I. Atmosphere (4/5) - Space is small and intimate. Warm with good seating options - can probably accommodate up to 8 if needed. It's a mom & pop shop so nothing super fancy, but well-kept. 2. Food (4/5) Babagannoush (APP, 5/5) - TAKE. MY. MONEY! Man I love me some good baba and this was exceptional. Velvety with great mouth feel and lovely smokiness this was so good w/ their table bread Turkish Ravioli (Manti) (APP, 3/5) - Chewy little nuggets w. yogurt filling, it was pretty enjoyable though my colleague gave ma "Meh" since she makes them at home and probably has high bar. It was good for maybe the first 3 or 4, so perhaps better ordered for larger groups. Shepherd Salad (APP, 4/5) - Fresh, bright(as in vinegar), and herbaceous, we added feta cheese to it and it was perfect balance to our entree. Kofte Kebab (MAIN, 4/5) - Not too dry with packed flavor of all the herbs & beef, I really enjoyed my dish. Went great with all the other accouterments such as slightly cinged wedge of tomato and onion slices, all frolicking on a bed of warm rice that had a nice bite. Adana Kebap (MAIN, 4/5) - My colleague had this one, and I tried a piece. It was juicy and had no hint of gaminess which is always a plus for lamb. 3. Service (3/5) - This being a mom & pop store, I think they're short on staff. Usually they're all in the back cooking, so you do need to be a bit patient to flag someone down. But I'm sure they're more attentive during busy hours. (We went during weekday) Overall, Hakki Baba is a solid turkish mom & pop shop that delivers on great authentic flavor at a reasonable price. In the sea of turkish restaurants in Cliffside Park area, this one is one of my favorite. Pay them a visit! read more

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Food tasted fresh and was tasty. Service was nice and overall pleasant for lunch with a friend. They offer a lunch special which is always a plus. Street parking was available early afternoon read more

Hakki Baba - Small Shepherd Salad - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

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Great Turkish cuisine in a family run restaurant known to all locals. Every dish has wonderful flavor and the portions are huge. Their food is fresh and prepared to order and tasty. On street parking is usually available. read more

I visited this place with family and the staff was very kind like we were family, they welcomed us well and the food was outstanding!!! The prices were reasonable and all the flavors were amazing. Everything tasted fresh and we all feel refreshed and warm afterwords. I cannot stress this enough but the staff was very very friendly and treated us with love and respect. read more

Hakki Baba - Option A - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

Excellent spot we found in the area. Very friendly owners and delicious food. They were so kind and gave us items on the house. I felt bad it was empty on a Saturday night. We must come back! read more

Hakki Baba - Chicken kebab - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

Very pleasant visit with well-prepared meals and consistent flavors. The staff handled everything smoothly, creating a relaxed atmosphere. A few small improvements could make it excellent for future visits here. read more

I love Turkish cuisine for its flavorfulness and healthiness. And Hakki Baba is one of the best places to get it when I am in NJ. Their menu features various dishes, from classic Turkish appetizers like Hummus and Baba Ghanoush to more substantial entrees like Lamb and Chicken Kebabs. Everything we have tried has been delicious, and the portions are generous. We are fans of the Hakki Baba Special Mixed Grill, which consists of Lamb Shish Kebab, Chicken Shish Kebab, Skewered Chopped Lamb Kebab, and Skewered Chopped Chicken Kebab paired with the Appetizer Combination of Cacik, Spicy Minced Salad, Lebne, and Hummus. They serve fresh hot bread with butter. The restaurant itself is small and intimate, with a cozy atmosphere. The staff is friendly and attentive, and we love the hostess! And they're always happy to help you choose the perfect dish for your taste. I love that Hakki is that it's BYOB. We typically grab a bottle of red at the corner before dining. The only thing I dislike about the restaurant is the mold-ish odor that takes a while to get used to when dining in. However, you'll be in for a truly delicious and satisfying meal once you get past that. Overall, it is a solid spot to enjoy a great meal without fuss and wait times. read more

Our first time eating here and we ordered take out. It was so good and fresh. Bravo!!!! Can't wait to come to the restaurant. See you soon read more

The food is great. Generous portions and delicious. Plus the ladies who run the place are so lovely and sweet. You can tell they have enthusiasm for what they do. The atmosphere is lovely. Makes you feel like you're in Turkey. And they do a great job with the presentation of the food. IF you're going out on a date, and want to impress the person by showing them you're worldly and sophisticated, this is the place. Come on, for once in your life be somebody. Don't be a nobody, be somebody! Also they give you delicious bread. read more

Hakki Baba - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

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Food: 3.75/5 Service: 5/5 Interior: 5/5 The server was very nice and shared his recommendations on what to get during lunchtime. It probably helped that we were the only ones in at the time. For the lunch special, I got a Shepherd Salad and Lamb Kebab. The salad was refreshing and a good starter as someone who likes tomatoes. The bread was also warm and fresh. For the main dish, the lamb kebab was a bit salty. It worked out since I ate it with the rice and salad for a balanced flavor. We ended the meal with baklava and Turkish tea. Sadly, the baklava phyllo pastry didn't stay crispy. The syrup made the dessert closer to mushy. The Turkish tea's flavor helped balance the sweetness of the baklava. read more

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This Mediterranean restaurant has been on my food radar for a while, and let me just say--it's way more than ok, it's outrageously kind to your taste buds. From the moment I walked in, I got hit with that cozy, home-cooked energy like I just wandered into a friend's kitchen who also happens to be a Mediterranean food wizard. The babaganoush? A smoky, silky dream that could convert even the most loyal hummus lover. Every dish we tried had that "made with love" feel--and the staff? They don't just work there; they vibe there. Seriously, they treat the place like it's their own, which it probably is. If you've ever said "I've been meaning to eat there," let this be your sign. Go. Order. Savor. Repeat. You won't be dissatisfied--unless you forget to try the babaganoush. read more

This is a cozy establishment. The service was wonderful. It is BYOB. The portions were large and the food was well cooked. It was very tasty. Everything was well seasoned. I am definitely going back. read more

What an amazing place!! The staff makes you feel like you're dining with family in a traditional Turkish Village. The food is phenomenal everything we tried was amazing. I really enjoyed the salads, dips and the main course was excellent! read more

Hakki Baba - Traditional Turkish Tea - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

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Fantastic, authentic Turkish/Mediterranean food served with genuine hospitality and warmth. Family-run gem in Cliffside Park with some unexpected dishes to try. read more

We ordered in. Everything was great, no complaints. The meats were nice and tender, delicious. Sides, bread, everything was good. I highly recommend. read more

Nice interior, service was good and very friendly. We tried the hummus - it was alittle bland. Had chicken kebab and my husband had lamb shish kebab with yogurt. My chicken kebab was good - not overcooked and not dry. Salad on plate was undressed - not sure why. My husband said his lamb shish kebab with yogurt was not hot enough. Overall, a decent meal but nothing that special. read more

Checked this restaurant recently. The woman working was very nice (perhaps the owner?) and proud of their food. We selected the cold appetizer sampler, featuring four dips. Labneh was our favorite but all were good. We had the borek as well, that was fantastic. Really crisp "cigarettes" of oozing cheese. For entrees we had the pistachio lamb kabobs and the manti. (Lamb dumplings) I never had pistachios in a kabob before, cool addition. The dumplings were awesome, very tender with a delicious sauce. For dessert, we went with all three choices. Pistachio pudding was subtle and refreshing, kadayif was solid, and the baklava was great. Also, the Turkish tea was delicious. Very solid Turkish restaurant, in a neighborhood of very solid Turkish restaurants. read more

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Nephew brought me here for my birthday. The food and presentation is great. Most importantly, the hosts made us feel comfortable and welcome. read more

Hakki Baba - Meat platter - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

I love this place, small, family run, and authentic. Simple decor, tasty food, family feel service. the 2-3 people meal and other family options are extremely generous and incredibly tasty. Food fast is great, price is great as well. read more

Hakki Baba - Yum - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

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Have gone here twice with my bf and both times were delicious!!! Ive told my friends to come here too and they loved it:) they are very consistent! Apps: hummus & turkish bread - AMAZING! So delicious and so fresh 9/10 Shepherds salad 9/10 - fresh and also delicious! And perfect amount of olive oil Filet mignon kebab ( not pictured) one with yogurt sauce : 7/10 sauce is tasty but just not my favorite Filet mignon kebab 8/10 tender and yummy! Chicken kebab: 9/10 love it!! Great portion and the rice is delicious and flavorful same as chicken Baklava: 10/10 the best ive tried. Amazing!!! Boyfriend said "best baklava ever" Ambience: homey cozy but very pretty inside 9/10 Overall a great experience! read more

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Best Manti ever. Every-time when i come here I feel like I am in my beautiful country Turkiye.. Great service, great people. read more

Hakki Baba - Manti - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

Love this place and love our waitress/hostess even more. It was our first time there & felt like she's known us forever. Had a bunch of appys and it was all delicious, especially the lebne. Will definitely be back. read more

I believe I found this place through a review in the Bergen Record some years back, a family owned neighborhood gem. This BYOB serves fantastic Turkish food in a great environment. On my most recent visit my friend and I ordered the Shepherd Salad, Mixed Grill, and Pistachio Milk Pudding. The portions are extremely generous but the taste and quality of the ingredients used surpass everything else. The sisters who run the place are very sweet and attentive. I look forward to my next visit and to bring more friends to enjoy this taste of the Middle East. read more

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We started order with a Karisik Mezeler : Lebne, Babagannoush, Acili Ezme. 8/10 . The main entree was a lamb kebab, rice and salad. 9/10. The chicken yogurt plate mixed with croutons. 7.5/10. The servers were kind, the vibe felt like dinner with family. The service was attentive. The ambiance was a mom and pop shop feel . Like visiting family for the holiday. We did get charged gratuity for just 2 of us. It was weird since it wasn't on the menu or mentioned. I'm hoping it happens to everyone. read more

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I ordered the salad and a Pepsi, the salad was fresh with good flavor. Their bread is so good!! read more

Hakki Baba - Shephard Salad - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

Half orders were perfect for our late lunch after SoJo Spa nearby. Our waitresses (the 4th generation of family owners) were so helpful with suggestions... the eggplant appetizer trio was delicious with a smoky salad version and one of the best babaganoush I've ever had. Our kebabs were moist, tender and tasty, and the bread light, warm and airy. To top it off we had the milky pistachio pudding. They have great family style/party options that have us planning our next get together. read more

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Wow! What an amazing hidden gem. It's is beautifully decorated and has a great ambiance. The service was impeccable and our party was well taken care of. The food was made with love and absolutely delicious!!! The bread, salad, mains and desserts - were mouth watering from start to finish. Highly recommend Hakki Baba for an intimate dining experience. read more

So lets start off with a DISCLAIMER: There was only ONE server in this modestly-sized Turkish restaurant. And it was getting full. So now you have context. Service: With only one server, we had reserved a spot at this restaurant for my mom's birthday in advance. So when we arrived, people from our group were already seated with some salad & Turkish bread along with hummus & a yogurt dish I keep forgetting the name of (but you pair your bread with it). The server naturally kept forgetting to come to us so we had to keep asking for her or my brother literally had to get up and go directly to the kitchen entrance and speak to the server or someone behind the counter. Food: The Turkish bread was fantastic. The lentil soup was okay, they did not serve it with lemon on the side, which is pretty out of the norm for Turkish restaurants. They always serve lentil soup with lemon wedges. We wanted more bread, so we had to ask for bread because it felt like the server was never going to come to see us, but once we asked she got back to us in a reasonable amount of time with bread. However once we got to the main course, it took a bit of a turn. We didn't get any rice at first, asked for it, it took what seemed like an eternity to get the rice, and the plate of rice was SO tiny for all that meat (see photo below) we were surprised. By the time we got the rice, we had already eaten the meat. And again, we had NO accompanying sauces or anything to pair with all this meat. I didn't understand. The meat was okay, I wasn't impressed. I think the chicken kabob smelled bad too. I just was disappointed because the reviews are high here. I was really looking forward to eating their food. The Turkish tea was decent. But it would be impressive if a Turkish restaurant messed that up. Conclusion: I would not come back here. I felt we overpaid for a subpar meal & the service was just not adequate, through no fault of the server btw. The server was kind, she was just overworked because the owner or manager of this restaurant didn't have 2 servers that night. read more

Hakki Baba - Meat plate sans rice or any dipping sauces - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

It's hard to find businesses in NJ that make good Beyti. As a Beyti lover, I can say that I enjoyed the food we ate. I just wish the lavash was handmade. Mantı were still handmade and delicious. Adana kebab was really bad in terms of presentation and taste. Anyway, what is as important to me as taste and presentation in a restaurant is the interest of the staff. This is a family business. Two sisters served us and reminded us the Turkish hospitality that we miss in America. They were very patient and friendly even with my 6 year old son. read more

This place offers the best bread I've ever had. The owner woman who looked Turkish welcomed us kindly and the food was really delicious. We were very satisfied with the sufficient amount of food. read more

I always drive past this place, but never really got a chance to visit because I am a regular at other Turkish restaurants in the area. However, I got tired of eating the same things so my girlfriend and I decided to order from here for takeout. We both got chicken wraps (without onions). It was ready in less than 20 minutes so I went to go pick it up. Although I've never dined here before, it seems like a very cozy atmosphere/family environment. The prices were very reasonable so I was kind of iffy at first. All I'm saying is that when I got home and my girlfriend and I were finished eating, I regretted not ordering seconds. It was one of the best chicken wraps that I've eaten. I think what really set it apart for me was the freshness of the tortilla-type bread that it was wrapped in. I cannot speak to the dine-in experience (pandemic), but the food was exceptional! read more

I've been here twice. The first time I though it was good, but the second time it wasn't good at all that's why for the 3 stars. The owner is very nice, warm, and welcoming. The house made Turkish bread here is amazing! For appetizers I had the Sigari Boregi and the pan fried eggplant (Palican Tava). The Sigari Boregi was good, but I wish I tasted more of the Feta cheese. The pan fried eggplant was horrible! I've had this appetizer at other Turkish restaurants and loved it. But, here they made it differently then the usual traditional Turkish way. The eggplant was soggy, and it was loaded with an awful tasting garlic yogurt! It tasted so bad that I couldn't eat it! For dinners I had their signature dish the Sarma Beyti and the Filet mignon shish kebab with yogurt. The Sarma Beyti was good, but the Filet mignon shish kebab with yogurt was not good at all! This is another Turkish dish I've had at many Turkish restaurants, but here it was prepared differently as well. They were generous with the filet mignon meat, but it couldn't be enjoyed because the meat was swimming in yogurt that didn't taste good! It was also overloaded with sauce too! Believe me I love extra sauce, but this was more like Filet mignon in a sauce and yogurt soup mess! For desserts I had the baklava was delicious! The kadayif was just ok. I wouldn't come back as I know far more better Turkish restaurants! read more

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The best authentic Turkish food in North Jersey! The atmosphere was elegant and the food...omg.. delicious! We ordered the Babagannoush, Cigaratte Borek, Pan fried Eggplant, and Skewered chopped chicken. All were perfectly cooked and seasoned amazingly. This will be my go to place for true authentic Turkish food!! Oh and can't forget the Turkish coffee!!!! read more

SOOOOOO GOOD! For the last year my love for Turkish cuisine has become an addiction. So whenever I find a new Turkish spot my friend and I try to head over there ASAP! We decided to get the Option A meal for 2 which comes with a salad, 2 Turkish cheese spring rolls, 2 cold apps and a meat platter with a variety. First let me say everything was divine ! From the service to the food 10/10. Our waitress was so nice and let us take our time deciding what to order. The salad was good; it gave me a homemade vibe. The spring rolls were good but Im lactose so I didn't really finish it. The 2 apps we got was hummus and cacik, which is a yogurt/cucumber dip. The cacik was good but the hummus was amazing ! It had such a nice smooth tahini taste plus a Smokey chickpea taste. Absolutely amazing paired with the warm Turkish bread. The meat platter came out and I didn't know where to begin. I'm a big fan of chicken shish so I had they first. It was very nice and juice; I expected a little more flavor it still good. The kofta was amazing also. Everything was really good but the Adana could have been seasoned a little better. Well deff go back to try more things ! read more

Hakki Baba - Half Meter Mix Kebab - Turkish Near Me - Cliffside Park, New Jersey

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Love their food. i ve brought different friends here and they all have enjoyed the food. My favorite are the chicken kebab with rice and the sarma.beyti which was recommended to us the first time we were there l, which i am.so.glad.that did!! It's BYOB which makes it all much better^^ read more

Imagine it is raining and chilly outside. You walk inside the restaurant and instantly feel warm. The restaurant has a special cozy feeling and everything is carefully decorated. The friendly servers there brought warm bread which is crispy on the outside and humid on the side. You feel like you can simply eat the bread all day. And then you order food - kebab is amazing. Everything you have been wanting for middle eastern food. read more

Avoid this place!! Service and food are awful! Both restrooms are dirty, smelly, sink wasnt cleaned couple months and there is no paper towels for handS to dry. They play Spanish music inside. ( where is Turkish music?) Shepard salad ( mix of vegetables ) had 85% of tomatoes. Barely any spices on it. We order 2 main courses. Both was over grilled, dry and horrible taste. You caN barely see chicken meat from burning. Rice was dry like is 2 weeks old. Compare to other Turkish places portions are way to small for same $! Been to many many Turkish restaurants and this one is far far far away worst one!! read more

This place will be my go to place for now. Food felt so homemade. We ordered one lamb and one filet mignon. The filet mignon was very good. I need to go back right now and get that filet mignon. It was few bucks more but do worth it. Service was good. You can tell the owner takes great pride. read more

I regret not knowing this place long ago. I was there first time and enjoyed very much of friendly environment and delicious food, felt like home. Planning to visit them regularly!!! read more

Went for Weekday Lunch Special Food - 5/5. Bread was soft and warm. The Turkish tea had a good aroma and I liked the little vessel it was served in. Lentil soup was smooth with a rich flavor and the eggplant salad had good texture with plenty of seasoning. The kofte kebab was juicy with great grill marks. The accompanying salad could've used some form of dressing but this is a minor point. The rice was fluffy. Service - 4/5. Fast and courteous. Value - 5/5. The lunch special is great as it is only $11 for bread, two appetizers an entree and a choice of beverage. Great value! Parking - Street (Free) read more

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