I am a HUGE fan of Lamb! I have eaten the Kuzu Incik each time I have visited this restaurant! The lamb itself has been cooked to perfection every time! Once the white bean puree was something comparable to a salt lick, ewww! Hence, the 4 stars. Waitstaff = extremely nice, attentive & knowledgeable Food Overall = Excellent! Treatment of the ingredients is top notch! Each dish, from their soups to the entrees have a depth of flavor that can only be achieved by time, attention to detail & technique. Ambiance = intimate, even when in the bar you have the feeling of privacy and ease of being able to enjoy your food and company without any unwanted interruptions. read more

As an appetizer, we had the Piyaz (white bean) dip with bread. We tried the Adana Kebap (ground lamb) and grilled Lamb Şiş Kebap. The ground lamb had a nice spicy kick to it and the sauces paired well with the meat. The grilled lamb was loaded with flavor and very tender. Sis Kebap was served with grilled veggies on side (simple but very tasty). Both dishes were accompanied with rice pilaf which had a great texture and rich with flavor. read more

Aya Sofia - Lamb Sis Kabob. Flavorful. Veggies and rice were wonderful. - Turkish Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

This is one of those restaurants that I never suggest but will tag along with no complaints. We came here for Father's Day dinner with a group of 5 - their claims that all of us would fit in a 6-person booth only holds true if none of us females had brought our purses or if all 5 ppl were about 110 lbs. Whatever the case, we decided it would just be a cozy dinner. All of our appetizers were great - we had the humus, piyaz (bean salad), and the anatolian meze plate (cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives). As for entrees, 3 of us chose from the specials - the salmon was seasoned well and the portion was pretty large. Not sure what the other special was called exactly, but the waiter said it was similar to the izgara kofte except larger meat patties. My bf had the iskender (sliced gyro meat with tomato sauce and yogurt), which he (and all of us agreed) was not good at all. Another person had the imam bayildi (eggplant) and said it was delicious. Service here has been consistently slow, even when the restaurant is not full. We've sat at the bar before for drinks and dinner and had better service. Their martini menu is pretty good - be sure to try something new! Bottom line - stick with the bar if you're not with a group and order one of the specials for dinner! P.S. The parking lot is TINY - I think there was a total of 5 spaces. Be prepared to park on the street surrounding the restaurant, but beware of all the Ted Drewes customers that clog up the streets during the warm weather! But also be happy that you can drop by Ted Drewes (across the street) after dinner for dessert. :) read more

Aya Sofia is one of our go-to venues for happy hour or brunch. Truly, Aya Sofia has some of the best brunch food you can get in St. Louis. The brunch skillets (the Hills Skillet in particular) are beyond delicious, and I frequently drag everyone with me to eat there after my weekend long runs. The Happy Hour is also an incredible deal because their gyro and other popular menu items are significantly discounted. The gyro, by the way, is one of my favorite in St. Louis - LOADED with rich meat. They also have pretty fantastic drink specials during happy hour, and the bartender has a generous pour. I like having dinner at Aya Sofia and it's usually pretty easy to get a day-of reservation, but I gravitate more towards the happy hour scene. To finish, you have to try the Baklava. In my opinion, it's the best Baklava in St. Louis! read more

This place is great, the food and the atmosphere. It's a tad over priced, but what isn't these? Inside the booths look the most desirable since they have sheer curtains and it's more private. The tables in the middle of the floor kind of make you feel like you are on display. Out waiter was a bit quite and hard to really get him engaged in serving us. But we opted for hummus to start and each of us had an entree, mine was a veggie dish and my eating partner opted for chicken. It was good and we did not go all out and have dessert, but next time I will! read more

A very cozy and romantic little dining room. The bar is off the entry and separated from the dining room (but also cozy as all getout). I've been here twice for special occasions and the place returned a nice evening both times. The staff was very courteous and attentive (I can't say enough good about the service we received), the food was good, and the prices were reasonable for such a nice place. They also have a patio that looks very cool. Although, it faces Chippewa which could be a bit noisy. I've yet to sit out there. I thought the appetizers were the best part (along with the specialty drinks), but the entrees were very good if not great. One minor quibble is that on one occasion there were side veggies with the entrees and they were nothing special and not really matched to the Turkish cuisine. They have a decent vegetarian selection of appetizers and entrees, though for us carniphobes. read more

Try the bocha, it is fantastic! Don't know what it is? Don't worry, I didn't either when I tried it! As to the entrees, I've had the burger and the doner - both of which are good. The staff are very polite and the decor is very pretty. If you want to avoid the dancers, I recommend going for lunch. I don't guarantee you won't see them, but I've been to lunch here twice and haven't seen any dancers. read more

Aya Sofia - From Their Website - Turkish Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Aya Sofia is my new top Mediterranean restaurant in STL! My husband and I dined her for his birthday, and from the ambiance to the cuisine, everything was perfect. We started with the Ezme Meze platter. The hummus, baba, and roasted red pepper spreads were all delish! Next, we shared the house salad - not bad, but not remarkable either. The main course was absolutely awesome. I had the kofte and my husband had the lahana sarmasi (cabbage rolls). The portions were large and the flavors were vibrant. A bottle of Spanish wine accompanied all dishes nicely. I will definitely return to sample more of the menu. Might even bring the kids next time. read more

The place smelled delicious upon entering of wonderful Mediterranean spices. Beautiful decor. Pleasant middle eastern music. The waiter was kind and extremely helpful. We tried appetizers: spinach & feta pie and falafel which were great. I had the lunch special of chicken kabob that had amazing spices and cooked to perfection. The plate was also filled with delicious hummus, tabouli and wild rice. The Turkish coffee was great, as was the incredible chocolate cake that was rich, sweet and perfect. We will definitely visit Aya Sophia again soon. read more

I highly recommend going with a group of friends that are willing to share, so everyone can get something different, because the entire menu is delicious! I recommend sharing some small plates of hummus, kibbe, baba ganouj first and then getting some delicious lamb entrees. The food is seriously so good! The parking in their lot is limited, but there is a large lot kind of behind the building. This place actually has a really good wine and cocktail menu to go along with the delicious food. If you are looking for a new brunch spot on Sundays, I highly recommend getting your Bloody Mary on at Aya Sofia. read more

Had an exceptional dinner early this evening. The server was excellent and the food was delectable. We started with the ezme meze platter which was humus, biber ezme, and babaganus. We all liked it even more with pita bread than the house bread it came with. Then Came the roasted beet and goat cheese salad. Perfectly roasted beets drizzled with olive oil and paired with a buttery creamy goat cheese and a bright basil twig. I love beets & goat cheese... So I loved it. I also got hot meze. Sigara Boregi, as the name sounds like Filo Cigars stuffed with feta, ricotta, parsley, and dill. I actually enjoyed dipping this in the yogurt or biber ezme as opposed to the tomato sauce it came with. I also got the Kibbe. It was peppery and had a great bulgur texture I enjoy. I drizzled it with yogurt and destroyed it. My wife and parents all got the Adana Kebab which my wife described as heaven on a plate and my parents couldn't stop complimenting. Everyone at the table was satisfied. Which I think we all know is no small task. High Five read more

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Excellent place! Where do I start? Service, as others have said, is top-notch: kind and courteous, with knowledge to spare. The booths are very cool, with wooden lattices separating each along with folded curtains. Makes like you are in private VIP booths yet still part of the dining area. Food was fantastic! Healthy portions, great taste and the owner was walking around asking how things were. I love that personal feeling to a place like this. You walk in and see a wall of awards dating from present to several years back. It's obvious that it's a wall of pride for them. I have to say that they deserve it! I'm looking forward to going again. I need to explore more of this gem of a place! read more

I have been here twice and been happy both times I have come. The quality of food and service is top notch. The service staff is very knowledgeable, friendly, and prompt. The first time I came, I had the Firinda Kuzu (roasted lamb). The meat was delicious. The potatoes and vegetables were fantastic. My only complaint (likely my own pet-peeve) and the only reason I'm not giving 5-stars was that there were multiple tiny bones throughout the lamb meat. Often these were small enough that I couldn't see them and would end up having to fish them out of my mouth. The meal became slightly difficult to maneuver, which left me a little sour. However, aside from that, the food was fantastic. The second time, I got the swordfish filet, which was amazing. I was perfectly full after the meal, satisfied with what I had. I will definitely return. read more

Did some research for local restaurants with delivery & found Aya Sofia. We ordered bohca, sarma & sis kebap. Everything was delicious and sufficient quantity for two. Loved that a dish of Keokuk was included! So delicious. Will be sure to visit for dine-in when the community returns to normal. read more

The best Turkish Restaurant in the area. They have very authentic food- I'm Turkish so trust me when I say that atmosphere is very nice, traditional and elegant. Their Turkish tea is right on point served in traditional Turkish tea cups which comes with free re-fills. They have a great selection of deserts which can be indulged with Turkish coffee and with homemade pistachio liquor. If you are looking for Mediterranean-Turkish-Middle Eastern food in town Aya Sofia is the place to go. They also have fabulous brunch menu. read more

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I had high hopes given the rave reviews, but we were mostly unimpressed with Aya Sofia. Mediterranean food is one of our favorites and my husband travels to the Mediterranean/Middle East often; he was eager to scratch the itch for some authentic cuisine. We were both underwhelmed. I also found it very strange that the restaurant smelled strongly of an air freshener rather than delicious Mediterranean cuisine. It wasn't necessarily an unpleasant scent, but threw off the whole experience for me (shouldn't I be smelling the amazing food, if anything?) I have to say though, even if the food wasn't all that great, their service and concern for customers was fantastic. Our bottle of wine was corked and they took it off our bill and allowed us to select another one (which was very good and very reasonably priced). We also did enjoy browsing the wine menu and appreciated the variety of wines offered from the region. Service definitely gets 5 stars, the food 2.5. read more

I stopped in tonight for the first time, and I was impressed on several levels. The ambiance was romantic, yet causal. The service was attentive, but not abrasive and the food...the FOOD was great. My only complaint is probably knit-picky BUT the specials were totally out of the normal price range and there was no warning for it. There I said it. I'm not cheap, and I like good quality food regardless of cost, but still...come on guys. The price range is around 21.00-24.00 for specialties listed on the menu. I spent nearly 30.00 for a whole piece off fish, which was not only out of my comfort zone, but delicious. Regardless, there was no warning of the price. Other than that, I really enjoyed the place and will definitely return in the future! read more

Delicious. Fresh. Great service. Nice interior and ambiance. Had the falafel and it was really great. Will definitely come back.

Bar is a bit too tiny if you plan to just hang out there. But the bartender and the drinks were great. Restaurant was much nicer than I expected. Super friendly staff and owners. Great service! Small plates were great and only one out of 6 people in my party wasnt happy with his dinner choice - it was the salmon, not sure what the issue was, but mine was very good. Parking is pretty limited, need to park at the bank or across chippewa. Plan on going back for sure. read more

We randomly stopped there for dinner on a Wednesday night, sat on the patio and had a good time. We started with their crispy filo cigar appetizer and calamari and both were perfectly cooked and tasty. For entrees my DH got the whole fish special and he loooved it, he said it was perfectly cooked with just the right amount of seasoning. I had the mixed grill, the lamb chop and the beef kabob were the real winners, I will get the lamb chops when we go back they were a perfect medium rare well seasoned and delicious. For dessert we had a chocolate martini and I must say this was probably the best chocolate martini I have had, normally they are creamy but this one was clear and I would go back just for another one of those. The hostess that greeted us and the server were really nice and helpful since we had never been there and didn't really know where to sit or what to get. read more

My husband took me here for our 6 year wedding anniversary and this restaurant did not disappoint!! We made a reservation to ensure a table since it was a Friday night. Upon arrival we were instantly seated in one of their booths. The restaurant has this romantic feel about it and the booth was so cozy and private. It was perfect! Our server was so nice and had extensive knowledge of the menu. He was prompt and attentive to our needs. I ordered the Imam Bayildi from the vegetarian portion of the menu. Let me tell you: being Italian I have had a lot of eggplant dishes in my lifetime. The Iman Bayildi is the best eggplant dish I've eaten so far. It was so delicious! The flavors exploded!! So good!! The atmosphere, the food, & the service made our anniversary a night to remember! Such a great experience and I can't wait to go back for another date night! read more

Aya Sofia - The delicious Iman Bayildi! - Turkish Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

This was a VERY good experience. The Mediterranean Chicken was so flavorful, fresh, and satisfying. The service and ambiance were top notch all located in one of Saint Louis' best neighborhoods. We'll be back soon! read more

Some parts were really good, some were uninspired, and a little bit was disappointing. Overall it was a nice experience and meal, good but not outstanding for us. I started with a small Turkish salad, which was okay but uninspired. The wife and daughter started with bohca, a hot meze selection. Those were fantastic, and I'd recommend them to anyone. For my entree, I went with one of the specials (manti) which was a Turkish ravioli/tortellini-type small dumpling in a warm yogurt sauce. It was pretty good, interesting in the mix of the savory dumplings with the tartness of the warm yogurt sauce. I'm not quite sure that they went together as well as I'd like. And I was disappointed by the small size of the portion. I don't want to get an entree and realize I should have ordered something in addition. The wife and daughter split the Aya Sofia meze platter. It was another winner. A great mix of humus, crispy feta, stuffed grape leaves, and a really tasty parsley salad. This was another winner. As for service, the workers were all very polite and gave good attention. However, my club soda came with someone else's lipstick on the glass. Not a big deal - it happens. But then there were other little things like having the appetizer plates taken away and not being replaced with anything to given plates to put the meze on (they did bring out plates after realizing this). So a little bit of remedial work on the small points of service could probably be useful. But like I said, it was a decent evening and had some great dishes and some just okay ones. read more

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My sister and I ate here tonight for the first time and both of us agreed that it was one of the best meals we've ever had. I ordered the Sebzeli Musakka, which is a vegetarian dish featuring layers of eggplant, potatoes, seasonal vegetables and probably some other ingredients I'm forgetting. The texture, flavor and appearance were all near perfect. Imagine a utopian paradise that only exists in your mouth. That's the Sebzeli Musakka!!! My sis had the Iskendar and the bite I had made it out to be another top notch meal. Friendly service, nice atmosphere (I was kind of bummed that the belly dancers weren't here this night as that's an experience I was looking forward to, but oh well...) and incredible and unique (to me anyways) food will definitely make me come back here soon. This truly is a great St. Louis restaurant. read more

Another fabulous dinner. Started with the Evil Eye martini, had the kofte and kuzu as entrees. The chocolate coffee mousse and the coffee topped it all off perfectly. Our server, Alex, was a joy. We arrived early to avoid any crowds and had a wonderful evening. read more

This place is downright ridiculously expensive and they should not even mention that they have Mediterranean/ middle-eastern food when they don't have any. The waiter didn't even know what a Shawarma is. The food is very mediocre but they do give large portions of those. The ambiance inside is too dark to barely be able to read the menus, but we sat out and it was pretty okay. The service was quick but for the taste of food and price, I will definitely not recommend this restaurant to anyone. They even added a gratitude amount which was ridiculous for this place. Only go to this restaurant if you want to spend ridiculous amount of money on very very mediocre food. Extremely disappointed with this hyped up place. read more

We drove from Kansas City just to eat at this restaurant! It has a reputation of being one of most authentic Turkish restaurants in the region. It is hands down, the best Turkish food I have ever eaten in the USA. If you ever go to Turkey, this is exactly how the food tastes. We tried Kebab, iskender and köfte. They all tasted exactly like how they should. I've read some reviews saying that their prices are too high but I saw them using authentic Turkish brands so if you consider the fact that they import some of their ingredients from the region it wouldn't be fair to call it too pricey. Also the size of entres are big enough that two people could easily share. Management was very welcoming, and the employees seemed to take a lot of pride in understanding the meals and culture of the items they serve. Everyone did their best to make us have a great evening! We ended up coming again the very next day! I high recommend trying this place!! read more

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Food was delicious!!!!! Ask for the mixed grill, comes in a half or whole. We did the half and spilt it. You get to taste a little of everything. We had the Bohça as a starter and it was also stellar. Service was awesome, everyone was so attentive and nice. We'll definitely be back! read more

Beautiful place for date night! The food is absolutely delicious, especially the dolma and lamb kabob! The staff is extremely knowledgeable with wines and paring. I highly recommend stopping in! read more

First of all, the food was excellent. I will definitely be back for the food alone. The patio was also absolutely gorgeous. I didn't realize they did Sunday brunch and I was a little disappointed not to see the full lunch menu at 1 PM on a Sunday, but there were still some standard menu options on the brunch menu which I tried. The Turkish wedding soup was wholesome and flavorful, and the iskender was incredibly rich and well seasoned. However, the service was less than stellar. The place was pretty busy when we first arrived, but our server was inexcusably slow even when people had cleared out and there were almost no customers. It ended up making what should have been a quick lunch stop into a long ordeal. It seemed as though the server had no regard for our time. The bussers were also very slow and clumsy, seemingly not sure of what they should be doing. Like I said, the food is worth a trip, but don't expect to be in and out in a hurry. read more

Aya Sofia - The iskender was outstanding! - Turkish Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

I've been to this restaurant quite a few times. The warm pita bread with Turkish salsa is good that they give you. The entrees are good. The desert is over priced and tastes like it's been refridgerated a few days--I've had it a few times and each time it tasted this way. This is all fine. I have enjoyed going to this place up until tonight. Tonight was my most horrible experience to date. My husband and I had a coupon that was printed off from a previous visit--it was for buy an entree, get one half off. That's it. They refused to take it, claiming it was for lunch only. Normally, I'd be ok with this. However, this coupon did not specify lunch or dinner. It had no expiration date. It simply said, "On next visit, buy one entree, get one 1/2 price." The manager said she'd give us a dessert for free since we couldn't use our coupon. Desserts are about $6. Our coupon would've cost them $8. Why not have a happy customer...? I'm so disappointed in Aya Sofia... I expected more on the customer service end I suppose. Don't give out coupons if you don't want your customers to use them. That's called, "bad business!" read more

There isn't much not to like about this place! They have a nice wine selection, fantastic food, consistently good service, and a very pretty patio. We've been several times and have never been disappointed. The ambience indoors is great too with very private cozy little booths. But the happy hour at the bars and outside on the patio certainly keeps us coming back. The meatballs are amazing, very spicy and full of flavor! My wife loves the burger. The gyro is nothing special. I've certainly had better, but it wasn't bad. I'd recommend a Glass of the Turkish red wine though I don't remember the name of it. Also, they have a pretty good brunch complete with mimosa flights! read more

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The food has been really good every time I have been here. The atmosphere is inviting with booths that have curtains on them. It makes the place feel special. For large parties a reservation is probably a good idea. The parking in their lot is limited but street parking is ok if you can find the right street. read more

Smaller portions, and more expensive than most Mediterranean places but the food was very good. The atmosphere was very nice, rustic and cozy with private-like booths. Nice date place. I tend to rate places as either I would go back or not go back. I would go back. read more

I'm a little biased about Turkish food, because I dated a turk at Wash U who spoiled me with authentic meals often. I knew that Aya Sofia was Americanized, because we went there together and he of course scoffed at the idea that it was food from his home country. But I'm not Turkish (and we stopped dating a long time ago) so I figured I'd go again sans critical boys with unrealistic expectations about MY home city! I'm always impressed by any restaurant that offers so many veggie options that they earn their own section on the menu. Aya Sofia is no different, offering several veggie appetizers and dips, as well as 3 different vegetarian entrees, 1 a pasta, and 2 eggplant dishes. I ordered haydari, a yogurt dip with dill, mint, and garlic, and garnished with tomatoes, cukes, and kalamata olives, and served with warm pita bread. Eh. It was a bit bland for my taste, but ok. It definitely needed a bit of salt to bring out the flavors. Don't these people watch Top Chef? A little salt and pepper go a loooong way! It was a large portion though, as were all of the dips that my group ordered, which was nice because we were able to pass everything around. Because of this, I was able to try the hummus, and the babaghanoush, a pureed eggplant dip with tahini and garlic, which was by far the most flavorful, and my fav. And my sister ordered a hot appetizer, 4 fairly large philo dough "cigars" filled with dill and some type of cheese mixture, and accompanied by a tomato dipping sauce. She was nice enough to share one with her little sis, and it was also deeeelish! Definitely what I'd order next time. My entree was the sebzell musakka, a layered eggplant dish with potatoes and veggies, covered in cheese and tomato sauce, and baked. It was served with a pearl couscous and green beans and carrots. The musakka was good, though too heavy on roasted red peppers for my taste. I really liked the couscous, though it was totally plain. And the veggies were covered in some sort of seasoning, which tasted garlicky (YES), and therefore amazing. They were a bit more crisp than al dente though, and could've used a bit more cooking time for my taste. They brought all of us a tiny little dessert on the house, a baklava. I won't comment on the taste because I HATE baklava with a passion, but I mention it because it reflects how the service was all night. Our server was amazing and funny and handled 20 people flawlessly. When I packaged up my dip, they brought me a separate box with fresh pita to take home, which was really unexpected, because most places don't think of things like that unless asked. Overall, the service and the quality of food make this place worth the visit, despite my previous experiences with the turk and a few mehs based solely on my preferences. It's really not that authentic (sorry)...but this is St. Louis! I wouldn't expect provel cheese or toasted rav in Turkey! It's good, so who cares?! read more

Aya Sofia is now my #1 celebatory restaurant in the St. Louis metropolitan area! It STILL is my #1 celebatory restaurant in St. Louis - hands down! We can think of any excuse to go to Aya Sofia - there are so many wonderful and tasty dishes . . . everyone is a winner in my book! They do have THE BEST calamari anywhere that I have tasted - very ample portion and sauces that you will not find anywhere else . . . all for only $9! Be sure to tell Alicia how much you love the calamari too! Be sure to sit outside on one of their patios when you go - great atmosphere - you will think you are in Santa Monica on a beautiful evening here in St. Louis! read more

I'd say this place is the best Middle Eastern restaurant I've tried in St. Louis. The atmosphere is nice and intimate. I have had great memories at this place with my friends and family. The lamb dishes are all amazing. The eggplant dishes are fantastic - they're layered with cheese and spices - full of flavor. The cocktail (the one made with Bailey's and Turkish coffee) is my absolute favorite. I'm not too impressed with the appetizers. I've tried a few but they were just okay. Oh, baklava, how could I almost forget to mention that! No matter how full you are, order the baklava, just do it. read more

i attended to international supper club on 1-18-2011. first, i got the soup. it was a spicy vegetable soup. it was just OK. i could do without it. it was mostly broth. for a main entree, i got swordfish kabobs and firinda macarna. the firinda macarna is penne noodles, spinach, cheese, and a tomato sauce the is baked. the swordfish was very good. the service was very good. we were in a very large group the wait staff all chipped in to help each other out. the waiter and the lady i assume was the owner and/or manager came and asked several times if things were good and if we needed anything. read more

If you haven't tried Aya Sofia yet, you don't know what you've missed! This is hands down my favorite St. Louis restaurant. I have many favorites so I'm often reluctant to try something new, but everything is unique and flavorful and I've loved every dish. The wine menu is fabulous and the manager (often the owners) will stop and chat with you about your meal. One of the owners is the chef, too. The ambiance is romantic and cozy. I have lived in Denver Seattle and now San Francisco, and while there is a competitive food scene in SF, I have not found a restraint, let alone Mediterranean that comes close. This is a must-stop for my St. Louis visit. If you're a first-timer, this is great for special occasions, dates or girls night out. Tip: always ask "what is the best thing on the menu tonight"-- there is always something new or exclusive to be tried and the staff has great recommendations. read more

My first and last visit. Food selection OK but service very, very poor. Then when presented the bill I was NOT told they had already added a service charge so the poor service got a double tip. The place is so dark you cannot read the menu then when the bill is presented with very small print you do not realize they have added a service charge. What restaurant adds a service charge for two people and does not tell you? Downright dishonest! read more