I came here with a friend a while ago for lunch on a Saturday. We were seated outside which was perfect because it was a beautiful day. For an appetizer I had the lentil soup which was actually really good. For my entrée I had the Tavuk Shish Kebab and the chicken was cook perfectly and was packed full of flavor. I also really enjoyed the rice pilaf and the grilled veggies that came with it. I will definitely come back. read more

A lovely outdoor setting for your summer meal. The food is fine, the owner cheerful, and the retsina is everything you want retsina to be - bold, unrepentant, cold, immune to your charms and entreaties. No real complaints save for the lack of chilled octopus on the app menu, which seems anathema to the experience. Oh - and it's charmingly unpretentious, something not every place on Castro can claim. Yassou! read more

Food here was pretty good! we sat outside with our doggy and the waiter came by to check on us lots of times. The price was reasonable too and the portion was also good. read more

Service is terrible. I have been waiting for a freekin ketchup for last 30mins-- reminded them 5 times now.

Our favorite place to go for dinner. Me and my wife have been to this place a number of times, the waiters are very friendly and helpful. Their started bread is tasty! Bab Ganoush and Hummus are quite yummy too. Being vegetarians it really helps to have good number of options on the menu. read more

The lamb kabob was probably the best I've had. It was flavorful and juicy, which is rare (compared to the kabobs I've had in the past). The accompanying veggies were nice and the rice was tasty and cooked to the ideal texture. I also had an order of baklava and Turkish coffee. The baklava was nice and the Turkish coffee was top-notch. I sincerely recommend this restaurant. The atmosphere is also pretty cute. You can sit inside or outside. Outside it's a little busy, but nothing compared to University Avenue. Also, there are some cute shops in the vicinity, so you can enjoy a stroll after dinner. Oh, yes - a very important thing for me - I ate quite a bit, but given that, I did not feel super full or bloated. I was satiated, but very comfortable and satisfied. :) read more

The food is awful. We had Saksuka, gyro, pasta for the kids, lentil soup and more, and everything was greasy and bland tasting. The bolognaise was the worst we ever had -and that's a pretty hard one to get wrong. We will never set foot here again. read more

If you like lamb, this is the place. Excellent lamb shank and lamb chops. The sheesh kebab could get dry or bit chewy.

Cafe Baklava is a very authentic place to eat when it comes to Mediterranean food. My only problem is that it is a bit on the pricy side but for the food, it is relatively worth it. The restaurant is also pretty small so I wouldn't go there with a huge group and likewise, if a large group is already present, you may have a hard time being seated. With regards to the food, I love the dip that comes with the pita as well as the mezze sampler. All of the dips are very rich and fill you up quite fast. I normally get the mantif which is their Turkish ravioli, which is also quite delicious. I also get their dessert which is a crispy ramen-noodle-like item in sugary syrup which is usually stuffed with cheese (we get it without cheese). It is also great. The service was also wonderful. Definitely a place to stop by if you want good Mediterranean food! If it is a good day, it is also worth it to sit outside looking upon Castro Street! read more

As usual, Castro Street restaurants fail to amaze. The place looks nice, but that's about all I feel it has going for it. Service was both unfriendly and slow. I was ignored after being seated for a good several minutes, with waiters whizzing by me and not bothering to see if I was ready to order. Moreover, I was one of the first folks in the lunch hour to sit, and was one of the last served. It took about 40 minutes for a burger (which I thought was a quick eat since I wanted to hit the road) and fries to arrive at the table. Luckily, I had me a book on Fourier analysis to keep me company, and we both know there isn't much better company than that. When the burger arrived, it seemed mediocre at best. The patty was huge and thick, but extremely dry, which made for pretty unpleasant eating. But it got even worse when I picked up the second half of my burger, as there was barely any patty in that half, and what little meat was there was very badly burnt. Where did these people learn to make a sandwich?? It's not rocket science. I left most of my plate untouched, tipped poorly, and left with a bad taste in my mouth and an enormous weight in my stomach. Next time I'm cruising for Mediterranean on Castro, I'll probably just go to Gyros House, which while more mediocre than this (in a good way), at least I get my food in five minutes every time. read more

Lovely lovely little restaurant. Incredible Turkish specialties and heavenly desserts. Good wine selection. This is a place best enjoyed if you eat at the restaurant. If you're just going to do take-out, then try Gyros House across the street. Yes, the prices here are a bit high. But chillax, put on a cute outfit, bring your significant or not-that-significant other, order a glass of wine, and savor the food here. read more

If this is what mediterranean food is supposed to be like, I can say I am easily an ANTIfan of mediterranean food. But I hope that is not the case. The place is very tiny, but outdoor seating is available. There didn't seem to be enough menus to go around (wth?) so the waiters kept going from table to table, asking the diners to 'borrow' some of the menus. our waiter (seemed like he was the manager from the way he was dressed) was pretty impatient with my table when we didn't know what was what and couldn't decide quick enough. he stopped and left in the middle of taking our order. I got a kabob, but it was just pieces of tasteless veggies and dry meat on a plate. what? kabob with no sticks? interesting... overall, the service was terrible, the place was cramped, and the food was disappointing. everything either had bad taste or no taste. everyone i went with was disappointed with the food, and the portions are small compared to the price. read more

The food here is good, not great, but good. What makes this place awesome and a go-to dinner spot is they let you bring your own wine for free. Yes, no corkage fee...it's amazing. Even though the entrees are a bit pricey for what you get, you save a lot in what you would spend on drinks. My friends and I always have a great time here, and end up spending a good 2 hours on dinner, talking and drinking bottle after bottle of vino. I recommend anything lamb here...and the rice is delicious! read more

I spent some time in Turkey years back, and have always lamented the rarity of good Turkish restaurants in the West Coast. Cafe Baklava fills the gap as well as any other place I've been to. Our meal was as good as many I had in Turkey. The Iskander Kebab - a dish that was a favorite over there but that I've never seen on a menu in the US - was excellent, as were the Sigara boregi. Now if only they'd add Cerkez Tavugu (Circassian Chicken) to the menu. The service was as welcoming, friendly and helpful as you would expect from Turks. I don't normally like to brave the Yuppie wasteland of the bayside Peninsula, but Baklava gives me a reason to do so. read more

Rude service. Especially the person in orange T-shirt. Overall, not worth

I love this place it's very good restaurant in mountain view I recommend the Turkish pizza you have to try it and don't forget asking Turkish tea after finish your pizza read more

Excellent Mediterranean place! Tasty lunch and dinner dishes, good wine, and very friendly staff. Anything that has lamb in it is bound to be great - the meat literally falls off the bone. All kebabs and other meat dishes are great, but my favorite one of all Manti - meat-filled ravioli served with flavored dipping yogurt - a must-have if you're eating there for the first time. The only negative about the place is the seating - somewhat tight/crammed, and not the best place to go with a big dinner party - although the staff will do everything they can to accomodate your group. read more

Incredibly poor service -our ticket got "lost" or something so it took 30 minutes to get our food. And the meals were mediocre with little flavor or creativity. The only thing we enjoyed was the warm pita bread and dipping sauce. read more

I have been to Cafe Baklava many times and it has always been consistently good. The house bread and olive oil dip are amazing.. Salads are crisp & fresh.. Kabab & rice is tender and flavorful. The wraps are bland and the only thing I have not liked. House wine is well priced and very decent. Service is courteous and I don't expect gushy "good morning, how are you today, etc" so it works for me. I end up in cafe baklava fairly often when I'm in Mountianview downtown. I like it! read more

Great food, pretty good service, wonderful atmosphere. I loved the food here, even though I'm not big on Mediterranean food. It was delicious. The atmosphere was great. They have this little alleyway next to the restaurant where there are a few tables. It's great to be able to have outdoor dining in Mountain View without the sidewalk cutting through. Indoors is nice too. It took a little longer than I would have liked for the food to come, but what do you expect at 11:45 on a weekday when every table is filled? read more

I went there for lunch once and loved it so decided to go back with some friends for dinner. Dinner was very disappointing. The dolmas were dry and flavorless. The saksuka and the moussaka were bland and oily. The service was good (we sat outside but they didn't forget about us). I am definitely not going back for dinner but may head back for lunch sometime. read more

$7 4 pieces of baklava. I call that ripped off. Don't even try eat their baklava it was terrible. It was all watery and not even enough walnuts in there. I called that cheating. read more

Restaurant is small and the place is nice and tidy. They have a very luxurious ambiance probably due to the lighting and the window view. The food is pretty good here, but it is also not amazing. It lacks a "wow" factor from really putting itself on the map for it's food. The aroma of the dishes being cooked near the tables was pleasantly good. The meat was cooked very well but I will be back to try more of the menu. read more

After weeks of waiting around for a right moment, I finally got in to test out Cafe Baklava. I did have some trouble getting a table, even though I called ahead- I asked for a table for one, for 4 (PM). This was garbled to be "a table for 4". So I had to wait around for five minutes or longer while other folks off the street got seated. Then I saw the waiter was setting up "a table for 4" and... well, that got straightened out. Let me say the food is great. I had the Tavuc Guvec, chicken cubes simmered in a sauce with eggplant, zucchini and peppers- deliciosa! The do give a generous serving of pre-meal bread that comes in handy to wipe it all up with, and oh- the serving was large, large enough that even while I sit here, digesting and ruminating, I am still uncomfortably stuffed. But it was GOOD! And the Turkish beer I had with it, was deliciosa, ditto. Friends who have eaten here say it is the best place on the strip for Med food, as well as a good place to take a date, and now, I agree. If only the opportunity came more often- but I'm more inclined just to hustle off home right after work. Highly recommended, esp if you are flush with fat dollars. Mo' Fat! You mo' betta off. read more

Had a pretty solid meal here accompanied by a couple fans of Mediterranean cuisine ... we all thought the food was very good. The site itself is pretty small (even with outside patio seating) - was there around 1 to 2pm on a weekday and it was packed with the usual lunch crowd. Started off with the baba ghanoush (nice and smokey; not overly oily like some places). Moved on to share a couple entrees ... the Karniyarik, Iskender kabob, and Tavuk shish kabob. Good, good, and good. The service was attentive - plenty of water and check-ins - and the prices were on par with other comps in the Bay Area. read more

Another 5 star place . We ordered chicken kebab , Greek salad , baba ganoush and kadayif . Everything was flavorful .. even the pita bread was perfect . I will come here again ... read more

Not really authentic Turkish food. Their baklava is dry, manti they serve is basically ravioli with yogurt, and doner kebap is awful. However they have a nice atmosphere with the waitresses in traditional clothes, pictures from Turkey, you could even sometimes listen Ibrahim Tatlises (famous Turkish singer) on the background. I have to accept I am biased. Food is a big minus for somebody who ate Turkish cuisine in Turkey, but if you do not know the real taste of the foods in the menu, you might have a different feeling. If you want to eat Turkish food, find a Turkish friend who cooks or email me for the recipes :) read more

The food here is good. The service is decent. I love the kabobs, with grill veggies, and rice but after I saw some roaches crawling around, it was my last time visiting this place. read more

Excellent food and service on a Saturday evening. Seems to be an older place a little rough around the edges, but that was fine.

My chicken kebab was under-cooked. Came with plain rice and not-so-exciting roasted veggies. I may return and just have baklava and coffee, but definitely not a full meal. The service was not consistent or friendly. We had to request our check at the end of the meal. It's possible the waiter was trying to be nice and let us chat after the meal before bringing the check, but who knows? I will not return any time soon. read more

Unassuming Turkish place with consistently delicious food and great Turkish house wine. 10x the flavor and value as the wine bar next door and one of the best restaurants on Castro. Good service too. read more

The restaurant offers online and mobile ordering for take out: https://waitonme.com/?referrer=a7ab36c0-a852-012a-c0e4-fa2af08e6726 read more

This place is a rip off and the food was absolute crap. The "meat" in the Manti dish was NOT meat. If you pull the meat out of the pasta, it seems like it's meat substitute. The Doner dish was just as bad. The rice was dry and the meat was also very questionable. AND they charge 20 bucks for a crappy piece of fish. Bottom line: Everything was crap. This restaurant makes me ashamed to be Turkish. read more

Surprisingly popular place in Mountain View. Both inside and outside seating. Tried saksuka, enginar (artichoke), and combo kebab. Also ordered two glasses of their fume blanc. I did not like their saksuka. It showed up as a combination of fried eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, etc and French-style fried potatoes. I think this dish may have fried cube potatoes in it but I don't think French-style fried potatoes are supposed to be in it. They ruined the taste as far as I was concerned. I actually overheard one of the waiting staff suggesting it to a customer who was asking for baked potato. Saksuka is a mezze based on eggplant, using it as a potato dish is quite ridiculous. The enginar dish is great when properly made. Theirs was bland. I make it ten times better, simply by following recipes on the Internet. Also, the menu claimed it would have fava beans in the stuffing, it had none. The carrots and potatoes were diced really without sufficient attention (big) and as a result, did not taste as they were supposed to. Also, it is a dish made with artichoke BOTTOMS, not artichoke hearts. Somebody should help them with the use of English on their menu. Their fume blanc white wine was neither fume nor blanc. It tasted like cheap chablis I used to buy many years ago. Sweet and without any real aroma. Certainly not the quality you would expect for $8/glass. But then again, the combo kebab dish was pretty good. The meats were cooked perfectly, as they say on the Food Network. The grilled vegetables were really very good. The rice was OK, maybe with Basmati rice in a place that calls itself Mediterranean a bit surprising. I had been to this place some years ago for lunch. My experience both times is OK if you are new to this cuisine, which may explain their tremendous popularity. If you know how these dishes are supposed to taste, try maybe New Kapadokia in the Bay Area, or better yet, go to Manhattan, NYC (short of the real deal). read more

They have a dirty restroom and only one unit for ladies and gents! Manager is rude, specially to forigners, best part he's forigner himself ! When I told about his restroom he said:" This is it"! Food takes long time too. Don't be fooled if it's a busy place, in downtown mountain view that location any business would make it. We ordered chicken kabob and Kofte, was not like my previous experience. Right place to waste your money... read more

I came here awhile ago... and I must say that I still remember being quite disappointed. Ambiance, adorable little place... I do feel though it can be cleaned quite a bit. To me the cleanliness of a place regardless if the foods good or bad speaks volume for the restaurant as a whole. We where starving and had a little 19 month old too who was hungrier then us. Although we sat ourselves the girl came over to fill our waters and give us bread and oil. I didn't particularly want to fill up on bread before my meal and was hoping the server would've came over but it took him about 15 mins to come over to us to take our oder after getting the bread which yes I ( we) where already getting full on but still desiring our meal. We each ordered the kabab combo... well... it was very disappointing, dried out over cooked and bland. small serving of rice which was for me the only thing that tasted good and the vegetables where still hard in the middle. The nice thing is the waiter knew he wasn't tentative because after we sat a party of 5 came in and sat in the back and I believe one other couple came in after too... but being that we where there first he could've politely excused himself and took our order first but didn't so when we asked for a tide of Tzatziki he gave us 2 on the side no cost. We then ordered baklava and tea... my boyfriend thought the tea would be nice with the baklava but.... the baklava came and there was no tea until we had 1 piece left he got up and asked if they where bringing the tea and they responded yes where bringing it... well I thought as a former server you would bring them together because people normally like the tea/coffee with their deserts. Well they don't seem to think so and bill came... very over priced for service and food. First time we said we weren't going back because of the food but when your starving and your heart is set on something it makes you do crazy things... We left both with turning stomachs and promise won't be back:( read more

Two dishes we ordered were fine, but the other two were not so good. One had a tremendously strong mint flavor. The other was a lamb shank so undercooked that it was difficult to eat--quite tough. We've been here before and liked it, so maybe just an off night? read more

Absolutely my favorite place! Grilled items on the menu are prepared perfectly without charrring black. Chicken kebab is so orgasmic!!! Great service! read more

My 2nd review. Was hoping it would be a positive one. Have to say I love Mediterranean food but am only rating the service as we didn't get an opportunity to eat the food. Sat down today after the Mountain View Family Parade. Nobody inside the restaurant and a couple of parties outside. We placed our order at the same time as the table next to us (a salad and a sandwich). I ordered a beer too. We both got our beers at the same time. That would be all we got. Table next to us got their food and was more than half way through eating. We had yet to get ours. Another party came in after we had ordered and they were seated outside next to us as well. They got their food and were half way through eating before I said something to the waiter. He didn't get back to us. I finished my beer, left $5 for it and we took off after an hour. read more

A great place for quiet dinners on weekdays and a small celebration. Food is really good here and there is a decent selection of wine as well. The owner was really helpful in accommodating us even though it was a little late at night. read more