An upscale chi chi Mediterranean joint. The emphasis is on elaborate dishes with the strategy of raising the tab. If you are going to charge me more by being fancy, You had better be fancy and good. Fortunately Aspendo's delivers. * * * I was there on an academic lunch with an exciting scholar. That kind of thing can happen in a restaurant next to the Princeton campus. This is one of the dangers of eating in a college town. So most of my observational powers and intellectual energy were turned towards general issues of demographic processes and global welfare and the way that these could be re-positioned in the social sciences. There was elaborate stuff going into my mouth. I was paying more attention to the elaborate stuff going into my ears. What was going into my mouth seemed overly fussy for what it was. But it was not unpleasant. * * * Had the agenda been a romantic evening, There been a bottle of wine on the table and The goal being to make the dinner last forever, Elaborate interesting dishes could have been welcome. So this place has its uses. read more

A solid 4-star experience that came just shy of perfection but delivered on flavor, presentation, and ambiance. We started with the complimentary bread, which was warm, fresh, and served with olive oil and a delicious cheese that I couldn't stop eating. It set the tone for the meal beautifully. For appetizers: - Zucchini Beauty- a refreshing and creative salad made of thin zucchini ribbons, bright orange segments, almonds, and a vibrant green sauce. It was unique and delicious - Tuna Marine (a tuna ceviche)- bright and zesty citrus marinade, liked the green apple Mains: - Brown Butter Brown Shrimp Casserole- had shrimp, mushrooms, and thyme in a brown butter sauce. It was too heavy on the onions, which overwhelmed the plate, and the shrimp were overcooked, but the flavors were still good - Branzino- in an almond cream sauce with mushrooms, it was excellent. The skin was crispy, and while it could've used more salt, the sauce helped I was really looking forward to trying the Tirit dish since it looked so interesting on the menu, but unfortunately they were out of it Poached pear dessert- beautiful presentation, like all the dishes. Unfortunately the pear was a bit too firm and difficult to cut. All in all, the food was tasty and while there were a few minor missteps, I'd definitely return. Many creative dishes I look forward to trying here read more

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We went to Aspendos for a last minute 6-person dinner because they had reservations available and it looked like a bright and nicer sit down restaurant in the heart of Princeton. For starters, we got the $30 cold starter sampler which had surprisingly small portions of the 5 dips. It did not come with any additional bread other than the 1 piece of complementary bread per 3 people that every table gets, so we had to order additional bread for the dips. Our table shared a flatbread which was a decent portion size for the price. For the main dish, I enjoyed the lamb shank, but could have passed on the crispy dumpling. Service was spotty - we had to flag down our waitress a couple times for attention. Overall an average experience with the convenience of available reservations! read more

Food was great and up to the standard for a nice sit down restaurant -- would say it matched the value. A little bright lit for a dinner place but clean, staff were polite and attentive, and service was quick. The sauce for the calamari was so good and the main thing to remember. Lamb shank was filling and very tender (would recommend). read more

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It's a beautiful restaurant with friendly staff serving tasty food. We had mixed cold appetizers, meatballs casserole, and a dessert. We ordered an extra balloon bread to go with the appetizer which only came with one bread. The sun flower paste of the cold appetizers was wonderful. read more

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So good. All of it. The complimentary bread and olive oil for the table, to start. I ordered the Beyran (soup) and the Kale Salad with Pumpkin Seeds. One friend got the Istanbul Salad and with every bite said "Oh this is SO good." And it was so so pretty, with chunks of cucumber and other veggies. I'd order it on a future visit. My kale salad was exquisite. The kale was truly bite-sized, allowing me to get some pomegranate seed and other veggies in every mouthful. It was lightly dressed in a citrus-y vinaigrette so that it enhanced the flavors of the salad just right. I devoured the soup, which was deceptively robust. And we got an order of fried potatoes to share, oh so decadent. A great dining experience indeed. read more

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I have been twice and both times the food and service has been amazing! They have a lot of flavorful vegetarian options and I will be back to try more read more

An airy family friendly Mediterranean restaurant with standout flat breads such as the mushroom flat bread and refreshing salads such as the kale salad with diced pumpkin and pomegranate seeds sprinkled in. The servers are friendly and polite. What makes this place very appealing is their freshly made baklava which is the best I've ever had. read more

Aspendos Mediterranean Cuisines - Mushroom Flat Bread - Salad Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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The dining environment is very good. The food was delicious except the octopus was super salty and I haven't had it this salty anywhere else. While other staffs are nice, but I didn't appreciate the attitude of the mid aged female waitress, her attitude actually made me feel very weird. And I don't think I will comeback because of that. read more

Aspendos Mediterranean Cuisines - Salad Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Very pleasant restaurant offering tasty meals and prompt service. The atmosphere felt inviting and comfortable, making it a reliable option for casual lunches or dinners with friends. read more

Food was absolutely delicious! Service was great. The bread was amazing, we ordered a second plate. Octopus appetizer lived up to the hype. Comfortable seating and well decorated. Street parking available. read more

Came in with my wife for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. The decor is modern and very nice. Despite the abundance of open space, they seemed to sit everyone on top of each other which was difficult to rationalize. Made it seem more crowded and less intimate with everyone being seated so close while there were lots of open tables and spaces to have spread us out. Staff were very kind and attentive. Balloon bread was amazing as I had seen others mention. We started with the Smoked Roasted Eggplant which was beautiful in presentation. Taste wise I was disappointed. Very bland and lacking in any complex flavors. My wife got the mushroom flatbread which was delicious and I got the Lamb Casserole. Description was lacking in the menu but I pleasantly surprised with the dish. Excellent and complex flavors. Lamb was tender and mixed with mushroom and onions. Superb! Enjoyed the experience and would definitely go back. read more

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What a lovely little spot in Princeton! In Nassau street we trust. Stumbled upon this Mediterranean spot and it did not disappoint. The beautiful decor, the polite staff, and the delicious food provided us with the perfect meal. The signature ballon bread was hot, fresh, and paired so well dipped in the provided olive/butter. From my understanding the first one is complimentary, and additional bread costs $2.95, but we weren't charged for our second helping so I was a happy girl! We tried the Baby Spinach Salad, and who knew figs paired so well with spinach? Was absolutely impressed with the salad. The fresh feta added was so flavorful and was genuinely some of the best feta cheese I've had. Will certainly be coming back just for some salad soon! We also got the dry smoked tzatziki to start. It was good, but I wish it was served with some type of bread or chip to dip with since we had so much dip left, but it was delicious with the balloon bread. For entrees, we got the half and half pizza, which was huge. Large and mighty! We also ordered the mushroom with potato puree and it had all the amazing flavors - mushroom, garlic, potato, and herb. Felt like I had such a clean meal afterwards! Stuffed, but in a good way. Was tempted to get some dessert but decided to save that for next time. Can't wait to come back to Aspendos! read more

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Incredible from start to finish! My only sadness is that I do not live here to come 2-3 months one's a week! Beautiful restaurant with incredible service. Really attentive staff who are invested in curating the perfect meal for your tastes! And the food! Show stopping, the zucchini beauty and meatball were stars! I'd come back all the time just for those two alone. Inventive menu that allows you to explore and create a great meal. Go soon! Enjoy read more

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Top-notch food and service, just too loud. They don't serve alcohol for some reason. Our host had to go out and buy some wine. It's BYOB here (like many restaurants in Princeton). Their crispy octopus is very very nice; and beautifully presented. That kabobs are so impressively hanging on a rack. Oxtail is very nice and tender. Many dishes are creative and one of a kind! read more

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Tried this Mediterranean restaurant while visiting Princeton University. We had Rib flatbread, soup of the day and Hummus with Pastirma. Everything tasted great and unusual although we got food coma after this. I did not particularly like the soup of the day which is made of broccoli & cream. The taste of the cream tasted great while the broccoli flavor wasn't complimenting it. I gotta say I wasn't very happy with the service. The servers were unfriendly. Other than that, the restaurant is nice and clean and has a calming environment. read more

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The food was delicious. I especially liked the eggplant and branzino. Staff checked in often enough without being too much. Plates cleared on a timely manner. The area was nice to walk around after dinner. read more

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Came with a colleague while on a business trip. It was a quiet Tuesday night, and I think we were the first ones in the restaurant for the dinner time crowd. At first sight, it was a beautifully decorated, colorful, clean, and calm atmosphere. The waiters were very attentive and helpful in choosing items that are popular / their favorites from the menu based on our tastes. We ended up trying the Zucchini Beauty appetizer, Butter Brown Shrimp (Casserole), and Smoked Rib with Jue Sauce. And honestly, we don't have a single bad thing to say about any of those items! Everything was flavored well, came out hot, and we finished our plates. I would definitely recommend this place to try it out. read more

I LOVE Mediterranean food and was super excited to try Aspendos, but was unfortunately disappointed with the food given prices. Complimentary Balloon bread - much more dense than I was expecting. Came out shortly after we ordered food and it was nice and warm. Hummus- 2 scoops but did not come with any bread (we finished the comp balloon bread before the hummus arrived thinking it would come with another as part of the app, or at least something to dip hummus with) Kale Salad with pumpkin - dressing was a little too acidic Zucchini beauty - by far the group's favorite dish Chicken - half did not appear fully cooked (even the server looked hesitant when I asked her). Kitchen said it was the was juices and how the oven cooks the chicken. They offered to either cook us a new one, heat it up longer in the oven, or make us something else. We opted for heat it up longer since we already ate the other half. Lamb shank - tender Then staff was nice overall, but place seems to be stingy on money practices. When they gave us the check, they told us the "system was down" and couldn't accept credit card payments. Not 100% sure I believe it went down right when we needed to pay, but they make customer pay an additional credit card fee anyways so what do they really have to gain from faking it? read more

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I believe this is a new establishment. Tried them for lunch and was immediately impressed with a very bright light dining area. Flatbreads are great plus very vegetarian friendly menu. Can't wait for the next visit read more

Aspendos Mediterranean Cuisines - Modern and chic! - Salad Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

great spot with a nice ambiance, quaint dining, and really good service. it was packed, but it still felt comfortable and almost private. we were seated by the window, and the decor was cute and simple without trying too hard. the food came out a bit late, but it seemed like there may have been a mix-up. aside from that, everything was fresh and the service was excellent. definitely recommend. read more

Aspendos is a cute date night/girls night out spot. The place is modern and lively on Saturday nights. Our waitress was super nice and when one of the dishes did not come out right the manager took immediate action and rectified the situation. The entrees on the menu had a variety of options, and I wish I would have selected the mixed grill entree (looked super good at the table next to us). Dessert was rolled baklava with a pistachio mouse. Something different for the palate but delicious. read more

Aspendos Mediterranean Cuisines - Baby Chicken - Salad Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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Ambiance is very artistic and upscale. Well lit, noise level was not loud. I appreciated the plates and serve-ware, beautiful! Service was attentive. Food was 2/5, barely edible. Smoked roasted eggplant was not good. Also misleading because I thought it was going to be the consistency of babaganoush but it was chunks of undercooked eggplant topped with random chaotic blend of whatever was in the pantry: whole pistachios, dried cranberries, cold pomegranate seeds, dates. Sprinkled with fresh dill... which didn't complement any of the Sam's Club trail mix. Really terrible. I ordered the octopus as my main. The deep fried potato was tasteless... which is hard to do with a deep fried anything. The octopus tasted spongy and previously frozen or preserved. I've never purchased the refrigerated octopus from Costco, but I imagine that's similar to what was used. Overall, the best part of the meal was the free bread, .which was absolutely amazing. The fermented dough had a tangy bite and was perfectly warm and chewy. 11 out of 10. read more

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I absolutely loved everything that we ordered from here. The flatbread and oil and cheese (?) were delicious. The pan-fried potatoes and butter brown shrimp were bursting with flavor. And the plating for the baby chicken was adorable! We enjoyed the lamb casserole--the lamb was juicy, and the flatbread that covered it paired perfectly with the casserole. The pontus flatbread was my absolute favorite dish from that evening. Our waiter explained how exactly we should go about eating it to maximize the amount of flavor we get per bite; I was ecstatic. I loved every piece. Great ambiance. Lovely place to take friends and family for a nice dinner in Princeton. read more

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Another delightful dinner at Aspendos last night. Service and food were just as delicious as the last time we ate here. Had the Brown Butter Shrimp and the Lamb Shank again. The noise level was more elevated than last time but that is to be expected when people are enjoying themselves and it's a BYO to boot. Please give it a try, read more

Aspendos Mediterranean Cuisines - Lamb shank - Salad Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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Of all the restaurants we have patronized, Aspendos Mediterranean Cuisine in Princeton is one of the best ever, by far! The menu is extensive with emphasis on Turkish dinning. Four of us dined there each having a different meal, plus delicious appetizers & balloon bread. Service was superb with a wait staff that is fully knowledgeable about all of the dishes on the menu. We intend to go back many many more times. read more

Came here with my parents for dinner on Saturday. It was an amazing experience. The interior design is very chic and Mediterranean. We got three apps and two main entrees to share. The plating was very beautiful and each dish is well balanced with healthy ingredients, high quality olive oil, herbs, and greek yogurt. Highly recommend the fried dumplings and the mucver. The complimentary bread was also very tasty. The highlight of the meal is definitely the service. Our servers were very attentive and friendly. The hostess greeted us and spoke Chinese with my parents, which made their day! Would love to come back to try more dishes read more

Aspendos Mediterranean Cuisines - Mucver Mediterranean Branzino Baby Chicken - Salad Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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The restaurant is pretty large with a lot of tables but it is also very loud so a table towards the back with fewer people is a good idea. The service was good and the waiter was very helpful with the choices. They do not serve wine but you can bring your own. I had a mocktail-the tropical mood that was wonderful. It had pineapple and passion fruit and delicious. For dinner I had the branzino which was a filet with the skin on over mushrooms, baby spinach and an almond cream sauce, It was good but a thin filet. A friend had the pumpkin sinkota and zucchini beauty. The waiter was very knowledgable though and helpful. read more

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Place and ambiance is good and its right off campus. A little over priced for the food you get and serving size. Decor and serving utensils are inetresting. Their seafood choices are good. loved their Rib flat bread- Staff was courteous. read more

Aspendos Mediterranean Cuisines - Salad Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Aspendos is a standard for me at this point. I thought EFFS was good this place is even better, same management btw. read more

Aspendos Mediterranean Cuisines - Salad Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

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I would say that in the menu lamb casserole was good but vegetarian kebabs are just vegetables roasted like a salad and pasta wasn't even seasoned . read more

We are 4 women for lunch . I bit surprised at the price's especially for lunch. High. It was a Monday at 2:00 and we were the only people there First came very good bread and oil with cheese I ordered the 3 tapas. Very filling took 2 home. Others had the meatball casserole Sakshouka and a flatbread. All were good the sakshouka needed a bread to scoop Service We asked for a beverage menu and never saw our waitress until the meal was over. They do supply water to the table. Warning. The bill for a Party of 4 will included a service charge of 20%. We thought that was for using a credit card but after much explaining it was for tip. So good was good but pricy and service was so so. read more

The food is sooo good! Turkish Mediterranean not Greek Mediterranean but similar. Lots of vegan vegetarian gluten free and meat options available for any type of diet. read more

An understated flavorful addition to what has become a fairly static dining scene in Princeton. The Mediterranean fare here is well-prepared and unique although several of the off the menu items can be luxuriously priced since all courses are ala carte making the experience less experimental and familial (and far more steakhouse) as the meter is constantly running By contrast, Michelin-class brethren in Philadelphia such as Laser Wolf and Suraya serve multiple appetizers for a single price making the meal seem far more communal and festive. Regardless, the fare here is well prepared and served professionally and should delight novice and expert alike. You'll leave happy and that's four stars right there. BYOB. read more

Awesome food, great chef and great service !! One of the best Eateries in Princeton! The BYO is a huge plus in my opinion.

Incredibly good food, all menu items (we had a large group, 7 different entres). Service friendly and accomodating.

Aspendos Mediterranean Restaurant provides a wonderful, clean ambiance. The friendly staff greets you upon entering, and I appreciate the simplicity of their decor. Although we didn't get to try the main dishes this time, the desserts are delightful. We were specifically looking for sweet treats, and Aspendos delivered. I'm giving this place four stars as I didn't get to try their meals. I'm looking forward to returning for a complete dining experience when I'm around the area. read more

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I tried Aspendos for my first time at a birthday dinner. It's been a while since a restaurant in Princeton has caught my attention; I've felt for a while that the food scene was lacking in variety. We came in on a weeknight to a pretty quiet restaurant. The menu offers a variety of Mediterranean dishes, some distinctively Turkish. The restaurant is BYOB but has a variety of non-alcoholic beverages. Our server did a great job answering questions and providing his input on several dishes. My party ordered a variety of appetizers, entrees, and a few mocktails. The drinks came out shortly before the appetizers. They were presented well and tasted fresh. The Pan Fried Potatoes were the highlight of our appetizers. Each piece consists of many thin layers of potato baked into a crispy square. The toppings and yogurt sauce also added great flavor dimension. The kitchen ran out of the pastrami that comes with the hummus appetizer, so we had just the hummus and fresh bread. I've tried plenty of hummus varieties as an Arab, and I was surprised by how good this one was. The fresh baked bread on the side definitely contributed to the quality of the appetizer. My Lamb Casserole entree was quite disappointing. The menu description is very vague in its description. It lists the item as 'chopped lamb pieces cookies in brown butter sauce.' There is no listing of a veggie variety, and this casserole came with A TON of mushrooms. I'm not a mushroom fan, so I picked them out of the dish as I ate. I was shocked to see how small the portion of meat was after taking all of the mushrooms out. I tried some of my friends' entrees which we all seemed to enjoy joy. I enjoyed my experience here despite my main dish being disappointing. Most of the other dishes were flavorful and very high-quality. Service was consistent throughout the visit, and I could see myself returning when I'm in the Princeton area again. read more

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Came here on a Sunday evening around 6:30 and the place was entirely empty aside from another couple at a table. First time giving this place a try since we absolutely love Mediterranean food, we were really excited to try a new place in Princeton. Pros - beautiful interior, great ambiance Cons - food, price, ok service, "broken credit card machine" We ordered: - Zucchini Beauty (5/5): favorite dish, thinly sliced zucchini in a green sauce and sliced almonds - Hummus with Pastrami (3/5): pretty good hummus but for $16 we were surprised they didn't service with any crackers or bread, just two scoops of hummus with a small piece of dried meat on top of each - Kale salad with pumpkin (3/5): wish it had more pumpkin, extremely acidic dressing - Lamb Shank (4/5): good flavor shank, fell off the bone so it was cooked very well, smaller portion than other shanks we were used to - Baby Chicken (2/5): burnt on one edge (see pic), and the inside of one of the halves were not cooked properly, when we cut it open it was bleeding with pink juice and the chicken piece itself was pink. We asked the server if it was fully cooked and she took it back to the kitchen, then came back a minute later and said it was fully cooked and that because of the way they use the oven it may look different. She offered to either have the dish remade or to cook the remaining chicken longer in the oven, we felt bad to have them remake it (given how empty it was on a Sunday dinner time) so asked for it to be cooked longer. When it was returned to us it was much better and fully cooked. I wish I took a picture of the uncooked version. Also, we were given 3 potato balls instead of 4 as seen in other pics. The fried veges were very oily. Most disappointing dish, also very salty. Comparing to other chicken pics from other Yelpers ours look very different, maybe someone they increased the oven temp and wanted it to be cooked quickly, causing outside to burn and inside to be slightly raw. - Complimentary balloon bread was tasty but dense, inside didn't fully balloon up. The cheese spread was a good pairing though. Overall, service was friendly and our waitress and the manager kept checking in on us throughout. However, when we asked for the bill they charged us full amount of everything including the chicken. Additionally, their prices for each dish was $2 more than what they had on their menu (eg lamb and chicken were $34 each instead of $32). The manager also said their credit card machine was broken and that we could either pay cash or write down our credit card number. We didn't believe them but didn't want to make a scene, having been already upset about the chicken, that we just paid cash (and still gave them 20% tip on top, understanding how local businesses may need every dollar these days, hopefully it went to the server directly). I wish them well but might not be returning anytime soon. read more

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We were looking to try something new in the area and picked Aspendos. The inside is really cute. Loved all the plates and bowls and cups. We sampled a few different appetizers and the bread. The crispy dumplings and pumpkin sinkonta were delicious. We tried the branzino and grilled octopus too. The entree flavors were simple but great. Customer service was amazing as well. We will be back! read more