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.

We went to Toros with a large group (17 people.) The service was outstanding. The food was…read moreplentiful and delicious. The staff was a pleasure to deal with; we pre-ordered the food and received exactly what we wanted. I highly recommend Toros for a large group and look forward to visiting with smaller groups as well! The restaurant is very pretty; being there was a delight.

This was my first time at Toros and I'm glad I stopped in! The restaurant has a warm, homey and…read moreinviting vibe; I particularly liked the lighting and wall art, it made the space feel very authentic. Toros only serves wine, so plan accordingly (they do have a non-alcoholic lemonade on the menu, which my dinner date loved). Our server was friendly and took time to describe each item on the menu. For my meal, I tried the Bamia, which is a traditional, thick Turkish stew with okra and lamb, served with basmati rice. The stew itself had a sour taste but our server did give me the heads up before ordering. Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Toros and I'm looking forward to coming back!

Food is delicious as usual, i feel like it got even better??? Service felt tighter, and better. I…read morewill continue to come back I wish they played lebanese music or smth

The food here was decent, although the chicken was slightly overcooked .The service was adequate…read morebut nothing particularly special. On the positive side, the atmosphere was very pleasant and the restaurant had a great overall vibe. plenty of servers, made for a minimal we wait and hookah was available. What was disappointing, however, was the automatic gratuity added to the bill for a table of only 4 people. More importantly, the server did not inform us that the tip had already been included, which felt a bit misleading. Considering the food, service, and billing experience, I think three stars is a fair and even generous rating.

Great food ... place is small, good service Have Combo of…read moreLamb & Shish it was very good Meat was tender and vegetables grilled to perfection

I would give this place a zero if I could. Hostess literally said "your men are very cheap I'm just…read moresaying" bc we didn't tip after they tried to purposely charge us for 3 hummuses bc we sent back the lamb chops for being absolutely bland.

Wow, stunning & beautiful place. Start off ambiance was great, it was quiet and early since I came…read morehere for lunch but love how welcoming they are. Service was great and wonderful, the young lady always checked up to make sure everything was great. Food was so tasty & had flavor to it! I had ordered octopus with hummus, it was very well cooked & I had to have pita on the side. I also ordered shish kebab filet mignon & as well very well cooked, not overcooked or dry at all. The rice was plain, which was okay for me. The onions definitely made up for it to combine it together. To top it off I also got fried calamari, it was a little bit chewy overall still had flavor to it. My go to drink was a mint lemonade that they make it into a slushie. I never had a mint lemonade so the taste to the drink was new to me but I loved it! You could bring your own liquor becusse they do not sell that. Overall amazing place for a quick lunch or dinner!

Overall, an excellent experience. The food was amazing and the ambiance was top-tier. The place is…read morebeautifully done with a super cool, upbeat atmosphere, great music, and a live DJ mixing that really sets the tone. The staff was welcoming and attentive, and the menu had great options across the board. Food-wise, I have zero complaint everything was flavorful and well prepared. A special shout-out to Rola, the owner, who personally came out to check on us and make sure everything was going well, which really shows how much care goes into the experience. It's also BYOB, which is a nice bonus and makes the night even better. Definitely a spot worth visiting again for great Mediterranean food, a fun vibe, and an energetic atmosphere.

Yasmeen 39 Union Ave…read moreCresskill, NJ 07626 Strawberry Matcha Latte One of the two locations of this Lebanese/Syrian restaurant is in the heart of Cresskill. As I entered the restaurant, I was impressed with the attractive interior and even more so impressed with their viral coffee bar. With so many flavors to choose ranging from pistachio to coconut cloud, I decided to choose the strawberry matcha latte (and it was hard to make a decision). When server Ana placed this iced beverage in front of me, it was love at first sip. The appearance alone instantly caught my eye. Its red, white, and green colors are a perfect fit on a hot summer day. Unfortunately, I had to stir this drink for maximum flavor which altered the appearance; thankfully, I took the photo shot before I started stirring. The ice cubes in this drink made it difficult to stir with the plastic straw, but I was offered a spoon. Although I felt there was a tad bit too much ice in this drink, the combination of strawberry puree, milk, and premium matcha was very refreshing. For an up charge, I added strawberry whipped foam to enhance the flavor even more. When I next return to explore their other signature lattes, I will remember to request less ice which will simply the stirring. #yasmeenmediterranean #yasmeencresskill #strawberrymatchalatte

Came here on a Tuesday afternoon because I saw that they had a lunch special- appetizer, side, main…read morecourse, and drink for $19.95. The place had a decent amount of customers for a weekday. We sat in the front dining area where there was a large TV, good for watching the game (in our case, the world cup). The place was clean and server was friendly. We ordered 3 lunch specials that included the fattoush (house salad), mouhamarra, labneh, shish tawook (grilled chicken with rice pilaf), kufta kebab, and mint lemonade. Honestly for food, my average rating for everything would be closer to 3.5/5. The pita bread that came with the table was room temp and served in a plastic bag. I would have liked it to be at least warmed up a little before being brought out. The sides and dips were average. They lacked flavor and depth in my opinion- the labneh was simply plain, sour yogurt without any other flavor. The mouhamarrah was also average, it was a bit spicy and that was about it. Standouts from our table that were very well executed were the lentil soup, shish tawook, and yasmeen fries. The lentil soup came out steaming hot, and was very nicely seasoned. I liked that it came with crispy pieces to add texture. The shish tawook surprised me as it didnt look super special, but it was actually very good! The chicken was juicy, fell apart easily, and had that nice grill flavor. It went well with the rice and vegetables. The yasmeen fries were hot and crispy, the garlic seasoning was a very nice touch. I would've liked if my mint lemonade had more mint flavor in it but perhaps that was my bad for not ordering the slush version. The portions were pretty generous, 19.95 is a fair price for all the food we received. Overall, we had a nice experience and am glad we got to try the place out.

I can't say enough about TAJ RESTAURANT PATERSON NJ. We love this place! The food, the atmosphere…read moreand best of all, the workers! They all rush to make your day a beautiful one. Our hostess Nohan is such a delight, God bless her and her welcoming us to our table. That's exactly what they did when I came in with friends of ours that were not Arabic but loves our food. One was visiting from California! They all loved the food and everything there. We will be going back every chance we get.

We got there and immediately noticed there's no greeter or host upfront. We awkwardly make our way…read moretoward the middle of the restaurant to find somebody and ask for a table. We get seated, place our order, and roughly 40 minutes have gone by. We are wondering what is taking so long. I see a server walking towards us with what looks like the food we ordered. But he places the 2 plates of food on the table beside us, the table who came about 25-30 minutes after us. The couple at the table make a comment of whether they ordered that food, but the server still walks away. In the meantime, their children at that table immediately dig into the food left in front of them. A few minutes later, the server realizes his mistake and comes back trying to fix his mistake. Of course, at that point, we don't want food that's already been touched. The manager comes over, he asks us to wait again while they remake our food. At this point, we are being asked to wait over an hour for our food, the least they could've done is offered even the smallest discount, but they didn't. I understand we're all human and mistakes can happen. But after turning our experience into a disaster, the least they could've done is offered to comp even a part of our meal. They did not, we left very disappointed and mind you this was Mother's Day.

5 Stars- came here with some friends to experience authentic Palestinian food in an area of…read morePatterson New Jersey known as "Little Palestine". It's always great to learn about other cultures and experience it with one of our friends that Palestinian. The restaurant has plenty of tables, a very nice atmosphere, does catering and everything is fresh and authentic. Prices are very fair, the service was excellent and the restaurant is clean. They have large tables to accommodate almost any size family. They also have a separate Hookah room for those that would like to get the total experience of the Middle East. Their prices are much cheaper than Brooklyn and they have a great variety of tobacco for the Hookahs. Our waiter made sure we were not rushed and did a great job in making sure he met the expectations of someone in our group who is very picky about their food. LOL We ordered several appetizers including the Hummus, Tabouli salad, Kebeh balls, and Baba Ganoush. Everything was fresh nice size portions, light and had great taste. I have to say the appetizers by itself were filling. For entrees we had the Chicken Skewers Shish the Chicken and Kufta Skewers Shish, the Chicken and Lamb Skewers Shish, and the Shrimp Kebob. I would highly recommend them for great Palestinian food, great service and an experience that did not disappoint.

The restaurant is clean, brightly lit, and well maintained. There is a large seating area with…read moresmoking and non-smoking sections. If I could give more than 5 stars just for the service, I would. Our server went above and beyond to make sure everything was to our satisfaction. They went the extra mile to wrap our takeout meal so it'd stay warm at the end of an hour long drive. Food was flavorful. We ordered the meat area, hummus, small mixed grill platter and beef shawarma platter. The shawarma was not quite what I expected but still tasty. Both meals came with seasoned rice and garlic butter. They did not have harissa but gave us roasted jalapeno and hot sauce upon request.