Great hosting by restaurant owner. Vety friendly and hospitable. The portions were generous, and the grilled meats delicious. The dishes were well prepared. Personally I like the grilled peppers and tomatoes a bit more roasted, and prefer virgin olive oil for bread dipping over refined. I also didn't care much for raw shredded carrot in the dish. Everything rlse was done right and was tastrful. Deserts were delicately made. There were great options for vegans and vegetarians too, which is not always common with Turkish fare! The decore was elegant, and though it was not a white cloth restaurant, it conveys the sense of fine dining. read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Chicken Shashlick - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

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We have dined here a few times and the consistency has always been great. One od my favorite dishes are their lamb chops -- if it's on the menu, I will look for it and try it. I also really liked their hummus. Their salmon is excellent. They have a great variety for vegetarians also. The staff who work here are quite helpful and very sweet! Definitely a great, LOCAL restaurant to dine at or do take out. And the ambiance is very relaxed. read more

The worst falafel I ever had!!!!! Nobody was in the restaurant and it Took so long for them to make two. Then he says he ran out of French fries. I'm wondering what he needed the French fries for, anyway I took an extra salad. That was disgusting!!! Never go back!!!!! read more

Amazing ! Very kind and generous staff! Portions are very large and tasty! Definitely recommend ! Will be back again. read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

Food: I was here for lahmacun. It is a cross between a pizza and a taco- traditionally it is topped and rolled with various veggies by the consumer. It is a skinny piece of dough. Soft yet crispy making it an ideal surface to roll it. Lahmacun has a deliciously seasoned meat layer- seasoning is salt, pepper, tomatoes, onions, and maybe a few other items. It is baked fresh on the spot. The smell is just as good as the taste. You can have any drink you please but if you like yogurt drinks, you should try it with Ayran Service: very attentive and helpful. Parking: it is at a mall with tons of parking. Value: I think it is a great value for this delicious and nutritious food. Am I biased?? Maybe a little. Lahmacun is good Ayran is good I will be back read more

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For starters the food is NOT Turkish. the zuchinni pancakes and cheese rolls were very, very salty. the main dish chicken chops were hard as a rock. no taste and it was cold. the plates were piled up with carrots, and rice. we were a group of more than 20 people and everyone was of the opinion that it was not worth a second visit. we were very sorry that we went. we could not eat the main course as there was a large waiting gap and also we were uncomfortable with the amount of salt that we had eaten. No, not worth spending your time and money. read more

Great place to spend an evening quiet dinner with good music on TV. Went with friends and enjoyed the food. The taste is authentic. The chicken and lamb kabab were excellent, the appetizer with a variety of dishes was good with wine and great service. read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Eggplant dish - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

Food was great! Ordered take out and more than enough food for two! Must love the Turkish spices. The meatballs were delicious and I dipped in their excellent tahini. Cheese rolls were fantastic not too salty. The zucchini pancakes were very good but needs to be less greasy. Gyro meat a little dry but tasty as were the lamb kofke. Dessert was baklava not Greek style almost as fantastic as my mother's! Overall well done and everyone was very nice. read more

This was a former pizzeria. They kept the same decor and didn't make any changes to the restaurant. Prices more than most in this area. Tables were not sanitary, all the paper plates and glasses faced upside down. After seeing the look of the place, we decided to do the takeout instead. We ordered the sampler platter which was good. For the main course we tried their kebabs and falafel platter. It was really bland and didn't come with anything other then plain white rice. Despite all that, i still would've given them 4 stars but the few things here really tipped me off. They automatically charged us 18% tip on the takeout order!?!?! They charge extra for credit card fees which was also not posted anywhere. I'd have gladly given the tip and paid the extra fees but I don't like the surprises, Be upfront!! Don't think we'll be returning to this establishment! read more

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Rude person answering phone on Sunday. He didnt know what grape leaves were! Would have ordered four entries plus appetizers but he was so rude I didn't and I will never order from this place. Grow up man! I was the customer!! You deserve zero! read more

Very good fresh authentic taste food buds are very happy thank you for my order was ready for pick up on time will be going to Resturant. Looks like the place nice place ambience and the staff working there are very friendly happy I would definitely recommend them thank you again Glenn read more

Love this place. I used to take my grandparents because they live nearby. The staff was always so friendly and patient with them and their dietary restrictions. I highly recommend the lamb Adana and the zucchini pancakes it's our favorite. read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Lamb Adana - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

This is the second time I've eaten there. This time, there were eight of Us. We ordered seven entrees and five appetizers. All the food was terrific and everyone enjoyed their meal. Service was good. My only criticism is that the faloffal appetizer was overdone. I will definitely eat there again. read more

The best baklava and gyro of all time! Never tried a bad food item here!! Can't go wrong

A great experience start to finish. Everything we tried was wonderful, from the sampler appetizer, to the pide, guvec, and salmon casserole, to the rice pudding and baklava. Can't wait to come back and try more things! read more

I do takeouts from here. The food is pretty good. And the prices are very reasonable.

I was so happy when this place arrived in Monroe. The restaurants in this area or should I say lack of, needed some vavoom. I love Turkish food, if its made right. They took over my fave pizza place on Applegarth road, yeah sad face but elation. Well I decided to get delivery bc didn't feel like going out. I placed my order over the phone. Menu is decent and normal Turkish fare, sadly no dessert listed on menu but they do have it.. lol. I decided to order their Hot Istanbul Sampler and A dinner Combination. Which arrived in estimated time and hot. Istanbul sampler included 3 cheese rolls, grape leaves, zucchini cakes, falafel (which was a little too overdone) and a side of hummus. Also 2 decent slices of Turkish bread yum! I ordered the Lamb Adana and Lamb shish combo, it was soooo delicious. It came with a carrot salad, cabbage salad, rice and bulgur. The lamb and salads were sooo moist and tender. There was so much food I had enough leftovers for another meal. Which I will enjoy later. The prices are quite reasonable considering the amount of food. Other Turkish restaurants I've been too have been higher in price. On that note, definitely worth a check in. I can't wait to try other foods, They do have a nice dining area also. I will definitely be back, good choice for lunch since they also have sandwiches, Turkish Pide, which is their version of pizza and do have french fries bc they also have a kids menu. So what the heck you waiting for tyr them. read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - lamb adana and shish combo. awesome. - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

Very authentic. We enjoyed everything we order which was a bit of everything. We will order from them again.

I visited this restaurant last Saturday night on my way back from the airport. I have to say that the service was very nice! My order was taken by a very nice young gentleman named Mustafa. We spoke about Istanbul and Turkish food. He was very professional and was very willing to discuss the different items that were on the menu. Even though he was fielding calls and walk in customers, he was very polite, courteous, and professional. He even gave me a free aryan. It's an acquire taste and I ghden't had one in a. long time. I was so hungry, I almost drank the entire thing while I waited for my food. I ordered the Istanbul combination. lentil soup, and the baked rice pudding (Sutlac). Everything was very tasty. I would definitely stop by the restaurant again. The food was flavorful and cooked to order. Again, Mustafa and the server were very pleasant to deal with. I even watched as he instructed a walk-in on how two properly eat baklava.Youu learn something new everyday. The more you know. read more

Friendly and attentive staff. Excellent food!!! The complimentary bread is fantastic! You really can't go wrong with anything you order here. Highly recommend the grilled branzino, Istanbul mixed grill, pomegranate salad, and the pides. The grilled platters are excellent as well -- chicken shish, lamb adana, etc. Love the baklava as well. Try it! You won't regret it. read more

Very delicious Mediterranean cuisine Kindly staff, good prices Pick up, Inside and outside seating available Enjoy read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

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Literally shit .. be careful if you're vegan they will tell you the bread is vegan and then once you start eating it they'll come back to your table and tell you it's not vegan it has milk in it and make you spit it out the servers have no idea what they're talking about would never go back to this place in a million years literally feel sick and disgusted vegan for over 5 years and I just ate milk because I was told the bread was vegan literally disgusted and sick to my stomach I would never recommend anyone go to this place at all The restaurant looks empty it looks dead like there's no one here anyway This place probably will go out of business soon read more

Uber Eats order for late lunch - wanted something that a larger portion for some dinner leftovers and the Chicken Adana and Chicken Shish platter was it! With delicious and buttery rice, couscous, shredded carrot and cabbage salad, this was a super choice. Can't wait to try the other options in the menu!! read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Chicken Adana and Chicken Shish Combo - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

Tried this place twice in the past two weeks. The food is tasty and well prepared but everything else is third-rate!!! Service: Horrible. Servers must be related to owner; there's no way they could get the job otherwise. Last visit there were two other tables with patrons; 2 other tables had plates, glasses, etc. from other patrons. They were ignored and remained on the table during our entire meal. Our table was missing set-ups. The napkins used are the size you get in fast-food places. The young lady who was our server served the food and that was the last time we saw her till I searched for her to get the check.(45 minutes) Ambiance: Dismal. The owners apparently didn't make a single change from the former pizza place. Prices: Pricey, especially for a neighborhood place. Non-disclosure of credit card surcharges and service charges is, to put it simply, fraudulent I'll be dining in the Greek restaurant across the way when I want Mediterranean food. read more

Amazing Pide. I really love this. I never had eat like that Turkish food. I recommend it to everyone read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Mix Pide - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

This place is amazing. One of the best falafel sandwhich/wrap I've ever had. The lambs gyro amazing too. Oh, and these fries are slammin. Love this place. read more

This place is slightly above average. The fresh pita bread is really good. However I ordered the lamb sandwich and the lamb was super chewy. It was about 13 bucks and didn't have enough food in it to be that price- I was still hungry. Overall a really good restaurant in the area that's different than the usual bland food you typically my find. read more

I rolled in late one weekday night around 9 before the kitchen closed. It was still pretty full for being so late, but i guess it's because the food takes awhile to prepare. Not a bad thing, but it's not fast food if you are ordering anything grilled. First they give bread, which is delicious. I actually ate it all cause i was starving and they kindly refilled it for our Babbaganeoush. It was thick and chunky, appearing to have been hand made by the restaurant. It was good and tasty with a touch of maybe tahini? We also got the yogurt lamb bbq over bread. The contrast of the tomato sauce and cold yogurt was a bit strange but it was very tasty. I really liked it and would order it again. Just be aware that this takes awhile because the meat is grilled to order. read more

I cannot say enough about this place. Amazing.. AMAZING food, service, atmosphere. We are here from New England on vacation and I'm so so sad I will be 5 hours away. We came here twice in 5 days because the food was THAT good. The stuffed eggplant, dolma, donner, baklava, kadafeh...there's nothing else like it! What a gem!!! read more

Food was terrific. Service was amazing! I ordered something I had never tried and didn't care for it. I didn't complain to anyone because I figured it was my fault for not liking it not anything with the preparation of the dish. They took the entree off the final bill because they noticed it wasn't eaten. These are the kinds of things that make w good reataurant. I was just passing through but if I was a local I would go back. I had samplings of all the other entrees ordered and they were delicious. The Mediterranean salad was amazing!Lamb Adana Ambience is average. Not a gorgeous venue but was very clean. read more

Tried this place out last night. This is a great spot for a non-fussy bite. Food was good overall - soup, and entree dish even for sharing if not a big eater. Turkish coffee never dissapoints! Service was excellent, very sweet and kind lady took our order and checked on us throughout the time. Turkish coffee never disappoints! Due to the current COVID19 situation it is hard to see someone's facial expression, but you can tell in the sound of her voice and in her eyes that she was sincere. It was pleasant to see during this time. I would stop by if I am in the area or local, but not a place I would drive out of the way for. read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

Food was good but prices are deceiving. The prices in menu are for cash/ debit card only And they add a 18% tip for cash or 22% for credit card but call it service charge So we expected a $50 bill a d it was $70 with the extra charges. It is in tiny print on a middle page Had to go back because we had added a tip and then couldn't figure out why bill was so high Good tasty and nice size portions but not sure I will go back. read more

Photo speaks for itself! Extensive menu and all meals had great flavor. I've always liked Mediterranean/Turkish food, but so many new dishes I've never had before. This place will be a repeat! GrubHub also delivered this earlier than estimated time - win! read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Istanbul Sampler Zucchini Pancakes Shepherds Salad Lahmajoun Lamb Adana and Kofte Kebab Combo Kids Chicken Fingers - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

So happy that there's a halal food option in Monroe. I ordered chicken Adana kebab platter meat pizza. I have to say the Lahmajon was deleicious- The bread was very thin and easy to break and the meat was flavorful. I enjoyed the 2 variations of rice in the Adana kebab platter. The kebab itself was dry and tough in general, I think it may have been over cooked/ otherwise it tasted good. My kids enjoyed the baba ganoush with the freshly baked bread. We saved the best for last which was the baklava, and it was a treat! It was also freshly baked. I am planning on ordering from here again and trying other options! read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Adana Kebab Baba Ganoush Lahmajoun - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

I am delighted that we have a Turkish restaurant by us. There are not many restaurants here, so I am happy to have more variety. Their food is always fresh and delicious. Stuff is friendly. I probably ate from them over 30 times, and I never had an issue . Very kind, good service, clean and delicious. Thank you :) read more

Doner was mixed with pastarma spices, the aroma hits you right away, then you can't enjoy the rest of the plate since all you taste is pastuma! It's really irritating when water puts tips by himself and brings the little machine to just charge you, without any options... It really is my choice, I could leave more but this act is annoying. I've noticed many Turkish restaurants doing same, do people get so pissed off and don't leave them tips? read more

Ordered our first take out meal from here last night. Had chicken shish kebab, lamb shish kebab and falafel for appetizer. All were excellent. The lamb and chicken were succulent and tasty..prepared just right. We will be back for sure Peggy and Neville read more

Very beautiful restaurant! I got the gyro pide with mozzarella - It was tasty but a bit too salty and I wish I had been told how long It takes to me as I was waiting a while. The bread served in the beginning was delicious and so soft. I would like to try their other dishes! read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Gyro Meat Pide - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey

Does anyone know how long this place has been around? I really enjoyed the doner platter, a little pricey but the portion was large and everything tasted very fresh. A little bit of Bulghur, doner meat, pickled cabbage, hot sauce, and yogurt sauce created the perfect bite. Could have used a bit more of both sauces as they only pack 2 small containers for a large platter. Will update with photos next time as I crushed this pretty much right away. I look forward to trying more items on the menu here! read more

Really loved this meal. Portions were excellent, meat was tasty, and price was reasonable. Everything was well packaged for takeout and ready on time. I'd recommend it to everyone! read more

Istanbul Foodlovers - Istanbul Combination and chicken Adana sandwich - Mediterranean Near Me - Monroe Township, New Jersey