Hunkar Restaurant — Restaurant in Carlstadt

Türkiye is a country of two continents, European and Asian, and that is why the food of this country contains the peculiarities of both continents. Turkish cuisine is a unique combination of flavors, spices, and herbs developed over thousands of years, influenced by the Central Asian nomads and Arabic, Persian, Italian, French, and Eastern European cultures.

While New York has some great Turkish food if one knows where to look, most of it leaves some room for improvement. Could Jersey be better?

The town of Carlstadt has mainly residential private homes, with a spattering of condos and garden apartments. The main shopping area is all of about three blocks long on both sides of the street. Translated from the Turkish language, meaning sultan, we have come to this family-owned/family-run establishment located on Hackensack Street since 2006 for Saturday dinner. The reservation was easily made by Google Assistant.

Upon entering this hidden gem called Hünkar Restaurant as first-timers, my partner, our friends, and I were greeted by the staff inside a cozy room, where ethnic pictures and decorations as well as the music all add to the vibe. A great view of the NYC skyline is visible from their enclosed back patio.

Their menu features Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine with a modern twist and serves alcohol.

As an appetizer, we decided on the Kibbeh (Icli Kofte), Calamari (Kalamar), and Cigarette Borek (Sigara Boregi). For our main meal, we opted for Chicken Saute (Taouk Sote), Shrimp Kebab, Lamb Shish Kebab (Kuzu Sis Kebab), and Chicken Shish Kebab (Tavuk Kebab). All Kebab meal accompanied by rice, char-grilled tomatoes, peppers, and a small salad. Warm, fluffy pida bread with a crisp crust started our meal.

Every dish bursts with authentic flavor and is beautifully presented, from the fact that Turkish families from all over the area eat here. The staff is warm, welcoming, and very professional; our server was Akincan “John,” the owners’ son. The price was comparable to the area with the right portion.

We can...

My family and I planned a birthday dinner in their private balcony overlooking the Manhattan skyline. They have a beautiful and cozy patio room with windows on 3 sides and heating which was perfect for our February event. We spoke to the manager Sercan and he worked with us into putting together a menu that worked with our budget. Once agreed, I had a few questions and requests about decorations and table arrangements. He was always available via text and phone calls. Always answered in a timely manner and has had an amazing attitude despite our many requests the 2 weeks leading to the event. This is a family run restaurant and they truly make you feel like family. The day of the dinner we needed to set up 2 hours beforehand and we were greeted and given freedom to decorate portions of the room as we pleased. We were careful to remove and store away anything that was in the way and set up the tables as needed. Sercan also has an ipad connected to the room speakers so we didn't have to bring our own speaker to the party. The staff is lovely, sweet and attentive. I appreciate the balance between our privacy for the party and the service not feeling intrusive. They never interrupted us with any questions during our party but were always available when we needed them, despite a very busy Saturday night. They were very accommodating and understanding and made us feel as much at ease as possible. We chose this place for our event because of their amazing food, but I will definitely be back because of the service and ease of communication and understanding throughout this whole process. Everyone at the party was super impressed and assured us that they will be back for any future events as well.

P.S. this is a BYOB restaurant which makes it super convenient to bring the wine and...

My friend and I came here for iftar dinner at 7:15. We sat down and orders our main course because since it’s iftar it will take long. We got our appetizer. And they missed our soups. The waiter didn’t say anything about our soups. But we still didn’t complain. After waiting 50 minutes and telling the waiter 3 times that our food still didn’t arrive. They gave us an excuse saying it was busy. Which I understand but if a table that just came in got their food first it’s unacceptable. I would avoid coming if you want to wait 2 hours for food.

To the owners response:

Since I can't respond to your comment I am going to edit it this posting. We came there at 7:13 to be exact since I am "over-exaggerating" . Check your time stamps of when the food was placed and when we got the food. Also forgetting what we ordered as well. This is the first time I have heard a restaurant saying call before hand to place your food reservations??? That is hilarious. I've worked at a hand full of restaurant's as well and I wouldn't be writing this review if the service and food was good. YOU SHOULD KNOW AS A BUSINESS OWNER on a certain holidays to high more staff. Also for another reason not 1 single waiter talked to us or checked up on the table. They just came and took the food. That's now how you run a business or hire staff. I came here because of my friends recommending this place. That's how you attract new customers after this experience I WILL NOT BE COMING HERE AND NOT RECOMMENDING THIS PLACE. Waiting for your...