Absolutely delicious. Cute restaurant with lovely decor. Went by myself on a weekday. The staff was nice and accommodating. I had two appetizers, the lentil soup and their crispy manti. Soup was thick and creamy. The mantis were done with a twist. The flavor combination was all there though, very satisfied. Even the complementary bread and dip was delicious. Would definitely recommend and go again. I've already told two different friends about this place! read more

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Delicious! I love the lentil soup, the salad, and the crispy manti. Service is very attentive, and the decor is well done. It's a small place, so you may want to make a reservation for peak meal times. read more

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Few restaurants achieve what I consider "magic". By that, I mean that they have achieved a level of excellence by their chefs, quality of ingredients, recipes, wait staff, owner involvement, decor, and overall customer experience. Esnaf in San Carlos is one of those rare restaurants that has achieved magic. Whenever we go there, we are delighted with the food and enchanted by the wait staff and the owner who is a very friendly and welcoming person. We feel like we are visiting family when we go there. This is such a special place. We love Esnaf. It's a magical place. read more

It's hard to find Turkish restaurants in the Bay Area. This one is very good and has a warm and inviting atmosphere with Turkish decor. The food taste fresh just like good Turkish food. The kebab trio for two is more than enough for two and was delicious and clean. The Turkish bread comes hot out of the oven and is complementary. The staff are very nice and attentive. read more

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I've been here two times and I think the food is all right. The portions are okay sized but I feel like it's rather pricey here. This place is not my first choice for restaurants. I got a simple dish of chicken thighs, some rice, and a salad and after tax and tip it was like $36 for lunch for one person. I felt like the flavor was okay. The chicken was cooked nicely but I felt like the flavors could pop a bit more. Rice was a little bland. The chicken would have paired well with a nice yogurt sauce! The salad was very finely chopped cucumber and/or green bell peppers, and tomatoes but I actually hate raw cucumbers and bell peppers so it was a little difficult for me to pick them out. The free bread they give for the table is pretty good. It's hot and fresh out of the oven and very fluffy. It pairs well with the olive oil. We've tried a few other dishes in the past like eggplant, flatbread etc. I just don't remember them leaving a lasting impression on me, sorry. Service is okay to good. They were attentive in the beginning but I did feel like service sort of dropped off after the food was served. We were a big party outside though. read more

Came in for lunch at around 12 with a party of two, were seated immediately. It's pretty chill around this time, plenty of tables open. This is definitely my top pick for a delicious meal in San Carlos. Everything from the bread, the soup, the meat, even the rice too, is so delicious! My favorite was the lamb meat from the Kebap Trio for two, and also the crispy flatbread that comes with the combo. Simple, delicious, so incredibly crave-able. I highly recommend getting the lentil soup and pairing it with the free bread for the table. So good! read more

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Came by for dinner the other night and it was a decent experience. Made a reservation and our table was ready upon arrival. Parking is available on the street or nearby surface lots. Dining is available outdoors or inside the dining room, with a view of the open kitchen. The loo is through the kitchen and shared with the restaurant next door. Started off with the complimentary bread and it was decent. This complemented the meze trio. The crispy manti was good, although I was expecting larger pieces. The manti is like a wonton wrapper wrapped in some ground beef, served over a bed of yogurt and tomato-esque sauce. The Mantar Guvec mushroom caserole was a cheesy version of mushrooms. Flavors were good. This may have been the best dish of the evening. The Karides Guvec was a rather salty casserole of cheesy shrimp. This may have been better with some type of bread. The Trüflü Mantarlı was a miniature cheesy mushroom flatbread. This was good hot. The Ahtapot was tasty. This was octopus served over a bed of mashed potatoes and was quite flavorful. Octopus was cooked to perfection and was soft. The traditional Lahmacun was tasty. It was a crisp flatbread served with some ground beef along with a side of tomatoes and onions/lettuce. Finished off the meal with the katmer which was a phyllo dough with pistacchio cream on the inside. This was a light and refreshing way to finish off dinner. ~$70/head after tax and gratuity for dinner. read more

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I came here twice to try various dishes and form my opinion. As somebody with Turkish origin, I think this restaurant has potential, but currently prices are too high. Interior design of the restaurant is lovely and modern. Staff is super nice as well, although it takes long time for the main dishes to arrive. For the food, I have tried many options in my two visits. - Gavurdag salad was delicious, sour tastes blended perfectly with tomatoes. - "Trüflü" pide or truffle pide did not have any truffle taste at all, still mushroom and cheese combination was good. - Lahmacun tasted good but there was only a single one split in half. At other restaurants you could get two for the same price. - Et şiş was similar to home cooked dish and was not very special. Too much meat and a little overcooked. - Manti appetizer was good, although presentation can be improved. This used to be a main dish not appetizer. read more

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This is truly the best restaurant that I've eaten at in years. Karides guvec: Shrimp in tomato, butter, garlic, and cheese. So savory and juicy, and pairs beautifully with bread. My favorite dish! Ahtapot: Soft, tender grilled octopus with a wonderful and unique lime mashed potato. This was the most delightful, softest octopus I've ever eaten. Crispy manti: Bite-sized baked dumplings in yogurt. A lot of meaty and savory flavor packed into one bite. Somonlu pide: Dill, smoked salmon, and capers on bread. So savory and refreshing! Lahana sarmasi: Cabbage rolls with rice. So soft, and had a lighter flavor. I also loved the decor and cozy ambiance of the place, and the servers were very attentive. Would definitely come back again! read more

Esnaf - karides guvec, lahana sarmasi - Turkish Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Food is delicious!! Was really surprised to see them empty on a Sunday night. The meat is very well seasoned and well cooked. Highly recommend ordering the Sucuklu Pide. Portion is decent but on the smaller side. The ambience is very cozy yet feels casual. The service could be improved - the staffs attitude was a bit cold? They didn't feel very welcoming or friendly. Despite this, I would come back again. What we ordered: Kebab trio for 2 Crispy mantu Sucuklu Pide read more

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Good Turkish food experience. Both the food and service were very good. The Crispy Manti was excellent as was the Mezze Trio. The Karides Guvec was kind of fishy and didn't meet expectations. read more

Esnaf - Crispy Manti - Turkish Near Me - San Carlos, California

This place was just OK. I was looking for a new Turkish place to try after having been thoroughly impressed by Nomadic Kitchen in Redwood City downtown. This place came up as one of the other Turkish options nearby so I thought that I would give it a shot. I ordered the chicken kebab plate and honestly wasn't very impressed. First they used chicken leg meat which although from a reputable chicken farm and marinated well could not compare to the premium chicken breast meat used at Nomadic Kitchen. Second, they only provided one kind of rice which was just plain white rice without much seasonings. Nomadic gives you two both of which are seasoned and delicious. Third, there wasn't much of a salad which is necessary to complement the grilled meats. Fourth, their bread although fresh baked did not taste nearly anywhere as good and was not as generously provided. Fifth, the pricing was about 75% more expensive. Sixth, there is not the same homey feel that I get at Nomadic such as when the owner comes out to have some Turkish tea with you after your meal. I'm not sure if Redwood City downtown restaurant space rent is that much cheaper or if they are just overcharging here. Either way, I won't be back. read more

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Wow! This place is a winner. From the complimentary warm fresh bread (soooo good) to the apps and entrees, everything was exceptionally flavorful. Came with 4 adults, two little kids for a family style meal. We ordered: Köfte plate Trio for two Manti Olives Salad (forgot which sorry!) - especially loved the pomegranate vinegar on this ...and several refills of their awesome bread with dipping oil/pomegranate vinegar We left satisfied with a few leftovers to snack on later. My faves: the bread, the kofte (so juicy and well spiced), and the cute little manti. Friendly service, accommodating of our space needs with a stroller. Beautiful space, and not busy on the early end of Saturday dinner. Some of the best Turkish food I've had in recent memory. read more

We were looking for a nice place for lunch and walked by Esnaf and were very excited by their menu. My better half ordered stuffed cabbage and I had of course the kofte beef patties. Delicious. We both enjoyed the very tasty and delicate lentil soup. The bread was so airy and light. Ambience was very nice and the wait staff very attentive providing excellent service. Highly recommended! read more

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Cozy little Turkish restaurant that does justice to Turkish food! The bread is freshly baked and the appetizers are yummy! Have tried all their kebobs and they are all pretty yummy. The service is also very nice, folks are helpful and respectful. My go to place for Mediterranean food in peninsula! read more

Came here last night to meet a friend for dinner. It's in the old Cuisinette spot. The food was very good. The starter bread they provide to everyone is great. Especially liked the fish. The staff are all nice and pleasant. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Food is Amazing, service is best, interior decor is beautiful, decently priced and value for money. Five stars without a doubt, one of the best Turkish Cuisine. Their Fresh Bread with Olive dipping is so yummy couldn't stop eating , I tried Meze Trio, Hatay Humus, Mantarli Pide and they are all excellent. Katmer and Fistikli Dondurma deserts are top class. Will back for sure. read more

Delicious Turkish food! Loved the appetizers and our mains. Our server, Una, was so attentive and gave us great suggestions. Highly recommend to try this new restaurant in San Carlos. read more

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Came here on a Sunday morning for breakfast with a group of 11 people & we received excellent service and the food was delicious. The items we ordered included the following below. This was a great place for a family style breakfast that was tasty, authentic, and not too heavy on the stomach. -Sucuklu (my fav) -Simit platter -Lahamacun -Hellemi pide -mantarli pide -tea -turkish coffee The ambiance is very cute and is def a vibe! Already planning my next visit! read more

It was our first time at Esnaf, and we loved it! Super cozy and warm spot with that authentic Turkish vibe. The food was excellent, and the service was outstanding--huge shoutout to our server Sinem and Alex. They were quick, attentive, and made the whole experience even better. We ordered the sucuklu pide and the kebab trio for two. The meats were super juicy, the rice was perfectly seasoned, and it all came with a fresh salad. Their house bread served with olive oil was incredibly flavorful too. So glad we stopped in today right before the Super Bowl. We'll definitely be back to try more dishes! read more

Esnaf - Turkish Near Me - San Carlos, California

Came here with a group of four friends on a Sunday evening for dinner. The restaurant was empty when we arrived around 6 pm and we were seated right away without a reservation. The staff were friendly and attentive. We ended up getting a few plates to share. The food tasted fresh and everything was tasty. It was quiet and we were able to have a conversation easily. read more

The food is great, but the service left a bad aftertaste when we were asked to leave while still in the middle of dessert, exactly 1hr 23min later (so, not like we were lingering for too long by any stretch). We were a party of 7 with a 6:30pm reservation on a Friday evening. While the food was enjoyable, and the service was acceptable at first, the treatment we received at the end was completely unprofessional. First, the server brought us the check without first checking if we wanted dessert. We love their baklava, so had to ask them to take the check back, and bring us dessert instead. While we were still in the middle of enjoying our desserts, another staff member came by saying they needed the table for another group, and could we please leave. I'm like, huh, I'm still eating my dessert, spoon in hand! We had only been there for 83 minutes at this point (yeah I looked at my watch). While this was going on, we noticed there were other tables right next to us who had been there before we arrived that had not been asked to leave. When I asked the server why they weren't being asked to leave, rather than us, he said "they are still eating". WTF did it look like I was doing, then‽ No one else seemed to be rushed, which made it clear that the focus was less on providing a quality dining experience and more on turning tables as quickly as possible. If you can't handle that many reservations, just don't accept as many as you did. But don't rush patrons who are trying to enjoy their evening out. This poor handling of reservations and the lack of respect for our time and enjoyment left us with a very negative impression. While the food was enjoyable, this experience was enough for us to decide we will likely not be returning. read more

It felt like I was teleported to Turkey. Amazing food and decor! Crispy Manti was the highlight, succulent meat and tangy yogurt base with the right amount of spices! Loved everything we tried, specially the dessert was fantastic! We tried the katmer and I felt like I could eat like 10 of these and would blissfully be in heaven! The inside is nice and cozy and I would recommend to have reservations, we came in early (6:30pm on a Saturday with a reservation) but within 15-20 mins all the tables were full read more

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This Turkish restaurant in San Carlos is modern, sheek, and simply awesome. We sat outside on a beautiful Thursday afternoon and it made us feel like we were elsewhere. We ordered Kopoglu, oven-roasted eggplants with peppers on garlic yogurt topped with tomato sauce, which was light, flavorful, and just perfect beginning with light airy bread, which also came with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We also shared Crispy Manti, oven-baked ground beef dumplings also with garlic yogurt & tomato sauce. The dumplings were perfect bite sizes that left you wanting for more. For dessert, we tried the Katmer, pistachio cream-filled filo pastry with pistacio gelato, which was so yummy! The service was amazing from beginning to the end. Would love to come back to try other of their dishes! read more

Forget love at first sight, it's all about love at first bite. Because once that seemingly attractive person opens their mouth, it's game over esp if they're missing teef. J/k! It's been awhile since I've been enamored with a dish that I wake up thinking about...until Esnaf came along. Two words: Crispy Manti. Hella bomb. Opening in the former Cuisinett Bistro is Esnaf, a new Turkish resto (opened 6/15/24). They're open for takeout, indoor dining, and dog-friendly outdoor dining. We walked in for dinner around 5 pm on Sunday and was promptly seated (only one other table at the time). M E N U Traditional Turkish Cuisine. Beer and wine available. Link to food menu: https://tinyurl.com/2tsmuu4n F O O D * Complimentary Housebaked Pide // 5 stars: https://tinyurl.com/rxmsjuhs Served warm with a herbed infused olive oil for dipping, the pide was crisp on the outside and fluffy soft on the inside with a satisfying chew. * Homemade Crispy Manti: Oven-baked dumplings filled w/ ground beef, topped w/ garlic yogurt, tomato sauce ($20) // 5++ stars: https://tinyurl.com/bdf7red6 First time seeing a baked version with a unique, rustic presentation reminding me of a kaleidoscope. The manti were crispy and chewy filled with savory, well-spiced ground beef. The creamy yogurt and tangy tomato sauce were the perfect complement...with the brown butter giving it a delicious richness. It was love at first bite with great flavors, textures, and contrasting temperatures. * Kebap Trio for Two: Angus sirloin, chicken thigh, köfte, buttered rice, tomato-onion salad ($45) // 5 stars: https://tinyurl.com/mr2mcyb3 - Sirloin: Juicy, and subtly spiced so you can taste all the natural beefy flavor. Cooked medium rare as requested. - Chicken thigh: Marinated with yogurt and spices, the thighs were tender and juicy with a nice smoky flavor. - Köfte: The Turkish meatballs are mixed with onions and spices, cooked medium, tender with a bit of a bounce. - Buttered rice: Fluffy, separated grains, true to its name with a delicious buttery flavor. * Fındık Lahmacun (included in kebap trio): Flatbread w/ angus ground beef, tomatoes, onions, parsley, sumac onion-tomato salad // 5 stars: https://tinyurl.com/nhpemvy7 Squeeze some lemon, fill it with the sumac-onion tomato salad, roll it up, and enjoy! Crispy and savory, with warming spices and acid from the lemon...the Turkish pizza (for lack of better words) just hits different. S E R V I C E Friendly and attentive. It was a hot day, and they kept the cold water refills coming which I appreciated. Since everything is made to order, food does take some time. A M B I A N C E Modern and rustic Mediterranean décor with earthy tones, display of ceramic bowls, and open kitchen. There's about 8 tables indoors, handful of sidewalk tables, and a parklet. P A R K I N G Easy street parking near the transit center up the block. Overall, for being the owner's first resto, I was pleasantly surprised at how bomb the food was - props to the chef! It's the best Turkish food I've had in the bay for my personal taste preferences (reliant on herbs+spices not salt). Don't sleep on the crispy manti! read more

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Service: 5/5, our server was super friendly, checked on us a few times to ensure the dishes towards our expectations Food: Manti (Turkish beef dumplings) with yogurt sauce is surprisingly delicious, which I was a bit hesitant to try at first but turns out a great choice, Octopus is very tendered, just the right amount of seasoning and not overtaking the original flavor. Pide trio lets you try all 3 flavors at once, pretty fulfilling. Branzio (grilled fish) took a bit longer to grilled, I like that the skin has this thin crispy texture while the meat is still juicy. Turkish coffee, super strong, probably should not have ordered for lunch, kept me awake until later the night. Ambiance: relaxing and pleasant Mediterranean style, would love to sit outside next time as they set up outside tables to enjoy street view. read more

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Good food and very friendly staff, but you can tell it's a new operation and they are still figuring things out. We had appetizers and entrees only, no drinks/desserts, and the final total was about $60 per person. It took a total of about one hour to get entrees out, which even with the apps felt like a tiny bit too long. Luckily they are generous with the bread! Somehow we ended up with an extra appetizer, and one persons entree came out about ten minutes after everyone else's, but we all left full and happy. Branzino - somehow this is baked to an almost fried texture, but the fish was crisp and tasty. They left the fins on and some bones in though. Definitely more of a special occasion meal, but worth a visit maybe after they have streamlined their service! read more

Esnaf - Branzino - Turkish Near Me - San Carlos, California

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OMG, this place is SO Good!! There's another Turkish Med place we go to so the bar is set pretty high and they did not disappoint. I will say - my rating is more of a 4.5 but I bumped it up and I'll share why later. First - for appetizers - we got the Yogurtu (eggplant and peppers with tomato egg sauce on garlic yogurt). This is a staple for us when eating at a turkish restaurant - and while this was delish with their bread - there wasn't enough eggplant or peppers - but had a lot of tomato sauce - and the yogurt could have more garlic flavor - so this was good but not great compared to what we've had at other places. We then got their Crispy Manti - A MUST for ALL to try! It was SO GOOD - small bite with lots of flavor and different textures!! DEFINITELY made up for the Yogurtu... We also got their Lentil Soup which was delicious and hit the spot as well as their Esnaf Salad - which had that most amazing yogurt feta cheese dressing! I LOVE that salad!! And they added some sun dried tomatoes which totally took it over the TOP! HIGH recommend!! For our main dishes we got: * Branzino - was delicious - very tender with tons of flavor - not sure what the rub was but it had so much flavor but didn't over power the fish. * Lahmacun - which is angus beef on their flat bread - comes with an onion tomato salad that if you put on the flat bread just makes the bite PERFECT!! * Ispanaki Pide - which is spinach and cheese on their turkish flatbread! OMG SO GOOD... this was hubby and oldest favorite... BUT the * Truflu Mancrili Pide - the Crimini mushroom and cheese on their turkish flatbread!! My OH MY,.... that was mine and the middles favorite... I love that the Pide was thin and crispy and held up to the vegetable and cheese - did not get soggy - was crispy with every bite. Hubby LOVED the ends cause he loved the turkish flatbread. Definitely our must order when we come back. Reason for dropping .5 in rating - one as their Yogurtu - didn't quite meet up to what we were used to. Also service was lacking a bit. We had to sit outside and I had to flag the hostess to take our order after sitting for about 10 mins. OH and we never even got water. THEN we got the Yogurtu but NO BREAD.... had to flag down the staff to bring us bread so we could even EAT the dip. The guy who brought our water was great as he did keep checking and filling up our water but the rest of the service was basically us chasing them down. I thought it was because we were outside - maybe it's the table we selected as the other outside tables had immediate service. So not sure what the deal was other than it definitely dropped their overall review a star. It's definitely a tiny space - and I'm glad we sat outside as the inside was SO LOUD but they probably got better service. The FOOD was really good - especially their crispy manti, Esnuf salad and the Pides... Definitely want to go back and try different Pides... read more

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Love the ambience & food here (especially the octopus chicken thighs and meat is so tender and cooked so well and juicy). It's one of the best Turkish places I have been to in the Bay Area. read more

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The restaurant is beautifally decorated, the atmosphere is calm and relaxing, the servers so attentive, and the food, absolutely delicious. We randomly chose this restaurant because we were curious about Turkish cuisine. When we were done, we left knowing that we would be back again. read more

Tried this place last week for an early dinner and were thoroughly impressed. The food was fresh, beautifully presented, and seasoned just right--authentic in style yet light and satisfying. We enjoyed the lahana sarma, the trio appetizer, gavurdağı salad, and the lahmacun. The complimentary bread was warm, fluffy, and absolutely delicious, and graciously replenished as soon as we devoured the first basket. The only dish that didn't quite stand out for us was the sucuklu pide - it wasn't bad by any means, but it was overshadowed by the excellence of the other dishes. That said, the lahmacun was one of the best we've had in the area: perfectly crisp and full of flavor. The decor was beautiful, with an open and airy ambiance that made the space feel inviting. We especially enjoyed the soft Turkish music playing in the background - it added a lovely, authentic touch. Our Turkish server was both professional and charming, he contributed greatly to the warm and welcoming atmosphere. We'll definitely be returning! read more

Esnaf - Lahana Sarması - served with three, but we couldn't resist... so here you see just two! - Turkish Near Me - San Carlos, California

Delicious!!!! Highly recommend. The dishes were generous portions and the bread is made fresh

What a cute and cozy Turkish restaurant in San Carlos! The branzino was lovely and the manti dumplings here are the crispy kind. read more

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One of my new favorite places in San Carlos! The bread alone is amazing. The shrimp appetizer is a must have. Initially I was thinking cheese and shrimp? But it is just so, so delicious! The manti are also very tasty. The chicken thighs are probably some of the best I have had. They are tender, flavorful, juicy, and it's hard to stop eating them. The service is amazing! They are all very friendly and attentive. It's very cute on the inside and the outside is also very nice if you prefer outdoors. Highly recommend this place and am so, so glad they are in San Carlos! I don't give 5 stars usually but since I can't give 4.5, am erring on the side of the business. read more

Had a delicious vegetarian friendly lunch with a girlfriend today! We started with the 3 dip meze dish and the eggplant and yogurt bowl. Both were phenomenal. Delicious and the warm bread was addicting. Our main course was the creamy rice with mushrooms...it was pretty much risotto? YUM. Get that. Can't wait to go back and try more dishes. read more

Esnaf - Eggplant yogurt - Turkish Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Good food and good people. Kebabs were a bit too salty for my taste, but still very good.

We arrived on the Monday before Christmas around 5:30pm and it was empty but the restaurant eventually filled up with more customers by 6pm. Each table has real candles and the inside is well-decorated and has a calming aura. First we were served complimentary bread with olive oil and vinegar to dip. The special of the day was Hatay hummus which came with Turkish pomegranate sauce, olive oil, and was garnished with parsley. For our appetizer, we ordered the crispy manti - baked beef dumplings topped with a dollop of tomato sauce, garlic yogurt on the side, and sprinkled with mint. This was very flavorful, and the yogurt and tomato sauce complemented each other and the beef. For the entree, we decided to share the levrek - Branzino with couscous and dill. All I can say is wow, it was so well seasoned and cooked. The skin was crispy and the fish was tender, plus the couscous with the sauce was *chef's kiss*. We ordered pistachio gelato for dessert that was topped with crumbled tahini helva. It was so creamy while tasting like real pistachio and the helva added some nuttiness and texture. This was the perfect way to end our meal and satisfied my sweet tooth! The servers did a good job of refilling our water several times and checking on us throughout the meal. They also asked if we wanted more bread multiple times, to which we said yes twice because it was hot & fresh and paired well with the hummus. From the delicious food and the attentive servers, this was meal such an enjoyable experience. This restaurant is a must-try, not only for the delectable food but also for the phenomenal service! It's been 3 days and my mouth is still watering looking back at my photos. I'm already thinking what I want to order the next time I visit (lol) read more

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Amazing place. The food is great and they have exceptional desserts. Hugely enjoyed eating there. read more

Food was delicious and hosts were extremely hospitable. The aesthetic is sooo cute too. read more

Esnaf - Tea and bread - Turkish Near Me - San Carlos, California

Came here tonight for the first time and absolutely loved everything we ordered. The service was great! It was a busy night here and the only tables available were outside, I was worried about sitting outside, since it might get cold, but the manager assured me that the heater outside would keep us warm. And oh boy, he was right! Everything about this place is great! I highly recommend coming here. read more