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

Good ambience, great staff. The food was ok ish. It used to be much better a couple of years ago…read more We got the chicken adana and suc kavurma. Both were average

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

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

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!

Top, top place. Delicious food, generous portions, friendly service. Salad and bread were so fresh,…read morethe chicken savory, the eggplant silky. Don't worry if you don't speak Turkish - they'll explain everything for you. You won't go hungry.

WOW! I stumbled across a hidden gem in downtown Paterson, New Jersey. I had planned on going to the…read moreBanana King a few miles away, but they closed before midnight so I traveled to Mr. Waffles and discovered this little authentic Turkish restaurant next door which is open 24 hours a day. You can tell that the chef behind the counter in the kitchen pours his heart and soul into the food which he makes. They have a wide variety of Turkish delights including some beef stew which I cannot pronounce, beef and tomato entree, the lentil soup which I had a bowl of and so much more which I must try in the future. Everything is authentic Turkish style down to the Bal Kupü sugar cubes in a small bowl on the tables. I will be making this one of my favorite restaurants whenever I am in Paterson.

Abu Rass is one of the best places for authentic Middle Eastern food. The food was incredibly…read morefresh, flavorful, and served in generous portions. Everything we ordered was delicious, especially the grilled meats, which were tender and perfectly seasoned. The staff was friendly, welcoming, and provided excellent service throughout our visit. The restaurant was clean, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. I highly recommend Abu Rass to anyone looking for delicious, authentic food. I'll definitely be coming back!

We went to Abu Rass for the first time the other day. It is unassuming from the outside, but we…read morewere happy we came in to experience the delicious cuisine. Ambiance was nice with folks smoking shisha. All the food we had was delectable and my Egyptian husband gave his stamp of approval, which is not easily granted. We loved the fresh bread, crispy falafel, mint lemonade, hummus and baba ghanoush. Honestly everything was good. Service was also polite and attentive. We will be back inshallah!

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

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

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.

My family and I have been coming to Beirut for years and it's always been one of our go-to spots…read more The food is honestly amazing, everything is flavorful and consistently good. The hookah is also really good, but it can depend on who's making it. When it's done right, it's perfect. The ambiance is a whole vibe, especially on weekends. They usually have live singers and performances, which makes it even better. Just keep in mind there's an additional charge for that added to your bill. For me it's over a 40 minute drive, and I'd still make that trip every time. Definitely a spot I'd recommend if you're looking for good food and a nice atmosphere.

Good vibes , good hookah . Sat outside and waitress was…read moreattentive but not overbearing . Decided to try one of their dessert( Osmalia?) not sure the spelling but it's a crunchy / shredded philo with cream filing ; delightful and tasty