Service excellent, relaxed ambiance, and really solid food. The kofte is very well done!read more

This gem in Brooklyn shouldn't be hidden. We had a group of 8 where a third of the party were…read moretoddlers and we were treated with so much care. The service was impeccable, understanding and kind. Now to the food,...chefs kiss. The bread Bastien was warm and soft. The grilled calamari is definitely an appetizer must. But the biggest surprise was the fried liver bites. I couldn't get enough of it. The seasoning, the juiciness, the joy it brought me was unexpected and highly appreciated. Not a fan of the fried calamari but the rest of the adult at my table liked it...to each is own. I didn't get a chance to enjoy my main course because the kids started getting rowdy but the rest of my party ate their meals and couldn't stop raving about the food. Was a little disappointment the almond pudding wasn't one that menu anymore. I really wanted to try it, but the tiramisu was delicious and the whipped cream with pistachio was light and delightful. I didn't get to take any pictures but I would definitely go back the next time I'm in Brooklyn.

Great food and a local gem. If you crave meat off a skewer charred to perfection still juicy and…read morenot cooked to hell and back this is the place for you. Great service and in an upscale environment then this is the spot. Prices are a bit on the higher side but you're paying for quality.

I have been coming to Taci's Beyti since 2013 and frequented it a lot when I lived in Brooklyn but…read morenow moving to Queens for the past few years I still make the trip over 2-3 times a year. The quality of their food has always been top notch and honestly is my favorite spot for a Turkish meal. Their hummus and basically all their skewers, kababs and grilled meats are simply amazing. Fast forward, I haven't gone to Taci's Beyti for over a year and I just recently went for our anniversary dinner over the weekend. Place still felt the same, so I ordered my hummus, mixed grill and the chicken kebab for the misses. When The entrees arrived, I was a bit disappointed. They seem to have changed what use to come with their main entrees. Gone is the bed of thinly sliced onions under your meats, so is the roasted pepper and also the roasted tomato. Three items I actually enjoyed having with my entree. They also changed the pita under the meats as well but they replaced it with a very sad salad instead, with no dressing or even a vinaigrette at that. Just plain dry leaves with some red onions. They also have two prices now, one for cash and one for credit, the cost has gone up (which I understand) but they've also cut the portions and what use to come with it. Yes the food is still good but after that last trip I am rethinking about ever going back. I am disappointed that either through choice, greed, or whatever they decided to cut back. Time to scout and try some other Turkish restaurants in the boroughs I suppose, and no I am not leaving a one star review, their food quality and taste hasn't changed. I am just very disappointed.

I could make this restaurant a weekly habit. The employees provide excellent customer attention…read more The small footprint of Bayridge Turkish Cafe doesn't compromise cleanliness or comfort. Our minimal menu exploration was adequately rewarding. This restaurant delivers well.

Have you ever seen the misadventures of Nedim Sahin, the guy who went viral with videos at his…read moreBaruthane Pilavcisi restaurants? He claimed to taste the first spoonful of each new batch of food to ensure that it meets his mom's standards. There is a well-known Turkish proverb he quotes from - "pilavdan dönenin kaşığı kırılsın". In literal translation it's "break the cooking spoon of the pilaf maker who falters in its task". It's understood as either "see it though come hell or high water" or "bring your A-game or don't bother showing up". Eh, I wonder if the guy who served me this kofte platter at BayRidge Turkish cafe has ever heard the quote? When it came to Turkish food, certain items are universally loved, like çorba (soup) and kofte (meatballs). Çorba has such an elevated status that a commander of the Ottoman elite military corps (Janassary) is known as a çorbaci (soup man). Even today, the term is used in modern Turkish slang as "boss". There's an old saying in Turkish that the best kofte is made by your mom, but the best çorba is from the local kebab joint. What makes for good Turkish kofte? It's supposed to be fluffy juicy pillows of meat the size of say, a mini Snickers bar, made with ground beef and sometimes lamb, with some diced lamb tail fat whipped into the mixture, seasoned with sweet and savory spices like cumin, mint, coriander, mace and such, then grilled over coals. In Turkey the usual service is with a bowl of buttery Turkish lentil soup (often accompanied by their bread), ice cold Ayran, piyaz (navy bean salad), then kofte fresh off the grill, and maybe some rice pilaf (buttery rice with bits of toasted orzo within) on the side. Who does a good version in Brooklyn? Kofte Piyaz in Sunset Park - it ain't cheap, though. So what is up with this 15 dollar kofte platter I got at Bayridge cafe? Well, the size of the kofte is odd, like breakfast sausages (my wife is much less charitable on the comparison and said it looked like something from a kitty litter box). It tasted dry and shriveled up, with no flavor at all, like it was air fried once too many. The iceberg lettuce and tomato salad that came on the side just bleeds off the mediocrity. The rice is just white rice and not pilaf. The inexplicable part is when they serve up lentil soup and gave us slices of American white bread. Not toasted, not buttered, and certainly not Turkish bread. Me and my wife bursted out laughing. The soup is...serviceable, but it certainly won't make any Ottoman Sultan dance for joy or fuel warriors into battle - it tasted flat (the version that I make has tomato and pepper paste, onions, garlic and dried mint...which this didn't have) and we didn't see the usual shaker of aleppo (pul) peppers for sprinkling onto the soup to give it a kick. The bean stew that we ordered (Kuru Fasulye) was watery and without much distinctive flavors. So, eh, is this place bad per-se? Not really. Despite the disappointing kofte, it comes with a small bit of eggplant salad that was honestly not too bad. The Turkish tea was on-point (well, they used Caykur Tomurcuk, which is a Turkish Earl Grey grade) and they used a double boiler to do the tea, which means that it's legitly brewed in the Turkish fashion with the right flavors. The Tulumba wasn't nearly as good as, say...Safa in Istanbul, but it isn't a disappointingly soggy mess like the ones at Djerdan Borek or coyingly sweet with salad oil stench like the ones at Artion bakery in Astoria. It was like how you imagine a good churro would be - warm, not too oily, sweet but not too much so. Crisp exterior, honeyed interior, goes well with a cup of hot tonic Turkish tea, served strong and fragrant. So yeah, it's not hopeless. But geez, guys, save your wonderbread for the American sandwiches and toss pitas or Turkish bread with your Turkish fares, and talk to your mom about serving up proper kofte. I can excuse the soup but that kofte is a travesty. Köftedan dönenin isgaralar kırılsın - either make something worthwhile or don't bother at all.

Normally, I wouldn't want to reveal how wonderful this place is to anyone else but on our third day…read moreordering the chicken Shawarma bowls I think I have to leave a review. Definitely one of the best babaghanoush's I've had, the pita is soft and fluffy, the chicken is delicious flavorful and plenty full. They fill up your bowl easily enough for two meals. Truly love this place, tastes like you aren't in Brooklyn! Service is great- I do think they need to fix the sauce delivery app. I have tried several times to order from the preferred app, but I am never able to check out. Also, so you know on DoorDash you are not able to add items from different categories without emptying your basket so it's basically impossible to order from there also.

Shawarma Mia! Definitely going again! My, my get to Shawarma Mia!…read more This small place serves gigantic wraps and bowls that are tasty. The service is quick and fantastic. The ambiance is quaint, though unfortunately there is not a lot is space to sit, but that's the only small thing you'll find here.

My fav caesar salad. The dressing is more of a garlic aoili than an actual caesar dressing and I…read moreLOVE it. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu!

Great location and very attentive wait staff. The food from appetizers to drinks was delicious and…read moreyou feel like you are into in Brooklyn but some place that is far away and you are fully emerged into the culture. They salads were fresh alike they were just picked from the garden. Highly recommend for everyone and will definitely be returning soon.

From start to finish, a wonderful experience and delicious meal. Highly recommend this spot in Bay…read moreRidge if you have a family or large group. There are plentiful tables and even a downstairs special event space. Plus, the bathrooms are very clean so you know this is a quality place. Food: 5/5. Huge portions! You can easily feed two people with an entree. We had the Fahsah Chicken in a hot clay pot...so good! It had a plethora of spices and herbs but was not too spicy. And the shwarma was the best we have had in Brooklyn! Ambiance: 4/5. Clean and tidy, they have alot of Yemeni decorations and clay pots that add to the authentic vibe. The doors have a slight draft so it was a tad chilly but nothing too harsh. Overall a lovely spot Value: 5/5. Huge portions of quality food, great service and extra bread. We loved it!

Food: had the beef and lamb shawarma with fries. Food was flavorful, fresh and filling…read more Service was friendly and warm. The restaurant is clean, neat and well lit. Define will come back when we're in the area.

My friend and I ate dinner at Rana Fifteen during a trip to Brooklyn. We went on a Friday evening…read morearound 8pm and were seated immediately without a wait. The inside of the restaurant is decorated nicely, however one of the lights above us was flickering for the entire meal which was annoying at first, but we eventually tuned it out. We both shared the Rana's Table. This was a really cool experience. This smorgasbord includes a sampling of 8 appetizers, 4 mezes, 1 entree, 1 side, and 1 dessert. For the entree we chose the Iskender Steak. For the side we got the Yogurt Potatoes. The dessert was chosen for us - some sort of pistachio mousse. All the food was good. Between the 8 appetizers and 4 mezes - some we loved, some were just ok. But a lot of that opinion is based on personal preference. If you're planning on eating here, bring your appetite and definitely consider the Rana's Table. Being able to try so many options all at once was a fun and unique experience. Service was good. Multiple staff checked in and took care of us.

Went to Rana Fifteen for brunch on a Saturday with a friend. I made a reservation but there was…read moreplenty of space for walk-ins. We started with cocktails ($14.50 each) and I had the Turkish Coffee Martini, which was very enjoyable, and my friend ordered the Bergamot (gin-based), which they also liked. We got the prix-fixe brunch ($35), starting with the çılbır (poached eggs with yogurt and brown butter), which was very good. Though it only came with one egg each, so we ended up ordering an additional serving on the side. The sides are served family-style and include a nice range of sweet and savory options. The spinach and cheese börek was very good and paired well with the eggs and yogurt. I also really enjoyed the sucuk (pan-fried sausage) and the kızartma (potatoes with eggplant and tomato). On the sweeter side, the akıtma (thin pancakes) with toppings like mixed berries, sweet tahini, jam, and cream was a fun "dessert" element. Overall, it was a really enjoyable and unique brunch experience. I liked the family-style format, and it felt like a good value for the amount of food, though we personally wanted a bit more protein. The space itself felt warm, homey, and natural. One thing to note: there did not seem to be many gluten-free options within the prix-fixe, so that is something to keep in mind. Would recommend giving Rana Fifteen a try!

My Turkish husband and I were meeting friends for drinks in LIC but we were super early so I…read moresuggested getting a quick bite at Safir, because we always like to try Turkish places and we hadn't been here yet. After our visit, I was left lamenting "why did we wait so long to come here?". We came in early on a Monday, before 6:00 and the place already had several tables full. We received a warm Turkish welcome and quickly settled in with menus. Our quick bit turned into mixed appetizer (hummus, babaghanoush, muhmmara, haydari and pink sultan), followed by sigara borek and lamacun. Everything was so good that we overate! I was full after the mezzes but the lamacun was so good...among the best we've had in the NYC area. Service was great too. Just a nice vibe with the friendly owners stopping by each table and saying hello. It was clear there were many regulars eating here and we anticipate more visits ourselves. They have some nice images of Istanbul on the wall and we were just in Turkey a few weeks ago so it felt like we were back there! This place is really a gem and I highly recommend it. Just make sure you bring your appetite because you will fill up when you eat here!

Octopus is great Branzino is great…read more Spinach was great Everything I've tried so far was delish