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Afendi's Turkish Grill
Categories: Restaurants Turkish Restaurants Mediterranean Restaurants Middle Eastern Turkish, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern [Edit]
299 N McDowell BlvdPetaluma, CA 94954
(707) 763-1998
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
96 reviews for Afendi's Turkish Grill
Review Highlights
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"The Pistachio Baklava is so yummy it melts in your mouth." In 5 reviews -
"This was the best rice pudding I have had in a very long..." In 4 reviews -
"The Lamb and Beef Gyro was DELICIOUS." In 3 reviews
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96 reviews in English
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Review from Lisa J.
Petaluma, CA
5/24/2012
Seriously the best falafel I've ever had...don't know why this place isn't busier!
We always get the appetizer combo plate, falafel, and chicken plate...great salads served with entrees too!
Very good bang for your buck! -
Review from William S.
Petaluma, CA
5/5/2012
wasnt sure what to expect from this place based on the reviews. some ppl loved it and some not so much saying its processed meat ( which in this case i dont care as long as it taste good )
went there yesterday with my gf for an early dinner. place was empty besides one other couple , a nice little lady came to greet and seat us and offered us turkish tea( hella good btw) . i was craving a gyro i love those things , i always get them in san rafael from the falaffle hut. i was pleased to see that afendi's gyros were wrapped like a burrito , makes them easier to eat . i enjoyed them.
my gf however ordered the greek salad. the menu said it had olives , peppers , and other stuff on it with a side of bread. her salad came with only (yellow) lettuce, tomatos, 1 grape leaf, some sour kraut, feta and olives, it was missing like 2 or three things and the bread was forgotton so we asked for it ( warm on the outside, cold on the inside as if it wer microwaved)
all in all im not complaining im just telling you how it is just so you dont expect this place to be super fancy and out of this world good , i would deffinatly get the gyros again togo or something but as for a dine in date type of place prolly not , just because it wasnt too fancy seeing as my gyros came to the table already wrapped in tin foil and the bread was served on those cheap basket things with the white and red checkered paper that youd find yourself carrying your hotdog in at a giants game =P my gf agrees she wished she ordered a gyro instead , but luckily i ordered two so i shared .... and the little ol lady was very nice =) -
Review from Joseph S.
San Francisco, CA
4/15/2012
Afendi's was quite empty when we arrived for dinner at 6pm on Saturday,
maybe half full by the time we left. Unassuming strip mall location,
plain but pleasant enough decor, though disconcerting to have Turkish
background music accompanying soundless TV showing western classical
musicians playing with Turkish subtitles.
Other reviewers have noted language and slow service issues.
Our waitress was prompt and very nice, but she did misunderstand our order;
we said appetizer plate, then Greek salad and mixed grill at the same time,
but she delivered all three simultaneously. Service was otherwise fine,
and relatively quick.
Nice tiny cups of tea to start, very nice fresh bread with fine mezza platter,
mostly delicous mixed grill, total bill about $30/person with one glass
of wine each. We're rarely in Petaluma and not up on other local options,
but I'd go back. -
Review from remy m.
San Francisco, CA
4/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
I usually go to the Real Doner when I visit Petaluma but I thought I would try Afendi again. I had a variety of meats and overall they were on par with other Turkish places I have been in San Francisco. However, I noticed a big change in Afendi's lamb/beef doner. The waitress is sweet and provides good service.
I first had food at the Real Doner when Joe worked with his brother-in-law who owns Real Doner. When Afendi opened I thought I would try his place too. Joe's food for the most part was on par with Real Doner but his dining area was nicer. The downside to Real Doner is that the owner after Joe left made his meal sizes smaller and smaller but the quality never went down.
My reason for giving Afendi's 3 stars is I dislike Doner or Gyro that is made of processed meat. When Afendi's first opened Joe made the same delicious Doner as Real Doner with slices of real Lamb and beef. Now he uses the processed meat but in his pictures still shows the sliced real meat. Better to make portion size smaller than lower the quality or just charge more but keep the quality.
The other meats I had were good but my main reason for going was for the Doner. Afendi's does serve good size portions for a reasonable price. Dolma's are terrific and better than most I have had. Baba ganoush was okay but the hummus was excellent. The bread was okay but not the same bread I remembered having here last year.
Overall if you like Turkish food Afendi's is good and you will most likely like it here. Just wish Joe did not change the lamb/beef Doner to processed meat. -
Review from Elisa M.
Petaluma, CA
4/13/2012
I thought this place was awesome. The music was relaxing, the service was good. I think the people who did have issues possibly caught the place at a bad or busy time. Some problems might be cultural issues, us americans are used to speedy service with a smile. My waitress was great, and sweet. The guy in the back, possibly the cook or owner seemed not super happy, but it isn't anything that would prevent me from going back. I liked the decor and the dark beer was wonderful. I had lamb and beef, and it was delicious. If you come to eat here, plant yourself and relax, don't get worked up, and enjoy!
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Review from Jackie W.
Petaluma, CA
1/6/2012
This place is awesome! Great choice for tonight's dinner ;)
The guy who served us is so friendly and his mom too.
To start, He offered us to have a complimentary turkish tea. We loved it and asked for more :)
We ordered falafel with hummus for appetizer. It was so good!
Then my hubby ordered chicken gyro platter and I ordered lamb kabob. It taste sooooo good. We took some home since we are so full....Love it!
Since I have experience with middle eastern food and used to cook it. I can definitely recognize how well done the food is.
We ordered rice pudding for dessert. My hubby doesn't really eat rice pudding but tonight he finished all the rice pudding, that means he liked it :)
We are going back for sure. Great food with affordable price....why not!!!
It's walking distance from our place ;)
I definitely recommend this place.... -
Review from Raynell C.
El Cerrito, CA
11/27/2011
Absolutely delicious!
I came across this place a few months ago through a Yelp search. Usually relying on Yelp for food can be hit or miss, but this time it was definitely a hit!
I went back a second time last week with my husband and we were the first customers of the day. I had the lamb and beef gyros and he had a chicken and lamb plate. The food is flavorful, the portions, while not huge, are filling, and the service is excellent. The kind woman who opened the restaurant kept our Turkish tea cups filled and was very attentive. She was incredibly warm and inviting.
I have no idea what the other posters are talking about when it comes to anything negative about this place. Afendi's is a pleasant surprise, especially given it's location. If it were anywhere else in the Bay, the line would wrap around the block. -
Review from Jim R.
Petaluma, CA
1/10/2012
The food is delicious and authentic. Family runned with good quality control.
You almost always get something extra for free when you dine here.
The gyros and hummus are fantastic! The pistachio baklava is out of this world. -
Review from Julianna B.
Yountville, CA
12/5/2011
Really amazing Turkish food. The hummus, falafel, baba ganoosh and gyro are amazing. Try the rice pudding!!
Good service, clean restaurant. A delicious find. -
Review from Justine L.
San Francisco, CA
10/3/2011
I traveled extensively throughout Turkey in 2006, and I have to say this is the best Turkish restaurant that I've been to in the United States.
My bf and I were on our way up to a weekend in Sonoma, when we became very hungry and decided to cancel our reservations up in Healdsburg and find a restaurant in Petaluma. Did a quick Yelp search and found this gem.
It's out in the corner of the shopping center, decor is rather home-like, lots of space and very plain chairs and tables. However, the service was immediately very warm, as they brought out complimentary Turkish tea.
We ordered and ate: 1) Greek salad (awesome greens and feta cheese), 2) Spinach spanikopita (omg the cheese and spinach melted into awesome gooiness inside flakey dough), and 3) Afendi's Iskendar Dish (this was AMAZING, so many good savory authentic flavors. Layers and layers of delicious meats with tomato on top of toasted bread.) Their complimentary bread came out crispy & hot to our table.
Everything was superb. We couldn't stop talking about how awesome this place was and how we wanted to come back. I highly highly recommend this place on your way up to wine country. Do NOT miss this.
Plus, the folks that run the place are super-nice. It seems like a family-owned and operated restaurant with very high-touch service at a very reasonable price.Listed in: Sonoma Wine Country
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Review from R O.
Santa Rosa, CA
10/15/2011
No way!
Do not be fooled by all those food reviews.
They are not what the review says.
First of all, they do not understand English.
(and we were not the only ones struggling with the order)
Secondly, everything was so salty!
And I went here with my friend for my Birthday lunch.
We were all looking forward since the review of this restaurant.
My friend mentioned that it was my birthday and the response from the waiters was "you are welcome"
????????
This just tells how much English they understand.
Finally, you know what?
It is not even worth writing about it!
They might have been good when they opened, but now...definitely NOT! -
Review from Olga D.
12/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
So this was quite an experiment... Turkish food in Petaluma? Why not. We were on our way from San Francisco to Santa Rosa and decided to stop in Petaluma for late lunch. Most places were closed for their mid-afternoon break from lunch to dinner, so we decided to find a place close to a freeway exit, as we didn't have much time. When we approached Afendi's, it reminded us of traditional middle eastern restaurant and while somewhat cautious, we decided to go for it since we were very hungry.
We ordered an appetizer platter, Greek salad and a shawarma combo plate. There was a lot of food for both of us and we practically inhaled the appetizer plate. Most of the items on the plate were super cold, as if they were stored in the refrigerator. Salad was fresh, but shawarma was reheated. It looks like most of foods here are cooked early and served as guests arrive. We came in at around 3pm, which is not your typical lunch/dinner time, so perhaps food is cooked fresh when restaurant gets busy.
I could see food potential if it were made fresh, but living in LA and having tried many Mediterranean restaurants, Afendi's is just average. We also ordered baklava and Turkish coffee; while baklava was just ok, coffee was excellent (perhaps because it was made fresh:)! Contrary to many reviewers that experienced bad service here, we did not experience any of that. It was not over the top friendly, but pleasant. -
Review from Mathew S.
Santa Rosa, CA
8/25/2011
I had forgotten to do a review!
My girlfriend and I went to Afrendi a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed ourselves. I had never eaten at a 'Turkish' place before with the exception of doner and gyros prior to is so I did not know what to expect.
It looked like a slow afternoon, but it was still early (always a concern to see an empty place). The small tea with sugar cubes and the tiny gold spoons started off the meal a great touch. We had dolmas and eggplant salad as an appetizer, both delicious. The bed of hummus the dolmas were presented on was amazing. We then ordered the combination grill. It was more than enough for the two of us after the appetizers and bread.
The place was nicely appointed with traditional and modern decorations. The staff was professional and towards the end of our meal very conversational.
We really enjoyed ourselves and plan on returning often. -
Review from Nedda S.
Petaluma, CA
Updated - 7/30/2011
WOW. the owner of this place is rude.
He wrote me a private message threatening me to come tell him to his face that the meat in his doner/gyro/shawerma was not real. I'm sorry but what I got was processed meat, at Real Doner it was real pieces of meat.
I'm sorry, but the day that I went:
we waited OVER an hour for our food. and there were only 2 other tables of customers there already eating their food when we walked in.
the food was not tasty. ALL of it, and we ordered several dishes to go.
the woman waiting on us was as sweet as could be, the only thing that made the wait bearable was her.
after about 20min of waiting they gave us free bread (because we told them we were fasting for the whole day when we first came in to order and that we needed to leave with food within 20min to eat dinner- they said, "no problem food will be ready in less than 20 min".)
after about another 20min they brought us free tea. i actually didn't like the tea. i drink middle eastern tea all the time. this was overbrewed and so it was bitter.
The owner's got a lot to learn about how to handle dissatisfied customers.
He accused me of writing my review in this way so I could ask for free food at Real Doner.
The whole experience of the message was completely surreal.
I will NEVER go back again.
***NEWSFLASH***
I have received yet another message from the owner:
For your review of: Afendi's Turkish Grill
Real foot in your cuontry so go bak to you cuntry, b cuos your are not real,do not com to my afendi's. Agen
Thanks "Joe". I was actually born here. but thanks for telling *me* to "go back to my country". classy.
please stop sending me messages. you cannot bully me into removing this review. I guess I now understand why the ratings for Afendi's are so high.Listed in: Restaurants & Food
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/17/2011
Service was really really good, they were very nice. The decor was nice.
But the food at Real Doner… Read more »
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Review from Teeny T.
San Francisco, CA
8/22/2011
Afendi's was a great surprise that crowned a very important day in my life.
I visited Turkey (Istanbul) and I lived in New York - so I had exquisite Turkish food before - and I missed it so much. Afendi's food was as good as I had it in the capitals of the world. Their dolmas were excellent and fresh, on a pad of hummus that had all the Mediterranean spices needed. I had an eggplant salad that was freshly made and it sat in olive oil just enough to mix the flavors. My boyfriend did not eat much lamb before, and he enjoyed so much the combination grill with chicken, lamb and beef over rice. I grew up with lamb - I packed the leftovers; it was too good to let it behind!
Beside the food, we appreciated how neat was the place. The windows were clean so we could appreciate the view toward the mountains, the bathrooms were clean. They use clean, ironed, scrubbed table cloth, like everywhere in restaurants back in Europe - but a rare sight in the US. They have nice traditional decorations on the walls, and posters that show you a bit of the Turkey's most beautiful places and their complex cultural heritage.
The fifth star goes to our wonderful waitresses, who can teach a lesson about the traditional Turkish hospitality. Afendi's people showed the same warmth and genuine interest in their visitors, as I encountered while walking the streets of Istanbul. You, as a guest entering their place, are not just another customer, but a treasured friend.
I hope this makes it up for all the obnoxious customers - since we saw some, and WE were ashamed for their ignorance, lack of consideration and rude tone toward the waitress. Yes, the nice lady serving you has an accent, but that does not mean you have to yell thinking she is deaf, and her command of the English language may be actually better than yours. We can't stand people who come to eat in an ethnic place without understanding a bit about the cultural aspects of visiting another culture. Afendi's staff shows the best of their country - and it is reflected in all the details of the restaurant. That should be respected. -
Review from Bernard F.
San Francisco, CA
11/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Terrible service! I mean horrible.
Flavors not good at all, really quite terrible food. We had a ton of leftovers that nobody wanted because each dish was unpleasant.
I think anywhere else in that strip mall would be a much better choice than this horrendous restaurant. -
Review from Terri B.
Petaluma, CA
8/22/2011
I had wanted to go here for a while and decided on a Sunday evening to go. I went with my husband, son, and sons gf.
There were about 4 other tables that had people sitting at them. One waitress to serve the tea that did not understand english and one waitress to serve the food.
We ordered: Lamb Kabobs, Chicken Kabobs, Chicken Gyro, and Falafal. The food took about 40 minutes.
We got: Falafal, lamb something - not kabobs, and two chicken "specials". When we mentioned to the waitress that my son had ordered the chicken gyro she said that they didn't have any gyro so she gave him the "chicken special" instead. Except that the "chicken special" he got was also what his gf got and she had ordered kabobs - but neither of them got what they ordered - no gyro, no kabobs. No sorry, no offer to get them what they ordered. She said to eat it - it was special. And the lamb kabobs were not kabobs and appeared to have been pan seared. Um..
Since the waitress was clearly not going to get us what we ordered we decided just to eat as we had already waited 40 minutes. The food was okay, a bit bland. Nothing to write home about and not what three of us ordered.
I gave this place two stars because the food was okay. I won't be going back though. Too bad because I was looking forward to this meal.
I really don't understand the good reviews - maybe we went on a really off night? Who knows, but what restaurant serves you something other than what you ordered and then tells you to just eat it anyway?
We paid 60.00 for 3 things we did not order & one we did order, no drinks, and one appetizer. Maybe I should change this to one star.
**I love that people who reviewed this restaurant after I did have now called me a "goof ball" and claimed that I am culturally intolerant. I am a world traveler and have dined at back alley restaurants as well as michelin rated restaurants. The review by Teeny is weird.. especially since it came after mine (I edited this review after I read that one). No one that I saw in the restaurant was rude or yelling. And now yet another update after mine that claims that I am a goofball for calling the food bland. I did not get the plate that I ordered and it came bland. Noone asked me what kind of spices I wanted. And as for the servers being family - the young lady serving the tea was definately not family.
So now not only did I have a bad meal, I have had people who have rated only one restaurant call me names because of my review.
I am feeling that family love! -
Review from Amy C.
Rohnert Park, CA
2/15/2012
This place is amazing! The owner Joe is so generous with his portions and the food is fresh and very high quality. The experience there is really unique and the group I was with ordered an appetizer, and 2 entrees. We ended up having food for the next 2 days. I was shocked at the portions. The falafel is the best I have ever had! This place is a must!!
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Review from David H.
Oakland, CA
8/8/2011
We were driving back to Oakland from St. Helena on a leisurely Sunday afternoon, deciding to stop for a lunch after visiting the Seed Bank in Petaluma. Now, I've lived in Petaluma years ago, but I should have remembered that any restaurant besides Taco Bell or McDonald's is either closed between lunch and dinner service or just outright closed on a Sunday. This is a VERY annoying prospect when you are very hungry and are stuck in that two hour window when nothing [appetizing] is open.
Calling down the list of old favorites and stand-bys yielded endless ringing or recordings stating their hours. We came across Afendi's whilst frantically Yelping on our phones for something to eat and growing increasingly grouchy. So I call and get a somewhat curt fellow on the phone who informs me of the hours and confirms that they are open between lunch and dinner service. Yay!
I'm a little dejected when we get to the location. It is where Star of India used to be! That location had been a perpetual black hole for any business opening up there. Oh well, time to throw some money down there and see what happens.
It is not crowded at all. Some warning bells go off. There is one other couple in there and that's it. But we're in, we're hungry, and we're gonna do this thing.
We are greeted by our server who is super nice, but a bit quiet. We drink our tea in our tiny cups. Delicious. And fun. Tiny spoons!
We order an appetizer of Baba Ganouj that came with really good hot bread. We split an entree of the Combination Grill, which was plenty for two people -- we took home leftovers. I especially liked the gyro beef and the rice. Now, I'm not a connoisseur of Mediterranean food, but I know what I like and this was definitely up my alley.
I also have to say, it was a pretty good value. They could probably get away with giving a little less or charging a little more. Just sayin'...
If I get a hankering for Mediterranean food again and I happen to be in the north bay, I would definitely visit Afendi's again. -
Review from Brittany S.
Rohnert Park, CA
12/11/2011
To the reviewer that gave this place one star based on the waitstaff's ability to speak English - there's a McDonald's in this shopping center, maybe that's more your speed? Ok, sorry . . . moving on with this review . . .
I generally try and avoid the "authenticity" argument when it comes to non-American cuisines, because authenticity is partially subjective and taste is more important. However, I can say that the food served here is the exact same kind of Turkish food I was served in the ME - with an emphasis on freshness and quality of ingredients. Oh, and they serve you chai before your meal . . . now if they could just get permits to do a hookah bar it would feel like home!
We ordered the Eggplant yogurt salad and the Afendi Iskender, which was chunks of lamb in tomato sauce served over toasted bread with a yogurt sauce. It was all delicious, we used the bread to sop up the tomato sauce and even though there was a lot of lamb on the plate, it was so awesome we wanted more! (Maybe should have ordered two, but we split it and left full).
Its pricey, but what isn't in this area? If you don't want to spend at least $20 on lunch - well, there's always McDonalds. -
Review from Tania H.
Austin, TX
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
This was a quaint little restaurant in a strip mall next to a CVS and a Chinese restaurant. Overall I had an okay experience, the place was pretty clean and it was mainly a seat yourself environment. The service was a little slow as the owner ( I think?) was the only one taking care of all guests.
On to the food. Being middle eastern, I walked in with a lot of curiosity and tried to experience things that differed from our Lebanese dishes. In that mindset I skipped the hummus, the tabbouleh or Baba ghanouj and tried instead a. Eggplant salad. For my main course I opted for a mixed grill, trying a bit of everything. The eggplant was good, nice and flavorful, lots of chunky eggplant with red bell peppers. This was served with some warm bread that I failed miserably at trying to stay away from!!!
The mixed grill disappointed a little. The Kafta was ok. It was pretty gamy, I might have added some onions or seasoning... The shish taouk was very moist, cut in huge pieces but overall nicely seasoned. There was some sort of sliced chicken that was way overcooked, I could barely bite into it. Blah. Lastly and probably my biggest disappointment is the shawarma or beef gyro as its called around here... This came from a prepackaged and prepared box, reheated... I really look at that specific item as a gage of authenticity... This was clearly a shortcut. It's like serving you processed cheese and calling it cheese... It's not.
My mixer grill was in the bland side the sauce was very mild and missed some punch... I needed something to distract from the flat taste of grilled meat, the sides did not help. -
Review from Kate K.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2012
My family and I just had the most wonderful lunch here. It was on the late side, so there were only a handful of customers. But we loved the food (such tasty tea to start!) and the waitress couldn't have been nicer. Everything we ordered was a hit, even with the 1 and 3 year olds. The lentil soup was my favorite (though I think it was more delicate than the "hearty" adjective I think the menu used.) We will definitely be back next time we are in town!
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Review from Wulfstan C.
Santa Rosa, CA
1/12/2012
This is a good Turkish place and mixed, with good points and bad. Like Most Turkish places here, it overall can't hold a candle to the restaurants actually in Turkey, in terms of choices and quality.
The people seem very friendly.
The place itself is nice, with nice windows, but the location is a dud since it's in the Plaza shopping centre on the east side and not in or near downtown. However, it is obviously more convenient for people on the east side and makes sense since there's another Turkish place on the west side.
Bread was wonderful, as is tahin and some of the meze, rice, etc. Iskender is a dud - FAR too garlicky and the bread it's on is wrong, while they do not put clarified butter on it before serving (that is required since this dish is in the class of dishes called "Tereyagli," which means "buttery" and these dishes are supposed to be topped with clarified butter), the "spinach kopita" or whatever they call it, using a modified version of the Greek name (it is actually ispanakli borek in Turkish) is somewhat good, but too greasy and a dud compared to the real thin in Turkey. -
Review from Grace Y.
2/20/2011
I was eager to try out Afendi's when I heard that it was opened by the owners of Real Doner, but was meant to be a nice sit down restaurant. I used to eat at the curry place that previously inhabited this location, and I was pleased to see that they took the time to redecorate. It's very festive and has a great ethnic feel to it.
When you sit down and look over the menu, someone brings out a nice tiny cup of tea in a fancy glass. This includes a sugar cube and a golden spoon. It's a very sweet touch and just enough to rear your appetite.
The actual menu has a lot of variety. My bf got some beef kebabs and he thought they were okay. I went for their "special", which is the iskender kebab. I thought it was delicious, albeit expensive. It cost about twice as much as my usual go to spot for an iskender kebab, and portion wise, it was not much more. Overall, I thought it was rather pricey, and the service a bit on the slow side, so if you're in a rush, definitely not a good place to squeeze in a bite to eat. However I honestly do think it's a nice restaurant and has a friendly ambiance. -
Review from Jasmine M.
Prescott, AZ
1/5/2012
I loved the Baba Ganoush
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Review from Laurie T.
St Joseph, IL
I don't usually contradict other reviewers but I feel that in this case I have to. Some said that the restaurant was cold. When we walked in I actually felt it was too hot.
That is the only gripe I have. The Turkish Tea was delicious and served in cute tea cups with tiny spoons. When it comes to the entrees and wraps the portions are huge. There is no way I could finish all they gave me. The gyro meat is so tender. My husband suspects the dolmas were freshly made.
My brother is a big coffee fan and he ordered the Turkish coffee to go with some baklava. I hadn't planned on getting dessert, but when our server made mention of rice pudding I couldn't resist. I'm glad I listened to my gut. This was the best rice pudding I have had in a very long time. Even my husband liked it, and usually does not like rice pudding.
The best part of the entire experience was our server. I did not get her name, but I suspect she may be the owner or his spouse. She took very good care of us. Our water cups were always full. There was a slight language barrier, but we got around that with few problems. She even showed us how she makes the tea and coffee. We wanted to pack her up and take her back to Illinois with us. -
Review from Lisa P.
San Francisco, CA
12/13/2011
Complimentary tea served with a tiny gold spoon. Afrendi Iskender- the best thing I have ever tasted. I live in San Francisco. If I lived in Petaluma I would be here every day.
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Review from Ryan W.
Novato, CA
3/9/2011
The food was amazing. I can not wait to try more items on the menu. :-)
I have eaten here often to date and I am still impressed with the quality of the food and service. It is a must try reasturant.
05/12/2011 -
Review from Kim D.
Petaluma, CA
10/18/2011
Ive been there a few times and the food was very authentic and always tastes great. They serve you a small glass of red tea with hummus and the best bread you'll ever eat. If you like Greek food, most of their menu is exactly that. Both times I've been there the service was great, there's a tv playing Turkish music videos (almost like MTV and it's interesting seeing music from that country) and the food tasted so fresh that you kept wanting more! The homemade baklava is superb!
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Review from Toni M.
9/30/2010
My friend Debra and I met here for lunch. It was a little difficult to find at first because it's in a shopping center, but it's prominently placed in front beside a bank, so once I got my bearings it was easily found. Debra had worked down the street so she had less trouble. She reports the space used to house an Indian restaurant. It is square, clean and bright and relatively unadorned. The restaurant was empty when I arrived. Debra arrived shortly after I did and then a party of 6 or 8 and a couple of other, smaller parties.
We looked over the menu and decided to share a Sigara Borek and each get a lamb and beef gyro. I ordered Ayran, the salted yogurt drink and Debra had water . We both had 3 cups of the complimentary tea that was served in beautiful Turkish glasses on matching saucers w/ a tiny golden spoon and a sugar cube on the side. It was delicious and very Old World. I could imagine my grandfather drinking this tea w/ the sugar cube between his teeth. The gyros are not the size of Greek gyros. They are long and slender, almost like a dosa. The contents are wrapped in a thin flatbread. We cut them in half and then one half into smaller pieces. We each ended up taking half our gyro home, it was such a generous portion. It was very flavorful. The sigaras never made it to the table, whether by accident or by design I'm not sure. It would have been way too much food for the two of us.
Prices were reasonable, service was attentive and the food was good. Though we lingered over our food, even after they were wrapped as leftovers, we never felt pressed to leave. I'd come back, maybe even for dinner. -
Review from James C.
Outer Sunset, San Francisco, CA
10/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Sadi Arabia. Best taste of the middle east is right here in Petaluma!
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Review from Elizabeth F.
Sebastopol, CA
9/26/2011
I've eaten here about 4 or 5 times, and each time it lives up to my memories of traveling in Turkey. The food is authentic and delicious! I've tried the gyros, the falafel plate, the appetizer sampler, the moussaka, and the baklava, all of which were delicious. The menu isn't very vegetarian-friendly, but there are a few items that will do. The lady who does much of the waitressing is so nice and accommodating...twice she has offered us hummus and bread as appetizers on the house.
Be sure you're hungry when you eat here, because the portions are so generous you can easily take some home for later! -
Review from samanta v.
Healdsburg, CA
1/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wow. I have been so excited to try this place for a while, and finally got to. We tried going in a couple weeks before, but we were told when we got there, that they were closing, boo. hiss.
So we made it back early the following week, and got a table. Started with the appetizer platter. There was enough food here for 2 for a full mean. holy cats. The pepper spread (Ezme) was unbelieveable as was the turkish bread.
Then we had the Sigaras - wrapped feta cheese, in filo dough and baked. YUM. although 4 of them, seemed like a small portion. $6.95
Then we had the lamb dinner. Afendi Iskender - First off all the meat is Halal, which is awesome, and kudos for using such high quality meat. Secondly - this maybe the best dish I've ever eaten. The little chunks of bread with tomatoe sauce, and meat - topped with a yogurt sauce. My mouth was singing.
And there was so much of it for $16.95, that I had lunch for 2 days after.
Turkish wine is interesting, but don't expect a lot of complexity, The tea delish, and the fact that our server called me "miss" the entire time.. made it all worth it.
Come here. Come here often.Listed in: Ethnic - mostly Curry based
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Review from k k.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 2/22/2011
Recently got a take-out dinner order.
Generous portions!!
Delicious!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/16/2010
One of the best restaurants in Petaluma. I've never had a bad meal. Service is great and they have… Read more »
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Review from Erin T.
Sonoma, CA
1/21/2011
Food was DELICIOUS and the falafel wrap i had was big enough that i have half of it for dinner tonight. that was after complimentary bread and hummus. which was great. not too lemon-y and not too tahini-y (totally not a word)
I don' t normally drink caffeine but the tea was great. I like mine sweet so i did use the sugar cube offered. Everyone in my party was happy with their meal and the lady who waited on us was great.
totally would have passed it by if someone in my party didn't say they had great food. -
Review from Jim S.
Santa Rosa, CA
11/6/2011
!!!!GOD DAMN!!!
I HATE when this happens. When good places go bad. This place was SO good when I ate here a year or so ago. Alas, it is another place with dwindling quality. If you where lucky enough to eat here in the places "golden age", then I understand a good review. Take it from me, don;t go back, it's not the same.
I'm a sucker for consistency. I've eaten at afendi maybe three times since. This last time, the food was NOT consistent with the past two times and the service SUCKED.
As a repeat customer I must say the bread is great, the food is pretty good. Based on food alone they'd get 2.5 stars. Maybe 3.
Alas you get one star, because, the service was HORRIBLE. We where left waiting with no water or service after the food arrived, being ignored by the two wait staff, for over twenty min.
When the waitress finally came. I asked her for another cup of tea and she looks at me and shakes her head and says " no Im sorry, we don't have much tea, I can only give them tea" she looks at the table across the room from us. Walks away, gives them tea, then gives us water. My girl and I where stuck, deer in the headlights stupid look...... No....that didn't just happen.
I figure, hey. My money is like your tea, I've got it, but I'm all about conserving it now and I'm going to be giving it to some one else.
Enjoy your three dollar tip.
You're bread is good, your hummus has changed, try using olive oil like you used too.
Next time you ignore some one for twenty minutes.
Give them some #$@*ing tea. -
Review from Thaddeus T.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 10/13/2011
Afendi's has just been voted "Best Mediterranean Restaurant in Sonoma County 2011" in the Bohemian Magazine. Of course, this is not a scientific survey, but a confirmation of what Afendi's really is: a popular favorite.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/4/2011
You simply gotta try this place! No wonder it has received fantastic reviews. Afendi's is located at… Read more »
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Review from Brian L.
San Francisco, CA
11/11/2010 2 Check-ins Here
At first glance, Afendi's doesn't look like anything other than a strip mall divey food joint. But, then you try the tea. And the bread. And the kabobs. And then, what do you know, you're in love with this place.
The food was outstanding. The meat was delicious, juicy but not undercooked. The bread was ridiculously good, and the hummous savory with a olive oil-y flare.
So yeah, if you are in Petaluma, or just driving through, Afendi's is worth the stop. It's convenient and probably some of the best food and the best value you'll get anywhere in the area. -
Review from Austin W.
3/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Tried this place a few months back and didn't realize I didn't review it.
Anyways, I came here with a friend on a weekend around opening so the place was completely empty. Pretty unfamiliar with Turkish food, my friend and I asked the people who ran the restaurant what they would recommend. We ended up ordering the Spanakopita ($6.95) and a Lamb and Beef Gyro ($8.95).
The Spanakopita was really flaky and being hot out of the kitchen, it was quite good. It was lacking a bit of variety in flavor--the cheese kind of overwhelmed the other ingredients--but overall, well made. I would not recommend leaving leftovers and trying to reheat it later on as it's very messy, and it's also not as enjoyable cause the oil from the puff pastry just seeps out and makes the dish soggy.
The Lamb and Beef Gyro was DELICIOUS. The meats inside were so tender and delicious and the sauce that they had inside made it even better. For the price we paid, the size was pretty good. I would recommend this over the Spanakopita.
If you come here, you MUST ask to try the bread and the humus. The bread is so fluffy and the humus is definitely fresh made, not fridged/frozen. Free of charge, but being the first to arrive that day, I think they didn't have it prepared yet so we had to ask.
Overall, really good experience. Easy to miss since it's between a lot of other stores in a shopping center. Definitely be sure to check it out at least once though. -
Review from Alessandra N.
Greenbrae, CA
11/6/2011
It was just ok. If you like gyros they have them.
