I have been to slot of Middle Eastern restaurants in nyc and NJ area that are rated very high this…read moreplace is the best place i have ever been to i love it will be back for sure its worth coming from Staten Island just to eat there

The Bosphorus, the 32-kilometer (20-mile)-long north-south strait, has been a waterway of the…read morehighest importance since ancient times in Turkey. Its English name comes from a Greek legend: Zeus had an affair with a beautiful woman named Io. When Hera, his wife, discovered his infidelity, she turned Io into a cow and created a horsefly to sting her on the rump. Io jumped clear across the strait. Thus, "bous" = "cow" and "poros" = "crossing place": Bosphorus = "crossing place of the cow." Located off of busy Franklin Avenue in Nutley, my partner, our friends, and I have decided on our dinner at this family-owned-and-run BYOB establishment, which has been open since 1995. A reservation was made for a party of 4 by calling their restaurant. Upon arrival after three years, we were welcomed by Nora, the owner, and made our way to a table by the piano inside, evoking a cozy, thoughtfully designed, upscale vibe with music playing softly. Their menu features Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine. For starters, we decided on the Puffed Rill Pastry and Grape Leaves. Our main meal consisted of all lamb dishes (Lamb Shish Kebab, Beyti Kebab, Lamb Chops, and Lamb Sauté). Our food was fresh, well seasoned, and cooked to perfection, accompanied by a beautifully presented dish. Everything was authentically made with love here. Wish we could have stayed for dessert, as they looked amazing, but some of us were in a rush. It's definitely on the higher end cost but worth the taste. Our visit ended with a hug and a piece of candy.

I eat out a lot! Specially in Indian restaurants! But this one is a standout! The food was so…read moredelicious with attention to details , even the bread was so tasty! Prices are cheap! The owner was very attentive and served me with great care! On site parking is available for free I can't wait to get back!

My boyfriend and I stopped here to have dinner on our anniversary, and we had an absolutely perfect…read moretime. The dining area is cozy and decorated with many lovely works of art, and the food was absolutely mouthwatering. I highly recommend the baba ganoush and the beef kebab. A special shoutout to Mustafa for providing incredible and attentive service throughout our meal, as well as proving delightful conversation when we showed interest in the decor. Overall a must-try if you're in the area!

Friends wanted to try so we're in the neighborhood and we were so glad we tried. The pide was very…read moreflavorful and we ordered 4 of them for 8 of us. They are like long thin flatbreads with different fillings. We ordered a potato one, a mozzarella cheese one, a combo meat one and a sausage one. Everyone loved the cheese one! The others were ok but the potato one stood out! The restaurant did not have ice for their soda and drinks. No glasses were given - just bottles and cans. Server did not offer us any water despite us asking for some at the beginning of the meal. She was not very attentive - perhaps it was end of day and she was tired. The restaurant is very simple. There's an inside seating area and an outside area that's much larger.

I am not an expert of Turkish food, but I am very familiar with cheese pide (think Turkish pizza)…read more My family are allium-free vegetarians and the cheese pide fits the bill. We moved and it was finally time to try to find our new go-to place for our pide fix and out of the 10+ restaurants in the area that also serve pide... I chose this one. This place is conveniently located on a very central and busy street. It's mostly street parking (good luck) though they do have 2 dedicated spaces in front if you're lucky. It's a cozy place with maybe 4 tables when you walk in - all were full when we got there around 1 pm on a Monday that happened to be a federal holiday - and we were told that there were more seats around the corner. They built an addition - you will be briefly exposed to the outdoors for a few steps - and it's so much more roomier and brighter with more (and larger) tables. It's climate controlled as well. There was only one man manning the front and everyone else is in the kitchen so expect some wait if it's busy and especially if you're in the separate room, but it honestly wasn't that bad for us. We were all given menus (the two adults AND my two young kids) and given sufficient time to peruse. The menu is fairly simple: they specialize in pide and lahmacun. There's a small salad section and beverages but no dessert. Their pide is different from what I'm used to; they have a super long version that is at least 2 feet long (don't quote that; I didn't bring my tape measure) and a round one that is likely around 12 inches in diameter. I focused on the cheese pide section and the drinks and ordered: Kaşarli Pide (mozzarella pide) - this was for my daughter. It is LONG. I'd venture to say it could even be 2-1/2 feet long as the ends were longer than the board it was on. The dough for this is stretched thin so it comes out almost like boat shaped flatbread with an equally thin, but adequate layer of cheese. It's crisp with a chew and is positively delightful. It says mozzarella, but the cheese used in pide always seems to be more and wonderfully three dimensional. Yuvarlak Kaşarli Yumurtali Pide (2 egg and cheese round pide) - I actually wanted the cheese with tomato long pide but I was also intrigued by a circular one so he added in some sliced tomatoes in this as well! We weren't sure how to eat it as the eggs were still mostly raw but we ended up breaking it up and spreading it everywhere and just cutting it like a pizza. It was AMAZING. The dough on this is thicker than the long pide but not very thick either. Not as crispy but does have crispy edges. The combination I got from this was perfection. I can't pinpoint it but it's definitely juicier - whether that be grease, tomato juices, the egg, or all the above - and that made it nice. Very nice. Ayran - we always order ayran when we get pide. This place doesn't make their own, sadly, but it was nice. It's essentially a salty yogurt drink and still hit the spot. Şalgam (fermented turnip juice) - this is completely new to us. I got this because I noticed that almost every Turkish restaurant in the area also offered this as a beverage and adventurous me got curious. They don't make their own so it's bottled and they only have the spicy version (which is the default). This thing is STRONG. It's got an earthy taste to it like beets (but it's mostly made of purple carrots for color and turnips) but it packs a punch like pickle juice and V8. Salty, spicy, earthy, intense... deep flavors. And I LOVED it at first sip. I chugged the first third. It actually reset my stomach enough that I ate more pide, haha. BUT definitely an acquired taste. My husband thought it was okay and let me have most of it. This drink surprisingly contains wheat, so avoid if there's an allergy. Note: my youngest child has multiple food allergies including to wheat and eggs. They don't have a gluten free alternative, unfortunately. There's a sign saying no outside food allowed, but we brought him his pizza and he was perfectly content with that. We never managed to ask the man if it was okay since he was in and out fast, but he didn't question us when he caught a glimpse of the Pyrex. The pide both came with their own pizza cutter wheel for convenience. They also typically come with pickles on the side but we opted out because their pickles contain garlic. I'm supposed to be trying other pide places to give everyone a fair chance, but I've fallen in love with this place. Even my husband who mostly eats to survive... well, he said it was good (which is huge compared to his usual "it's okay"s). They have good service, the pides are stupendous, it's clean (antibacterial wet wipes at every table), single restroom is tidy, and they introduced me to şalgam. I'm thrilled Pide 28 was my first foray into Turkish food in NJ and am looking forward to trying all the cheese pides on their menu in due time.

Türkiye is a country of two continents, European and Asian, and that is why the food of this…read morecountry contains the peculiarities of both continents. Turkish cuisine is a unique combination of flavors, spices, and herbs developed over thousands of years, influenced by the Central Asian nomads and Arabic, Persian, Italian, French, and Eastern European cultures. While New York has some great Turkish food if one knows where to look, most of it leaves some room for improvement. Could Jersey be better? The town of Carlstadt has mainly residential private homes, with a spattering of condos and garden apartments. The main shopping area is all of about three blocks long on both sides of the street. Translated from the Turkish language, meaning sultan, we have come to this family-owned/family-run establishment located on Hackensack Street since 2006 for Saturday dinner. The reservation was easily made by Google Assistant. Upon entering this hidden gem called Hünkar Restaurant as first-timers, my partner, our friends, and I were greeted by the staff inside a cozy room, where ethnic pictures and decorations as well as the music all add to the vibe. A great view of the NYC skyline is visible from their enclosed back patio. Their menu features Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine with a modern twist and serves alcohol. As an appetizer, we decided on the Kibbeh (Icli Kofte), Calamari (Kalamar), and Cigarette Borek (Sigara Boregi). For our main meal, we opted for Chicken Saute (Taouk Sote), Shrimp Kebab, Lamb Shish Kebab (Kuzu Sis Kebab), and Chicken Shish Kebab (Tavuk Kebab). All Kebab meal accompanied by rice, char-grilled tomatoes, peppers, and a small salad. Warm, fluffy pida bread with a crisp crust started our meal. Every dish bursts with authentic flavor and is beautifully presented, from the fact that Turkish families from all over the area eat here. The staff is warm, welcoming, and very professional; our server was Akincan "John," the owners' son. The price was comparable to the area with the right portion. We can recommend this place.

I have been going to this restaurant for many many years and they have not lost a beat. Every…read moresingle appetizer and entrée is made with such love and care. The portions are fantastic but the quality is what sets it apart from a lot of other places. On a nice day, do yourself a favor and ask them to see you in the back enclosed porch where you will get a view of NYC.

Great tasting Turkish food, coffee and desserts. Great atmosphere-- makes you feel like you're in…read morethe famous city. The lamb shank is worth going back for sure. The kabobs are great as well. Attentive service to boot.

Great spot for authentic Turkish food! The dishes are fresh, flavorful, and everything taste…read morehomemade in well seasoned. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the staff are super attentive and friendly. It's just the perfect place for a delicious and comforting Turkish meal. I absolutely will be coming back to dine at this wonderful establishment. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this restaurant is reasonably priced and definitely a bang for your buck! So definitely check out Istanbul Cafe and restaurant. Because you won't be disappointed. I hope you enjoy!

Good quality food, BYOB place in otherwise dry neighborhood…read more Parking is always difficult, good place to go if the line at Al basha is too long next block.

Food was very fresh ordered meze platter and everything (labnah, babaganoush, muhammara and hummus)…read morewere all very flavorful and made with wholesome ingredients. Then had fattoush salad, kibbeh, cig köfte and manti. Brought half the food back home and now heating it up at 2.33am.

We actually parked in front of this restaurant while planning to eat somewhere else. The moment we…read moregot out of the car, the incredible aroma of charcoal-grilled kebabs hit us. We started walking toward the restaurant we had planned to visit, but the smell was impossible to resist, so we turned back. I'm so glad we did! This was, without a doubt, the best kebab I've had in the U.S. I've been living here for seven years and have visited Paterson many times, but I've never found kebab like this before. I ordered the mixed grilled kidney and liver, and everything was outstanding--from the onion salad to the rice. My husband had the Adana kebab, which was just as delicious. Looking at the meat display got me excited, and every bite made me happier. It was truly fantastic. The owner also deserves special recognition. He was welcoming, genuine, and a pleasure to talk to. His hospitality made the experience even better. From now on, this is the only place I'll go when I'm craving great kebab. Highly recommended!

Wow! Tender lamb kabob made to order ! Great quality meat with fresh grilled tomato, pepper and…read morerice. Rolled it up in pita for perfect combo. It looked so good we started to eat without taking a picture first. Then we placed an order to go take to our daughter. You'll see both pictures. There is lots of food on main st, but this is the place to go! We'll be back.

Since I am Turkish, I love lahmacun. This place takes it to a new level. The food is amazing…read more Pide is delicious as well. And most of all, the waitress Sevim was brilliant!!! She watched us, she knew what we need and brought additional tomatoes, extra glasses of tea. We are fans!!!

The pide and lentil soup were really good. The pide had a nice thin crust and great flavor. The…read morelentil soup was on point. Only issue was the pickles, they seemed spoiled. Overall still a good experience.