I used to like this place, I don't know what happened. It's a good breakfast place but the staff needs some actual training, except for a few good ones the waitstaff is incompetent and frankly lazy. The food is nothing spectacular either this more of a place for coffee and tea, nothing else. It deserves to be a three but not until they either train their waiters or just get rid of the ones that don't do anything. read more

Good prices, great food, lovely ambiance--great place all around. The banana split in particular is really good! read more

Masal Cafe - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Got horrible food poising and threw up terrible, I ate a Kumpir potato rimmed to the top with ketchup, when I went home I couldn't stopped throwing up, and had terrible stomach aches. read more

Horrible customer service ( 2nd fl Kids Playground) ...once we paid the manager Nuri came up and asked us to move to the WAITING AREA, so they can sit someone else at the table. I said I will not move, I am waiting for someone to drive us home. She told me people that are waiting .... their kids are hungry and what if my kids were hungry???? Because I didn't move I was told I am not a good human being. She told me when she asked a different gentleman he moved and he is nice. It didn't matter to her that i was with 3 months old baby. That I have to take the baby and all the jackets and wait in the waiting area. Just not a good customer service by the manager. read more

Three stars because the kinds play ground area is dirty and the toy is so old and they never change!!! They have big space they should bring more toys to the area it's not a free service it's already 10$ per kid! read more

The food was great, as always, but the waitress couldn't handle the few tables she had. She didn't know the items on the menu and spoke little English and absolutely no Turkish. Things we ordered never came and when she was reminded, she was no where to be seen until the attention of another waitress was noticed. When she realized her mistakes, she didn't apologize, only giving attitude and nasty glares. This particular wait staff of the night ruined my, usually pleasant, experience. read more

We were there this morning with my family. And you know what they say happy wife happy life, we all had good breakfast and had a very quality time. Special thanks to new management decorated the place so nice, very big and relaxing cafe. I enjojed the food, one thing this place makes you keep eating. Becareful weight watchers so delicious Yummmmmyyy. I missed the breakfast already oh my appetite i can not stop it ;) read more

Masal was a favourite hang out for when my friends and I didn't want to stray far into the city for an evening out. Last night, we finally saw it post-Hurricane Sandy remodel. The decor is a little different, a little more modern (new couches and seats, new tables, new paint job, a beautiful new mural hanging on the wall with a panoramic view of Istanbul) but they haven't lost that Turkish teahouse feeling. The menu still offers the same delicious desserts and epic choice of teas. I believe the service even improved! Those who loved the "old" Masal might find occasion to miss the springy couches with their heavy drapes, but they'll also find the "new" Masal just as colorful (and noticeably fresher and cleaner). If you're new to Masal, come here on an evening when you're not pressed for time, when your aim is to kick back, to slow down, to people watch. Those who comment on the relaxed service are right. But that also means you'll never be rushed, and never feel you're in the way (when's the last time somebody said THAT about any cafe/restaurant in the city?) They're also clearly working hard to attract new clientele. My friend and are were immediately greeted at the door by the owner, who stopped by our table a few times to make sure we were enjoying ourselves and had everything we needed. Masal is a whole experience. It is not a Starbucks. So come in, sit down, chill out! Have some PRINCE BAKLAVA!! read more

Nice place to come for some good turkish tea and meat pie.

Masal Cafe is a great place to go anytime during day. My favorites here are Kumpir, Breakfast plate, omlette, Toast, Yengen, and Baklava. Whenever i go walk in the shore, my next stop would be Masal Cafe. One of my favorites! Over the last few years they have improved the setting too much and it gives a great authentic atmosphere now. Staff are pleasant and price is good. A place of MUST GO! read more

My wife and I were strolling around the neighborhood and stopped by last week on a great summer day! It was nice to sit by the Bay and savor the yummy food at this Turkish neighborhood joint that has been around for years. We loved the Turkish style ravioli and the Turkish meat (beef and lamb combo). Hopefully, the service improves someday, but the food is great either way! read more

I love to come here for dinner with my friend! Turkish tea is the best one. Special atmosphere and good music. Like theirs waffles with Nutella, strawberry and banana read more

Great place to relax with a few friends and have a nibble and some tea. The service is pretty good right up until you need to get the check, then it's difficult to call for a waiter. But one can't quite complain because they don't try to rush you out. The food is quite yummy and gozleme is delicious. read more

I go regularly to Masal Cafe for week end brunch. Good food, never crowdy and staff very nice. Definitely recommend for brunch. Enjoy read more

Good place to hang out, especially outside seating when the weather is nice. Good food, good service and decent pricing.

I loved this place when I went here with my cousin. We got some salads, dessert and tea. The highlight was the tea. It was Kiwi Strawberry and I never tasted such a good hot tea before anywhere. Awesome waiters as well. read more

Don't go to this restaurant because of bad management. We got kicked out from the outdoor sitting area after drinks were served and orders were taken because we were with our dog. We even called before going and the waitress said dog is allowed at the outdoor area. Our dog is a service dog as well. So, after 25 min looking for a parking space, and 20 min waited for the food, we didn't get to eat anything and got kicked out. All the manager said was 'I don't care what the waitress told you, dog is not allowed'. We respect every restaurant's decision if they want to be pet friendly, but they better train their staff properly. we always bring our dog to weekend brunch and this is the first time ever got kicked out. They totally ruin our day on a beautiful Sunday afternoon!! read more

They charge $10 for using the playground upstairs.18% gratuity was added to the bill for a party of 2. It's pretty unusual in New York to add gratuity in a neighborhood diner especially for a party of less than 6 people. Gratuity normally would be 10% with extra tip at customers discretion based on the level of service (which was mediocre) . I was unpleasantly surprised to see that gratuity was calculated on a total bill which included the charge for the playground use. This left me with a feeling of being taken advantage of. Branzina dish was small and bland and at $18 grossly overpriced. read more

Very over priced, waiter with bad attitude. Playground area is okey but not worth $10 per child

Wow I'm so sad I will no longer be coming to Masal because we had a good run for many years. Now that you've fixed the seating the staff is rude and the service is horrendous and NO One speaks English. Guess something's gotta give. I found Opera a block down and will be going there from now on read more

MASAL CAFE This place is by far the best Turkish cafe I've seen in Brooklyn. It has amazing ambiance, the tastiest Turkish tea and strong coffee, great sweets and very delicious light food. It's great location on the 'Canal' - a festive strip of bars, cafes and restaurants covering Emmons Avenue - brings in a mixed, happy, friendly crowd of locals and tourists from around the world. The music is a mix of Turkish and European tunes, the staff greets visitors in the best traditions of Eastern hospitality, and there is plenty of seating - both indoors and outdoors, overlooking the water. I keep coming back here every time I am in the area - for the tea, the smiles, and the warmth of people around. If you are visiting out of town, and have only a day to spend in Brooklyn, I definitely recommend you coming here for a great, authentic experience that will last a lifetime. read more

The service, hospitality, taste, mediterranean cuisine.... It was great! I advice everyone live in new york and around... read more

Not many selections but what we ordered were tasty- although tea was cold Service is quite bad. Staff totally ignore you. Had to call waiter so that we could order. Food came before utensils. Actually we had to ask for utensils, napkins, water. We wanted to move to another table because of tight location we were put but our request was denied because the table we requested had 4 chairs, therefore it was considered for 4 people- we were only 2 people sitting on the same size table with 2 chairs. No, I would not go there read more

One of my favorite spots in Brooklyn! Every single item from the menu is so delicious! My fav is chicken burger, chicken wrap and kumpir! Never been there for breakfast, but I'm gonna fix it very soon!) read more

The interior is very nice, made in a Turkish style. Atmosphere is also nice and warm. Staff is very attentive and polite. I have tried their stuffed potato and it tastes really good. It is a huge potato with green and black olives, corn,pickles and peas, they add mayo and ketchup on the top which also adds some tastiness to the dish. You also may ask them to add cut sausages into your potato, it which is also a good option. The meat pie that I tried was light and yummy, and they serve it with a kind of sour cream or something similar to that the side. Their Turkish tea is also good, it is flavorful. The deserts that they got on the menu are also decent. I tried the Monterosa cake and I really loved it. It was fresh and tasted good. Pretty good place overall. read more

I was here with my husband for lunch and we had a pretty terrible experience. We ordered 3 different things between us and we were disappointed with each dish. The biggest disappointment was the "spinach pie" which showed up looking nothing like it did in the picture in the menu. The photo showed it looking like fresh spinach and onions in a pita, or some sort of fluffy breading. What it REALLY looked like was canned spinach tossed into a greasy green tortilla and folded in half. It was actually gross and I ate less than half of it. I'm not usually one to leave food on the plate if I can find anything I like about it. As for the other 2 dishes, they were more edible, but still disappointing and not very good. We explained to the manager (I'm guessing that's who she was) that we didn't want to pay for the spinach "pie" because the photo was very misleading. Without much push back she agreed to take it off the bill. I would be giving this place only 1 star, if it weren't for the friendly manager and friendly wait staff. read more

Very disappointing. Spinach pie lacked flavor (other than salt and grease), baklava definitely wasn't fresh. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, if it wasn't for the fact that service was SLOW. Long wait to be seated, for the menu, to get food, water... The waitress seemed almost upset we were there, even though the restaurant wasn't busy. Will not be back. Turkish food can be spectacular, but not at Masal. read more

Went there with my girlfriend recently to have some desserts and tea. Guess what? You are not allowed to hug or kiss in there. Are you kidding me?!! They sent a waiter to us and gave us a check right away. Unpleasant experience. Never again! read more

Terrible, terrible service - consistently so. It's become almost an added attraction - we normally place bets as to how long, tedious, and frustrating the experience will be, and it turns out that the suspense goes well with their admittedly great food. read more

I love this place because of its desserts (especially tralice) and hours of operations. The only one con is old furniture.

Horrible food..... I ordered a "special masal waffle" and they put kiwi on top that tasted horrible and felt really hard.I had to spit it back out. The service is horrible also throwing the plates down on the table and leaving without looking. I am not coming back here again. read more

I was been at kids party there. It was terrible, kids room didn't have any fan or air-conditioner, it's was too hot. All bacterias are grow. The servers bad too, no one helped us. If we were need water, we waited 20-30 minutes. Preparation for party was zero. read more

We were three people and we ordered and told them to bring food after 15-20 minutes. And they bring food separate, they suppose to bring food in the same time for everyone. And we waited for 40-45 minutes for just one ravioli. read more

this place was muccch more better before sandy. a huge frustration for me. first of all, the design is not modern, stylish and comfortable. its so ugly.. but okay, since we are just a customers and are not going to buy this place, i skip this part. they did some changes on menus but the overall is same. they serve basically tturkish food. I ordered turkish breakfast plate there(sorry i should say turkish cheese plate) I know how turkish breakfast is(I stayed in Turkey several years). There is no sucuk,pastirma,sausage,kashkaval cheese in their breakfasts. so how can it be a turkish breakfast? .. we ordered breakfast plate and my friend ordered yengen(sandwich).yengen is around 8$ and you know what? they brought it on a plastic plate.?? service quality is very bad but if you say i dont care about the service quality atmosphere etc, and just food; then go:) read more

Keep in mind, the place is usually packed and might be understaffed, but either way, very hard to get attention from waiters. Prices for simple dishes that are listed as entrees could be treated as appetizers based on their size. read more

Finally came here after cycling to Brighton Beach. They have a ton of outdoor seats and even more indoor seats. You can probably come here with a large group if you need be. It was quite bustling for a Sunday evening in Sheepshead Bay. I was quite surprised. While the reviews have said the service is slow, we actually had great service in the beginning, but as we got on to dessert, it was quite slow. i think those few wait staff have to service the entire restaurant, so if you keep that in mind, you will have a great place. I came here strictly to have Turkish tea which i love, and the kumpir. I had talked to two Turkish New Yorkers, and I said that I could never find kumpir and both of them suggested I come here. I ordered it and totally loved it - it is basically a Turkish version of a baked potato with tons of toppings. it tasted pretty well like I remember when I was in Turkey. Love love love. it is very filling and hits the spot. I imagine if I am ever going to Brighton beach again, I would come out here for this. I also think you can hang out for ages here drinking the tea. We also had the meat gozleme and a chocolate mousse dessert, but by far, the kumpir is the star. everyone was ordering it! note - there is no alcohol at this restaurant. still worth taking the trip for me! read more

we went for dinner, 2 adults + 2 kids salmon, pies are 4 stars $10pp kids play area is 4 stars limited menu (no shashlik, kabobs, or gyro), slow service 1 star on the plus side Friday at 7pm upper level was empty and quiet. read more

Fantastic place! I've come to Masal since '03 when it was barely the size of a closet & it has grown! Throughout the years of growth; the menu, seating, lighting & decor has changed many times. Yet through that change, there has always been a consistency in quality & attention to the customer. read more

I really love the food and am pretty often here but I don't like the service and the restaurants policy - you are not allowed to kiss or cuddle the person you are with because that's a Muslim place. read more

Wish the place had a points card, as I end up there a lot. Love the huge baked potatoes which can be stuffed to your liking. Great Shepherd's salad, with just the right amount of spices. Favorite desserts are figs stuffed with cream and nuts and kadaif ( I always ask for the extra crispy one), great iced Turkish tea. read more