I used to come here a lot and really enjoyed it but it seems to have really gone downhill over the years. Here are the issues with it: -It is way too overpriced. My partner and I had just pasta with tomato sauce, dumplings, and a teapot, and it cost us $80! At another place, I had pasta with unlimited soups, and I ate the soups and was fed, and I took the whole pasta with me to eat once or twice more. And my partner ate her pasta and had some leftovers. And we had unlimited drinks for 2 and it all cost us only like $55! I highly recommend that Masal decrease their prices significantly. -They have a mandatory gratuity which to me just doesn't look good (and I do always tip). -The last time the service was awful. There was only one guy serving everyone and he kept on doing something else and rarely looking at us. He once disappeared/went somewhere for what seemed like 5 minutes. Where were more servers? We had to wait longer than last time each time we needed a server. -Last time the bathroom was unusable and we had to go somewhere else when we had to go. -Last time there were some changes that made the cafe look less pleasing, and the windows were blocked. I always enjoyed sitting by the windows enjoying the scenery but now I couldn't. My partner and I may no longer go to this cafe. read more

Keepin it real out here in sheepshead bay Late night vibe is pretty nice. The setup seems to be open to all but feels more a spot for locals. Interesting cultural experience for everyone. Not cheap but worth the experience read more

Masal Cafe - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Such an mediocre store in my opinion, I took this picture of the kids place back in 2018, the food is meh, the employees/service are neutral, there was music playing in this place alongside the kids games too, some kid at the other day took a poop and nobody was cleaning it, which was plain disgusting, such weird times. it was a cool place until it fell off to be a mediocre slop of a "place" it is nowadays. read more

Masal Cafe - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Had a wonderful dinner with friends at Masal! I didn't take a picture, but there was a children's play place on the second floor. What a helpful concept- have the adults chit chat and making boring conversation while the kids go off to play! I've never had Manti before- small lamb dumplings with yogurt sauce. I don't know much about it, but it looked like the dumplings are hand made- good texture, flavorful lamb. I really tried not to eat it so quickly because I knew I would be :( once my dining experience ended. Dessert - warm kunefe with pistachios on top. It's a baked cheese pastry in syrup. read more

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The place has a massive amount of seating both indoors and outdoors on the street with shade. However the food is pricy and the quality isn't amazing. Ordered a large Turkish tea the potato special with is a huge baked potato stuffed with cheese, tomato, cheese, corn, pickle, olives, sour cream ketchup and sausage. They also have meat entrees such as kebab, gyro and chicken but are on the pricier side. Food is mediocre and service could use improvement, it was difficult to get server's attention to pay bill. Might go back for dessert and tea only next time. read more

Masal Cafe - Kumpir - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The Lachman and lebni were good especially together. I'm not sure if the lachman is supposed to be cold traditionally. The manti I did not like at all. The dough was nice and soft but I did not not like the yogurt sauce ATALL. And it isn't that I don't like yogurt clearly because of love lebni. I also don't like these bite size manto because the more you eat it the more tired you get of eating it. We went to masal plus which apparently has a more extensive menu. But I found the menu to be confused- having everything from pastas to tacos. It definitely makes it feel like you're NOT going to get authentic Turkish food. Nothing was terrible but nothing stood out so I probably wouldn't come back. The service was okay, I didn't have this terrible experience everyone else seemed to have had. Although, there was this weird, horrible smell that kept wafting through the outdoor tables that really made me want to leave. read more

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Please keep in mind that this review was written 30 minutes after leaving the establishment. My husband took me out for my birthday weekend and I knnow he loves mediteranean food and thought it would be nice to try. Whwn we got there the space was beautiful with modern cultural infusion of design. The greeter was nice to us and allowed us to sit wherever we wish so I chose. Please keep in mind the pIace was not packed at all. More waiters than tables to serve. My husband and I sat waiting. I had the view of all the waiters and no one would step up to serve us. I dont like the pull race cards. I cant stand when people use that as a poor excuse to misbehave so we waited to be served I kid you not it was as if the waiters were trying to pass of off on someone else to help us. Each of them made eye contact with me becasue they realized I was waiting and they see I am waiting. The look and as they pass my table they put their head down to not make eye contact with me. I didnt tell my husband anything because my husband is more forgiving than I. He then realized we were being ignored and we chalked it up to ok maybe in there culture thats how they move but then we realize wait, the table before us is being serviced. Than a guy comes to take care of us and he moving rather fast as if he wanted to get us over with. I thought he wanted us to put in order for dessert one time so he dont have to deal with us a second time. Again its observation and Im just taking mental notes. We had our meal and it was alright the lamb was dry but I liked the salad and beef. After we completed our dinner the waiter passed by many times never checking on us or even catching a hint that we were done and just sitting there with our plates stacked. I sat for 10 minutes and then signal him over to order a to go bag and the check. The waiter knows we owe him payment and he keeps walking away from us then straddling around. The other staff members are aware as well but no one jumps in. I dont know if there was a black party that was previously there that rubbed them the wrong way but I was offended. I dont like to carry on in public as people think all black people have no class. Anyone who decides to visit there be warned they may not be as welcoming and will walk egg shells around you. You may not like me becasue of the color of my skin then you should not serve not me at all becasue my money is as good as anyone elses. BTW they add the gratuity inside the bill. read more

Today we felt like having some manti. Went to Opera Cafe a couple of blocks away, they took manti off their menu. Came to Masal, they said they have it. Mind you they have mostly wraps, sandwiches and 4 main courses on the menu. You expect that they would do their best, i was wrong, won't come back here again. Manti was undercooked and it was still doughy!!! At least our server was smiling thats all read more

Masal Cafe - Manti - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

This place has a few decent items. Mostly the dessert. Gelato is great. My friend really likes the creme brulee. The service is great as well. Their espresso-based drinks are quite bad. I usually order gelato with an americano and the drink is just god awful (Yes, I gave them a few chances on different visits). You can usually make most bad coffee drinks drinkable with milk. Does not help. Liver was cooked well except the pieces are cut small and therefore are slightly dryer than they could have been. Chicken parm was ok. However, what really prompted this review is the "RIbeye" I ordered. Which magically turned into what appears to be a strip steak. Oh, and while I believe it is quite difficult to mess up mashed potatoes unless it comes out of a box... These mashed potatoes got really close to tasting like they were out of a box. read more

Masal Cafe - "Ribeye" which appears to be more of a strip steak. - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Food was mediocre. Service sucked we went to the part where the kids play area was and it was filthy and definitely wouldn't pass health inspections the waitress messed up the order and didn't come over at all had to hunt Her to get the check i wanted to love this place but it was not at all what i expected from the pics online read more

Masal Cafe - Flooded peeling stained ceiling The lights were flickering - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Raised their prices on every menu item amidst COVID. Many businesses are doing the same to stay afloat. Follow all social distancing and safety measure procedures. Friendly staff, quick service. Salep is delicious, as always. It's milk, orchid flour, and cinnamon, served hot, which is perfect for chilly weather and for soothing you before bedtime. Desserts are tasty, but now, on the overpriced side given the fast causal nature of this establishment. Strawberry cheesecake $9 was creamy and smooth. On the sweeter side, so I felt my glucose levels shoot up from that happy sugar rush in my blood. Profiteroles (two per portion, for $8, which is expensive for such tiny dessert) were not very fresh (you can tell by the stale dough and stiff/dry cream filling). Tiramisu $9 portions are usually very generous. read more

Masal Cafe - Strawberry cheesecake, profiteroles, salep, Macchiato - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I ordered the Baby Arugula Salad, which one would think it would be hard to screw up. But they managed to do a horrible job. I might have well been pouring salt down my throat. It was so oversalted that it was inedible. My date said it must be the goat cheese, but it was the greens themselves. The tomatoes were mealy and equally salty. They could at least have used grape tomatoes. I almost ordered just the babaganoush, which in retrospect seemed a safer option, but I suspect that would have been a disaster as well. We sat in a corner at a booth. I cannot say whether all booths are the same, but this one was problematic. The benches were at a distance from the table, which meant having to sit on their edges. Extremely uncomfortable. The Masal Cafe has two locations, one at the corner of Sheepshead Bay Road and Emmons Avenue, the second a few doors further down on Emmons. We patronized the latter. I don't believe the menus differ. They do not have a liquor license, a disappointment, as a glass of wine might have made the experience tolerable. I have only sampled this cafe once, but I would advise you to steer clear of it. And I advise them to leave the proportion of salt to the consumer. read more

Went into Masal for lunch with a friend. When we got the check there was an 18% charge added to the bill listed as a SERVICE CHARGE. I questioned the waiter if this was the tip added in and he said NO! He said it was a restaurant fee. I have never heard of an 18% added fee that wasn't a tip. There were only 2 of us dining and we were paying cash. I feel like I was ripped off. There were no posted signs or anything mentioned in the menu. This will be my last time dining here and will warn my friends. I'll dine at Opera or Soup and Burger next time. read more

Fughgettaboutit, this is the best mediterainian cafe. Kunefe is great, turkish tea is great, food is great, people are great, and it feels like your in Türkiye when you sit in there. It also feels very Turkish, i enjoy it alot. read more

The vibe at Masal Cafe is hard to appropriately depict. The whole strip of Turkish restaurants along Sheepshead Bay seems to be a half-hearted attempt at recreating a Turkish seaside locale, or one of the promenades in Istanbul. But the whole area exudes the feeling of having seen better days. Maybe like Kars in a snowstorm. And Masal Cafe would be right at home among the tea and coffee shops of Kars. We were one of 3 dining parties in a huge restaurant where the windows seemed like they could use a revamp. The staff was not busy and was mostly congregated on one of the booths chatting while we were there. We just came for çay and dessert. The trileçe was not my favorite (I really like the version from Saray Cuisine in Palisade Park). The künefe was quite good, but extremely rich, with a healthy portion of white cheese. read more

Mediocre food with a luxury price tag and served with a peasants attitude. They need to hire better staff as the ones who pick up the phone have clearly not passed 2nd or 3rd grade. Very rude with a low IQ & must repeat self 3-5 times of same order before confirmation that he knew I wanted a chicken nugget. Food isn't terrible. But a company thrives off its staff as the staff is the face and asset of your company. If you have quality food but miserable staff who hate picking up the phone as much as they do their own life, then even the best food will leave a bad taste. read more

We truly wanted to try the desserts from this establishment as it was recommended from our friend. I was truly happy with my Desert frozen peach with sorbet how creative and tasty. I also loved my delicious ice cappuccino real coffee for this connoisseur. We also ordered some desserts to take away rice pudding and Napoleon, true heaven to share with family yessssssss. My main Criticism is the service at the establishment. Our Server was very polite and nice however he was not diligent in following up how we were doing with our desserts and taking a very long time to give us our check. It appeared a lot of the Staff were chatting away. I can over look this matter on account the food was was great. read more

Masal Cafe - My peach sorbet awesome - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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The ambiance here is fantastic, but the food itself is nothing to write home about. It's maybe slightly above average flavored Turkish food. The restaraunt is right in front of the bay, so you can eat and then go for a nice stroll. They also have very nice outdoor seating. read more

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Went here for my sister's birthday dinner. The restaurant is pretty big and packed on friday. We made a reservation at 7pm. We got a booth which was very spacious. The staff and service is very good. I gave it a four star because they almost gave my wife a kid's menu. The food was good. Ordered different types of foods. It came pretty fast. Would probably go next time let's see if they offer a kid menu again. read more

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Service was okay, gelato was exceptional and they have great coffee! Absolutely massive restaurant.

LMFAOO didn't even eat first time There & customer service is trash but I shouldn't b surprised probably treated me like that Because the color of my skin I would never recommend 0/10 Workers hav disgusting attitude soup n burger WAY BETTER ‼ read more

Masal Cafe - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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The food is inedible. The bread they brought was either yesterday's or the day before yesterday. Warmed up old stale pieces of bread. When I asked why the bread was tasteless and inedible, the waiter simply turned around and left. No service. The waiters leave and do not return, although the restaurant was empty and besides us there were only 2 women at the next table. The food is tasteless, the Turkish omelette is over-peppered and too spicy (my stomach hurt after eating it), the portions are small, the food is inedible. An 18 percent tip is automatically included in the bill. And another 3 percent on top for using a card rather than cash. And then they ask for another 18 to 22 percent tip. Terrible!! read more

Decided to stop in for some Turkish coffee with friends after taking a walk along Emmons Ave. and was drawn in by their little bubble/igloo set up! Each bubble/igloo came with their own super cute heater with an adjustable temperature knob, as it gets warm in their kinda quick. Loved the setup, stayed for some coffee and desserts! The only draw back is the bubble/igloo retained the scent of the meal previously enjoyed, makes you wonder about ventilation. read more

Masal Cafe - Small Turkish Coffee - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I like the ambience and spaciousness of this cafe during off-peak hours, but that's about it. The food is just okay. Their menu is large and it's a mix of Russian, Turkish, Italian, and American foods. I came with a friend in the early afternoon on a Sunday when business was still slow. We had to seat ourselves and flag a waiter down whenever we needed something. For a huge place like this, I only saw 3 waiters. We ordered the Turkish breakfast and a slice of the honey bee cake to share. The cake came in a few minutes but the breakfast took almost 30 minutes. It's literally a plate of cut cheese, salad tossed together, olives, and an omelette. I can't imagine why that took so long. The bread was nice dipped with honey though and the cake was on the dry side, most likely from sitting in the cake display for awhile. I think this place might be nice to sit over coffee, tea, and dessert to chat or people watch, but don't come here for an actual meal expecting stellar quality. A lot of the items on the menu you can recreate yourself. read more

Masal Cafe - Honey Bee Cake - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

And for my 1000th Yelp review ... unfortunately, a dud of a food experience. For the longest time, my wife and I wanted to try Masal. It wasn't really because the food looked spectacular, but it was more because it was without shouting distance of where we lived. With that said, our expectations were still high because of the good reviews and the number of folks that were always dining inside . It seemed to be a real favorite amongst locals and Turkish food lovers in the area, so we always felt we were missing out. Well, to be put it bluntly, we really were not missing out on much. We visited on a Friday evening at about 8pm and the place was pretty crowded. There were seats here and there, but there was plenty of buzz. The restaurant's interior was littered with booth seating everywhere and not a single chair in site. We were immediately greeted by a very cheery and kind hostess who seated us. We did some research and ordered exactly what we felt were popular items, based on the Yelp photos. The 3 items that kept coming up over and over again were the Gozleme (pie with yogurt sauce), Kumpir Stuffed Baked Potato and Manti (Turkish Style Ravioli), so we went with all 3. To say we were disappointed is an understatement. We were perturbed at how so many customers ordered these items in the past. First, the Kumpir Stuffed Baked Potato. Honestly, it was just a baked potato with corn, peas, olives and pickles and dressing drizzled on top. The potato came out oddly fast as though they had baked potatoes just lined up, ready to go. We opted to add sausage for $2, which was a mistake. The potato was cool and not hot at all. The stuffing was mediocre and really did mesh well with the potato. It was really our fault for thinking it would taste any better than it sounded, but it brings into question why so many people order it. Next, the Gozleme. We went with the spinach option. The pie was flatter than flat. It looked like it was run over by a truck. In the pictures we saw, it looked decently plump, but it was extremely flat in person. The pie/tortilla was also green. In every picture we saw of it, it was always white and toasted. Lastly, the spinach was literally plain old spinach, like it was boiled with no seasoning and stuffed into the pie. It had no flavor to it what so ever. Thank goodness for the yogurt sauce, but even that didn't do much. Lastly, the "winner" amongst the group, the Manti. It's basically Turkish style lamb ravioli with a ton of yogurt sauce on top. By far, this was the best thing we ate, but that's not trophy worthy. It was good, but after a few bites, it just got plain boring to eat. The 1st few bites were the "Ooooo ok" type and then by bite 20, we couldn't handle any more of the dough because there seemed to be more of it than lamb. Service was good all evening so that's why I'll give them 2 stars, but the food was easily 1 star. Maybe some of the other dishes are better, but I doubt a restaurant that doesn't specialize in pasta would make a mean pasta entree. Weirder things have happened. I hate to give restaurants bad reviews, but the dishes we ordered were downright bad. I hope there will be a change in the future, but until then, it's hard to justify another trip back. read more

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One of the oldest Turkish restaurant in town. Great ambiance: wide open seating areas and have a huge front patio for dining. Great place for a quite bite or stay awhile to catch up with friends. They have a lot of seats so you dont get the feeling like they want to kick you out. Also, locareext to the water and close to Manhattan beach. There was a lot of options on the menu ranging from burgers, omelette, sandwich and wraps. They have tradition Turkish desserts! Would come back for a quick bite. read more

Masal Cafe - Avocado toast - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The best Tarmisu, Les Tres Leches and Flan desserts with a good cuppa of Cappuccino! It is worth a trip from Staten Island. read more

Time - Saturday after 10 a.m in June Ambiance - spacious room with 3 or 4 patrons sitting in a simple Turkish styled theme interior design. Busy - not at all, but only 1 waitress for 4/5 parties. Staff - friendly Food - omlette with Turkish style sausage. Meat bread. Turkish tea and Uludag (flavored water) Verdict - nothing special about the items ordered. Pricing was okay portions were standard. Uludag was FAKE APPLE JUICE. Basically highly watered down apple juice or flavored water. Reccomend - worth a try! read more

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I went with a group of people to eat and hear the music they always have had. Well for starters, there was no music. The ordering process was awful as it took forever for a waiter to come and take our order. When all of us received our orders, we were quite surprised at the small portions being served and the prices were extremely high. We did notice the restaurant on a Saturday night which is always full was less than half full which was a surprise. Last but not least when checks were presented, on top of the the high prices, they added to the check an additional 18% gratuity!! What was once a pleasure to visit became all of our last ever to go to this restaurant again read more

This restaurant is not good for me I tried French fries and it's not good at all. Oh and don't get me started on the food The food is terrible Horrible service The worst place in existence My recommendation is to not go here anymore read more

Such a unique looking place inside very traditional styles love the look of it. For the most part the servers are not the best kind of rush you never to be found when you're looking for them but occasionally you will have one that's really nice. I do however enjoy the traditional food there. The American style food is not the best but the actual traditional food is delicious. I lovee their Kunefe and cigar rolls and they have the best lentil soup !!! So so good I could eat 10 bowls of their soup . I actually go there as often as I can for the soup and the kunefe! read more

A little disappointed... I come here every week and really enjoy sitting outside in their igloos, it's a whole vibe..... but recently I went with 2 others and while we were mid meal someone that works there ( without uniform ) so maybe a manager came up to us while we were eating to let us know from now on the fee for each person has to be more than $20 each persons meal due to their new igloos that they got outside and I told him that I'm already mid meal and that he should've let us known from before eating..... and I asked him when my bill came why a can of soda was $3.45. I know times are tough but I used to work in the restaurant business in almost $4 for a can is ridiculous. Plus I didn't see him tell any of the other tables next to mee read more

Masal Cafe - I mean 3.45 for a can??? - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I love this place it's a good vibe ,great service and I sometimes study here for peace n quiet. The view is great aswell and the food is good too read more

Been here once before, and actually a very nice outdoor space, food and service was good. However giving 1 star for the following 2 reasons after being there the other day. 1. asked for tap water, waiter said we don't have any water, that the water filter was broken and we'd need to order bottled water or any other drinks. Found this highly doubtful, or else how would they cook? 2. check came, with 18% tip added already. That's fine, but waiter hands me the handheld device to insert my credit card and (almost) was deceived into adding another tip on top of that - fortunately I asked the waiter to void the transaction and repeat so I could add 'no tip' to the bill 3. bill also added I think about a 3% surcharge for not paying cash, I don't think this was disclosed on the bill. read more

We ordered a variety of dishes including stuffed potato, meze platter, and kofte platter, all of which were pretty good. We asked for extra bread but had to ask twice as it never came the first time. The service here is very slow and casual but this makes it a good place if you want a very leisurely, calm experience. The food value is good here. The problem is that when the bill comes it already has an 18% tip added to it instead of having a blank space to add your own tip which most NYC restaurants have. Upon quizzing the server, I found out (if he was telling the truth) that the tips don't necessarily find their way to the servers, which is disgraceful. Like this place, but this tip issue is a turn-off and may affect my decision to return. read more

review is based off brunch - i didn't try anything except like the american style brunch items. there's def a lot more things the menu is huge but i wasn't starving. just to note there isn't many american style brunch items: they only had omelettes, eggs benedict, pancakes, waffles and french toast. we got the smoke salmon eggs benedict - which was good! but didn't have much smoked salmon legit each half had like 1 slice. it was a good eggs bene - nothing special though i had a fruit waffle with nutella. it had strawberries, banana, blueberries, almonds and nutella. they also had kiwi but i asked for that to be taken off. the waffle is more on the cakey side but the batter itself is actually delicious. the fruit was also sweet and fresh. but also again good nothing outstandingly special. honestly the main thing i liked about the place was their outdoor dining it was beautifully done, lots of seats and just a good atmosphere. it's a cute little brunch spot in sheepshead. next time i will go back and try some of their speciality cuisine (: read more

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I never had to send my food in my life but I had to at this place. I ordered my salmon burger on late Sunday night. We waited over 40 mins and got 2 shriveled up salmon pieces on a bun. It was ridiculous and they had nerves to say they were busy. Wow. More people should send their food back. They need to learn. read more

Masal Cafe - This is a joke - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Place is big! You can't guess how big it is from outside. Many tables, fast service and good food. I think that with minimal changes this place can be amazing. They need the staff to be more polite and more explanatory. We are not all Turkish food knowers. So some explanation and some more listening could be helpful. I felt that the waitress were like you wait her know our food or you don't. Second. The little things. Nicer glasses. Nicer strange of the food. Would go a long way. I will definitely c me back here for their breakfast. The food here is really good. read more

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The outdoor private dining booths are so cute!!! It's like being in a little igloo. And just like an igloo, you'll be warm here. We came here on a cold day not quite in spring, and didn't even need the heater they had. It was good they warned us about the $25 minimum per guest, so we ordered more food than we needed and took some home. We recommend the spinach gozleme. My dining companion had some kind of meat from the specials list, which he said was good but very heavy, and we ordered a salad to cut the heavy oil of all the other food. Believe it or not we were still somehow under $25 per person, so we ordered Turkish coffee and the stuffed apricot, which had literally just been made. Think giant dried apricot, reconstituted, stuffed with nuts and cream. Yum! Also took a kunefe home because why not. We're not often in the neighborhood, but I would definitely come back here to try the vegetarian kumpir (stuffed potato) and stuffed fig. They're also open for indoor dining, and there's a playground for kids inside! read more

Masal Cafe - Outdoor bubble seating with heaters! - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

We ordered falafel wrap and grilled chicken wrap and it was good. The service was good too. The restaurant was clean and nice place to eat with family and friends. I would go again. read more

Masal Cafe - Turkish Near Me - Brooklyn, New York