked them to debone it and then it comes in filets. There were still some bones but at least the fish wasn't looking straight at us from the plate!! The fish was grilled to perfection and simply seasoned. I loved it!! It comes with lettuce and red onion slices.
We also shared the thinly sliced lamb dish with the eggplant mash and the light tomato sauce and it was amazing!!! The eggplant mash was fabulous! The spices were perfect.
We had a great time and a delicious meal! I can now truly say that I adore Turkish food -And I can't wait to try other mysterious dishes on the menu!!
I am not the biggest fan of Turkish food, but after coming here I might have changed my mind. The lamb we are was definitely tender, the spices were not too excruciating, and the sauce soaked pita was probably the best part of the meal. I would stick with some lamb meal and rice. The food is definitely over priced, so be ready to drop $18 bucks on one plate.
I liked the decor and the neon martini glasses. A tip: make sure you go to the second floor if you have a super loud/drunk friend or are with a loud group of individuals because otherwise the restaurant is not too loud.