I only have amazing things to say about my time at Sip Sak. I was in NYC for a work trip and was asked to organize a staff dinner. We kept having changes in group size, but the staff was very easy going about adjusting to our ever changing needs. They were very friendly and attentive throughout the service. We never had to wait and they made helpful recommendations throughout the dinner. We wanted to order a few appetizers to share and instead of making us order a bunch of individual appetizers they created a sampler for everyone to try a bit of everything. They were all so delicious and full of flavor. I could have made the sampler my dinner! For my main entree I tried the chicken kabob. The chicken was moist and well seasoned. The portions were sizable, but not too much that I felt that I was wasting a bunch of food. I'll be back on my next trip to NYC! The service, food, and drinks were all fantastic and perfect for groups of all sizes or for a low key, intimate date. My entire dinner group loved their appetizers and entrees and even one of the pickier eaters in the group was raving about the food! read more

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Their food quality is excellent. The owner also owns a butcher shop, so their adana kebap and lahmacun is top notch. You must have pumkin desert (seasonal) out of this world read more

One of the most authentic Turkish restaurants around with a gourmet twist. Super fresh ingredients for salad and main meats. Even plain items like rice and hummus tasted fantastic. We ordered shepherd salad, hummus and fried liver cubes for appetizers. The liver cubes were the best we have tasted in any Turkish restaurant!! They were moist, tender and full of flavor, unlike in other places they can be rubbery and chewy. For main dishes we got the lamb adana, which was grounded lamb kebab. It was seasoned well and cooked to perfection served with amazing grilled vegetables and fresh onion and tomato mix and lavash wrap. I know these dishes are available in other Turkish restaurants, however here it was presented and cooked in just a class above! What a neighborhood gem! read more

I haven't had many opportunities to try Turkish food: my narrow opinion was that it consisted of hummus and pita and kabobs. I had no idea that such wondrous items like hot yogurt soup, almond pudding, and baked lamb with eggplant puree also existed. Sip Sak is a nice beacon of reasonably-priced, tasty offerings in a swath of Second Avenue that has been swallowed up by super-hip spots (The Smith) and post-work watering holes (Pig and Whistle). Our waiter was very helpful and friendly without being over-the-top effusive. He complimented my friend on her tattoos and took his time talking with almost every table. I liked that, even though there was a steady Friday buzz and most of the tables were taken, there was zero effort made to get us to leave. Indeed, they won't drop off the check unless you specifically ask, which is good if you want to take your time drinking wine and catching up, not so good if you have somewhere else to be. We had already made up our minds to get the almond pudding for dessert so we went a bit lighter on the entrees. The Greek Salad was amazing when eaten with the complimentary house bread - "pide," a fluffier cousin of pita that came out nice and toasted. I was nervous about the salad not being filling enough but there was a bounty of vegetables, like pickled peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, and generous chunks of feta. Also, definitely make room for the almond pudding or keskul. The waiter rattled off a bunch of other dessert options including baklava and rice pudding but I had my heart set on one thing only. The dessert (creamy, sweet without being overbearing, crammed full of almonds) was the perfect ending for a balmy summer meal. NEXT TIME: the grilled octopus, the manti P.S. We should have gotten the appetizer sampler to try more of the menu. I didn't see it offered on the menu and regretted not asking about it when I saw it being carried out repeatedly from the kitchen. The borek (crispy phyllo rolls) looked excellent. read more

Best Turkish food ever! All our choices were PERFECT and delicious. All the staff, including chef and the new boss were gracious. We had the liver, eggplant salad and Adana kabab which were all very tasty and wonderfully presented. We decided to visit this perfect ambiance at least once a week. read more

3.5 stars Had high hopes for this spot because it came highly recommend from some Turkish coworkers of mine. The place was packed on a Friday night, with what seemed like a lot of in-the-know locals. While it's definitely a legit spot, I think the dishes I tried weren't exactly to my tastes - would want to come back and try some other stuff. I tried: Appetizer sampler - Not on the menu but it's available. The baba ganoush here had a more yogurt-y flavor and I wasn't a huge fan. I think everything else was fairly good, although it's been a while so can't recall all the details. Ali Nazik - So I think this used to be made with lamb but now it's made with beef. I was super excited about this dish and forgot to read the fine print, which mentioned this dish contained yogurt. It's actually mixed into the smoked eggplant so you get that yogurt-y flavorfulness. It's a heavier dish than it looks / sounds like on paper. Still many more dishes I didn't get to try that I'd want to get next time! read more

I am so glad to have this restaurant nearby my home. They are offering delivery and also Sip Sak has great ambiance if you want to dine in. The service is very good. They have Authentic Turkish food, I almost tried every meal in the menu but I espeacially liked the appetizers; hummus, stuffed bulgur kofte(minced meat and walnuts) , liver (best!), salads, borek, and artichoke. For the main dish; okra with lamb, braised tender beef short ribs and Ali Nazik. At the end order almond pudding and Turkish Coffee! read more

Sip Sak - Almond Pudding(you won't regret to order) - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Everything was simply perfect. We were welcomed by a very nice gentleman named "Tolga" who showed our table. The rest of the staff was very nice as well. The service was quick. We ordered borek, Turkish sausage, and eggplant salad to start. They all tasted authentic. Especially eggplant salad is very hard to make with all the right amount of ingredients but theirs was perfect. Borek had the perfect amount of crispiness and cheese inside and tasted very fresh. For main course, we ordered Manti and Adana Kebap. Manti especially was cooked to perfection. It had the right amount of yogurt, sauce and spice on it. Towards the end of our meal, they brought us dessert (keskul) as a gift from them. My experience in this restaurant might be one of the best I've had in New York. I will definitely go back and bring friends as well! Highly highly recommend! read more

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My girlfriend and I stopped by to try out the local New York dining. This restaurant made my first time in New York extremely special. This is some of the best customer service I've ever experience at a restaurant. The food was amazing and we did not want to waste a bite. This is my new favorite place and I will be back! read more

This is an most Excellent and very Exclusive Turkish Restaurant in the entire New York area for sure.. Food is Extremely DELICIOUS Service is EXCELLENT As a very picky person, I usually prefer High end French Restaurants for my family dinners or brunch's.. But! If you like to eat savoury Turkish meals, you should visit this place.. Ps: Owner of the Restaurant MR. Orhan is a genuinely most Elegant and Intelligent person. I highly recommended. Adana Kebap + Hamsi Tava the only place to eat.. read more

Great Turkish food and coming from my friend who is more experienced in Turkish cuisine it is very authentic. A little pricey for what you are getting but still worth it once in a while. My gotos are the lamb osso buco and ali nazik. OH and the bread the bread is delicious! I'd recommend muhammara for it but the eggplant puree that come with those two dishes and eating it straight up are also great options. read more

Sip Sak - Closed for Sundays - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

It's a great Restaurant with the nicest staff and the food was amazing ! I recommend Sip Sak too All ! Great Portions and beautiful presentation . read more

Pros - very authentic flavor - the grilled octopus was AMAZING. I was able to tell that they really cooked this right way - spacious seating - the eggplant salad was pretty good as well. I would order it again! Cons - more pricey than other Turkish restaurants that i used to go to read more

Best Turkish food I've ever had, wait the only Turkish food I've ever had. Had hummus and pita to start, which was hummus-y and good. Someone ordered a cold tongue dish, I didn't like it at all. I would try tongue again, but a warmer more seasoned version. My main course was Eggplant Moussaka which was the hit of all the dishes for me, it was really rich and flavorful. Didn't get to try dessert, 'cause I was too full. I'd come back again and try one of their other beef, lamb or seafood dishes plus dessert, if I have room. Food - 3 Cost - 3 Service - 4 Atmosphere - 4 read more

Holy [villanous] mother of Flotsam and Jetsam! OCTOPUS (another octopus review, another Ursula pun - it just needs to happen, people). I came to Sip Sak on a Tuesday night around 8:30 and it was EMPTY. Not sure why this place doesn't get more traffic - Midtown East corporate types are never itching for some good Turkish food? Not that I know anything about Turkish food, but I know I liked this. Ambiance was very pleasant. Classy yet quaint. I've seen some complaints on here about the service, but I had no problems with it. Friendly and efficient, which is all I can ask for. It would be downright embarrassing for the service to be bad with so few parties there, anyway. So down to the meat (literally) of my review. My date had raved about the octopus at Sip Sak since I first met him. He's a huge foodie/cook, so I assume he knows what he's talking about. Before we ordered, he said (as he has said numerous times before): "this is the best meal I've ever had in New York". That would be a bold statement for anyone, but when uttered by someone who's well-versed in New York's culinary options, I had to take note. The octopus only appears as an appetizer on the menu ($19 dollars, yeesh), but our waiter said we could get an entree portion as well. I got a bit too excited, immediately forgot about the thing I try to do called "eat on a budget" and fervently opted for the larger plate. First off: You are very very aware that you are eating an octopus. There's no hiding that these are full TENTACLES. So if that freaks you out, you've been warned. The octopus is prepared in a plum vinaigrette and served with tomatos and onions (blistered? roasted? something like that?). The plum vinaigrette caught me off guard, but I'm all for interesting flavor combinations, so I had no qualms there. It really does pair beautifully with the octopus. Something about the subtly sweet plum with a hint of vinegar and the meaty consistency of the octopus just worked. The octopus is grilled and had a very slight crispiness to it, which when combined with the blistered/grilled onions and tomatos, makes for a really satisfying texture profile. Yelpers, the fact that I can remember this in such detail is a testament to how incredible this dish was. So, as the kids say, mad props to my date - and madder props to the chef!! One note:My only con here (mostly outweighed by the quality of the food) is how pricey this place is. It's $19 for the octopus appetizer, but we got the entree portion - the price for which is not on the menu (obviously we could have asked...oversight there). Over $30, folks. I mean the food was absolutely incredible, but that's quite steep. Thank god we didn't order wine. It's dive bars for me this weekend. read more

Sip Sak - THE BEST OCTOPUS EVER - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

My friend and I felt like we had too many people waiting on us... I guess it's not necessarily a bad thing, but we did end up hearing the specials twice. Except in the end we didn't order any of the specials of the day. For appetizer we had humus. It was good, though pretty average. I can't say it's better than other humus I've had. For entrees I ordered the lamb shish kebab and my friend the roasted short ribs. My lamb was slightly over-cooked, though the salad and rice were fine. The home-made sauces were delicious, one red and one white, and I preferred the red one. The meat in my friend's short ribs was falling off the bone and juicy, I loved it. For me this place is between three and four stars. If I find more items I like on the menu, I might change it up to four. Also, the decor is cute, mellow, and comfortable. read more

This is the only decent Turkish restaurant in the US. As a Turkish American in the US since 2006, I haven't enjoyed anywhere else but this. My favorite appetizers are cig kofte, intestines and beef tongue. Soups and hamsi fish is great too. I go there every other week. Little pricy but worth it. read more

Sip Sak - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Best Octopus I have ever tasted! Buttered noodles were nice, very homey. My wife has sea bass fillet that was very good. High quality ingredients skillfully prepared. Very nice service and good atmosphere. I am giving 5 stars for quality of food. Not cheap, but really outstanding food. Unfortunate name for the restaurant, but don't let that put you off of going there! read more

Sip Sak - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

I went to sipsak with my friends and ate Turkish manti first time. It was delicious, so i definitely recommend this place to anyone. Super super super read more

Sip Sak - Turkish Manti - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Pretty yummy Turkish food, and plenty of seating (without needing reservations) during the busy Christmas season. I tried the hot yogurt soup, hummus, manti (homemade dumpling in garlic yogurt), hand chopped spicy lamb (which my bf loved) and almond pudding and all were pretty tasty. The bread for dipping was yummy. Nothing really sticks out in my head about this place, maybe I'd go again (but so much to explore in NYC!) read more

Top notch service!!! Top notch food!! Yemekler super service super!! ...not sure why this place only got 3 and a half stars? Its a must!! Cozy friendly, fast service!! read more

Sip Sak - Cigkofte!! Shrimp, hamsi tava!! As you can see its cleaned out as soon as it came!! - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Great service. Delicious food. What was ordered: Humus, chopped lamb kebab, Shepard salad, meat pies, lamb wrapped in eggplant, rice with shredded lamb, and bread. All was so good. I would def come back again. read more

Thank God this place is right by my job because I cannot get enough of it! I came in with a friend after work on Friday evening and we were more than tempted to order 25 dishes each just to sample everything. Ultimately, we decided to split the Börek since anything fried, filo, and cheese are all high up on my list of favorite foods. For our main courses, I couldn't decide between the Manti (home made beef dumplings with yogurt garlic sauce), musakka, or Ali Nazik (seasoned ground beef served over mashed eggplant puree). My friend was stuck between several dishes as well. To compromise, she ordered the Manti and I got the Ali Nazik so we could try each other's. My fork mastered a little dance jumping between the Manti and the Ali Nazak. It's been two days now and I'm still tasting that eggplant puree. I have a feeling I'm going to gain some pounds due to excessive Turkish food in the coming weeks. The two blocks walk over from work should balance that out in my foodie world where weight and prices are meaningless. read more

Before you begin reading my lengthy review, let me start by saying while the food is delicious, I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE! Unfortunately, the service is terrible. When my two friends and I got there, the restaurant was pretty much empty. We ordered wine and were catching up because that's what friends do when they haven't seen each other in a while. After feeling pressured to order, we decided to order a few appetizers to share. Keep in mind that this place is not cheap so we ordered a decent amount which equaled close to what we would've ordered if it had been main courses. Throughout our dinner, the staff was constantly checking up on us. To the point where it was uncomfortable. We were eating and talking when this short little man with a pony tail (who, from the reviews that I've read, is the manager) came and aggressively shoved menus at us and told us to order main courses. We politely responded that we were good with what we had. He proceeded to tell us that his restaurant was not a cafe and that he needed the table. I responded by telling him that he shouldn't speak to us that way and he told us that he does what he wants and he's used it. I have never been treated so rudely. This little man, whose picture I have included, has no idea was customer service is. While I understand that there could be some cultural differences, it does not excuse his behavior. He has a serious case of Napoleon syndrome and needs some customer service 101 classes. The waitress, who looked new, was really nice and was very attentive. As I was leaving, I approached another woman who appears to be the manager of the restaurant and explained to her that while I understand they are busy, you do not speak to people that way and should consider changing their approach to customers. read more

Sip Sak - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Dont know what these other people are complaining about. tell them to goto "its greek to me" and order a gyro that they can't pronounce properly lol. food is delicious prepared well and good wine list and i was born in Turkey - very picky with my turkish food. patlican salataci aka "eggplant salad" was probably one of the best ive had in the city. lamb shank was cooked perfectly make a reservation or youll be waiting prices are reasonable for portion size read more

The bottom line is this place has delicious food. Many complain about various things. I like many had difficulty communicating with the owner and a male and one female waiter but my goal was to eat and not talk so i decided to order on my own without prolonged discussion. So this is a real review... we started with baked baby eggplant which was amazing!!! It was a special for the evening and i managed to "squeek" this suggestion from the waiter. Great appetizer!! I could have easily ate another one it was that good. My Son ordered Humas and Boreki. The Boreki was lightly fried and delicious again i could have had another portion. The Hummas was heavy and in my opinion just OK. Unlike a previous review it was not like Israeli Hummus which has a less thicker consistency. We the moved on to the main. A vegetable musaka. My Son is a vegitarian. This dish was suggested by tje male waiter since he understood the need to have non meat food. It was Fantastic!! The rice served witg it was light, fluffy and delicious. We endwd the meal with a most delucious Almond Pudding and a cold squash with yougurt dish which was refreshing but not my "cup of tea" and us more for people whom are more familiar with Turkish cuisine. I live in the area and pass by frequently in the warmer months to see many fully packed nights so they must be doing something right. I think the big issue is communication. Perhaps a more "Americanized " service staff whom knows Turkish food and who can communicate With the patrons may help. I will give this place some slack and return again. I also give a 4 star because the food is tasty and very good. I will definetly be more patient and try to go with the flow to attempt to understand the servers and try diffrent new dishes to pig out on!! read more

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Everything we have had here is good! I used to work around here, and this would be our go to lunch spot when we needed some time out of the office. The past couple times I have been there I really only get the appetizer sampler and a salad. It's plenty of food and you get a great assortment of mezze. My friend and I had a leisurely lunch the other day and ordered the mezze sampler platter for two and a couple glasses of wine. The waiters are fun and friendly and we always leave pleased. read more

Sip Sak - appetizer sampler for two - Middle Eastern Near Me - New York, New York

Hands-down, this is probably the best Turkish restaurant in New York. And that's saying a lot, especially in Midtown East, where there's a different Turkish restaurant more or less on every single block. The Ali Nazik (beef on an eggplant puree) is excellent. Honestly, I don't even know why people bother buying the other items on the menu. I mean, sure, they're all pretty good, but the eggplant-based dishes are where it's at. I see a lot of people here complaining about the service - you're not going to this restaurant for service! Not that the service is especially bad (I've heard the owner is quite a colorful character, but I've never actually encountered any problems), but just that you should be focused on the important things in life. By which I mean, again, the Ali Nazik. read more

Personal Favorites: Iskembe Soup, Sigara Boregi, Arnavut Cigeri,Kapama and kokarec. Desert : Keskul or Sutlac( Oven Baked Rice Pudding) Meat Status: Not sure Halal or not. Style: Turkish Ambiance: It seems like regular NYC restaurant but it is well designed. There is a bar in the middle of the restaurant which is little awkward but useful. Service: Their taste is 10 out of 10. From appetizers to deserts they all taste awesome. Friendly and smiling staff are great and they all trying you to leave full and happy. Note: My strong suggestion is if you are a first timer, read about Turkish food first and try to understand some of the foods before you try. For Desert I suggest milky deserts. read more

Very bad owner. We asked him is it Halal beef and chicken but he was laying. He got nervous of his customers. He would sell alcohols and Halal foods. He just lies for money. I hate this place read more

Stumbled upon this spot and found out that they are halal. I ordered their beef ribs and they were delicious. The staff was less than pleasant but they werent rude. They could have been more friendly and pleasant since this is a service industry. either way i would still go back and try other items on the dish. read more

Very disappointed!!!! Some of my Turkish friends recommended this place to me and I was so excited to go see and try First of all very expensive for what u get Coustumer service was very bad whole time we eating no one ask if we need anything they just took ur order and money We ordered stuffed cabbage first of all was completely cold second smell disgusting like this meat was cooked long time ago when I call a waitress to come and tell her that she bring over her menagerie or owner Idk who was this lady she didn't introduced herself We told her meat have funny smell and she literally PUT HER NOSE IN PLATE AND SMELL then she said to her this is smell ok it's spice and she said I can continue eat ! To continue eat after u put ur nose in my plate are u lady out of your mind!!!! I didn't even touch this meal and it was my first bite After that no one come to ask us do we need anything When we ask for chek and paid bcs water was only good thing there we was sit for extra 10 min and left we didn't even hear goodbye or thank you! I definitely never go back and I'll tell all my friends how worst this place is !!!! read more

The best Manti ever! Also, the octopus appetizer is incredibly tasting. Very nice service and atmosphere. They never make you feel like they are rushing you get you out, which is rare in NYC read more

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One and only address for authentic Turkish. The appetizers are made daily you will never get disappointed and the traditional dishes are "a must to try" the best Adana Kebab probably not Only in New York City but in the entire USA. Highly recommended. read more

This place has great food, and they let you BYOB with a corkage fee. We had a group of 4 and a range of good food. You can't go wrong here with the Shepherd salad, lamb chops, or spicy lamb on skewer. And their baklava is awesome! read more

Absolutely delicious food! Lovely ambiance! So glad we happened upon this restaurant!

Lovely setting with excellent food. There were gobs of Turkish people when we were there and the owner chats with folks at different tables (which I love). It was frustrating though that multiple people came to our table asking to remove dishes (before we were done), interrupting our conversation with each request. I finally had to hold my hands up in a stop gesture to get them all to back off. Next time I would just say in advance to leave us more space. We really loved the stuffed cabbage and a chopped pepper with walnut dish starting with m. They say on the menu that it is made with spicy peppers but the evening we were there it was not very spicy which I prefer to too spicy. Definitely try the yoghurt, too. Like nothing you get in the store. read more

Had dinner tonight it was all good, had the eggplant salad, lentel soup, lamb and rice and rice pudding. They were all flavorful and delicious. Also, Gluten Free I have an allergy and they were extremely care with my food and making sure I was happy with the meal. Ambiance was nice, low lighting good clean decor. Bathroom was small but clean. Bar was good for the size restaurant. I would 100% go back and give it as a suggestion to my friends. read more

Read all the negative reviews. We had the same experience. This place is nuts. They rush you and they pushed very expensive appetizers. When we asked the price and politely declined the appetizers they got mad and said we were "wasting" their opportunity. read more

The restaurant itself is nice and the service was good (the vast majority of the staff are not American). The food was good, but not great. We got a bunch of appetizers to share and enjoyed the meal though no dish was particularly memorable. The prices are not bad especially given the area, but it is not cheap. read more