Alaturka Mediterranean Grill & Bakery

We met here with our friends for a pre thanksgiving gathering. The service was excellent, and the food was so good. The baked hummus is a hit! Its not a big eatery, so the armosphere is cozy and friendly, and I know that I will be back to eat more of their amazing food.

So disappointing. The reviews I read made me really excited about some good Mediterranean food. It was seriously anemic and overpriced. $11 for tasteless lentil soup. $17 for a large "fatoush" with small diced tomatoes, mostly lettuce and small for the price. Hummus was not good and served without olive oil. Kibbeh was done with loose ground meat inside a fried ball instead of mixed as it typically is but the flavor was good. $13 kids meal was Kraft Mac n cheese and fries. The chicken shwarma tasted like shredded rotisserie chicken. We paid, didn't finish eating and left. Tampa has so many amazing middle eastern restaurants that use traditional (Turkish, Arabic, Jordanian, Greek etc.) herbs and spices which is what makes this type of food so amazing. This place just didn't. Service was clean with well set tables; nice for a strip mall.

With Alaturka being such a distance from my house, I decided to make the most of my first opportunity to try Turkish food, especially since I'm planning travel to Instanbul soon. When my friend and I arrived and I mentioned being Yelp Elite, they gave me the VIP table right by the front so the owner could be sure to give me special attention. I thought this was very cute. They already started with impressing me by bringing out complimentary fresh baked bread with marinated olives. I'm obsessed with kalamata so this was right up my alley! I decided to a couple appetizers which ended up being the babaghanoush (smoked eggplant dip) and grape leaves (rice and spices rolled up in grape leaves.) The babaghanoush was delightful with the bread. I could also see myself eating it as a veggie dip. I wouldn't say I was as big a fan of the grape leaves but the owner told me he is a bigger fan of eating them warm with meat, as well. So I'm interested to try them non- vegetarian one day. For my entree I sat and googled everything to be sure I knew what I was getting into. I'm a huge lamb fan but I'm on a weight loss journey so I settled on the chicken adana. SPECTACULAR!!! I could eat that everyday. I only wish the portion size of it was larger. I'm not a huge rice fan, but their rice was so perfectly tender and seasoned that it may be top 3 rice I've eaten. After my entree, I also ordered the Shepherd which is a salad with cucumber, tomato, feta, mint, red onion and lemon and olive oil. My friend went on and on and on raving about how delicious it was (she wasn't wrong) and how large the portion size of the small was. To end our excursion, we ordered Turkish tea, which is essentially a black tea with spices. The cups they came in were so super adorable and it was delicious to me even with minimal sugar added. At the end of the evening as I was making my reel for Instagram, I decided I wanted to add a song that sounded "Turkish" to it but decided to stop and ask the owner if it was cultural insensitive or appropriation. He found my consideration of asking very respectful and helped me pick his favorite Turkish song for just the right touch. I absolutely loved my experience at Alaturka and wish it were closer to my home.

Delicious food with amazing service. Desert was definite highlight of the meal. Would be a perfect score. However, the rice for me and my sister and me had some very hard parts. Probably just let the bottom of the pot overcook a bit. Besides that everything was seasoned very authentically and tasted very fresh. Will be back for sure! Also, had borek from the bakery the next day and it was spectacular.

Nice place first time here my mom wanted to go here for her birthday. They have the restaurant side and then the bakery side. The food was good I got the IsKender kebab it was good. It was basically me with red sauce and white sauce on it. My mom got the eggplant kebab, which was on the bed of rice with salad. The service was good our server she was nice and friendly. I would say maybe a better explanation or walk-through of the menu would be nice since there's no pictures but overall still good service. The restaurant itself is nice clean good music. My favorite was the appetizer, which was the Manti reminds me of my grandma's Russian dumplings they were delicious to me the best thing I had I wish that was an entree. For dessert my mom had their baklava. The bakery had lots of different variety of sweets and savory treats. I love their cups for tea

Make reservations for dinner; this is a very popular restaurant! Leave room for dessert; they're the best--unique recipes I haven't seen elsewhere; all homemade. Chocolate baklava, sekerpare and tahini pastry are our favorites. And I discovered today that they have about 8 ice cream flavors including what looks like raspberry sorbet. I always visit their bakery in the adjacent room to choose my desserts. Every time I visit, I discover a new dessert. Family-owned restaurant Baby okra vegetarian entree is my go-to entree. The mezze plate of 5 or 6 mixed appetizers is excellent and comes with fresh hot bread. All their family recipes are delicious.

Alaturka. In the Turkish language, basically means 'In the Turkish style'. I'd say that's the perfect name for this cozy little gem. We decided to take a nice Sunday drive. Make a day of it. Visiting places we love. Finding new things to try. Alaturka was a new place for us.Our first impression? Nice vibe. Very clean and bright. To complete the mood, the air was filled with the aromas of Turkey and the sounds of modern upbeat Turkish music. We were greeted by Akay, a son in the owner family. We immediately felt this would be a great food and service experience. Interestingly, our first few sips of the iced tea we ordered also told us we were in for a treat! How about that? Their tea is absolutely delicious, and thirst quenching. I highly recommend it. I was accompanied by my Favorite Fab One, which adds to the visual ambiance. LOLWe decided to share a plate of Hummus, along with a Shepherd Salad. The Hummus was true to form good. The Salad was perfect. Fresh-picked veggie tastes with a splash of lemon and olive oil, and a side of Feta. A wonderful and tasty salad. I was flipping between two menu choices with lamb, so I asked Akay which he'd recommend? Without hesitation he said to get the Lamb Shish Kebab Pita Wrap. I did. And I loved it. The lamb was big chunks, not sliced. With lots of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion wrapped up in a pita. Dipping and dripping tzatziki sauce into, onto and over the wrap added to the excitement. A really great choice. Fab One got the day's Special, the Lamb Shank, which was only $18! This delicacy was served with a grilled eggplant slice, potato and a mound of rice. For that $18, she got an entire on-the-bone lamb shank with plenty of fall off the bone meat. Of course, I had a bite or two. It was juicy and delectable. I did feel it needed just a touch more seasoning, salt in particular. Not much...And get this! I have NEVER cared for eggplant. I've tried. But nope. Well.....I ate most of her eggplant! It was that good!To close out our journey, I walked into the Alaturka Bakery area and virtually drooled as I perused the selections of goodies. I chose the Tiramisu. OH MY GOSH! BEST Tiramisu Fab One and I have EVER enjoyed! As we were raving about it, Akay and his brother, Anil, informed us they grew up on this delightful dessert. Their mother has lovingly made it for years. For family and friends. And now, for Alaturka guests.We asked them to give our love to their mother. And their father. And everyone!Throughout our entire meal, we were never left wanting for anything! Service was a 10++++!Akay, Anil and a nice young lady made sure we were very well taken care of and happy. Before we left, we almost felt like family. I even did my best interpretation of a Turkish Thank You, Teşekkürler.Alaturka made an extremely good impression on both of us. From that exotically enticing iced tea, all of the fresh ingredients, luscious lamb, pleasing pita and then a terrific Tiramisu!In Turkish, I believe the saying is 'Karnimda iyiydi'. Which translates essentially to 'It was good in my belly'. I second that! And so will Fab One. Tell them Beth and John sent ya! Please!

This post will just be a positivity overload message. You've been warned. From the staff being so accommodating and friendly to the cleanliness (actively cleaned multiple times just during my stay, prepared a full seating for me and it smelled clean as well!), before the food is even delivered to you, you've fully been able to appreciate this restaurant. Next is the food. Fresh fresh fresh. Delicious. Must come and experience for yourself.

I typically come here for lunch. The food is terrific, the service excellent with a very authentic atmosphere that includes ethnic music, several monitors showing home country meal preparation. A terrific experience each and every time. This is a family run business and they are very personable and talented.

This has been one of the most delicious experiences I've had at a Mediterranean restaurant. We had the Baked Hummus, Beef and Lamb Shawarma platter, Kibbeh, and Lentil Soup. From start the finish, the flavors were fantastic.The staff were friendly and kind. The vibe at the restaurant was pleasant. Nothing overly elaborate, as far as decor, just a clean, modern store-front restaurant. But very intentional with their simplicity and elegance.Do yourself a favor and try that signature hummus. The Turkish bread and sausage and cheese go so well together with the hummus. Unexpectedly delicious.Try that lentil soup... so good!We will definitely be back. We want to also try the bakery side.