A La Turka

Had a great time celebrating my friend's birthday here! Started off with some good and aromatic bread that went super well with the Mezze Trio. It had tasty babaganoush, Burian, and hummus. I think the burian was my favorite with its creaminess and red peppers. The eggplant shakshuka was different from the shakshukas I've had in the past; their version is less saucy and really just eggplant and tomatoes. All of the apps were well seasoned, but portion sizes were smaller than expected. For mains, the adana kehab (lamb) was very tender and so was the chicken adana. They both had similar spices which I enjoyed and it comes with pickled veggies, chopped dill/green onions, and rice. The only off-putting thing was that ask all guests to not share entrees. While I understand the logistical and financial implications behind this, I think a nicer wording would achieve the same goal. Staff were nice and timing of food was appropriate for a weekday night (not too busy but I had a large party). The decor is cute with a dim environment and an amber marble bar top. For birthdays you can even ask them to place a candle on a dessert (must order) and they will sing/play music for you!

Came here for dinner with a friend recently on a very cold night, and we were so happy that the ambience was nice and cozy and warm inside. I was not particularly amazed by the food, but am not sure if it had to do with what I ordered. We each tried the same dish, so I can't speak for the rest of the food on the menu. We got the chicken adana, and I didn't love the consistency of it; I felt it was a little bit rubbery. The side of rice that it came with was pretty bland and lacked some flavor. The environment was more lively than we expected, but we thought that was a fun surprise! They seem to go all out for people's birthdays, so if you like to be serenaded, this will be a fun experience for you!

Food was good and the restaurant is really pretty but won't go back because of the service and chaotic atmosphere. I'm sharing my experience as an autistic adult with sensory processing disorder so that others like me have a better idea of what to expect. I'm also vegetarian. My husband eats meat and lived in Turkey for a short time when he was a teenage. He really loves Turkish food and was excited to try this restaurant.We had a 7:30 Saturday night reservation and when we arrived (on time), the hostess asked if the bar would be ok. We said we'd prefer a table and were seated at a two-top in the center of the restaurant. Definitely felt weird that she tried to seat us at the bar when we had a reservation for a table. The tables were super packed in and cramped which is not surprising considering it's the city and they are understandably trying to fit as many people as possible but just be aware of this. If I had known, I might have requested a table near the window or a wall. We were at the end of a row of tables and the servers frequently hovered right on top of us when they weren't rushing past us and banging into each other. The tables next to us looked like they'd be impossible to get up from without asking those around you to move.We received water right away but it took 10 minutes for a server to come over. He told us about the specials and then disappeared without taking our drink orders! The table next to us received and practically finished their entire entrees before someone (the manager maybe) noticed that we hadn't ordered yet and got another server to take our orders. We sat down at 7:30 and weren't approached to order drinks or food until 7:50/55. After that, our new server was thankfully very attentive and the service was a lot better. I have no idea what happened to the other guy. The place is so, so, so LOUD. The acoustics are horrible. I couldn't hear my husband and he couldn't hear me so we basically sat in silence for the whole meal. Plus they had some birthday celebrations and turned the already loud music all the way up to sing. I'm fine with places singing to guests but this was over the top and obnoxious. Don't expect to go here and have a nice, relaxing meal with good conversation. Especially if you have auditory processing issues. There is only one vegetarian entree on the menu but plenty of the appetizers are vegetarian. The food was good. My husband enjoyed it. I wish they had more Turkish wines by the glass. Overall, I left overstimulated and really disappointed by the experience. There are many other Turkish restaurants in the city and sadly, we will not be returning to this one.

Absolutely delicious food!!! Went here for restaurant week (weekday lunch) and it was really amazing. The restaurant itself is beautiful, lots of people even for lunch time. The service was great, though a bit on the slower side for the area we were sitting at. I felt that the server maybe forgot about us on multiple occasions but the food really made a great impact. Would certainly dine here again.For first course we got hummus with very tasty bread and eggplant shakshuka-- probably the best I've ever had. For second course we chose lamb shank which also had mashed potatoes and eggplant which is different than most restaurants and it really made a difference. The grilled eggplant really made the dish more complete. I really would go back to this place just for the lamb shank.The other entree we got was chicken shish kebab and it was comparable to other restaurants. And lastly for desert we got fig with walnut and it was very tasty. It was the very first time I've ever had it and was hooked. We also got baklava. I really would love to go back to this place again, maybe sometime at night because the restaurant looks very nicely decorated with lights.

My boyfriend got the stuffed chicken, I got the chicken Kebob and we shared the falafel appetizer and chocolate pudding + tiramisu for dessert. Every item was soo delicious! One star because the sav blanc was not to liking.

I have been to this restaurant several times. All times I am always impressed with delicious food, service and ambiance.Alaturka was renovated and the ambiance is amazing.My last visit, I ordered mummara. It came with delicious buttery bread OMG. It was so delicious and I can't wait to have it again. As a hot appetizer, I ordered lahmacun. I am generally picky about the ingredients of lahmacun. Alaturka is the best. They served 2 pieces. I thought to myself I can keep one later but of course it was so delicious and I could not hold it and I ate all .As an entrée I ordered shaslik. They marinated the steak and it was extremely full of flavor.I couldn't stop thinking about it and I can't wait to go there again.

Established in 1995, this restaurant is as old as I am--and I see why they're still in business. Food is delicious, portions are ample, menu offers a lot of choices, to satisfy picky eaters like me.Was happy with everything we tried. $9 lentil soup was hearty and satisfying on a cold Saturday, as snow was covering the city. $24 kusbabi pide [Turkish pizza with meat] was scrumptious: not heavy, crispy dough, flavorful tomato sauce, and perfectly sweet/savory chopped meat.$32 lamb shank was the king of the meal! Huge portion [great for sharing and taking leftovers home] and bursting with flavor. Meat was delicate and delicious. Shank was wrapped in the most delicate roasted eggplant, which elevated this dish. Vegetables in tomato sauce went really well with the complementary Turkish bread--mop up all those juices! Would order this dish again and again. Pleasant environment--pretty stone columns with thematic illumination provide a romantic vibe at night. You feel like you're dinning at a proper restaurant.Friendly and courteous staff. Quick service.Would return to sample more menu items.

The food is excellent staff not so much. We made a reservation for 7:00 and showed up on time. After being seated we were told we could only stay an hour. There was a large party coming in. The restaurant has options in a case like this. They could seat us somewhere else, call us ahead of time and ask us if we wanted to come in early or cancel. We made it in open table so they had my phone #. Something it on us when we get thereWe told them that it wasn't acceptable, 11/2 hrs was minimum. They took our orders, served us and then after the mains were done the water came and said we were done. We told him we were not and wanted dessert. They moved us to another table. No napkins , silverware or water. We weren't the only table this was done to and they said they weren't coming back. I live on 81st street and there r at least 10 restaurants on my way home that will treat me better

We've eaten here four times in the past few months...and we travel from Queens to do so!I believe I said in my first review that we enjoyed this food more than similar dishes we had at some very fine restaurants in Istanbul. It is an energized yet relaxing place. The waitstaff is friendly and efficient. Most importantly, the food is fantastic. Muhammara is a unique appetizer and a Turkish table staple, it is excellent, as is the fluffy bread you can spread it on. The Turkish spinach is another must have appetizer. Other uniquely Turkish dishes that are amazingly authentic at A La Turka are the manti and, of course, the various kabobs. We've tried nearly all the lamb staples, and enjoyed them all, but also go for the more gourmet dishes such as the lamb shank. It was fall off the bone incredible.

The food quality is not the problem, the main issue is the portions are tiny, and the food is under-cooked. This is a very high-end restaurant, so a rather intimidating vibe. I guess they assume that rich people can live on 600 calories a day. The food quality is excellent but the portions are so tiny that make it completely not worth it. It is clear that they are catering to the wealthiest of the wealthy, so I doubt they care if they lose a customer or not. And this place has high quality food (just in ridiculously small portions), so I doubt they will not last a long time.