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    Samdan Restaurant

    4.1 (162 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order Samdan Restaurant Takeout or Delivery

    Samdan Restaurant Photos

    SAMDAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Samdan Restaurant

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    Chicken Kebab with Yogurt
    Lori M.

    The food is always good here. Love the borek, they are filled with cheese and lightly fried.

    the dining room with tables and chairs
    Sama C.

    Solid restaurant. It's classy, yet you can walk in a tracksuit with a wad of Benjamins building from your pockets. Quality and quantity, coupled with kind service - you will not be disappointed here. Highly recommend for middle eastern food as this has Turkish influence. Parking lot in the back with plenty of spaces, but shared with other businesses in this lot.

    Menu
    Eloy Y.

    Nestled amidst its picturesque streets are eateries where every dish tells a story. One such establishment, Samdan, meaning "candelabra," is located on Piermont Road in Cresskill, where my partner, our friends and I came as first-timers for dinner on Saturday night. Reservation was easily made via Open Table. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the host and got a table in their newly renovated dining room with a modern vibe and relaxing music in the background. Their menu centered around Mediterranean cuisine on lamb, eggplant, olive oil, grilled fish, and some vegetarian dishes. But the prevalent tastes of Turkish cooking featured peppercorns, paprika, cinnamon, sumac, and cumin. As appetizers to share, we opted for Lebni (curd of yogurt with walnuts and a hint of garlic) and Borek (flaky pastry filled with cheese and parsley). As our meal, we decided on Creamy Chicken Special (breast of chicken in white wine, heavy cream sauce, and a hint of garlic served with rice and grilled vegetables), Side of Mashed Potatoes, Lamb Chops (4 pcs broiled baby lamb chops served with rice and grilled vegetables), Chicken Shish Kebab (charcoal broiled tender cubes of marinated chicken with chef's seasoning served with rice and vegetables), and Meatballs (Korte)--ground lamb mixed with bread, onion, and garlic served with rice and grilled vegetables. Complimentary hot bread accompanied with balsamic vinegar and olive oil began our meal. All our dishes had a great artistic presentation that was amazing, made with fresh ingredients, well seasoned, and tasty. The portions were just right. The only complaint was not all dishes came out at the same time. The service team was perfect, as we weren't rushed. They were very friendly and nice, especially our server, Seder. The chef/owner, Chef Emre Yeşil, came to our table to make sure everything was to our satisfaction. The price was comparable to the area. We had a wonderful dinner experience, which we can recommend.

    Website says one thing but when you get there it's a different thing & they won't honor their mistake. False advertising

    Eggplants with tomato
    Nehal A.

    Take out review: I made the order on a weekday lunch hour to try this place. Compared to other Mediterranean/Turkish places I regularly visit, Samdan was okay. I order was prepared and packed well, and delivered within an hour. I ordered the Eggplant tomato and calf liver appetizers, ground chicken kabob. The portion size and the taste was decent. I was little disappointed with the liver, as it wasn't cooked the way I was expecting. The chicken kabob also lacked in flavor somewhat.

    Stuffed cabbage leaves

    Our school hosted their end of the year luncheon at Samdan. Caesar was wonderful to work with. He helped us create a wonderful menu and set up their beautiful room to make a comfortable place for us to celebrate. The FOOD was amazing and everyone enjoyed every bite. So many of us are definitely going back to experience their dinner menu. Thank you again Caesar and Seda for making our luncheon so special. If you love Mediterranean food and want great service you should try this amazing place.

    Humus, Small Shepherd Salad and stuffed grape leaves (lunch menu)

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    15 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Food is always delicious! Love the Coban salad. Chicken and lamb kabobs are great as well.

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    13 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Lamp kebob was great and the rice was amazing. Ask for Tailan the waiter he was super cool and friendly.

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    11 years ago

    Once again a delicious dinner at Samdan. Great atmosphere, pleasant wait staff and the consistently good food year after year.

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    9 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Consistently good food, great service and clean.If you like Turkish food this is the best place in the area and we are regulars

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    12 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

    good middle eastern food, quality service. it's located near my aunt's assisted living, so i will eat there again the next time i visit

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    11 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Great service, great food and doner kebap, reasonable prices and family friendly... Autistic Turkish hospitality and taste

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    10 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    15 years ago

    Fantastic food... Lamb is always cooked to perfection. The salad is also great but Changes with the season. Hummus is off the hook

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    Page 4 of 5

    Ask the Community - Samdan Restaurant

    Did ownership change? Went in there today and didnt recognize any of the staff. Openned up the food and the rice is now all of a sudden short grain rice. Food tastes a bit different.

    The food is just awful and not only rice has changed but apparently the chef

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Oh my this was a delight! A few friends and I had to go to a wake in town and we were starving…read moreafter. We're not really familiar with Tenafly but Axia Taverna was down the street and convenient. We were blown away by the food and service. Everything we ate was excellent! From the pita politiki (phyllo dough stuffed with spinach and artichokes) to the Tuna Tartare, Fresh Feta and the steak. We really ate well. For dessert, we shared the cheesecake and Galaktoboureko which was a semolina custard in phyllo dough. Didn't get as many pics of the dinner / dessert but trust me, you'll enjoy it! Overall, this is a beautiful restaurant with great ambiance. Seating is available both upstairs and downstairs. There's a Small parking lot in the back. Front parking is taken up by outdoor seating which is closed for the winter.

    I grew up in Tenafly but haven't lived there for almost 40 years. When my family was returning for…read morethe funeral of our 97 year old father, I was looking for a place to have a group dinner for about 16 people. When I asked my high school classmate, who I knew still lived in the area for a recommendation, he recommended Axia Taverna. The restaurant Manager, Tim was a pleasure to work with in arranging our reservation and we enjoyed the entire upstairs. The food was amazing and the service from William and the others was so attentive and friendly. My Aunt, age 81, said it was the finest evening she had ever enjoyed. I wish I lived closer (I live in Nevada) so I could eat here on a regular basis. It is a wonderful restaurant.

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    Awesome restaurant... Everything about it is great…read more. ambiance is lively & festive.. the service is attentive and professional and the food is fresh. The owner accepts nothing but the best ingredients! Go by for the enhanced Happy Hour - Sun-Wed 4:30 to close, 30%off in Bar Area. Checkout lefkesnj.com for events and the beautiful renovated outdoor space... voted Best Outdoor Space in Northern NJ!

    I went to Lefkes on a Friday night and made reservations ahead of time as were a party of 13. As…read moresoon as we arrived, we were seated right away since our table was already ready, which made everything start off smoothly. This is a really good Greek restaurant with a fun, lively atmosphere. We ordered a variety of dishes mix between seafood, chicken and steak, and everything was very good. The portions were decently sized just enough to leave you full, but not quite enough for leftovers. We ordered a bottle and asked the waiter separately if it could come out with sparklers. There was a slight off vibe at first and some slight attitude but as the night went on, the sever became much friendlier and attentive. The music throughout dinner was great, and some Middle Eastern songs came on that were actually really fun to dance to. After we ate, the energy picked up even more and we were able to get up and start dancing. This is definitely a perfect birthday spot if you want a mix of good food and a fun night out. Overall, we had an amazing time, great vibes and great music.

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    The Gyro Project - Pita Sandwich

    The Gyro Project

    4.4(210 reviews)
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    The Gyro Project in Fort Lee. Located in a busy spot near…read morethe Washington bridge plaza. Spacious place decorated up to the ceiling for good vibes. I've been here before and the food was good. And now its even better! I would recommend the salmon entre, which is served to your table in real dinnerware and flatware....nice! I will be coming back. :)

    This was my first time at The Gyro Project (any loc) but as a Greek girl I immediately was SO happy…read moreas soon as I walked in! Firstly, they have Greek music playing that you can here before you even open the door. They had my heart right there. Next thing I saw was the small little store of Greek products and packaged food along the wall. From gemista cookies to my favorite chocofreta bars, things were looking very good. We had already had lunch elsewhere, but came here for coffee and dessert. I never really have cold coffee in the winter but I could not pass up a chance to have a freddo espresso again. I was truly so happy I found a place where I could order a proper Greek coffee! So I got the freddo espresso and told my friends to do the same, and we each got a few desserts. The mini bougatsa was delicious (get it warmed up!) and I tried a few bites of the frozen yogurt. Sooo good! On a Thursday afternoon the space was pretty packed! The three of us found an available table after ordering and our coffees and desserts were brought right over. So happy I found a space for a little bit of Greece when I am homesick (I was born and raised in NJ, but still...) and can't wait to come back to try more of their food.

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    Nisiotis Taverna - Spanakopita with salad $20

    Nisiotis Taverna

    4.5(43 reviews)
    5.6 mi

    Food was right on par with authentic Greek as I've ever had. The seafood is recommended here. It…read morestarted with the bread basket, which was well toasted and sprinkled with olive oil. Unlike many restaurants today, Nisiotis Taverna had pure virgin olive oil on the table in a clean white bottle which we used generously and thankfully to dip our bread into. Yum! The spreads were excellent and the pita was toasted just right and served warm. The pita was chewy, warm and well toasted. The lamb chops were grilled exactly to requested temperature and seasoned correctly. The fries that came with that were warm and crispy. Lightly sprinkled with dried oregano for that Greek flavor. The branzino was filet fresh and grilled to perfection. But I would suggest getting it with vegetables instead of potatoes, which were fine but not particularly special. They also had "off the menu" selection of sea food which were recommended and fresh. The black bass was truly as fresh as I've had in NJ, but slightly, just slightly, undercooked: A minute undercooked. This was actually good for me but some may recoil a little. Otherwise it was perfection. If you know how to eat fish, I'd ask for it whole, instead of fillet'd. The dandelions that came with it was over cooked but the mild flavor was a good compliment to the black bass. They also had large anchovies, which grilled properly would be awesome. The service was spot on but not intrusive but it wasn't busy because of our late lunch. The ambience and decor was charming and really helped to focus our minds towards beautiful beaches and warm breezes of the Greek islands, where this kind of food would be served. Overall a very good experience but slightly expensive. There was nothing wrong with the food per se but slight improvements here and there could make it fantastic: For example, vegetable was over-cooked, and black bass was just slightly undercooked. Regardless, I recommend this quaint Taverna! The owner's care and friendliness topped the scale from a four to a five star. Realistically, it is a 4.5 or 9/10.

    4.5: Great Greek food, elegant atmosphere and nice service in a small spot…read more We came here on an early Saturday evening without a reservation but were seated with the stipulation of being done in an hour; this was not a problem since the food came out at a good pace. There were a lot of empty tables awaiting reservations. The complimentary bread and olive tapenade were also appreciated. We really enjoyed the food: spanakopita ($20) was tasty with a very flaky Phyllo and a fresh salad with grape leaves and chunks of feta, things you don't normally see in a side salad. The pork souvlaki platter ($22) with fries was also very tasty. Their menu is not super big but adequate options. If you have a special occasion, this is also a good spot but be sure to make reservations and know it's a relatively small place. The atmosphere and decor are very comfortable though it can get very loud if there are a lot of customers (and these customers seemed to be enjoying their experience!); perhaps because of the small place and acoustics. BYOB. They had an entrance in the back so they likely have a small parking Iot there? But we found parking around the corner, as there's no 2 hour parking limit on weekends.

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    Nisiotis Taverna - Interior

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    Lamb Souvlaki $7.50

    Nisiotis Taverna - Avgolemono - chicken soup came with lunch special

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    Avgolemono - chicken soup came with lunch special

    Samdan Restaurant - turkish - Updated May 2026

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