A la Turka Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Really great and authentic Turkish food on the UES Manhattan!"
• "All of the food was excellent and meat was tender and juicy!"
• "Each dish was seasoned perfectly, with fresh ingredients and I could say the lamb meat was very fresh and of an outstanding quality."
• "The fritters were extremely flavorful, and I loved the garlic yogurt sauce."
• "The food was super delish!"
• "The food was delicious, will come again!"
• "Everything was SO yummy and our favorites were the grape leaves, falafel, sigara borek and the feta cheese plate."

Cons:

• "Meat was bad, chicken was not even cooked."
• "Food was really horrible. Pretty average falafel, main course kebabs were totally tasteless and not at all marinated!"
• "Can’t say food was mind blowing, but wasn’t bad either. (lamb shank was dry)"
• "Ordered online lamb shish it was burnt and a weird smell."
• "But as time goes by and ever since they’ve renovated, the food tasted changed dramatically."
• "Some falafels which were also undercooked and tasted very undone inside."
• "The food was super unseasoned and bland!"

Service

Pros:

• "The staff were super friendly and treated us well."
• "Staff is friendly, & attentive."
• "Great service."
• "Need to begin by saying the people here are outstanding - really friendly and accommodating to anything you need."
• "The service was excellent (I'm sure we were a little needy at times)."
• "Our waiter was so professional, kind and passionate."
• "Lovely and attentive staff. I will definitely come back."

Cons:

• "They didn't give me any reason to go back there unfortunately."
• "Horrible service. We were not even half way through our appetizers when the waiter came to place a main dish order."
• "We were FOLLOWED OUT OF THE DOOR after settling our bill and leaving and were told that our tip was too low!!"
• "I did not like the service. Since we got in the waitress Esra wasn’t pleasant and frown like she doesn’t want to serve us."
• "The waiter was mean. He looked at how much we tipped him and said it wasn’t enough."
• "Got so frustrated that ended up leaving cash on the table without ever receiving the bill."
• "Lunch last week wasn't so great. Slow and awkward service."

Ambiance

Pros:

• "It has a classy Mediterranean vibe with excellent food to back it up."
• "It was quiet and my friend and I were able to sit, enjoy and talk."
• "The atmosphere is nice, and the food is incredible."
• "Always a great vibe at A La Turka! The ambiance is amazing with those nice tunes."
• "The restaurant has a wonderful ambiance and a relaxed but upbeat vibe."
• "Wow, wow, what an amazing experience, a lovely atmosphere."
• "Very nice looking restaurant with ample outdoor and indoor seating."

Cons:

• "The inside is dimly lit and very jampacked."
• "These tables were so SQUISHED TOGETHER you didn’t have room to even put your jacket on the back of your chair!"
• "The atmosphere was a bit loud but people seemed to be having a good time."
• "The entire dish was void of any flavor beyond salt."
• "honestly don’t come here. especially not for brunch. it’s dead. they don’t play any music."
• "The restaurant was full."
• "The inside is dimly lit and very jampacked."

Value

Pros:

• "Nicely located place, outdoor seating providing side panels, minimizing Covid risk."
• "Visited after closing time the day before labor day 2015. They actually reopened their kitchen at almost midnight to serve us!!"
• "The cost, with wine, was very inexpensive by Manhattan standards."
• "The price was very reasonable. Highly recommended."
• "The 'Prix Fix' lunch which was very reasonably priced and had a good range of options to order from."
• "The prices are little expensive but the food deserve it."
• "Run a bit on the high end of prices but can be a relied upon option when the opportunity presents itself."

Cons:

• "Large sampler was barely enough for 3 people and it was extremely expensive."
• "Imo this place is also severely overpriced."
• "It’s pricy here but you’ll enjoy the food!"
• "They might charge you for the air you breathe there, be careful."
• "Be prepared to get charged 18% of your order for somebody to pour you an occasional glass of water."
• "Expensive even for the Upper East Side."
• "Poor service and overpriced."