Istanbul Cafe and Restaurant Reviews Summary

Category: Turkish restaurant

Address: 1378 Main Ave, Clifton, NJ 07011, USA

Phone: +18622388888

Rating: 4.3
based on 162 reviews.

Food Quality

Pros:

  • "Food quality and quantity were very reasonable and prices affordable."
  • "Best Turkish food anywhere in the USA hands down."
  • "The food was delicious and the service was excellent."
  • "The food was so fresh and delicious and even the desserts were home made on site and they were just out of this world."
  • "Simply delectable food, freshly prepared."
  • "Very delicious food, I liked Pomegranate salad, Iskender kebab so yum, the meat is fresh, not too hard, they serve the food hot and nice."
  • "The food is extremely tasty and portions are plentiful."

Cons:

  • "Chicken grill didn't taste like a Turkish chicken grill."
  • "Food was horrible. Expensive menu but not worth it."
  • "The kunefe was good, it had a fault in being excessively sweet."
  • "The chicken in my dish was tender, smoked and flavorful."
  • "The shawarma, especially was crisp & dry. Not succulent & juicy like the time before."
  • "The food was horrible and old."
  • "The fish was terrible, either defrosted right on the grill or it had been kept in the fridge for too long."

Service

Pros:

  • "Thank you for great service 👍."
  • "Waiter and waitress answered all our questions about the menu items."
  • "The staff have been extremely helpful, polite and professional especially that we had lots of kids of young ages."
  • "Service was great as well. She was constantly on check if we were comfortable, if we liked the food."
  • "The servers and the manager were too good. They really know how to treat their customers."
  • "The entire staff was amazing! Everyone was so sweet, quick to take care of any requests we have...just top notch service."
  • "The service was great and the food amazing."

Cons:

  • "Brought wrong order and stood on top of my head to make a decision as oppose to offering solution."
  • "Service was extremely slow and inattentive to our table."
  • "Waitress was so rude not even smiled once."
  • "First of all the service is terrible such as I asked to get some bread 3 times and finally got it after I finished my food."
  • "The food is good, the ambiance is good as well however there service is absolutely horrible."
  • "Forcing Tips on the Bill is very rude and not legal even!"
  • "Service sucked!!"

Ambiance

Pros:

  • "I really like the food, quality of service and ambiance here."
  • "The dining area itself is beautifully decorated and the booth tables themselves are a work of art."
  • "The atmosphere of the place might even be the best part, it feels like one second you’re in New Jersey, one step inside and all of a sudden you’re in Istanbul."
  • "Beautiful decor as soon as you walk in."
  • "The decor is beautiful."
  • "The restaurant's interior boasted a charming Turkish flair, enhancing the overall dining experience."
  • "The restaurant looks great. It truly reflects the Turkish culture."

Cons:

  • "I do not think there was music so it did not seem like a traditional turkish place."
  • "A family restaurant decorated in Turkish style given it its Middle Eastern ambience."
  • "The place is big, but was completely empty."
  • "Great Looking building, as we got there my wife said, 'it looks very expensive'."
  • "Horrible receptionist and when you walk in on a hot and humid day, you would expect the AC to be blasting but instead it was humid and let out an awful stench."
  • "They just can’t find a simple 'curtain' or 'second door' solution for their outside door which was letting the cold wind in every time they open their door to let new customers get in."
  • "The atmosphere was cozy and inviting."

Price

Pros:

  • "But when we paid, it was very very reasonable price."
  • "Ayran(yogurt), french fries, a decent sized lentil soup and sac tava(a pan of small cut beef cubes sauté with onion, pepper, etc) cost me 25$. This is a bargain for real."
  • "Great food with great value!"
  • "It's cozy, clean, affordable and the staff are super friendly."
  • "Everything was delicious. Ate so much but stomach didn’t feel discomfort to digest."
  • "The food is fresh and delicious."
  • "Perfect turkish cuisine... We started off with hummus and bread.. hummus was so good.. never had such good hummus elsewhere."

Cons:

  • "A little too salty and pricey for my taste."
  • "Never again."
  • "They are overpriced for no reason.. they use the worst kind of meat to cook with to serve."
  • "This place is really overpriced for the quality."
  • "Dessert is way overpriced!"
  • "The prices on the menu are not same as they come on reality."
  • "You will be surprised by extremely expensive prices for food and service that are not worth all these costs."

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