I went in person to order an appetizer. The staff was pleasant and professional. Decor is amazing…read moreand clean. Highly recommend!!!

At first glance, the area might not raise your expectations--it's a bit on the shabby side--but…read moredon't let that fool you. This place turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Parking is convenient, with spots available on both sides of the restaurant and across the street, which is always a plus in New Jersey. Once inside, the atmosphere completely shifts. The interior is warm, inviting, and thoughtfully designed, giving off an authentic and comfortable vibe. The staff were equally impressive--attentive, friendly, and genuinely welcoming. The food lived up to the experience. Everything we tried was flavorful and well-prepared, though I would say it leans toward the more expensive side. Paying 18% and then 2 % card fee seems a bit much on the top of that the courses were a bit pricey. That said, the quality is there. The fresh bread and olives served at the start were exactly what we needed--simple, delicious, and perfect after arriving hungry. Overall, a great find that rises well above its surroundings. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

This is an excellent place--spacious, clean, and very welcoming from both the servers and the staff…read morebehind the counter. The food is consistently well-prepared and flavorful. The fried liver is especially outstanding and something you don't commonly find elsewhere. A great spot overall that I would definitely recommend.

I found this place by accident. I was heading down. Hylan, toward a diner that I like. I saw name…read moreon the sign, and it looked like a nice restaurant. Not knowing what type of a restaurant it is, I decided to stop in. What a pleasant surprise. It was a Turkish restaurant. There was a good amount of people in there, but it looked like I was the only "white boy." Everybody was very friendly, and the place was clean. I liked the atmosphere. I started with the baba ghanoush. I loved it. The flavor of the roasted eggplant was delicious. And the roasted flavor kept it from being too rich. It was creamy and delicious. I almost didn't have enough bread to put it on. And believe me, I was piling the bread high with that stuff. There was also a small bowl of marinated green olives on the side. I normally do not like green olives, but these were fantastic. The olive oil marinade kept them from being too bitter for me. For my main course, I had the Adana kebab. Ground lamb, red bell pepper, and paprika. I had a small, which was one kebab. It also came with a very nice marinated salad, and a decent size portion of rice, which was tender and had a good flavor to it. It also came with a red sauce and a tzatziki sauce.. the red sauce was too spicy for me, and the tzatziki I put some of it on the rice, and then the rest I dipped my kebab. The kebab wasn't spicy at all, and the red bell pepper, and the paprika gave it a great flavor, it was not gamey like lamb can be. It was also very tender. Everything was so good, I ended up finishing the entire dinner, and I was stuffed. I would've loved to try a Turkish coffee, but it was like 8 PM, and I didn't want to be up for the rest of the night... :). The price was reasonable. The only reason I'm taking off a star, is because they add an automatic 18% gratuity to the check, and then there's also a spot down at the bottom for a second gratuity. That's why you need to read your check very carefully. If you don't notice the automatic gratuity, you might end up paying a double tip. I thought the automatic 18% gratuity was more than fair. This was a great place. They also do breakfast. I would like to come in and try breakfast sometime. Thank you.

Nice spot in Staten Island. The food was fresh and tasty…read more Nice cozy ambiance and good service. Nice place for an easy good dinner with friends

Last week I visited this restaurant with my boyfriend. I ordered beyti, and he ordered iskender…read more After one bite, he said "I can't eat this" and stopped. I honestly didn't understand the taste issue he felt, and since I was very hungry, I ended up eating both my dish and his. That same night, I was rushed to the hospital with severe food poisoning. My doctor confirmed it was a foodborne illness. I suffered bloody vomiting and bloody diarrhea, and I was bedridden for a full week. I couldn't attend work or school, and I lost health, time, and money. This wasn't just a disappointing meal -- I literally paid to get sick. I am seriously considering reporting this to the Health Department, because this is a serious public health hazard, and no one else should go through what I did.

Stopped in on a Tuesday night (yesterday) by myself after work. I'm not local but work nearby…read moreevery few months. Been meaning to stop in for some time as reviews I've read are very positive. I can see why. I was greeted promptly at the door when I entered. Given my choice of table to sit at. Dining room is very nice. Spacious and white table cloths on all of the tables. I ordered the large lamb shish kabob platter. More than enough chunks of lamb. Not tough, very flavorful. It came with rice which was also very flavorful and a very tasty salad. A condiment plate of a yogurt dressing and also a spicy red sauce was brought out first along with a basket of warm bread of some sort that was also very good. You can order the shish kabob platters in a small size also which comes with half as many chunks of meat. I got a baklava assortment (6) to go and ate half today. There were 3 different kinds and all were good. Note: I was the only diner when I entered a little after 6. Not sure why as the food was delicious and the atmosphere is very nice. Maybe Tuesday is a slow night for dining out on Staten Island. Quite a few folks trickled in later for a dinner meeting in the back dining room. Lastly, my server was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. I will definitely return next time I am in town.

Excellent food excellent staff will recommend it to anybody. Try to chicken with their delicious…read morerice and their lamb is excellent.

I was on the South Shore of Staten Island and decided to check out Riva, a Turkish restaurant in…read morethe Eltingville - and we're glad we did. The food and service were both excellent. We started with their cheese gozleme, a flaky pastry with cheese, and hummus. We both had Adana kababs, I had the lamb; she had the chicken. Both were delicious!

Food was delicious and the ambiance is pleasant. The service was excellent and I had a good meal.read more

First off - beautiful Ambiance Plenty of parking (in a…read morestrip center) Great service Starter - cold mixed appetizer of baba ghanoush, labneh, hummus, muhamara (red bell peppers, walnuts, pomegranate molasses. All yummy. The only disappointment was the pita bread. Just not great and should have been warm Laila salad - Fattet Makdous - stuffed eggplant with ground meat with yogurt garlic sauce with small crunchy pieces of pita bread. This was a bit too rich for me. My friend ordered it. Very tasty and different. Sujok - Syrian beef sausage delicious and different from Italian or polish sausage Spicy potatoes were incredible. They were crunchy so apparently fried but not greasy. Desert was baklava mushed up with a scoop of ice cream. Amazing I'd go back in a heartbeat. There's a lot of different dishes to try out!!

I love this restaurant is beautiful is very clean nice organized and everything else and it's just…read moregoodI'm

We are big fans of Mediterranean food and often go to places like Zara's on Staten Island but were…read moreintroduced to Opera about a year ago. They're known amongst my family for bringing out this ENORMOUS bread that seems larger than anyone can eat but you're surprised not only by the fact that it's hollow inside but also how quickly it disappears when you're enjoying the fabulous meze platter (a variety of dips that you can enjoy). My grandma got the lamb shish kabob (which was huge) and my boyfriend got the lamb adana. I got the mixed grill. Everything tasted delicious and we were very full with still more food to take home after we ate our fill. The portions are large and the staff is friendly and attentive. Our waitress came by a couple times to check on us and staff was quick to take away plates we were finished with and wipe down the table in between so we didn't have crumbs everywhere after the bread course. The interior of this place is also really lovely. They decorated for Valentine's Day and also put on the Olympics on TV, though none of the seasonal decor nor entertainment felt like it overpowered the cozy atmosphere of this place. My favorite part of it is that the seating feels incredibly cozy because you can sit in a nook with beautifully designed cushions arranged around the bench for comfort and style. Our meal was great as always and I'm excited to come back again!

Ambience is just gorgeous. Service is spectacular. Menu is extensive…read more Small shepherd salad with feta cheese is incredibly tasty and is more than enough for two people. Combined with their hot bubble bread is a treat. Shrimp casserole (my favorite dish there) comes out bubbling hot. You have to be careful not to burn your mouth and let it cool off a bit. Very tasty and the cheese melted on top gives it an extra touch. The crêpe for dessert was perfect. The fruit served with it was deliciously sweet. I'm lucky to have this place in my neighborhood.

I have been coming here for several months now, soon after they opened. This is really one of the…read morebest Turkish restaurants I have ever been to along with Istanbul Bay. Their original location is in Patterson, New Jersey but they opened this location about five months ago. I had their Doner Plate (with Beef/Lamb and Chicken), Gobit Wrap, Red Lentil Soup, Baked Rice Pudding and Turkish Tea. Everything is excellent. I usually get their Gobit Wrap to eat there or Doner Plate to go because they're so good. Everything here is so reasonably priced compared to other parts of the city. The restaurant is very clean and the service is excellent. This restaurant along with Istanbul Bay are definitely my favorite restaurants on Staten Island.

Came here for my mother in law's birthday. We were a party of 5. First time trying it. The place…read moreseats 4 per table with 5 tables more or less. if specifics matter, I'd suggest just looking at pictures for reference. I ordered the tavuk adana. Others ordered iskender kebab, chicken doner, a variety of appetizers and desserts. All the food was very delicious. We had a few hiccups in our order,however, I can honestly overlook that due to how attentive, accommodating and respectful our server was. I will definitely go back and 10/10 recommend.

Gyro Platter (Beef) Meat was perfectly cooked, rice was…read moremoist & fluffy Fast service - great place to stop by before show at St. George Theater

Was looking for a spot to grab breakfast and found Mavi Cafe and am so glad I did! The cafe itself,…read morewhile small, is adorable, and the staff were so kind and attentive. I ordered the special honey and pistachio cappuccino, which was so delicious, and the Turkish toast, which was quite tasty! Next time I would add some eggs and veggies to the toast, but overall, this is a solid spot that I would love to frequent.

I've gone to the 86st/20thave location many moons ago so I was curious, if this location would be…read morethe same...the Bensonhurst location is bigger but the flavors still are the same. I got what was supposed to be the combination platter of chicken gyro (half portion) - but I should've known because it seems to be A LOT to just be a 1/2 (there is a differencein pricing b/w the two that I chalked it up to misunderstanding). But nonetheless, it was really good AND I had left overs for dinner & lunch the next day. So that's always a in my book. Before the meal, you are given pitta bread, olives in oil as well as a white and red sauce (red is spicy). The service was pretty good - you weren't rushed AND the busser came to fill the glass of water w/o you having to ask. I sat outside so I didn't really get a vibe of the place but I'll definitely visit again and sit inside to get a better feel of the place

I was craving some lamb and stopped by their Bay Ridge location. I went for the Adana Kebab, which…read morewas a solid choice. The ground lamb was well seasoned, and the rice was smooth and fluffy. I wouldn't have minded if the lamb had a bit more juiciness and a stronger char. The small portion was maybe 8 bites of lamb so it more like a kid's plate to me. Next time, I'll just go for the large and save myself the guessing. I also tried the Lamb Shish Kebab, which unfortunately was on the dry side and was a little too tough for my liking. The hummus was really good, creamy, smooth, and packed with flavor. The pita was just okay, not bad, not great, just there. Service was friendly, and the space itself was clean and cozy, a comfortable spot for a casual meal. If I come back, I'd go for the Adana in large size, but skipping the shish.