Depot 62 Café Restaurant — Restaurant in Manchester

Depot 62 Café – A Hidden Turkish Gem with Big Flavor and Even Bigger Heart

After a fantastic round of golf with my eight buddies, we went to dine at Depot 62 Café in Manchester, VT — and what an unforgettable surprise it turned out to be. Tucked inside a chic modern furniture and rug store, Depot 62 is unlike any restaurant I’ve ever visited. It blends the warmth of a rustic Anatolian café with the charm of a curated home décor gallery. Picture Turkish kilim rugs, handcrafted wood furniture, glowing pendant lights, and shelves lined with ceramics and spices — it’s a sensory delight before the food even arrives.

But what really set the tone? Bobby, the host. From the moment we walked in, Bobby made us feel like old friends. He’s effortlessly cool — charming, funny, and full of great stories. He guided us through the menu, made wine recommendations, and ensured our large group was well taken care of. He gave the entire night a relaxed, joyful vibe that matched the cozy-yet-modern space perfectly.

Now, the food. Authentic Turkish cuisine at its absolute finest. Every dish was bursting with bold flavors and fragrant spices — and everything came out perfectly plated and hot.

We started with a feast of appetizers: • Patlican Ezme – silky fire-roasted eggplant dip with garlic and olive oil, scooped up with warm bread. • Zucchini Pancakes – crispy on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside, served with cool yogurt. • Turkish Meatballs (Kofte) – juicy, spiced just right, and grilled to perfection. • House-Made Hummus – rich and creamy, elevated with a drizzle of their excellent olive oil. • Depot Fries – seasoned with sumac and paprika, crispy and totally addictive.

For entrées, we went all in: • Lamb Chops – marinated and grilled beautifully, tender with just the right char. • Adana Kebab – spicy ground lamb skewers with bulgur and grilled veggies — authentic and delicious. • Chicken Shish Kebab – succulent, juicy, and full of flavor. • Wood-Fired Turkish Flatbread – we tried the Sucuklu (with Turkish sausage) and Vegetarian versions — both crisp, layered with flavor, and completely devoured.

And let’s talk wine — Bobby introduced us to some gorgeous Turkish reds: • The Kayra Vintage Öküzgözü, with its deep berry notes and smooth tannins, paired beautifully with the lamb. • The Diren Collection Karmena Red was another crowd-pleaser — fruit-forward, structured, and so easy to drink.

The wine, the food, the vibe — all 10/10. Depot 62 doesn’t just serve meals — it transports you to a vibrant Turkish bazaar with every bite and every glance around the room. You’re surrounded by beautiful rugs, handmade furniture, and design elements that are all for sale — yes, you can literally shop the café. It’s like dining inside a beautifully staged home with better food than most restaurants in NYC.

The entire experience was unpretentious yet sophisticated, flavorful yet comforting, and hands down one of the best meals we had during our golf trip.

Depot 62 Café is a must-visit in Manchester. Go for the food, stay for the hospitality — and don’t forget to say...

I firmly believe the Turks have some of the best food on the planet, and in their own way some of the best service. Unfortunately this ain't it.

The food was decent, but horrendously overpriced, after a discount from my hotel I paid 35 dollars for a single mug of tea and a vegetable stew. The food has to be killer to be worth that, and it wasn't.

The service was a hodgepodge of a weeded American restaurant and something vaguely European but missing most of the charm. Did my waiter come back once after he dropped my food off? Nope. Plates pushed to the side, card on table, furtive glances and all.

About 20 minutes after I finished my meal a gentleman did come by, but given the language barrier I suspect he was a busser doing dual duty. I'll never fault a restaurant for that, I'm sure he's a hard worker and probably knows more English than I do of anything, but I will fault them for the waiters absence. Ten minutes after that an affable gentleman who I assume was the owner came by, and he seemed surprised by the delay and offered a dessert. But he also had been on his way back to what seemed to be his table in the corner with friends.

This is where that weird hodgepodge comes out. 7 on a Thursday is peak rush, you don't find restaurant staff enjoying themselves, particularly not owners if their workers are weeded. I also can't tell why it would have been weeded, there was a large party, sure, but there were maybe 7 full tables, it shouldn't have been a rush unless it was the servers first day or they were bartending as well (the restaurant only has wine and beer, so it's not that). When he did come back the only explanation I got was for him accidentally double charging and showing that he had refunded the second.

Then there's this general oddity of it all. They've got tea, and even from a Turkish brand, but the flavors are distinctly global. You can't go to an Istanbul market without having a cup of apple tea and salep put in your hand, but while the restaurant channels itself after that it had neither. Same to the deserts, the owner (I assume) offered tiramisu as being the standout on a menu that had baklava and Turkish rice pudding.

In all the place is lesser than all its parts. It channels Pier 1 (think Crate and Barrel but "ethnic") with food. It had live music, but it was a presumably local artist performing the most white bread songs).

Finally I think some of this is on me. Manchester probably isn't the place to anything with that many spices. Turkish is already difficult solo, as the Depot 62 website says, it's a family meal culture. Just one person ordering a dish or two isn't going to result in a varied well...

So I finally stopped by here to have one of their wood fired pizzas but I was told they no longer do pizzas, so be aware the Google description needs updating! I thought I 'd try one of the other dishes while I am here, but in hindsight I should have passed. I went with the oven baked leek dish which was just OK. I don't like when places list ingredients in the menu but then they don't end up in the actual dish. In this case the rice was missing, not that I should be eating a lot of rice anyhow but just saying because it turned the dish from what could have been a tasty little baked lunch entree with leeks as the main attraction into just an overcooked skimpy vegetable side dish for $13 plus tax, but they load you up on their bread. And as a vegan, I also don't like it when places label these type of dishes as Vegan. A vegan dish is a complete plant-based dish ideally with some vegan protein. This is simply a vegetable side dish, even non-vegans will add this to their meals, so nothing vegan special here and rather misleading, but if they had added that missing rice and some lentils (which they have since they offer a lentil soup) that would have turned it into a vegan dish. The ambience is interesting being in this attractive furniture store but they seemed to be a bit overwhelmed with a large type of family gathering or something, a lot of people sitting at the large communal table. So it is popular but in my...