My bosphorus breakfast plate was delicious! I was confused on how to eat it so the owner was kind she cut it up for me and placed it on my plate directing me how to eat and in what order. It was very sweet!! My husband loved his mixed grill, he said it was juicy and tender with the right flavors blended in. Our friends enjoyed their steak, we were amazed by how intense the flavor set right in. The presentation is also note worthy. The owner hugged us when we left, it was a warming experience. read more

The Bosphorus - Mediterranean Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

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This hidden gem is truly as good as it gets in my opinion. Lovely ambience, beautiful and delicious food, great value for the price. I went last night with women from my Zumba class, organized by our teacher, and we all had a wonderful time. Cold appetizers served with lovely cut up vegetables; borek, a hot appetizer, all excellent. I had the octopus special which was better than any octopus I've ever eaten. I can't wait to return with my favorite dining partner, my husband. Kudos to the warm and friendly waitress who couldn't have been nicer. Great place. read more

Best Turkish food in New Jersey. The presentation of the food is beautiful. The taste is soo good, it almost makes me feel like I'm in Istanbul, and there is no difference. It truly tastes like real Turkish food. The workers are super nice. The place has a nice and simple decor and can accommodate a lot of people. The prices are okay. I will definitely be going back when I'm in New Jersey read more

The Bosphorus - The gyro was soooo good - Mediterranean Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

On a recent trip to New York City to attend the annual Brazilian Day festival we booked a room in New Jersey across the river.  We wanted to have a nice meal our first night in town so we looked to Yelp to get some ideas.  I plugged into the Yelp search engine the name of the town we were staying (Clifton, New Jersey) and did a search for local restaurants.  In reviewing the results I noticed a large amount of Turkish and Mediterranean hits.  I decided to narrow the search to Turkish restaurants and took a deep dive into the local results.  After looking at the reviews and uploaded pictures we chose The Bosphorus. We set our GPS coordinates to the listed address and to our surprise when we arrived we found a sushi restaurant at the indicated location.  We called the restaurant and they explained that they were located on the back of the sushi place.  We drove around to the back of the building and we saw the sign for The Bosphorus.  They had a couple of tables for outdoor seating and the parking was free as opposed to metered street parking on the front side of the building. It was about 7:00 PM when we made our way into the small interior seating area.  There were about 10-12 tables with about half of them reserved.  There was no wine list as the establishment was BYOB.  There was a liquor store nearby according to our waiter.  We took our seats and then visited the restrooms which were small but clean. We ordered the four cold appetizer sampler (Stuffed Grape Leaves, Hummus, Babaganoush, and Cacik) along with the house salad called The Bosphorus Salad.  The presentation for both of these items was exceptional.  Definitely picture worthy and something you almost did not want to disturb to eat.  As for the taste I will let Alex give his review; "If the salad tastes this good how good is the desert going to be!"  Alex was right the salad was outstanding with fresh ingredients and spectacular presentation.   It was big enough for the three of us to share and have some leftover to take home.  The appetizer sampler was also well presented with decorated carved vegetables adorning the plate. The grape leaves were standard Mediterranean fare and quite tasty.  The Cacik was finely chopped cucumbers mixed with garlic, mint and dill in a yogurt sauce.  Cool and refreshing.  The babaganoush and hummus are the well known items you will find in the grocery store but with infinitely better quality. All of these items were delicious scooped up with the warm pita bread brought out to the table with olive oil and zatar seasoning when you first arrive. For the main course we ordered the calamari from the appetizer menu and the mixed grill plate.  As beverages we ordered the Turkish yogurt drink Ayran and some hot Turkish tea.  The Ayran was not really to our liking but the tea was strong and very good.  The calamari was perfectly seasoned and cooked and all three of us happily devoured it.  Rita is not a fan of lamb but did like the other meats on the mixed grill.  I enjoyed all of the meats and kebabs and also thought the green beans and rice were very good. Our biggest disappointment was that we were all too full to get desert.  I had read that both the quality of the desert menu and the presentation of the Turkish coffee were highlights but we will have to wait for our next visit to see for ourselves. In summary this was a fantastic restaurant experience made all the better by our wonderful waitress and fantastic staff.  If you are anywhere near the area discovering this place will be well worth the effort. read more

Just ordered take-out which was our first time here. Everything was delicious and the portions were very generous. We will definitely continue to support this small business during this difficult time. read more

It's really good here and most of all great staff. Always making sure you're ok but not in annoying way. Will definitely come back to this place. We got a unexpected complimentary dessert from the owner herself. Just feel like you're family here and not just a patron and that's big on me. read more

Quite possibly the best Turkish restaurant on this side of the Atlantic Ocean! Immaculately run, hard to find gem worth driving out to Nutley from anywhere in North NJ and even from NYC itself! The salads are a work of art and the best I have ever seen at any Turkish restaurant, and the meats, although not quite #SaltBae, are amazingly succulent and well seasoned. Must go destination! read more

Very nice restaurant. They take pride in their food and are quite the artists in presentation. The owner is very sweet and greets you with a warm hug when you enter. The food was delicious (I tasted all dishes). Next time I will know to bring our own wine bottle that would have made this experience perfect. I will be back to try other dishes in the future if possible. read more

This place has the best Turkish food I've had in a long time. This place is an absolute gem! I heard great things about The Bosphorus and it exceeded my expectations! Great, friendly neighborhood spot for weeknight dinners! Food is a good price and worth very penny. I tried Adana Plate + Lentil Soups + Fume Salmon Salad + Rice Pudding for dessert. Service is good, although I feel it was slow at times. The staff was very nice and friendly. Overall, a great dinner experience. So happy with this place. I can't wait to go back and get everything single thing on their menu. read more

Very good Middle Eastern food I love the grilled lamb also their hummus platter's very good love the baklava for dessert good service decent atmosphere read more

If I could give more than 5 stars, this place has earned it! The food is incredible but the service is even better. Our server gave great recommendations and gave us plenty of attention while also knowing when to let us be and just enjoy. Try the cold appetizer sampler platter, the portion size is good and there's so many things to try at a very reasonable price. We got the chicken kebabs and lamb, both were cooked perfectly. Will absolutely come back!! read more

Went for brunch. Had the Bosphorus breakfast. Ingredients were fresh and delicious. The coffee came with hand made cream. The owner is incredibly nice and friendly. She came and showed us what foods go well to eat together and made sure we got the best experience. You can tell she cares a lot about her customers! read more

The Bosphorus - Mediterranean Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

Food is amazing and artistically prepared. The hard-working restaurant staff /family get 2 thumbs up for service as well. They should give lessons to other restaurants on how to run a business. read more

CROOKS!! I usually do not post, however I just feel I need to warn everyone of our experience to save the next person from getting scammed. I'm going to to make this review short and sweet... Made reservations for 14 people well in advance, our time there between Appy's and dinner was a total of two hours, so we really didn't over stay our welcome and not to mention there were not any people waiting to be seated, if anything we waited to be served until they served all the other tables before us. And there is a reason why I'm saying this..,, When we asked for our check they gave us a tiny receipt with just a subtotal, tax, and the total which came out to $868.00!! We were a little thrown back by this since this is a BYOB and the most expensive meal on the menu was under $30 when asked for an itemized bill the owner came out and said he decided to charge a flat rate flat rate of $45 per person because we were big party, (this was never mentioned to us when we had made the reservations ahead of time) if you do the math $45 per person times 14 people still does not add up to $868. When we asked the owner to explain how he came up with a dollar amount he said he could not turn his table over therefore he was charging us $868 because we were a large party and that's what he feels we should pay him. We insisted on an itemized bill which they finally did provide to us, when the itemized bill finally came the dollar amount was only $363.00. What a shame, the food was actually good and we had enjoyed ourselves up until that point when we almost got ripped off. read more

Had dinner at The Bosphorus last night. The service was friendly and the food was very good. We took the recommendations of our waiter as he recommended some traditional specialties as well as some personal favorites and everything was spot on. If you enjoy Mediterranean cuisine look no further. read more

Excellent Mediterranean restaurant . Very tasty , we tried the day special , grilled octopus, delicious! The lamb and chicken kabobs were also great . Very good service and the owner was very nice . We will come back ! read more

The Bosphorus - Mediterranean Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

The owner of the restaurent was so Rude to us and she told us that if u dont have a reservation we would have to wait for an entire hour and still not sure if we would get a table , and what pissed us off that another family came after us and also didn't have a reservation but they still got a table ! The restaurant looks really nice and clean but we were really disappointed with the service since we came all the way along from Hoboken. read more

Best turkish restaurant, I've been to over 20 different turkish restaurant, this was the best. The owner is so sweet and amazing customer service. read more

The Bosphorus - Mediterranean Near Me - Nutley, New Jersey

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The food here was absolutely amazing. Every meal is made fresh so although it takes a little long you know it's going to be worth it. They were so warm and hospitable and you could tell it's a family business and they all take it very seriously I left there feeling like a part of the family can't wait to come back. I ordered the Bosphorus salad, chicken kebab and kanafeh. I typically dislike salads but it was so delicious I couldn't believe I was healing more and more onto my plate. read more

Just finished eating here. While the food is good, the service here is horrendous. We made reservations and when we arrived, we were told we were going to get a certain table. Not long after, some regulars walked in requesting the table we were promised, and it was offered to them. It was quite rude, but we remained courteous and took another table. When seated, we must have waited over 20 minutes, at which time we decided to flag down the owner to take our orders. The appetizer came out right away with the bread. We ordered the eggplant appetizer which was very good, but then waited another 30 minutes for our mains. During the wait, we were asked to move tables since our table could seat 4 people and we were only 2. Fine! we moved, but then was not given any water, until we flagged the waitress for some water. Just a terrible way to start the night. We ordered the branzini and the chicken skewers. The fish was nice and the chicken was juicy. I didn't care for the rice, fries and farro that came with the chicken dish - it would have been nice to have some greens instead of so many carbs. When it came down to pay, we waited 15 minutes to get the check and then another 30 minutes to get our credit card back. We actually had to flag the owner yet again for our credit card. Overall, the entire experience was horrible. I have never been at a restaurant where we have to chase the owner (of all people) for so many aspects of the restaurant experience. This restaurant gets 1 star because the food is good. I will never be coming back here. We were offered a free dessert to make up for the bad experience but it was already too late by that time. read more

This is the best Middle Eastern food you will ever have. Be prepared to be blown away!!!! I tried this place on a whim because it was close to me. I've had Middle Eastern food all my life or at least I thought I did. The owner is from Turkey so she knows what she's doing. This service is extremely courteous as well. Customer service to a new level. Go here I guarantee you will not be disappointed. read more

After seeing the fifty four reviews with five stars, I was more than skeptical. I have better chance of riding (not just seeing) a unicorn. So I comb through the reviews to see how many are first or second time reviewers. It looks semi legit so I make the call in the afternoon. I ask for eight p.m. then try to change top seven thirty. The woman says... "no no eight izz bettah". When we get there, it's more than half empty. Very bad sign. We go in anyway. I don't tell her I made reservation because we were outside looking at the window menu for five minutes. We ordered the eggplant for appetizer. You know the rule about don't fill up on bread no matter how good the bread? That rule went right out the window after first bite. Then the main course. We shared the chicken shish and lamb shish. Lamb dish was tender, juicy and almost perfectly seasoned. Chicken was almost as good. The lady Nora (?), the owner, took better care of us than my mother. That doesn't say much for me but you get the idea. It's a trip and a half from my home but I will be going back soon. I forgot to mention the decor. I hardly ever mention the decor, but that place was nice. It's clean. You can tell Nora takes pride in that restaurant. It's a classy joint. I'm surprised they let me in. The stellar reviews are well deserved. Every restaurant owner should take a course on how to run a restaurant from this lady. read more

the food was so fresh and delicious. The owner was so nice and welcoming. I look forward to stopping by again!

The food here isn't bad, but the wait is even with a reservation. We waited an hour to sit then dinner took 2 and a half hours because it's 2 people running the whole place. Nothing spectacular, just standard Mediterranean food. I was surprised that it wasn't better. read more

I came to the Bosphorus one night as an invite from family who had eaten there and liked it. That was two weeks ago and I was back again with friends this past weekend... A truly pleasant dining experience due not only to the sumptuous food, but the cleanliness, the staff and the overall vibe are infectious from the moment you set foot in the front door. Being a 'BYO' is the icing on the cake. Wonderful cuisine... I highly recommend. read more

BEWARE: THEY CHARGE $5 CORKAGE FEE, BUT IT IS AGAINST THE LAW IN NJ (N.J.S.A. 2C:33-27) FOR A RESTAURANT WITH NO LIQUOR LICENSE TO CHARGE CORKAGE FEES!!!Food is flavorful but nothing special. Place is way too bright and they need busboys. The lady running the place, although warm and friendly, can't do it all alone. As a result, it takes a while to get any kind of attention or service from anyone... Good luck getting your water glasses refilled. Not worth a trip back...unless service gets better...sorry! read more

Delicious breakfast. They are open at 8am 7 Days a week. Best Mediterranean breakfast sandwiches. Food is freshly prepared and authentic. We have also been here for dinner about 6 times and it is delicious and consistent. read more

Wow, where do I even begin? A nearly five-star average from Yelpers? I seriously feel like I just entered the Twilight Zone. OK, maybe I'm being melodramatic, but 5 stars this place is not. First of all, the restaurant is completely understaffed. At first, all was fine, as there were two wait staff covering maybe 7 or 8 occupied tables, but by the time the place started filling up (maybe 16 tables?? not sure), it certainly wasn't adequate. It took us 50 minutes to order, receive all our food and finish, and 20 minutes to get the check. The food was fine, AOK by definition, but nothing spectacular. We had a dip combo, shepherd salad, chicken kebab & lamb kebab. Wasn't bad, but nothing stood out. Now the fun part. We got the check and not only did they charge us for soup that we never received, but there was a $5 charge for "garnish." I said to my boyfriend, "WTF is garnish? Are they charging us for the radish on the appetizer plate?" I questioned the waiter and he informed me that it's a charge for bringing us wine glasses. In NJ? Really??? While I know there are a few places that do this, in my experience it's pretty rare. OK, whatever. I just think there are much better Turkish/Mediterranean places out there. read more

The absolute worst staff ever. Do not go here . I just went to eat the again and the waiter was so rude . I ended up yelling at him and walking out . Do not give these people your money. read more

My husband found this place on Yelp so he took me there for our dinner date. Loved the food, customer service is just really good, its a nice halal place. I will highly recommend this place. The owner was such a sweetheart read more

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It might not be easy to actually FIND The Bosphorus but, once you do, it's worth the hunt. It's basically behind the stores on Franklin Ave. What a gem! The staff is incredibly friendly and welcoming and make you feel like you're right at home. All of the food is fresh to order and you can tell. It might be a bit more expensive than other Turkish restaurants but once you dine here you'll realize why. For an appetizer, we got the mixed cold sampler plate which was really great (picture included). For dinner, we got the Adana plate, the Manti and the Cipura Durado (fish plate.. a whole fish). It was all outstanding and, again, the service was incredible. Not the kind of service where they constantly check in to the point of bothering but just enough and very friendly. It's also BYOB so we brought 2 bottles of wine. They even gave us a free dessert! We chose the Cream caramel which was basically flan. Honestly, the food was all amazing. I would come back just for the Adana plate and the great service. You can tell everything is cooked with love :) read more

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Delicious food. We usually get the hummus and babagannush app, Bosphorus salad and iskender. The bosphorus salad is huge and so good. The service is great. I know people find the hug a little awkward but the lady is just being nice. The restaurant is byob. Prices are a little expensive but i guess its fair for the area. read more

One of my favorite places to go. Never mind how absolutely delicious the food is, the service is beyond incredible!!!! It's like eating over a good friend's house, more food than I can possibly eat in one sitting, good conversation and I always leave happy, full, and excited about coming back!!!! read more

The atmosphere of this restaurant was out of this world! The restaurant, although small, was cozy, quaint, and homey! They even had a piano you could play! The owner/waitress was very accommodating and conversational with us. You do have to make reservations s as the restaurant is small but worth it. The food tasted fresh. Honestly, I felt like I was not in NJ. Highly recommended! read more

This had to be the best lamb I had !! It was so chewy and our sweet waitress was so kind and loving ! I felt like she was my grandma! She was so welcoming and gave us hugs when leaving! It felt so nice and was a beautiful place for dinner. We ate outside and their lamb entree was amazing! read more

Delicious! Lunch and dinner are so flavorful. :) Great desserts too; I love their baklava, of course. As a regular, they let you keep your own bottles of wine in their wall of wines for your next visit (I don't know what that's called, but it's cool looking). There's a way they keep track of it, so no one takes yours. The owners/managers are super sweet and friendly. I like this place a lot, I'll always say "yes" to coming back, and def recommend it. read more

Honestly love this place. Tried it out for the first time on my anniversary. The atmosphere is relaxing, the food was delicious; had chicken shish kabobs they were tender and juicy. The staff was friendly and accommodating. Can't wait to go back. read more

This ridiculous restaurant leaves a stack of menus in my building's lobby that say delivery but won't deliver!! I've made several attempts to place an order that meets more than their $15 minimum. The first time was a Friday and they flat out refused no delivery too busy and today a Wednesday night they tell us they are too busy because they are expecting a rush in an hour!!! Are you kidding me? Why were the menus placed in our lobby then? Get your act together ppl hire some drivers or don't offer delivery!!! read more

Tonight was my fourth time to The Bosphorus, and like the previous times, it did not disappoint. Other times I've been there have been on "off" nights (Monday, Tuesday.) I was a little nervous when I walked in to a packed restaurant on a Saturday night fearing it would differ from my past experiences. We were greeted as we walked in with a warm hug from Nora, in my opinion the most welcoming hostess I've ever encountered. The food from appetizer to dessert was spectacular! Everything is very fresh, and made to order. The meats are perfectly grilled and well seasoned. Dinners are beautifully presented and come with a variety of sides. I love that I have a place like this so close to home!! read more

One of the best Turkish restaurants in USA. I had Iskender kebab which was delicious. The owners are very friendly. Keep up the good work.