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Turkish Cuisine
Category: Restaurants Turkish Turkish [Edit]
5605 N Clark St(between Bryn Mawr Ave & Olive Ave)
Chicago, IL 60660
Neighborhoods: Andersonville, Edgewater
(773) 878-8930
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 12 am
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
104 reviews for Turkish Cuisine
Review Highlights
"Everything was deliscious, BYOB, quiet."
(in 42 reviews)
"They also had a belly dancer and some live music."
(in 16 reviews)
"First of all, it's BYO with no corkage fee."
(in 9 reviews)
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104 reviews in English
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Review from Megan G.
1/8/2012
I've lived in Ravenswood since 2004 and this is only the second time I've been here. I came once for an event years ago and returned this weekend for a bookclub meeting. I'm kicking myself for letting so much time elapse between visits - this place really is a hidden gem!
So it was my turn to select a location for our bookclub. This is always a little tricky - we have 8 women so we need to be able to make reservations, it has to be quiet enough to allow for conversation, near public transportation, have options for vegetarians, and be reasonably priced. I turned to http://opentable.com for suggestions and found Turkish Cuisine. It seemed to fit all the criteria and I vaguely remembered that I'd liked it when I visited years ago, so it won out.
When I got to Turkish Cuisine my heart sank and I feared I'd made a mistake. I stood unacknowledged in the entryway for a few minutes and when I poked my head in the dining room I saw a number of children running around. It turns out there was a wedding reception on the other side of the dining room and they weren't watching the kids well (we later looked on in horror as a little girl played with and then licked the cake cutting knife as the adults chatted away).
Fortunately it was all uphill from there. We were eventually seated and they had our reservation (though we wouldn't have needed it necessarily - even with the reception there were a lot of open tables). As has been noted in many reviews Turkish Cuisine is BYOB with no corkage fee and were were quickly given wine glasses and a cork screw. We spent a lot of time chatting before putting in our orders and never felt rushed. We opted for the hummus to start, which was amazing - garlicky but still light (and the bread they serve it with is outstanding - I wanted to shove all the leftovers in my purse). I ordered the Hunkar Begendi for my main (basically a beef stew over babaganoush). I had no idea what to expect, but it was delicious (though there was a ton of babaganoush and it was a little light on the beef stew). The other book clubbers all really loved their food, too and there were lots of options for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. To cap off the meal at 9 pm the bellydancer came out for about at 20 minute set (With lasers. It was pretty incredible.)
The only thing keeping Turkish Cuisine from 5 stars is some slight quirkiness (the decor reminds me of my grandparents' basement, service isn't the friendliest, and there were tweezers(???) on our table when we sat down). But overall the food, awesome value, and general fun atmosphere make up for any shortcomings. -
Review from Nataliya A.
Wheeling, IL
1/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Call me crazy but I am really don't like what this place has become... in 2005 it may have been a popping place...Now its just a (insert profanity) hole in the wall...its just not good.
The entertainment is pretty much nonexistent... The food is edible but not good.. The bathrooms are very filthy.. The only thing it has going is that it's byob with no cork fee.
I hope to find no reason or birthday to ever come back here. -
Review from Robert K.
Chicago, IL
12/4/2011
We tried this Andersonville Turkish restaurant for the first time tonight. We have a new favorite for Middle Eastern/Kebabs!
The food is outstanding. It's far better than the better-know Middle Eastern places like Reza's on Clark. First comes hot fresh baked bread. Try hard not to fill up! The hummus was creamy and homemade, the sheperd's salad awesome witha slice of lemon, and the yogurt lamb kebab, served with pide croutons, was juicy and flavorful. Good strong tea. The ambiance is not the best. Decor is a bit dated, and the place is kind of large and empty. Don't let that put you off of the place -- it did for us for a year, and we're so sorry we didn't try it until just now. Loved it. -
Review from Charlie B.
Chicago, IL
9/2/2011
I have only done delivery and takeout, but I need to find a reason to bring a big group here. I live right by there, but seem to just get delivery. But it was some amazing delivery. Huge fresh portions of yummy food that lasted us 3 meals.
I would urge folks to pick this place over the more popular Reza's any day! -
Review from Terrence C.
Chicago, IL
9/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
I hope this place makes it through this recession, it was dead as a doornail on a friday evening.
The decor could use some updating, but with a good crowd, and some live music/belly dancing I can imagine Turkish Cuisine coming to life.
Waitstaff was friendly, and polite, but a little bit soft spoken. I can't imagine communicating over music, or even the rumble of a full house.
Stayed safe with the ordering. Hummus. Good! but I've never had bad hummus from a restaurant.
Combination platter was all it should be. Everything was cooked perfectly. delicious rice. yada yada.
At the end of the day, turkish cuisine did not leave a lasting impression. I would return since I live in the area though. This place just needs a bit of updating to compete with the trendy Andersonville restaurants in my opinion. -
Review from Jodie S.
Chicago, IL
5/18/2011
Mmmm authentic Turkish cuisine. Had I ever visited Turkey, I imagine this is what the cuisine would taste like. Since I have not yet had the pleasure, I had to go off of the word of my fellow patrons. Close to very close.
Regardless...this place was TASTY. We were pleasantly greeted by a woman (who appeared to be the owner) and she took our order and gave recommendations since our waitress was off doing god knows what. Unfortunately, the aforementioned waitress eventually took over...very strange and not friendly. No harm done though. Sooo...I'm not sure what I have even mentioned her. Just forget it.
Anyway, we ordered an assortment of food (I highly recommend the appetizer sampler...mmm yogurt sauce), all of which was delicious. It was not a light meal, I'll tell you that much.
Then there was the belly dancer....oh what fun. A large (Turkish?) family party (who appeared to be related to the owner?) got really into it and several members got up and danced with the belly dancer. I wasn't drunk enough. Regardless, 'twas great fun. There was a random strobe light portion of the belly dancer's evening....ummm? Totally unexpected. It got WILD (Sense the hint of sarcasm). I could have done without the blinding lights, but it didn't last throughout the meal so I was okay.
Andersonville is a little bit of a trek for me but it was totally worth it and I'd do it again...and again.
Ok this may or may not have been a very good review...but it's what I got. I sure hope it doesn't land me on the "d bag yelpers" page...which, by the way jeff, I cannot seem to find. -
Review from David R.
4/17/2011
Authentic? I have no idea.
Delicious? Absolutely.
I tried only four items from the extensive (and photo-illustrated) menu, but everything was very, very good. There were hard decisions to be made, as I was tempted by compelling favorites (kebabs and the like) as well as items unique to Turkish cuisine.
We started the meal with lentil soup and babaghanoush. The latter was fairly standard but very satisfying, especially paired with the wonderful airy bread served at the top of the meal. The lentil soup was more complex than common versions found elsewhere, to my great enjoyment. For uniqueness, I would recommend this lentil soup above all others; in overall quality it competes admirably with its neighbor a half-mile south, Taste of Lebanon (in my opinion the best lentil soup in the city).
For an entree I chose the tokat kebab, partly because it was listed as a traditional Anatolian (central Turkish) dish cooked in a special clay oven. What came out was a little plainer than I had hoped--really just like a regular kebab--but damn did I savor every bite. The excellent lamb was the tenderest I've ever had.
I also nibbled a few bites of the turlu, essentially a vegetarian stew chock-full of all kinds of vegetable goodness. Honestly, even with all the great meat dishes on the menu, this is something that I would consider ordering next time, especially in a "Lord have mercy, it's literally freezing outside in mid-April, so give me something to unchill my bones" kind of a mood.
The place is cozy enough, even in the spacious second dining room, thanks to some (assumedly) Turkish aesthetic touches. The place sure got boisterous between 7 and 8 on a Saturday night. Service is a crapshoot, depending on which waitress you get. But don't go for the service or for peace and quiet--as with any good ethnic restaurant, go for the unique traditional food. -
Review from Alice Y.
Chicago, IL
6/10/2011
I love living so close to this delicious Turkish restaurant. I dined-in in the fall using a http://Restaurant.com certificate and the food was amazing. The appetizers came in huge portions, with a smooth and perfectly garlicky hummus and a pureed eggplant dish that was not as lemony as most babaganouj (which I like). And of course there was fresh baked pita bread - nice and thick and warm.
I can't remember exactly what the name of my entree was, but it was a lamb shank dish, and it was good. I love seeing lamb on the menu, especially at Mediterranean places.
I've since been back a few times just to order the hummus for takeout, it's that good. Makes for a couple of satisfying small meals. I keep telling all my friends they need to try this place. You too! -
Review from Kristin S.
Western Springs, IL
10/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
We went with another couple friends of ours. We shared an eggplant appetizer, which was delicious, served with bread. The hummus was outstanding, some of the best I have ever had!!! I had the Doner kabab which I thought was tender and loved the spices. My husband had a yogurt lamb dish, which he did not like at all. He thought it lacked flavor and was dried out. My friend had lamb chops, which she loved, juicy and cooked perfectly.
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Review from Kristi D.
Chicago, IL
11/27/2011
I've eaten at a lot of Turkish restaurants, in Chicago and elsewhere, and Turkish Cuisine is consistently my favorite. They always bring out the complimentary bread which is delicious and homemade, I have to be careful not to fill up on it! I had the iskender kebab, grilled lamb basted with hot tomato sauce over pieces of pita bread soaking up the delicious yogurt sauce. We also ordered a pide, a Turkish form of pizza, with pastrami. Turkish Cuisine is BYOB and on Friday and Saturday nights there is a belly dancing show
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Review from Amanda Z.
11/3/2010
Loooooved it.
Turkish Cuisine was the site of my semi-surprise birthday bash this year. Granted, I KNEW the existence of a party. The location, however, was a surprise. Having the most fabulous friends in the land, I knew that I would love it. Duh. I was completely right.
We had a party of close to twenty-five people, so my party planners extraordinare had arranged for us to dine family style. That plus BYOB means a ton of food plus a ton of wine at a pretty reasonable price.
We enjoyed a huge smattering of appetizers including outstanding hummus and baba ghanoush, plates of feta cheese, zucchini pancakes, something called Sigara Boregi which really were like taquitos with just cheese (oh, and did I mention they were amazing?), falafel and some stuffed mushrooms. That was just to start!
The next bit they technically call it Peynirli Pide...me? I call it a baked cheese pie. And it was heavenly. I love cheese. I love pie. I love things baked in an oven. This was all of the above. A serious "Amanda" entree, if you will. I now dream of cheesy pies.
The meat came last. They brought several plates of the combination platter of meat. Doner kabobs, chicken kabobs, lamb kabobs...oh my indeed. Meat-licious. Despite being quite full from all the starting courses, I ate plenty of meat that night (that's what she said.)
More highlights:
--The talking bird. Upon entering, I saw a parrot in a cage with two young boys chatting at it. I asked them, "What does the bird say?" They looked at me and laughed and said, "We don't know, it only talks in Bulgarian."
--Belly Dancing. I may or may not have danced. If I did, it was coerced by copious amounts of prosecco.
--BYOB
It was a marvelous dinner. Delicious food, great friends and a Bulgarian parrot named Oswaldo. (That's not really his name. But it would be awesome if it was!)Listed in: B.Y.O. Pleeeease?!, I geek for the Greek...or…
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Review from Angie M.
10/12/2010
Have I mentioned my love for all things Middle Eastern? Not sure if Turkish food really falls into that category, but they do have hummus, babaganoush and falafel, so I'm going to go ahead and throw Turkish Cuisine in the general "Middle Eastern" category.
I ventured to The Great North (aka Andersonville) for a very dear friend's 30th birthday extravaganza. Let's put it this way: When Colleen C. is involved in planning the menu and location, you go. Homegirl knows good food and I always trust her judgment. Not that I would have skipped this friend's party, but you know... it's an extra vote of confidence, so Northbound I traveled, dreaming of falafel, hummus and what was sure to be tasty grilled meats the whole way.
Turkish Cuisine doesn't look like much from the outside. It's really just a boring storefront on Clark & Bryn Mawr. Actually, the interior isn't anything fancy, either. If you're looking for a Kleiner-esque venue, you'll have to keep looking. However, I'm a gal that's comfortable in pretty much any environment and honestly, it's not tragic inside. It's more like a homey little dive. I can get on board.
Due to the size of our group (about 25 people), we went with a pre-fixe menu for $30/person. Splitting a bill is never fun in a big group, so it's nice that Turkish Cuisine gives a pre-fixe menu option to make things easier on their clients. Probably on themselves, too.
The food was really delicious. Truly. And there was LOTS of it. Cold appetizers, hot appetizers, a meat entrée AND dessert. Sweet Mother of God. So.Much.Food.
The standouts for sure in the cold appetizer category were the silky smooth hummus and the Feta cheese platter. They marinate their Feta up in here and its top notch. The hot appetizers were my favorite course. Included were Sigara boregi (little blintzes filled with cheese), stuffed mushrooms with cheese, my beloved falafel, zucchini pancakes and something called karadenis pide, which is bread stuffed with cheese. It's off the hook. I could have eaten the whole loaf, but I didn't. Restraint, ya'll. By the time the mixed grill entrée platter rolled around that included lamb, chicken AND beef, I was so full from overindulging in the apps that I could barely muscle down a few bites of chicken. Or the dessert platter of baklava and some kind of custard. Whew. Talk about food overload!
While the food is incredibly tasty, there is absolutely no sense of urgency, so expect service to take a loooooong time. If Turkish Cuisine is your destination spot for the evening, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you're rushing to catch a movie, you might want to seek another restaurant. And guess what entertains you during the lulls in service? Belly dancing!!!!! Really, who doesn't love belly dancing. C'mon now.
All in all a great way to spend a Saturday night. Thumbs up! And did I mention BYOB? Swoon!Listed in: BYOB Love, The Most Beautiful Girl in the…
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Review from Jennie T.
1/30/2011
I've never had Turkish food before I came here, so use that as your point of reference. Nevertheless, I thought the food was delicious, coupled with a belly dancer that would entice customers to dance with her, my evening dinner was a blast.
We were a party of 18, so we ordered a lot of food. I wish I had the opportunity to sample everything, but alas, not everyone shared. Here's what I did try:
Cevizli Patlican - Fried eggplant stuffed with special walnut, pomegranate paste... Possibly one of the best appetizers. This is a cold dish, and the walnuts inside the eggplant tasted almost like meat. I almost thought they gave us ground pork instead!
Coban Salatasi - Finely diced tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion and parsley tossed in extra virgin olive oil vinegar... Very good salad. I have a soft spot for tomatoes and cucumbers, so I will love most salads with tomatoes and cucumbers. No, wait, I guess the olive oil vinegar makes a big difference too. :) This dish seem very Italian to me... Italian influence? Or were the Italians influenced by the Turks?
Cuisine`s Combo Platter - Mixed grill consisting of half portions of chicken kebab, doner kebab, adana kebab and sis kebab... This is basically a dish with almost every kind of meat imaginable! Lamb, chicken, and beef (I don't think there was pork, but I could be wrong). I loved the rice, mixed with the fatty oil from the meat... I liked every meat option except for the lamb. They cut it up as if it was prepared for gyros, and that wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I guess I was expecting something like lamb chops? I don't know. I think the cut and texture threw me off a little bit.
Has Has Kebap - Char-grilled skewered ground meat on a bed of special spicy tomato sauce... We had the skewered ground meat in the above combo platter too, except it wasn't dipped in spicy tomato sauce. Actually, I didn't even know it was supposed to be spicy... At least the portion I got wasn't spicy. Maybe they thought we couldn't handle the spice?? Even without the spice, this dish was delicious. Remember, I love tomatoes... And it tasted nothing at all like an Italian meatball. This is way better!
Lahmacun - Turkish style pizza with ground meat, green and red bell peppers, onions and tomatoes served with sliced lemon, lettuce, onions and tomatoes. This is a delicious pizza. It's a flat, thin-crust pizza with all the ingredients grounded up and mixed within the sauce. It was very good.
Whole Sea Bass (Grilled) with green salad - This was delicious, if only a little unflavorful. It might have needed a little bit of salt, and there were no salt shakers on the table, or if there was one, I didn't see it.
Kalamar (Calamari) -- this was delicious, but there's really only so much you can say about fried calamari.
I also ordered a cup of Turkish tea for myself. I'm a big tea drinker. I used to drink Chinese tea with my dad all the time. We'd drink Tin Guan Yin, jasmine tea, red date tea, white flower tea, etc... Then I tried British and American tea, and I did not like it. I'm so glad that I like Turkish tea! It was flavorful in a good way (none of that weird citrus-y flavor) and strong.
Between 18 of us, we each paid around $20-26 dollars, including gratuity. Not bad! -
Review from Edward W.
1/23/2011
This is the best Turkish in Chicago! As long as you know it's a BYOB you'll be ok. Make a stop and any of the near by liquor stores and bring it in for an incredible meal. Overflowing plates of authentic incredible food. Ingen is the owner and we've honestly never even looked at the menu. We tell him how hungry we are and he sets us up.
Great entertainment on the weekends. -
Review from Michael F.
Chicago, IL
12/15/2010
With such a generic name one would think that they were entering one of those Middle Eastern fast food joints. Nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, the ambiance is great and having recently taken a trip to Istanbul, the place had great Turkish vibe. The music they played was upbeat but it wasn't eardrum shattering. Belly dancers danced for a few songs and I saw a few of the customers dancing along with them. Our waitress (I forgot her name) was attentive and considering she was working by herself, amazing. The best part of this place is of course the food. My wife had the Etili Bamya which is eggplant & tomato with garlic sauce. While I had the better dish, the Hunkar Begendi which is beef, smoked eggplant surrounded by a bechamel & cashar cheese. There were probably another 10 items I could have tried and I look forwarded to trying them all in the near future.
*No corkage fee here, another plus. -
Review from Richard H.
Chicago, IL
4/7/2011
Tasty food that you'll surely love. Rubbish decor that you'll surely ridicule.
The menu may seem a bit overwhelming. I'd recommend the turkish pizza and anything with yogurt or lamb (which is like half the menu). Skip the calamari and the zucchini fritters -- they were unimpressive. -
Review from Christine F.
Chicago, IL
3/14/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I can't believe we haven't been here sooner.
We went here Saturday night with some friends. I didn't have terribly high expectations, but I was very pleasantly surprised at the end of the night.
We started off with 3 apps: Hummus, Cheese fried in rolls of dough and zucchini pancakes with a yogurt sauce.
First off, the "cheese cigars" were delicious. Salty, cheese, crispy - oh man. The hummus was a great rendition on an old favorite and the zucchini cakes were the surprise star of the show. They were crispy and hot, but the yogurt had a wonderful, cooling flavor. It was wonderful.
My main course was grilled vegetables on a bed of hummus. Eggplant, squash, peppers, onions, mushrooms...it was very good. It didn't blow me away like the apps did, though. The apps truly stole the show.
We would totally go back here and try more things. It was really delicious. BYOB, too! Yayyyyy cheap booze! -
Review from Jacob D.
Chicago, IL
10/18/2010
Awesome Turkish Cuisine
Three of varied ethnicities and we all loved the food. The starter was eggplant dishes, all of them were delicious. The combo had various types of kebobs, rice and vegetables, the adnan kebab always delicious. The service was excellent, the place is huge, the food is delicious, the ambiance is Turkish..what more could you ask for? Plenty of street parking. I would love to go back real soon. I am yearning Turkish food. -
Review from S G.
Lees Summit, MO
3/27/2011
We went to this restaurant when we visited Chicago. I had read Yelp before and had already been there many years ago & liked it.
The food was absolutely great! I am from Turkey and it definitely was great.
The waitress (as with some of the other reviews) was less than cordial. Very matter of fact and a bit slow.
The bathroom backed up in the ladies' room. :(
I also had bought two http://restaurant.com gift certificates- one for me and one for a friend. According to the instructions that "printed" (it was not on the page when I purchased but on the paper that printed) only one gift certificate per table! So, I gave mine away to strangers.
I guess I'd go back when I am in Chicago again but hopefully get a different waitress and an updated bathroom. -
Review from Komal H.
Albertson, NY
9/3/2011
The food was absolutely DELISH!
The ambience, eh. I think they can improve on the lighting. -
Review from steph f.
Chicago, IL
12/10/2010
We just honeymooned in Istanbul and have been on the hunt for authentic Ottoman cuisine. This place hit bullseye.
Delicious bread was the perfect pair for the Soslu Patlican (eggplant & tomato/garlic sauce) appetizer. The Etli Bamya (eggplant & okra in tomato sauce with lamb) was good, but the Hunkar Begendi (sauteed chunks of beef over smoked eggplant puree w/ bechamel & cashar cheese) was BANANAS. B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Yeah, I said it.
Delish Turkish coffee and a flexible belly dancer rounded out a sweet evening. BTW, it's BYOB too! -
Review from Julia F.
Chicago, IL
11/29/2010
I recently spent three weeks traveling around Turkey, marveling at the incredible food -- everything from traditional Ottoman dishes to plentiful street food to fresh cheeses and baked goods. Turkish now ranks among my favorite cuisines because this satisfying food has it all: freshness, flavor, and variety.
The kavun peynir, a popular appetizer usually consumed with raki the national aniseed-flavored liquor, offers a huge piece of fresh feta cheese and sliced melon. Split the dish among several people or you'll end up full before your main course. The kalamar, or fried calamari, was fairly standard. But rather than a typical side of tomato-based dipping sauce, the dish was served with a nice tartar sauce with garlic, cucumbers, and dill.
Manti, a doughy pasta similar to ravioli, is one of my favorite Turkish dishes. This comfort food features ground lamb dumpling immersed in a thick buttery yogurt sauce with garlic and red pepper. Another favorite, kubasi pide was a delicious oven-baked, stuffed bread with beef, onions, and tomatoes.
The two-room restaurant is large, making it ideal for big groups, and since it's just north of the Andersonville hub, it's never hard to land a table. For the city dwellers who rarely venture north of Belmont, this place is worth a trip.
Tesekkur ederim, Turkish Cuisine, for a great meal. -
Review from Karyn R.
Chicago, IL
8/24/2011
After a trip to Istanbul I had to introduce my husband and friend to some great Turkish food. We went on a Friday night at around 7:30 and it was super quiet when we first got there. Large groups started coming in at around 8, so I would recommend going a little later in the evening for a better atmosphere. There was also a belly dancer that came out at around 9 which would have been fun if it had been more crowded and a little later. This would be a great place for a large group since the restaurant is so large.
All that aside, the food and service was amazing! It is BYOB and they took our beer and brought it back in a big bucket with ice for us. The service was enough to feel paid attention to but not overwhelming at all.
Now for the best part - the food. We started with some of their amazing bread and ordered the small appetizer sampler. The hummus and yogurt dip were so delicious as was the roasted veggie dip. For entrees I had the baby lamb shank that was moist and flavorful and a great portion. My hubby had the meat plate which was a little dry but really flavorful and our friend had the lamb chops which were delicious. For dessert instead of making us pick, she brought out a plate with both featured desserts. Both were really good but if you have to pick, go with the custard. It was amazing. We will definitely be going back for more! -
Review from Renato P.
Grayslake, IL
4/21/2011
Turkish cuisine, the actual cuisine, up until my visit here had eluded me. Turkey, like so many a cultures foods had been ignored completely and, perhaps unfairly, had been lumped in with the generic term "Middle Eastern food" by me. My journey to Turkish Cuisine may have remedied that a bit. To start, the decor of this place isn't anything fancy. It definitely had the feel like it was decorated by a Middle Eastern grandmother (nothing wrong with that mind you). There is a certain warmth and non pretentious atmosphere here, relaxing any potential nerves one might have trying a new exotic cuisine.
The menu was the largest I've seen of any Middle Eastern restaurant I've visited. I was pleasantly surprised to see a decent amount of seafood dishes on the menu. I was here for a birthday party, which offered the opportunity to try a a nice cross section of what this place had to offer.
To start, instead of pita bread, they offered am more traditional looking bread, for lack of a better description it was reminiscent of a much moister ciabatta bread, very yummy. The combination cold appetizer plate had much more good than bad on it, with the hummus and the babaganoush were my favorites on it. The calamari was a surprise to see and very good, and was paired perfectly when dipped in the garlic yogurt from the Cold app platter. The pan fried liver was the surprise of the night for me. I would never categorize myself as any kind of a fan of cooked liver but I loved it. It
was without a doubt the best hot liver I've ever tried.
The main course offered was a variety of the grilled meats, all of which were tasty. The sliced lamb was especially good, me being a long time lamb guy. The beef kabob was among the best I've had. The chicken kabob, while pretty standard, was still done very well and very good.
I suppose what this rambling review says, to sum up, is that I highly recommend this place. I would readily return here and in fact look forward to the next time. All things said, the belly dancer that was preforming wasn't as entertaining as I would have hoped, but who gives a rats patootie about that? -
Review from Kevin G.
Chicago, IL
8/1/2011
Turkish Cuisine is authentic and delicious, and I've been to Turkey. Have been there numerous times in the last year and every time the food has been great. Occasionally the service can be a bit.....lax. But the food more than makes up for it. BYOB sure doesn't hurt either.
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Review from Jessica C.
Chicago, IL
2/21/2009 ROTD 8/21/2009
So six Jews walk into a Turkish restaurant and are seated in the middle of an Indian wedding. That's awesome!
Upon walking into Turkish Cuisine and Bakery, we noticed that the hostess realized that there wasn't quite enough room in the front room to seat a party of six, so the next move was to throw us in the back room among 50-60 celebratory guests out for a dinner...er...a wedding. I was hesitant to follow her, but she wasn't slowing down, so to hell with it...we joined the party. This was the first Bollywood spinning DJ that I had ever experienced and the dancing and belly dancer was great. After a while, we figured out who the lucky couple was and I may have caught a few stink-eyes from the bride, but then again maybe she was just drunk.
So lets talk about the food. Best Turkish pita EVER!!! Really, I'm not sure how I even ate my dinner after shoveling in more pita and babganoush than was probably humanly possible. I had a dish off the traditional menu, which was the lamb rice stuffed cabbage, zucchinni and pepper. The flavors were light but impactive...absolutley delicious. I tasted the chicken kabobs, lamb kabobs, a turkish sort of stew and a lamb pie of sorts. Everything knocked my socks off. Really great flavors across the board.
The staff was attentive and made us feel comfortable, considering that we were just forced to crash a wedding. I would say the whole experience was fabulous and the food was excellent. I'll be back again and again, I'm sure. I still just feel a little bad that we had nothing to give the bride and groom aside from our good words and best wishes. -
Review from Colleen C.
Brooklyn, NY
Updated - 1/1/2009
Again...Turkish comes to my rescue.
So, sometimes...I just wander around the city. It's fairly rare that I am unscheduled and have no place to be. But, when I do...I randomly putz around. After an exciting, thrilling and wallet-sapping trip to Target, I was in need of some comfort food...hot, filling...but not overly grotesque, as my body is angry from the holiday overeating extravaganza.
So, lentil soup and falafel is the mission. mmmmm. Taste of Lebanon is closed (New Year's Day)...so I drive north and find a parking spot right out front. I enter the door with my gnome hat in tact, and ask for a table for one...I am accommodated graciously. No "Are you serious!?" looks. Good, sometimes I revel in dining alone, with myself and my thoughts...and after 30 days of non-stop socializing, it was damn right imperative!
Ok, so I order my lentil soup, Turkish tea and falafel (a large portion tipped with hummus). MMMMMM. My stress and holiday angst (not much, but still) begin to fade and melt away. The server (the owner, I think) is fantastic. Friendly, quick, sweet....
$10, full belly on something other than cookies and crap. Thank you Turkish...
Recommended for large groups...they could easily accommodate parties upwards of 50-75 people. I think it would be a prime destination for a group gathering, and its BYOB!Listed in: Falafel in Chicago..., Bakery Makery., Yea-ndersonville!, Turkish Delights!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/15/2008
The right place at the right time.
I happen to like the guys at Jiffy Lube (… Read more »
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Review from Dan D.
Chicago, IL
8/22/2009 ROTD 11/12/2009
Drum roll please.... My new 5-star restaurant review in Chicago!!!!!!
After seeing Turkish Cuisine on Yelp's homepage for being amazing, I went to try it out that very night. And WOW, this place is amazing. There is no need to make reservations - tons of seating for plenty of tables (just call ahead if you are a BIG group). And its BYOB with no corkage fee. See, this place is an example many Chicago places can learn from in the future.
After being seated in our choice of tables, we ordered using both pictures and yummy descriptions on the menu. The Shepard's Salad was really really really delish. Imagine chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, cilantro, onions, and a light veggie sauce - well, it was worth it and was HUGE (and that was just the "small" size for about $6.50). Following, we had the fried zucchini "pancakes" appetizer. Once again, great. For entrees, I highly rec the Yogurtlu Tavuk Sis Kebap - Chicken kebab drizzled with yogurt sauce over a bed of tasty croutons ~$13. Perfectly cooked.
Plus, they have bellydancers on some nights who come dancing throughout the whole restaurant and loves to interact with the patrons. So much fun.
I loved this place and will be highly recommending many friends to try this exotic cuisine and still save a bundle of cash in their pocket.
(Çok) teekkür ederim! (Thank You in turkish)
Rica ederim! (You're welcome) -
Review from NurSezen R.
Columbia, MO
6/14/2011
I was born and raised in Turkey so I know how authentic Turkish food is supposed to taste like. And Turkish Cuisine had the best Turkish food I have had in the U.S. I took my mom, brother and boyfriend to this restaurant and we all LOVED everything we have ordered. Iskender, beyti and the lahmacuns were extremely delicious. I was very impressed by how good their food was. If I lived in Chicago I would visit this place at least once a week!!
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Review from Jennie C.
Austin, TX
9/25/2008 1 photo
I have to say that the staff here is exceptionally patient. I came here for a bachelorette party that was supposed to start at 8:00. I got there at 7:50 to change into my bachelorette get up (lengha, choli, and Wrap in bright aqua with gold beading). Since the back can be a little difficult to button, the waitress helped me button it up.
I must have gone in and out of the restaurant 15 times getting my clothes together, my iphone plug, my camera, two bottles of wine, changing my shoes, and the like. I think any less patient waitress would have been angry with me. It did strike me as odd though that the place was pretty empty. There were maybe 8 other people in the restaurant over the span of 3.5 hours that I was there.
8:00 rolls by. 8:20. 8:40. I wait, and I wait, and I wait. No bride and no gaggle of girls. 9:00. The waitress asks if I want to open a bottle of wine. Sure, I said. One other bridesmaid shows up. We wait. We drink. We order some appetizers. 9:15 rolls by. 9:30. The waitress tells us that the kitchen is about to close. We wonder where the heck the bride and other bridesmaids have run off.
Finally, the rest of the crew show up at 9:45. The waitress is so nice that she takes pictures for us before urging us to order fast before the kitchen shuts down. We order a bunch of appetizers along with several meals for people to split.
The cold and hot appetizers are pretty good. 2 months later, thinking about them makes me hungry. "Delicious!" I gotta say. The bread is also fantastic. It was piping hot when it came out. And good bye Adkins diets. This bread is worth every carb. As Bethany L. writes" crispy crust and so soft in the middle." I second that comment.
I ordered one of the combination grilled meat plates along with 2 other girls. It was tasty, but it was simply grilled meat on a plate of rice. It was very expensive for what you got. Meat and rice. $18. Wow.
Once we were finished eating, the waitress even stayed behind so that we could belly dance before hitting the streets for a drink. She actually waited for us to finished and closed up shop behind us.
Overall, it was a positive experience. The waitress was very polite and patient. It was BYOB. Texas wine was a nice accompaniment to the meal. And there were no additional bottle service fees. The service here was just stellar. I cannot think of any other restaurant that would have been so accommodating to our bachelorette party. Nice. Very nice. -
Review from Christopher G.
Chicago, IL
11/1/2011 Seated via OpenTable
Four of us had dinner here. For me, it was the worst food in a restaurant ever. My companions didn't enjoy their food either. Not sure what else to say, other than, dine at your own risk. I will say the belly dancer was the high point.
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Review from Dan C.
Chicago, IL
10/2/2008
This place is great.
I have been to Turkey and Turkish Cuisine is great.
The people that work there are mostly from Turkey.
Inexpensive.
High Value
Never a wait for a seat.
Completely underrated.
Their desserts could use a magical touch though.Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Nick M.
4/1/2008
Edit - I threw a b-day party for my girlfriend and 20 closests friends. Everything was absolutly perfect. About 90% were first timers, who said that they would be coming back again and again. The owner never told us to quite down or anything. All of the food was great and I got so much credit for picking such a cool place. I even danced with the belly dancer a little. What I couldn't believe is that they remembered me from a b-day party for one of my best friends, which it was the very first time I was there. Also from below, no corage fee. Love this place!!!
I have been here a couple of times now and have always found the food to be cheap, plentiful, and really tasty. First time was with a large group of friends and the service was really good. It is BYOB, I don't remember if they charge a corking fee but maybe that's because I had too much vino..ha! The interior and exterior is much to be desired but don't let that scare you cause the food is so worth it. I know somebody already mentioned the bread but seriously it's GOOD. I recommend the hummus, mushrooms, and the spicy vegetable dip!!
Also on the weekends they have live entertainment, music and belly-dancers. The place gets packed so make sure you get a seat in the back for the show.Listed in: Andersonville
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Review from Kate S.
Chicago, IL
11/3/2006
My family is Greek. I grew up with Greek food. And when I announced that I was going to Turkey this past summer, I thought my nona would faint. "WHY?" she begged, doubtless wondering where she went wrong. It would have killed her to know the truth.
I went to Turkey for the food.
Everybody in Chicago's been to Greektown. You've had souvlaki, spanikopita, baklava (which isn't Greek), and lamb. And you've liked it. Maybe you've tried Lebanese and like that, too. But Turkish food beats it all.
And if you want Turkish food in Chicago, you can't beat Turkish Cuisine. The love affair starts with the hot Turkish bread, olive oil, and a generous sprinkling of what I think is sumac (a tart red powdered berry). After that, I love the lamahcun (Turkish pizza) and the pide, but the manti (Turkish ravioli) are to die for. I tried manti all over Turkey and couldn't find anything better!
Okay, and the atmosphere is great (very much downscale but pretty, with lots of ethnic touches, rough spun tablecloths, brass, and the like. The party room is always overflowing with Turkish groups, which is kinda fun. And I guess they have belly dancing certain nights, too, but I've never cared for belly dancing. You can go for those things if you want, but really you should go for the food.
Cok tesekkur ederim Turkish Cuisine!Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Andre W.
9/14/2009
I thought it would be a great idea to return to Edgewater/A'ville after a mimosa bash at Broadway Cellars. A certain friend of mine has been giving me crap for not coming to a particular event a couple of months ago, because I chose to watch Entourage instead.
Drove up and got a meter right in front of the window and decided to get the window seat when we walked in. We were the only people there at first as others came in afterward. The waitress was pretty quiet but nice. I ordered the Adana Kebab , which is char-grilled hand chopped beef and lamb, seasoned with red bell pepper. It was pretty good! My girl ordered Karniyarik which is tender minced beef and lamb, layered between slices of eggplant & topped with a bechamel sauce, finished with cashar cheese, oven baked and served with rice. Her dish was a little better than mine, so I ate what she could not finish.
The place itself was pretty cozy and had a turkish feel to it (not that I have been to Turkey) I like it and plan to return to try more of the goodies!Listed in: Top Dining Spots
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Review from chris g.
7/4/2010
Another bday boy celebration for a friend of mine on a gorgeous Chicago summer day led us to this gem. Bday boy recommended it and I actually envisioned the other turkish spot up on Clark at Ashland (name escapes me).
Once we arrived, I realized that I've stood in front of this place (22 Clark bus stop) or to and from Cheetah Gym long time ago. We walked in to a very warm red dining area and great Turkish music playing lowly in the background, which set a relaxing and affirming mood. Since it's BYOB, we picked out an '06 Greg Norman Shiraz and were ready to chow down.
I must admit that I was quite skeptical of what the food would taste like based on Turkish Cuisine's website pictures. However, when the bread came and we took a few bites, I realized that I'd rarely if ever had complimentary bread served that was this wonderful! Soft inside, golden buttery crust outside was great for dipping in the homemade hummus. Bday boy'd been here before with mutual friends and we ordered the Mücver also. The patties are seasoned and blackened, topped with some sort of yogurt sauce. It is quite possibly the best thing since sunrise!
He ordered a chicken yogurt dish, pieces cubed along with croutons and a yogurt sauce on top and I ordered the cornish hen which tasted rotisseried in garlic and was downright succulent.
The belly dancing began around 9pm and we worked off some of our meal with the dancer. It was only proper to end the night with some tasty baklava and turkish coffee. This is the least sweet baklava I've had and that made for the best pairing with the smooth and strong turkish coffee.
We ended up spending about $60 with tip but even doubled, the food and experience is worth more. Have to go back! -
Review from Jeff A.
10/24/2009
Run don't walk!
I mean it, get here quick!
Get here before the health department does, because they will shut this baby down like the ghostbusters!
You know what they say; if you see one there are one thousand when it comes to roaches... and yes we definitely saw one, probably would have not noticed it running by if a lady leaving from a couple tables down had not warned us that they just saw roaches on the wall...
Guess what the 4 stars is not a joke... I still had an amazing time and thought the food was phenomenal!
All I could think was wow how authentic is this, belly dancers, drunkin middle aged men dancing with them, even the roaches were doing the belly shuffle, until the neighboring table stepped on one, I advised them not to! everyone knows roaches carry their eggs on their bellies...apparently not the dude who stomped on one... oops... (I am the dork who watches the discovery channel what can i say...)
Wow how Chicago has changed me, historically an obvious roach infestation would keep me away, somehow I said f@ck it! Lets eat lets dance lets find happiness in the little lost corners of the north side...kinda like a happy roach!
There were 4 of us we split the Kalamar and it was some of the best calamari I have ever passed over my taste receptors.. of-course this place of wonder and mystery is a BYOB and I would highly suggest BYOBing if you want to laugh in the face of the critters.... we had a couple of good bottles of wine including a Pino Noir that will be on my Q for future purchases... I split half and half the lamb chops; four thinly sliced but wonderfully flavored moments of meat! A simple yet refined flavor to the rice and even the greens that accompanied the chops... Also had one of their baked chessy meaty amazing executions kinda like an oversized calzone but not as heavy and way better in my opinion!
My other two friends had a traditional kabob preparation and a lamb almost like gyro meat plate.... The kabobs stole the show cooked perfectly and with never ending flavor and tenderness! The "gyro meat" was just that as my buddy Dan B said, put this in a pita and sell it for 6 bucks its a gyro deconstructed... I have had deconstructed gyro at GE and this is not that, no matter what this was, it was my least favorite of the 4 dishes and appetizer but it was still good!
We wallowed in the baklava and custard with turkish coffee it was very good on all 3 counts but not the best on any...
I thought about 3 stars for the roach problem, but I laughed so hard and had so much fun with the belly dancing and drunken dancing and loud and entertaining neighbors that I need to give it 4 stars... I would be willing to wait a year while they burn that building down rebuild it and de-roach it, thats most likely not going to happen... If you go be sure to go when there is live belly dancing it was good stuff!Listed in: Edgewater & Andersonville must…
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Review from Beth D.
Chicago, IL
2/5/2010
I want to like this place more, and will return, but my experience has been inconsistent over the times I've visited thus far.
Big ups:
First time - the hummus!
First time - the falafel - super fresh and perky
The bread - always
The menu having photos of some of the dishes that may be unfamiliar
The portions - whoa
The healthiness of many menu items
Not so hot:
Falafel plate appetizer - the patties were having a sad day (looked like Jimmy Dean's sausage discs)
The service could be more attentive -
Review from Andy M.
7/13/2009
The food here is fabulous. The only reason that it doesn't get five stars is that the service is pretty slow.
My Lamb-Kabob was cooked perfectly. It was juicy and spiced up beautifully. We shared a bunch of different appetizers, including Falafal, and this great mushroom dish. I really do hate mushrooms, but they stuffed them with cheese and other goodies that made them too good to resist.
The night was wonderful. Great food, great wine and the wonderful company of my Yelp friends.
Four star restaurant, but a five star night. -
Review from Ellie L.
Chicago, IL
9/25/2009
I don't know where to start with my love and adoration.
It is with the name Turkish Cuisine which it delivers with no pretense and authenticity? Is it with the Variety of dishes?
Is it because it is BYOB?
Is it in the fair prices whereas two people can leave here paying $30 including tip and tax?
Is it with the perfect bread?
If you are looking for authentic, affordable, complex and varied Turkish food come here
right now.
Highly recommended.
