Best Turkish Restaurants in Downtown

This was a tremendous meal, and a can't-miss restaurant when visiting Washington D.C. It was my wife and I, and we shared six plates: hummus, falafel, rice pilaf/barley, fried eggplant, brussels sprouts and (essentially) french fries. We were uncomfortably full when leaving, and this ran us a whopping $72 dollars before tip. Obviously if we had gotten drinks or wine, the price would have gone up considerably, but I can't imagine this kind of quality food in a metro area for $36/person in 2024. Plus endless homemade pita that was a cross between pita and naan was provided -- crazy delicious. The french fries had a house-made mushroom salt with a yogurt dipping sauce. The serving size on those were substantial, but basically they were just outstanding french fries. In terms of going for authentic Mediterranean food, we could have swapped this out for something else, but that was probably more our fault than theirs just having something a little more neutral on the menu for less-adventurous eaters. The other five items were all significantly above average, with my favorite being the sprouts and my wife favoring the barley/pilaf. Also, the speed with which we got through our meal was noteworthy -- one hour as they rotated through plates one at a time. It was a well-oiled machine.

Our server Omar made our night! Very courteous and cheerful! Delicious food —offering a tongue and such utensils could make it easier to manage the table.

We arrived at 5:15 and we’re quickly seated and served. The food was excellent and the service good until the restaurant got full. Then the service disappeared and we waited a half an hour or more for desserts. Went full you couldn’t pull your chair out without hitting somebody else. And the noise level was high. The food was phenomenal.

One of our favorite places to eat when in DC! Great food and super friendly and attentive staff.