The Turk's Inn — Restaurant in New York

My excitement was real. I had last eaten at the Turks Inn maybe 13 years ago, when it was a real supper club that greeted you on your way to the northwoods of Wisconsin.

Returning with friends that now live in Bushwick, Manhattan and abroad (all of us midwestern natives), I treated our return like a true supper club experience: we met at the bar, arriving at various times across 20 minutes, chatting and reconnecting since our last visits years ago. While the drinks were great and vibe a bit sterile, we enjoyed ourselves prior to our reservation. The sassy host, however, pressured us to be seated before our scheduled reservation, and didn’t like that we were partially standing and seated at the bar while socializing. It was the first major indication that the migrated Turks Inn culture is for Instagram, not real social behavior.

Once seated, our waitress was terse and in a rush to take our orders. Unlike a supper club, her second visit she demanded we order our entire meal rather than take our time deciding on entrees during appetizers. A bit reluctantly, we caved and put in our meals.

The food was good, not mind blowing, but I had a few small gripes: the menu is very short, so options limited and no indications of specials. The prices were nyc, so we didn’t expect a supper club value, but we did expect better portions. A rack of lamb was 3 small lamb medallions, appetizers left much to be desired, and the best item was the seasoned French fries.

The waitress didn’t ask how things were, didn’t check in on us, didn’t care if we wanted desert and probably doesn’t care about the history of what the original restaurant had once provided patrons.

I would go back, it really was a great throw back and reminiscent to what places like the Butterfly Club have going for them, but the staff and many tacky dress up photo-takers are entrenched in antisocial behavior that makes it a photo of what it wants to be, rather than an embodiment of what a supper club really is: a gathering place that serves good food, and “feels” like somewhere you can...

I really wanted to love this place and, in many ways, I did. The food was exceptional: the lamb was tender and flavorful, the cheese curds were delicious, and the drinks were perfectly balanced. The atmosphere was unique as well — dimly lit, with a deep red, Middle Eastern-inspired aesthetic that created an intimate and vibrant setting.

Unfortunately, what began as a wonderful evening took an unexpected and distressing turn. Members of our group, several of whom are part of the LGBTQ+ community, were unexpectedly confronted by another guest, who escalated the situation by physically throwing a glass of water at one of our party. While we were admittedly lively (as many groups are in New York restaurants), we did not engage in any behavior or language intended to offend.

Rather than taking time to fully understand what had occurred or to address the clear act of aggression from the other patron, management chose to ask our entire group to leave and to box up our meals. This was deeply disappointing, especially given that we had been genuinely enjoying the food and atmosphere up to that point.

It’s unfortunate that an otherwise exceptional culinary experience was overshadowed by the handling of this incident. I sincerely hope that, in the future, the restaurant’s management will adopt a more balanced and thoughtful approach to such situations- one that ensures all guests feel safe, heard, and treated...

So I want to give this place five stars becauae the service is AMAZING, the atmosphere is so unique and trippy, but the food just missed the mark. This was pur second visit. We ordered all appetizers this time around: the lamb chop, cheese curds, and mussels. So, I discovered later that that combination of food was very bad in my stomach. The lamb chops also had a very strange texture. Neither my girl friend nor I could figure out what was going on with it, if it was a marinade or if it was just really super fatty or what. While well seasoned, it just wasn't appetizing. Also, I have discovered that I am not a fan of the hot honey craze, which unfortunately accompanied the cheese curds. The mussels were great! But again all of those things combined to create a memorable experience later that no one ever wants to have.

Honestly it was a bit disappointing cuz we had such an amazing time our first time there and this our second time was also hella fun just not as delicious. Best advice is to go with the entrees and maybe pick just one of the appetizers.

Still worth the visit and will...