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Baklava - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Mediterranean Restaurants Turkish Restaurants Greek Mediterranean, Turkish, Greek [Edit]
445 Emerson StPalo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 323-6543
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Classy, Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
144 reviews for Baklava
Review Highlights
-
"Gyro pita, with their tasty pita bread." In 21 reviews -
"The ground lamb used as the patties was delicious." In 6 reviews -
"The sun dried tomato dip is tasty and addicting." In 5 reviews
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144 reviews in English
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Review from Cammy C.
4/23/2012
Love the ambiance of this place! Tall comfy booths, white tablecloths, outdoor seating...fancy, but not snobby. The hummus here is probably the BEST hummus I have ever had...and the pita bread is thick and warm and fluffy! They also give you a free sun dried tomato dip that pairs well with the hummus. The entrees are a bit pricey, but the portions are very generous, even just two kabobs were quite filling. Something about their vegetables, I don't know where they grow 'em, but it's somehow much more flavorful than the onions or bell peppers I get at the market!! And the chicken on the kabob wasn't dry or bland at all. The lamb one was a bit tough, and gamey, I don't like to eat lamb for that reason...but my brother thought it was good. I ordered the salmon, and I'm always hesitant to order salmon at restaurants because I can't STAND when they overcook it (I like my salmon to be pink and moist in the middle) but it was done perfectly so that it was flaky and juicy and it paired perfectly with the veggies and lemon. It came with some risotto in the middle, but that was easily forgettable, the salmon was much better. The service was okay, they forgot to refill our waters, and there was a small piece of steel wool in my brother's food, but these things happen. I'd still come back, even if it's just for some hummus!
Also, a little sad that I didn't get to try any BAKLAVA here! Didn't even see it on the menu. It'd be cool if everyone got some free baklava at the end of their meal...just wishful thinking! -
Review from Paul I.
San Francisco, CA
5/7/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Their food seemed fine.
Their cocktail menu is best enjoyed by diners that prefer sugar over taste.
But their service is really what gives this place two stars.
My girlfriend and I got a booth and sat next to eachother (on one side of the booth) as we typically do. She has a dairy allergy so we had to go over the menu options. Our server said "only the halibut" would be okay for her, but when we inquired about 5 or 6 specific items, they all turned out to be fine for her. Not quite sure why he wanted to funnel her to a specific dish..
While eating our appetizers (octopus (a bit too thick) and meat borek (good!)), we got to being cute and started kissing and making doe eyes at eachother. During the middle of a kiss, one of the servers came over, leaned up and over our table and inquired "how is everything?". Just rude. Makes me feel like they should add a "No Shirts No Shoes No Kissing No Service" sign outside if they are that averse to public affection.
Lastly, when we were served our entree, it was was placed on the table a little beyond the appetizer plates as were weren't done yet. A minute later, I rearrange plates and I reached to bring the entree plate closer and it burned my thumb. Next time this server returns, we mention the plate burned me and he quickly retorts "I told you it was hot!" Whether he did (no memory of it) or not, that sort of reaction is unwarranted; he should be apologetic and concerned for his diners.
(The three incidents above were three separate servers; I guess they kind of share each table with their own personal version of grumpy service. Also FWIW, we had no coupon.) -
Review from Paola O.
Fremont, CA
5/6/2012 1 photo
To be honest, the food was average, I was expecting more quality and traditional Turkish food. The portions are small and a bit pricey for the food u get.
The pita bread and hummus I think was the best I had.
It s a crowded place so u should make a reservation or U might wait a bit for a table. -
Review from Melanie B.
Santa Clara, CA
3/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
I got a Groupon deal here. I came after work with my coworker. The food was ok and without the Groupon this place would have been a little on the pricy side.
The service was fast and friendly. I'm not sure if I would come back here again without a deal since I know other yummy Mediterranean eateries. -
Review from Eating and living well U.
Mountain View, CA
3/12/2012
This is a nice place with beautiful art on the walls, nice intimate dark setting, and great bread + dip. On this evening we were here we were served with bread and a sun dried tomato like dip. It was very good. The bread was also warm when served.
The waitress was friendly and told us their specials. I ordered their salmon which was cooked to be very tender and flaky with some nice grilled veggies and some delicious risotto (It was loaded with butter which made it that good). I enjoyed my meal and my date ordered the three kebabs: chicken, beef, and lamb. Very well done. Unfortunately my date ordered medium for the meat, the lamb was over done. I usually like my meat medium rare which would had made the meat less chewy. Which is why there is minus one star. His rice was yummy as well and probably had some butter in there also. All in all, I enjoyed the setting and what made the deal sweeter was we had a google deal...two meals for $15 + Tip...and we weren't forced to give 18% gratuity but gladly did. YUM! -
Review from j. k.
Palo Alto, CA
3/8/2012
2nd time at Baklava on 3/7/2012. Had a $50 certificate that expires in April, so had to come back even though we weren't quite impressed the first time we were there.
The ambience is quite nice and cozy. Maximum occupancy is 67 (~15 tables?), so it's not a huge place. The lighting could be a slightly brighter -- it took me a while to be able to read the menu. Host and the waiters are nice (one of them wears a lot of cologne).
Last time, we ordered the mezze sampler for two. I really liked the falafe, which had a little kick to it. The rest were edible, but nothing special. For entrée, I had the Iskender (which is no longer offered on the menu) consisting of shaved grilled lamb basted with tomato sauce over mound of pita bread slathered with melted sheep butter and a big scoop of thick yogurt on top. I liked the first bite, but after that it was way too heavy and sweet, I ate a few more bites and got it to go (and never finished eating it).
This time, we ordered falafel (yummy like I remembered) and octobut (with hesitation, since it's difficult to get octopus right; the 5 tentacles and piece of its head crying lying atop a bed of onions, all chewy) for mezze. Then, I wanted something relatively light for the entrée, so I ordered salmon with Mediterranean risotto, which is like salmon kebob with pieces of grilled tomato, lemon, onion in four corners of the plate and a heap of cheesy risotto in the middle with chunks of garden vegetables. This was actually quite tasty and not overwhelming compared to last time. Very big portions, especially after we inhaled a big basket of made to order fluffy pita bread. Bf had the lamb moussaka and seemed to enjoy it. Total bill for 2 beers, 2 mezze, 2 entrées plus tax & tip = $83.
They have Lagunita IPA on tap. :-)
I think they took Iskender off the menu because people around here are more likely to be afraid of heart attacks than anywhere else in the US! There's a lot of competition in downtown Palo Alto for Mediterranean restaurants, so it's probably really hard to keep the business alive and thriving. The staff are great and some of the food really do taste good, but they should have more consistency throughout the menu. Can I just eat the pita bread as the main course? -
Review from Katharine A.
San Jose, CA
2/18/2012 1 Check-in Here
We came here on a busy Friday night. The place was full of people and energy.
The staff and service were fantastic. We ate at the bar and the bartender was awesome. Really friendly and fun to chat with. He made us some interesting drinks and made our meal memorable.
The food was ok. We had the appetizer platter and the kibbeh to start. Kibbeh may be one of my favorite appetizers, but here it wasn't very good. It was too battered on the outside and the unique texture and flavors didn't come through. Th appetizer platter was good, but expensive for what it was ($20 for two). Some of the items that were supposed to be hot were lukewarm. Entrees (kabob and moussaka) were decent but nothing to write home about. -
Review from Itzik A.
Palo Alto, CA
3/24/2012
Excelent place with excellent food.
As with all restaurants, you may not like EVERY plate, but the menu is good and the gfood excellent -
Review from Jackie S.
2/25/2012 3 photos
My first and last time eating at this restaurant.
I was excited to try this place since I had a $50 Bloomspot coupon. I made a reservation on http://Opentable.com, and arrived to a full restaurant. The restaurant lighting was extremely dark, and the tables were close together. Not good for those with claustrophobia.
Overall, the food is average and extremely pricey for the small portions. We had the meze platter for two, which came with 2 falafel balls, 2 vegetarian dolmas, 2 phyllo dough stuffed with cheese, tzatziki, hummus, and babaganoush. This platter was $20, and not worth the price. The falafel balls were pretty good - crunch on the outside and moist on the inside. The babaganoush had a lot of garlic. The other items did not stand out. I also ordered an appetizer of the patlican dolmas, which was a thin piece of eggplant and stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, and served in a tomato sauce.
My hubby had the prizola which was 4 pieces of grilled lamb chops with roasted potatoes and veggies. He liked the flavor of the lamb chops. This dish was $28.
I really liked the complimentary bread with the dipping oil.
The bad news on why I will never go back again:
1) The restaurant lost my credit card two minutes after giving it to the waiter. The waiter asked if the credit card was in my purse.
2) The waiter didn't look at the coupon I gave him and gave me $40 off for a Groupon discount. I had to correct him several times that I had a $50 Bloomspot coupon.
3) The restaurant was supposed to call me the next morning so I could pick up my lost credit card. I ended up calling around 5pm the next day to see the status and they could not find it.
4) The restaurant called me three days after I dined at the restaurant saying that I could pick up my credit card. Well, by that time, I cancelled my card.
Really bad customer service.Listed in: F.A.L.A.F.E.L.S
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Review from Bill M.
Estero, FL
4/29/2012
This place could use a complete remake. Came on 4-20-12 as a group and received the worst service for the poor food we have had in years. There is just too many better places to spend your food dollars in this area then at this ungrateful restaurant. Here are the actual details. No single course was served as a whole, 30 minutes between 1st person to last. Drink orders were incorrect. Servers avoided the tables to serve other patrons. Dinner was poorly cooked and not served to all patrons. Over 3hours is terrible!
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Review from mirium f.
San Jose, CA
2/29/2012 Seated via OpenTable
I came here with my girl friends for a birthday dinner, which went amazing! The service was good and the food and drinks were great. After having a good experience, I decided to make reservations for Valentines day which was only a couple days away.
Valentines day, I bring my boyfriend here and i'm super excited to show him how amazing this place is. As soon as we sit, I see they have a "Special" Valentines day dinner menu. It came with appetizer, entree, dessert and a glass of wine. Everything was amazing, although the entree had literally 6 CUBES of kabob. Which is ridiculous because when I came the week before, 6 cubes were a one person portion but for valentines day, it was for two. We each had 3 small cubes of kabob. It all came out to be like over a hundred dollars for two. If the portions were larger, it would have been somewhat worth it. We still had a great time, it was a nice romantic setting but I hope they don't rip customers off next year..... -
Review from Saran R.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2012
Baklava was my 4th Turkish meal of this week. The tomato dip and warm bread are always irresistible (plus it's free!).
My friend and I shared a lamb moussaka and lamb kabob. Lamb moussaka was slightly disappointing. I found the bechamel sauce too solid where it's supposed to melt with the potatoes and eggplants. Lamb kabob served with grilled vegetables and rice is tasty.
It's a nice and less busy restaurant near University Ave. Great ambiance and service. I'd come back here again. -
Review from Max Z.
Mountain View, CA
4/14/2012 Seated via OpenTable
We love the place! The interior is beautiful (the lighting might have been a little brighter though), the service is great but the best of all is food - everything we had so far (Beyti Kebab, braised lamb shank and lamb moussaka) was simply delicious. Especially with a glass of their house red wine.
Have been here a couple of times already and will definitely come back. -
Review from Jordan J.
San Jose, CA
1/28/2012
great - just great in all way.
Why not five stars - it is not perfect yet.. :) -
Review from Perry M.
12/22/2011
This was a great dining experience.
-Better service than I did at Le Bec Fin in Philly (which is pretty good service!)
-Wait staff helped navigate the menu to perfect choices
-Drinks and water glasses never less than half-full
-Food: yum
-Personal thanks from owner for coming in
I usually stay in the city when I come to the area and drive to Palo Alto when business allows. I think I'll stay in PA next time so I can be walking distance from this place.
Will def be back. -
Review from Stephanie J.
Fremont, CA
12/4/2011
I love Mediterranean/Turkish/Greek food, therefore I was really looking forward to try this place out.
Came here for a relaxing saturday lunch. Surprising, we were the first customer at 11ish.
We were greeted immediately and seated.
The water, the pita bread, dipping oil with sun dried tomatoes and menu were brought to us immediately.
Nice~
So far so good.
I had got a livingsocial deal and we have 40 dollars to spend, so we had plenty of choices to choose from. So here is what we ordered:
Fresh squeeze Lemonade: They forgot about my lemonade, I had to remind them to bring it to me and it was A-OK! Sweet but not refreshing.
Lamb Pizza appetizer: Thinly crusted and bit soggy. In the middle of the pizza was bedded with lemon drizzled spinach salad. The salad was really healthy because it was coated with only lemon juice. It was mind blowing.
Took them awhile to get the entree out.
We had:
Lamb burger: Maybe it's their way of keeping the food healthy. I dunno, but the burger was plain. I strongly feel like it's needed some sort of sauce to bring out the favor.
Lamb Kabob: Probably my favor dish. The lamb was well season. My only problem is that. They did ask me how I like my meat done and I had said medium rare, but by the time I got my meat, it was well done. Yeah. That is a big no-no. Why bother asking if you are not going to make it right?
As for dessert:
We got baklava to go. It's was perfect bit size treat. That was pretty good.
Overall, the final conclusion comes down their pita bread and dipping oil. That was actually the best thing we ate out of all the food we ordered. -
Review from Teresa P.
Is there such a thing as drunk Yelping?
Yes. Yes there is.. and apparently I'm not very good at it. I wanted to review Baklava as soon as I reached my computer after visiting the restaurant, but I just did not have the faculties to do it. Mainly because I shared a pitcher of their namesake Raspberry Punch with a work colleague - and it was so good! The refreshing cocktail with fresh raspberries and sugar mixed with prosecco and vodka came in a pretty carafe, veritably packed a punch and indubitably kicked our butts. Granted, we only had this coupled with the sampler (which was delicious, btw - but I'll get to that in a bit), so there was not much to soak it up. In any case, any chance of being productive for the rest of the afternoon was shot, but it made for a very good team bonding session at lunch!
As for the food:
The pita bread served to us as soon as we were seated was delicious. It was warm and toasty and came with a delightful dipping oil with sun dried tomatoes. The mezes sampler included:
- Boregi (Deep-fried phylo dough stuffed with feta and potatoes. Need I say more!?)
- Taziki
- Hummus
- Baba Ghanoush
- Falafel
- Dolma
Everything was very good but the Boregi and the Falafel were the definite highlights of the plate. This was a good choice to rope in my interest to try the other stuff they have on the menu for the next visit.
There was very nice seating by the sunny window, outdoor seating as well. The wait staff was friendly and checked in adequately without hovering. They poured ice water out of clay pots which I think was a nice touch. Would definitely go back. -
Review from Amanda B.
San Jose, CA
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Going to Baklava in Palo Alto, I expected more that what I received. The place had a nice ambiance, but the service was extremely slow. It seemed like they were understaffed with one server waiting almost all of the tables.
As for the food, we ordered the lamb shank special and sea bass special and shared. We were told that they were the top picks. Although, the lamb shank was soft and tender, it was missing flavor. Also the fish was very dry.
The only items that I cared for were the pita bread and the baklava and ice cream (but you can get that anywhere).
Overall, a an OK experience; it could have been better. A bit pricey for the quality of food. -
Review from Sonal P.
Brisbane, CA
3/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
Went here a few weeks ago and sat at the bar since there was a wait for a table. Restaurant is cute and cozy and the service was good. Between the three of us we ordered the Beyti Kebab, Baklava Shish Kebab, and Lamb Shish Kebab. Overall, the dishes were just okay. Not bad, but not great. The meats tended to be a bit chewy. The rice and veggies that come with each entree are delicious. We also ordered the baklava for dessert...I wasn't a fan. Not sure I would come back here anytime soon.
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Review from Desene l.
Palo Alto, CA
2/2/2012
Pita bread is sooooo good. I probably could have eaten just that for my entire meal.
We ordered the mixed kabob and the Alexander. Mixed kabob was excellent, meat was cooked perfectly. The Alexander had veal that was over done but the lamb and yogurt sauce easily made up for it.
Service was on the slow side but nothing too unusual. The waiters were very attentive and the atmosphere is perfect. -
Review from reyz a.
11/25/2011
Decided to try Baklava after we got tired of waiting at E across the street.
Easy...no waiting at all for a Friday night in Palo Alto.
A nice salad, I had a lamb moussaka. I thought this was not too bad. They did forget to give me Feta cheese with my salad. Ahem, this is a Greek place, right?
One of us tried the Sea Bass. Uh mm, she didn't seem like it that much. Another friend tried the pizza-style salad, ditto, no big fireworks. Oh well.
I think this is a good place for the dollar value and for the get-seated-quick value; but I'm afraid if you stray a little bit beyond the standard Greek dishes, the level is not quite there. Then again I'm not in Athens, Santorini nor am I back on Mykanos. However, there's a huge competition for Greek or Med food in PA.... The Baklava was good and the service was good. -
Review from Cheri D.
Mountain View, CA
11/1/2011 Seated via OpenTable
Came here for dinner on a Friday night around 5:30pm and the place had plenty of room available until around 6:15 when the tables filled up. Generous free pita bread with delicious sun-dried tomato dipping oil. I ordered the King Salmon (cooked perfectly) with great tomato sauce on top and my friend ordered the Chicken kabob, which was also good.
I thought the baklava for dessert was actually quite decent and they added a scoop of pistachio gelato to the 2 pieces we ordered for us to share. Nice, elegant spot for dinner. Would highly recommend for a casual date. -
Review from Aylin D.
San Jose, CA
1/16/2012
I had a nice dinner at Baklava, felt like going back to Turkey without enduring the long flight and airports:). The service was quick and friendly. The ambiance was inviting. I ate Iskender (Alexander) for entree and Kunefe for desert, which were all amazing. Ezme was good, too but it may not be for everyone as it was really hot (as in made out of pepper paste).
You may want to try Raki on the ice especially if you would have meze. But if you are a cocktail kind of person, you may still enjoy Raki in Turkish Silk, which is a cocktail with Raki and peach Schnapps (That was the first time I drank Raki in a cocktail form and I liked it).
I'll definitely go again and try the other items on the menu. -
Review from Gabe W.
Berkeley, CA
3/3/2012
WARNING: MAKE A RESERVATION AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
I was sorely disappointed by the events that took place tonight. I had purchased a Bloomspot coupon for $50 value, and gave it to friends to enjoy a special date night. They made a reservation as required by Bloomspot for 6pm tonight, and it should be noted that the gentleman who took their reservation spoke with a very thick foreign accent and English clearly was not his first language. Upon my friends' arrival tonight, they were told there was no reserved table for them, and their only choice was to sit at the bar. No further accommodations were made for them (i.e. free drinks, appetizers) much to their surprise.
I spoke with the manager tonight and requested a credit of the Bloomspot coupon value of $50, due to the lost reservation and my friends were stuck sitting at the bar, despite traveling from the East Bay specifically for this dinner. The manager told me that the reserved table (presumably the same table that my friends had reserved but were denied) did not up being used at all since that party never showed up...when I checked the name for that reserved table, it was totally different from my friends' name! Long story short, the manager repeatedly told me "Just come back with your friends, I'll take care of you" and when I finally asked for specifics, he said that he could only offer free appetizers and a 25% discount. NOT GOOD ENOUGH in my opinion! This is very shabby customer service and I will NOT be returning there, and will advise my friends to do the very same! -
Review from Jimbo S.
Mountain View, CA
3/21/2012
I had the shish kebab combo and I felt that the meats were "just okay" and under seasoned. The chicken had little flavor. My date had the salmon and that was delicious. It was a good value since we had a groupon-like deal and there was plenty of food, enough for leftovers to be a complete meal for the both of us the next day.
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Review from Jennifer S.
Redwood City, CA
11/18/2011 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
This was a really tough rating/review for me to come up with because the people and the service here was absolutely stellar. The staff was really friendly and we had 2-3 people at our table either busing or taking our order. They were fantastic.
Cons:
1. The food however was not-so good. I ordered the Salmon and it came w/ grilled veggies on top of a sauce which ended up being some type of ketchup. The veggies were bland with no taste or flavor and the salmon wasn't much better. I really was not happy with the food..for $20 on an entree, I'd expect much more. All they really needed was to add some salt..just a smiggin' of salt and it would have been much better.
2. There was lipstick on my glass. I didn't notice because it was so dimly lit for dinner that I didn't see it until I was on my second glass of water. wahwah..fail whale.
Best part of the meal:
The pita bread and the sun-dried tomatoes was awesome. You can get full just off the bread alone..mmm, bread. -
Review from Julia D.
Palo Alto, CA
3/10/2012
Love this place. Delicious kabobs (especially the Beyti kabob), scrumptious rice pilaf and the pita bread/ sundried tomato dip is always fabulous. The service is fast and friendly. A very fun, refreshing atmosphere. Great for lunch and dinner.
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Review from Norman S.
10/28/2011
Turkish/Mediterranean food seems to be popping up all over the place in downtown PA.
I decided to try Baklava after getting a $25 for $50 worth of food Bloomspot coupon. And good reviews on Yelp helped make the decision easier too.
We were there on a Thursday night and it wasn't crowded with several empty tables. The service was prompt initially and we were seated quickly. Since we had $50 worth of food to order, we went to town. We had the babaghanoush of course, house salad, lamb shank and sea bass were the specials for the night.
Like one other Yelper mentioned, the appetizers were good but not memorable. Lamb shank would've been better if it were cooked some more to make it more tender. I'm no expert on Turkish food but the flavors were more muted than other Turkish places I tried, e.g. Dish Dash. My fish was nicely cooked but was a bit salty.
Last came dessert and we had the phylo pastry with cheese in it at the waiter's recommendation. This kind of a cheese pie. Nice combination of sweetness and salty.
Have to note that they seemed a bit understaffed even though it wasn't packed. Took a while for them to clear our plates before ordering dessert.
This is place is good but for the $, there're many other options out there. -
Review from Matt Z.
San Carlos, CA
3/15/2012
Lamb burger...
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Review from Becca L.
Mountain View, CA
11/29/2011
Disappointing food and service, nice location and ambiance
Walking in with my Living Social coupon in hand, I had high hopes for dinner. The owner scored a great location, found a nice balance for the decor and lighting, and set up a great menu which includes many of my favorite dishes. Since I had a discount, we decided to try a bunch of things.
Pita they brought to the table - the highlight of the meal. So warm, soft, and pillowy. Maybe the best pita ever.
Octopus appetizer - very strange way of serving octopus. There were two whole octopus legs (sans suction cups) and a hunk of what have been body meat, covered in too much dried oregano, sitting on a bed of sliced green onion with a lemon wedge. I thought the flavor of the octopus would have been pretty good (if not for the oregano), and it wasn't too chewy. However, the way it was plated neither eased sharing nor enticed the eye. Wouldn't order again--would rather eat octopus elsewhere. Portion wasn't very big, but at least it wasn't too expensive.
Fried cheese appetizer - block of fried cheese, sprinkled with oregano, with two lemon wedges. Hard to dislike fried cheese. Would have preferred less dried oregano. Oddly reminded us of the flavor of movie butter popcorn, so for that reason I prefer this dish more at other restaurants.
Iskender - totally disappointing. This dish is supposed to be a bed of pita with pieces of lamb, covered in tomato sauce served with yogurt sauce. Yogurt sauce was alright, lamb was tender enough, and the pita was already totally mushy by the time it made it to the table. But the real problem was the tomato "sauce." This seemed like canned tomato paste that had been thinned down, no modification. It made the whole dish taste like it came out of a can. Tomato paste is not tomato sauce.
Sea bass special - Ok, but tiny for the price. Thin tiny little fish, huge gross head. Would not buy again, unless the price dropped by at least half... but even still, just edible, not worth coming back for.
Baklava - Worst baklava I've ever had. The best thing I can say about it is that it was not burned. If it had been good, it would have been a good value--$2 for a single piece, plated with a scoop of ice cream and a strawberry. However, the baklava was so old, it chewed like gum. No crunch. Didn't taste like honey, no moisture, bland flavor. The strawberry was ok, but the ice cream had a mouthwash aftertaste and the whole plate was covered in a huge amount of cinnamon.
Service - Polite but bad. The waiter didn't come to tell us the specials. The bus boy refused to tell us the specials because the waiter was supposed to. But he did not send the waiter to tell us. Please keep in mind the restaurant is mostly empty. The waiter comes, does not tell us the specials. (The menu says there are specials, hence the interest.) After we ask, he tells us, but not the prices. We figure the fish special will be on the upper end of the menu entrees, maybe $19-$22. When the bill came, we saw that it was $25. It took us a long time to get to that point, though. Our finished dinner dishes sat forever before anyone came to clear them or ask if we wanted dessert. After we ordered dessert, we watched the waiter go hang out at the bar for a while before taking our order to the kitchen. The employees seem nice but in need of training.
Between the service and the tomato paste entree, I would give this place one star. But the pita, location, and ambiance bring it up to two. -
Review from Ziyan C.
Really awesome service, nice spot, and the food is solid/good. Glad I went, but probably won't be going again as it is pretty pricey.
MUST-HAVE: the free pita bread!
* Service - 5 stars
It wasn't too busy and as expected, our server gave us plenty of attention. He was very pleasant and had a pretty sexy European accent. When I voiced concern about the sides that come with the lamb chops, he offered immediately to replace any of the sides with anything and I got a salad instead of the grilled veggies. We had a slight miscommunication about which one (I was pointing to one and reading its ingredients but said the wrong salad name), and I when I asked why my salad didn't have feta as I thought, he brought a side of feta right away.
* Free pita bread - 5 stars
(with olive oil & sundried tomatoes)
BEST PART OF MEAL. Fluffy, slight crisp, warm and soft, and the dip was absolutely amazing!
* Patlican Dolma - 3.5 stars
(Grilled eggplant rolled with goat cheese, fresh tomato and basil, served in a spicy tomato sauce $9)
Nice tangy sauce with strong tomato flavor.
* Yogurtlu Kebab - 3.5 stars
Marinated ground lean lamb flame-broiled to perfection, served atop taziki yogurt sauce with tomato
* Lamb chops - 3.5 stars
Though a little small, these were cooked to perfection (I'm a medium-rare gal). As always with this dish at any restaurant, the sides are a little bland. Though the mashed potatoes had good texture and were decent. A little pricey at $29.. wish we had known as this was a special and we didnt know what we were paying until we got the check. -
Review from Jennifer H.
San Jose, CA
4/21/2012
I've been here 3 times and every time was great...service is great and friendly. Everything I've had here has been fabulous! I'm a big fan of the dolma
-
Review from Bahar R.
Palo Alto, CA
10/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food = Tasty & Fresh
Ambiance = Cute & well decorated
Service = Attentive
Price = Too expensive! I would come back here if it weren't for the price -
Review from Tommy Bruin F.
Redwood City, CA
12/7/2011
My husband and I have been going here for quite some time. But in our most recent experience, we noticed several things changed (perhaps due to a change in Management):
- portions were significantly smaller
- no more tabouli on the menu...umm...that's like a staple item for a med restaurant...that's not okay
- lamb pizza had a sparce quantity of lamb
- the first time the bread came out, it was cold (aka from someone else's table who just left)
The service was still wonderful and the ambience was cozy, but I think it's gonna be a while before we come back again. -
Review from Andrey G.
San Jose, CA
8/16/2011
I had the sampler appetizer and the Iskander (Alexander). The sampler was decent, but pretty typical: hummus, babaganoush, dolma with pita bread. Nothing to write home about. The Iksander was also mediocre, it was too salty and the pita bread was kind of soggy.
Service was mediocre, they took a long time to bring out more bread. We asked for it during appetizers but it actually only came out when we were almost done with the entrees.
Overall you should just go to Dishdash in Sunnyvale instead. -
Review from Su R.
San Bruno, CA
8/13/2011 3 photos
We went here to redeem a Living Social coupon we bought recently. The ambience inside is lovely. We went on a Saturday for lunch and it was nearly empty. We found the service a little slow, for an already slow day.
We ordered the prawn starters to begin with. The prawns seemed overcooked, tough and not as succulent as they should be. Even the quantities were a little low, just 3 pcs. But the sauce was delicious. For entrees, we ordered the special of the day which was a delicious grilled salmon with spinach salad and a vegetable kebab with a rice pilaf. The vegetable kebab looked less like an entree and more like a starter and we felt the pilaf was undercooked, which we told the waiter about. However, the falafels and the grilled veggies were delicious and perfect. On the recommendation of our waiter we ordered the Kunefe which was delicious and the Baklava, also delicious. They even brought us Turkish tea on the house along with the check.
The flavors are authentic and the service warm, if a bit slow. We want to go back there for dinner because the dinner menu has a lot more variety. I would definitely recommend this place for a good Turkish meal. -
Review from Jermaine R.
San Francisco, CA
7/11/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This is my favorite mediterranean restaurant in downtown Palo Alto, even though Evvia is right across the street. Baklava is more casual, easier to get a table, and cheaper. There are other mediterranean cafes on University where you can get a quick $8 wrap, but I prefer this place as the defacto destination. You can get a satisfying meal for about $15-25.
The complementary pita bread is fresh, delicious, and fluffier than most other restaurants; it's served with a nice tomato, olive oil sauce. I found myself a couple of times eating too much before my meal arrived. Pair it with their fresh hummus for the perfect appetizer. I've been here a number of times for lunch and so far I've tried:
- Gyro pita, with their tasty pita bread.
- Mediterranean burger, ground lamb, olives, feta cheese, with pita bread.
- Iskander, sliced lamb and beef with tomato sauce, yogurt, and yes... pita!
- Adana kabobs, spicy ground beef with a ton of flavor.
- Moussaka special with lamb and eggplant.
- Baklava, delicious and flaky dessert
- Turkish coffee, strong stuff
The service has always been friendly and accommodating. It's not too busy for lunch, but I've never actually tried it for dinner. Definitely worth a try if you like mediterranean food. -
Review from Jenny K.
Fremont, CA
10/2/2011
This was my first time trying Turkish food, but the dish I had (Yogurtlu Kebab) was veryyyyyyyyyyy good. The dish my friend had, was a little less good. I wouldn't order what she did (Kuzu (Lamb) Kebab). My boyfriend had the Beyti Kebab, which was very good... made even better by the fluffy/airy yogurt-garlic "sauce" that was in the middle. It was labeled as "sauce" on the menu, but it looked more like a dollop of it. Maybe it was whipped... and that's why it has such an airy/fluffy texture.
The dolmas were bland, but maybe that's the Turkish style. I haven't had warm dolmas before coming here. The temperature didn't wasn't bad, but... I just expected a lot more flavor.
It is a bit pricey. Between my boyfriend and I (with one order of beer), it came out to be about $50. Too much for me to go back on a regular basis. I can probably find a recipe on Epicurious and make it for cheaper at home! -
Review from Eric A.
8/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
What: Iskender (Alexander): Thin slices of lamb and beef, topped with a tomato sauce, yogurt, drizzled with a touch of melted butter and served
on a bed of pita bread.
When: Dinner
Food: 4 stars
Service: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: 3 stars
Notable item: Service was nice, but slow. I came here during happy hour hoping there would be one, but it's straight shot dinner. I would have given this place 4 stars, but after I broke it down, the Iskender which was amazing couldn't outshine the rest of the 3's and 2's -
Review from JJ L.
Palo Alto, CA
8/25/2011
Not impressed with the chicken kebab. Prices are ok not great. Hummus, again, ok not great.
If you are in the mood for this place, then I know what your palette is telling your brain and in that case, just go to Evvia or Oren's nearby.
