Koy Grill — Restaurant in Marlboro Township

I was really excited to try Koy Grill, I hadn't been here in several years and it has great reviews. The decor is cool and they have a ton of workers. It smells delicious as soon as you walk in, and that's where it all went downhill. To be fair we did not have a reservation! We waited 5 minutes to be acknowledged a very busy worker who asked us to move to the waiting area. As we didn't have a reservation and it was busy we understood we were going to wait. After 15 minutes, which isn't long considering we had no reservation we were seated, with menus and a chilled water bottle. Ten more minutes passed so I finally flagged down a person who brought us metal wine goblets, and about 10 more minutes go by, so my husband says, "you know what I want to get. I'm going to go to the restroom and I'll be back. " When he came back, no one had still come to take our order. There were eight people or more standing near the waiter station. There was a full restaurant and one very stressed out guy bringing out the food and no one else was doing anything.. We waited 10 more minutes and then I said, "I think we need to leave. They're never going to come take our order and I'm really hungry." We stood up and walked out of the restaurant-the very stressed out man who seemed to be the only person working there asked us where we were going, and we said, "we had been waiting seated for over 25 minutes with huge menus and no one took our order and so we're leaving." He looked shocked, assumably because he knew everyone was standing there doing nothing while he was the only one working. If there is a restaurant manager there, they were not doing anything. The 8 workers stayed in their cubby standing there doing nothing. No one was walking around offering water. Nobody seemed to be taking orders. Nobody seem to be doing anything. Nobody had bread and again I'm not really sure what was happening. So, it's probably a really delicious restaurant, but it's very very hard to understand why people were standing around the restaurant in the back near the waiter station and not one person came to take our order. There was no circulation at all of the workers, it was a full restaurant and none of them were walking around, no one was doing anything... I was really dissatisfied, I wanted to try it. We ended up at the Turkish Place on Route nine where Nonna's used to be. It was also packed, but fortunately we were seated immediately, they were swamped but we were eating in 10 minutes and it was great. Koi may also be great, but their service was just so...

A friend of mine asked us to come along to support them while their family was on vacation. We were much obliged. We fancied our experience with this venue, by mutual choice we might add.

So, when we approached this venue, we were not huge fans about the exterior and its related decor. Yet, when we walked inside, we absolutely loved the interior design that sees and speaks modern, contemporary jazz. Though, we did wish that they had better lighting, which we did see when our waitress took our group's picture.

The slow moving blinds added to the suspense of one's humble picture request. We did like the added lighting and think that the dimmed lights are an excuse to keep the electric bill down, thus welcoming a more ominous aura to the overall dining experience.

Our waitress was goo . . .d; okay - great. Yet, we can tell that she was stressed, as she kept dropping menus that we personally picked up and detected that she needed help with getting finished plates, and other large objects used to help us to embody the all Mediterranean experience.

We would like to add that their food is a bit tasteless for our liking, which is a bit shocking since salt is a staple of the Mediterranean. We were and still are thoroughly shocked with the lack of seasoning. The venue was clearly understaff and slow moving with as little as 10 people dining, despite having a larger table to seat ratio that was clearly not occupied.

■A Quyloon Reese Report on Experiences & Custom (QR-REC)®: •Food: 45/100 (Unpleasantly unseasoned and cool; one of two appetizers charred thus inedible) •Portion to Cost Ratio: 65/100 (Just okay) •Comfortable: 60/100 (Somewhat tight) •Hospitality (Staff): 40/100 (clumsy waitress that served three tables; the rest empty) •Clean: 30/100 (including very disgusting restrooms where one of our friends went in to just walk out of) Overall Score: 240/500 (48%) ⭐⭐☆☆☆ 🔵GOAL: "Our intent is to design innovative expository to provide daunting critiques that command attention and force heads to turn...

Koy Grill is an absolute gem! From the moment we walked in, we were captivated by the beautiful ambiance and the authentic Turkish decor that made us feel as if we had been transported to Turkey. Our waitress was exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable, guiding us through the menu and making excellent recommendations.

We started our meal with stuffed grape leaves, which were a delightful surprise. It was my first time trying them, and the vinaigrette-seasoned exterior combined with the rice stuffing provided a delicious chew. The Turkish tea that came with a cute sugar cube was the perfect balance of sweetness and had a barley tea-like flavor that we loved.

Next, we enjoyed the Turkish bread, which was a revelation. The outside was crispy, while the inside was incredibly soft and airy, almost cake-like. Lightly oiled and seasoned with fragrant herbs, the bread was a perfect complement to our meal.

The highlight was the Sultan's Delight, featuring seasoned rice, chicken shish kabob, and beef shish kabob. The aroma was intoxicating, and the flavors were even better. The eggplant puree was savory and cheesy, the rice was flavorful and didn't feel like whole grain, and both the beef and chicken were tender and perfectly cooked. Each component was seasoned beautifully, creating a harmonious and delicious dish. The grilled long pepper added a smoky flavor, and the herbaceous chutney and peri-peri hot sauce, with its slightly vinegary base, were must-tries.

Our waitress even treated us to complimentary Turkish tea, adding to the already fantastic experience. The portions were generous, and we had to take some food home, which was a bonus. Koy Grill exceeded our expectations in every way. If you haven't been here, you're missing out on an extraordinary culinary experience. Five stars...