My son and I had lunch on Sunday (3/1/26) and thoroughly enjoyed our meals. We were greeted warmly…read moreand given menus and had ample time to decide: we chose a shepherd salad and cheese rolls for appetizers (and were given a balloon bread); Dave had Iskender kebab and I ordered lab pide (and took lahmacun home). The food was delicious, and the servings were generous. Efsane is a big space with ample seating, and nicely decorated. There is plenty of parking out front. It has a great vibe to round out the picture. I plan to return, and recommend Efsane.

COME HUNGRY! I came here to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday with my husband's family…read morerecently. There were 6 of us and we split the Efsane Family Special for 4 people and added lamb chops thinking we wouldn't have enough food lol the special also came with dessert but my sister-in-law also ordered a rice pudding. The 6 of us could've easily had the family special for 4 without ordering anything else - there was so much food and we had leftovers to take home!! For context, we all eat a LOT so to say we had leftovers is saying a lot! Quantity aside, the food itself was delicious. The bread is served fresh and steaming hot, the dips are delicious and flavorful, meat is seasoned and cooked perfectly (the chicken shish and lamb adana are my favorites), and the bitter black tea and sweet baklava are a perfect way to end the meal. I left there stuffed and so happy! The staff was also very friendly and attentive. I'll definitely be back!

Everything about this place is a 10! The food, the wine, the service, all great…read more Went with a couple of girlfriends on a Saturday and had so much fun. We ordered a white flight, a red flight, and a champagne flight so we could try several different wines. We ordered a couple small bites which were good too. We got the truffle fries, the burger, and the smoked salmon sandwich. Our server Anthony was so friendly and was giving really good suggestions. Definitely will be back!

Had a great time at Nektar! The food was great and wine was even better! The atmosphere on the…read moreoutside deck on a nice day is unbeatable. Our server was really nice and attentive. The plates are small for the price but the quality makes up for it. We got meatball sliders which I would go back for and the prosciutto flatbread. For desert we got the ice cream sandwich cookies and that was by far the highlight! The wine was incredible too!

When my boyfriend and I decided to try out Marmara we weren't expecting anything as great as it…read morewas... It's in a fricking mall! We've been there once every week for the last month...... I've enjoyed the Branzini very much ( fillet it to avoid bones) Their balloon bread is amazing with the Tapenade they serve. We always get their hummus. And their grape leaves. The Shephards salad which Is mostly tomato &cucumbers w a flavorful dressing (we put on side) .. there's just something about using their balloon bread to scoop up your salad and dips... Yep, we always get a second order of the bread... It's very light and thin and doesn't feel as gluttonous. Everybody is very courteous... It's like going to a restaurant in the city... A belly like dancer surprised us on a Friday night which was fun. I don't really wanna recommend this too much because I don't want it to get so busy that I can't get in when I want to lol but seriously it's a really great experience. They do have wine, but we bring our own and they are happy to fill a glass! Enjoy

The food is delicious, 10/10. I've been here about 5 times and have never had a bad meal…read more The service on the other hand is very slow. Consistently. It takes about 30 minutes to get your food and even longer to get a check after the fact. Which is crazy because my table was only one out of 3 other tables in the restaurant. A 20% tip is automatically applied to your bill, and then still asked if you want to tip ON TOP OF THE FACT so pay attention to your bill! Part of me thinks the reason the service isn't as good is because they know they're automatically getting that tip, but another part of me hopes that isn't the case. Ambiance is nice, very beautiful and great place for pictures.

Our meal at Hamilton's Grill Room 20+ years ago had been so memorable, I searched the web to…read morereserve a dinner for our anniversary, when we'd be staying in Stockton. Upset to learn that HGR had closed, I learned that Brian was back....at the aptly named "Brian's at the Grill", at the same great location! I love it when a restauranteur has the confidence to design a dinner service that he knows will serve his diners best. We appreciated the beautiful prix fixe menu, with plenty of diverse choices for appetizer, entree and dessert. I guess we've been married 37 years, since we made the same choices...tuna tartare and grilled Swordfish with a delicate lemon, caper and butter sauce. Everything was perfect...the mashed potatoes and al dente veggies ...amazing. We enjoy bringing our own wines and appreciate when the restaurant focuses solely on cooking and leaves the wine to us. And Lambertville has a wine shop a few blocks away. The restaurant accepts cash, personal checks and Venmo. I actually found that refreshing, since Venmo is so simple and they made us well aware when we made our reservation. Many restaurants are now charging a credit card fee for the convenience of using a card, which they rarely disclose; we found using Venmo a great option. Of course food reigns supreme, but not if the service is spotty or brusque. Patricia is a gem and greeted us so warmly and paced our meal graciously. She asked if we wanted to move on to our entree rather than assuming that the kitchen's timing matched ours. How often do you receive that type of treatment? We were stuffed after two courses and rather than pushing the pot de creme and bananas foster on us, again, she asked whether we'd prefer it in the restaurant or back at the hotel....and when we preferred the latter, she packaged them so we could take a breather! Pretty remarkable. We felt we had a new friend by the end of the meal....she is a real asset and has been with Brian for maybe 14 years(?). Front of house excellence complements kitchen talent at this special, twinkling place. We appreciated that we had the option of dining with them on a Monday night, when businesses may be closed in Lambertville or New Hope. Brian's back and we're so glad we found him and Patricia. Enjoy!

For us, this restaurant is perfect for romantic occasions like anniversaries and Valentine's Day…read more It's BYOB, and the menu offers a fantastic prix fixe selection with options for everyone, from appetizers to delightful desserts. The service is excellent and attentive to all your needs. Plus, I have a soft spot for the name "Brian" since it's also my husband's name!

My family and I came here with my father-in-law and absolutely loved our meal. My kid found this…read morerestaurant after searching reviews and we wanted to try a new place. Grand Slam Home Run. We found out that most of the people (regulars) who usually come here are on their vacation season so it was not an issue getting a six-top reservation with only a day's notice. The restaurant is huge with at least two mega rooms downstairs and one upstairs. We actually went to the upstairs door to check in only to be told we had to go to the downstairs door and check in there. Once we did, the staff asked if we would be ok with being in the "party" room where there would be a DJ. We were fine with that and the staff was more than happy to accommodate us. Once at our table, the extensive menus made it almost too difficult to decide what we wanted. May want to consider reducing the food options here. My wife and I split a tomahawk steak. Once we ordered it, we were told we should probably move to an eight-top because we would have more space. The place was almost empty at 6:15pm on a Saturday so we got to move and give us some more room. We also had two serving of Plov, a prime NY strip, a roasted beet salad, and a chicken fingers with fries. We added some bread, too, along with some compote. The Plov was some of the best we've ever had with lots of tender meat. Both steaks were cooked to our liking. Fries were killer and the chicken fingers were fine. I did not care for the compote as I'm used to it with fruit still in the drink. At about 7pm, the DJ started but there was no separate party which is what we thought was going to show up. The DJ sang some and played up-tempo dance music but also threw in some known music like Ob-Bla-Dee Ob-Bla-Dah from the Beatles also in the dance music style. So much fun after drinking a lot of our BYOB alcohol. Service was excellent and more than accommodating for us. He even advised when we were getting ready to leave that it was raining hard and we could stay until it died down. The restaurant is colorful with lights and designs on the walls including projector lights and white linen sheets above. The place was clean and also the bathrooms on the lower rear level. $305 not including tip for six adults which included two steaks, two Plov, chicken fingers with fries, three breads, and a compote. I mention a lot with my reviews that I'd come back to a place. I really can't wait to return to Samarkand! It was just a lot of fun with excellent food and service. I hope it's just as good when the place is slammed and full.

We stopped in today and enjoyed some Laughman soup…read more Absolutely fresh and delicious. Consistently delectable. I love this soup and the service is so magnificent. I enjoy my time here every time. How wonderful. I recommend making a reservation. I'm very grateful to all the hard-working people here who take care of us so well!!

Marrakesh is one of my absolute favorite places to eat in Philadelphia!!…read more I wish it existed in more cities. This is a multicourse journey through Marrakesh that cannot be repeated anywhere else except for maybe in the real Marrakesh. From the Bastilla pastry, which is DIVINE, to the salads, the chicken and kebabs... all the way to the baklava and tea.... there is no bad bite at Marrakesh. The owners are welcoming and super amenable and make you feel like you're coming home every single time you visit. It's in a odd location, and you may feel like you are making a questionable life decision as you walk up the alley to the door, but when you arrive, you realize that in fact, it was one of the best decisions you've made in years!! When you enter, it's like you've been transported to a beautiful room in Morocco. The music, the decor, even the authentic seating make for an unforgettable experience. And if you get really lucky, you also get to see the belly dancers who are top notch! There is not a single thing I can think of to say that Marrakesh needs to improve. It is a one of a kind experience that I feel everyone should have at least once in life!

What an incredible experience and much better than our last visit almost 7-8 years ago. The last…read moretime we came, the AC was broken on a hot day in the summer and it completely turned me off despite having an amazing visit my first time. I'm so glad my friends wanted to come here to celebrate our Friendsgiving. The food was as good as I remembered , the service as ever warm and welcoming. Since I hadn't been for so long, I ate everything as was prepared - but I'm happy to hear it sounds like they have veg options on their tasting menu. I'm looking forward to trying that my next return. But I couldn't say no to their chicken after almost a decade I highly recommend checking out this business for a delicious family style cooked meal.

Absolutely the worst Mediterranean food I have ever had and I grew up eating this cuisine, so I…read moreknow what it's supposed to taste like. Within minutes of eating, my husband became sick and started throwing up. That alone should tell you everything you need to know about this place. The hummus was bland, watery, and completely flavorless and the portion was laughably small for $10. The lamb shawarma was so dry it was practically inedible, while the chicken shawarma was aggressively over-salted and loaded with spices in the worst way possible. Even the rice was undercooked, which is basic and hard to mess up. We spent $100 here and it felt like we literally threw our money in the trash. This place is a complete disappointment and honestly concerning from a food safety standpoint. If you value your money -- and your stomach -- stay far away from this restaurant.

Had a great experience dining at Zad Albasha last night. The location is right on Main Street. The…read moredecor was great. There were several small plate options perfect for sharing. The prices were also very reasonable. I really enjoyed the coppinata cold eggplant appetizer. It was fresh and flavorful. I loved the fresh herbs on top and the warm pita was delicious. The hummus and lamb was equally delicious. They do only serve one pita at a time but we're happy to provide more. The service was friendly and quick. I would definitely stop by to try some other menu items.

Awesome food, great chef and great service !! One of the best Eateries in Princeton! The BYO is a…read morehuge plus in my opinion.

An upscale chi chi Mediterranean joint…read more The emphasis is on elaborate dishes with the strategy of raising the tab. If you are going to charge me more by being fancy, You had better be fancy and good. Fortunately Aspendo's delivers. * * * I was there on an academic lunch with an exciting scholar. That kind of thing can happen in a restaurant next to the Princeton campus. This is one of the dangers of eating in a college town. So most of my observational powers and intellectual energy were turned towards general issues of demographic processes and global welfare and the way that these could be re-positioned in the social sciences. There was elaborate stuff going into my mouth. I was paying more attention to the elaborate stuff going into my ears. What was going into my mouth seemed overly fussy for what it was. But it was not unpleasant. * * * Had the agenda been a romantic evening, There been a bottle of wine on the table and The goal being to make the dinner last forever, Elaborate interesting dishes could have been welcome. So this place has its uses.