Anatolian Kitchen — Restaurant in Palo Alto

The Smule team totally loves Anatolian Kitchen. Between November 2011 when we first discovered this restaurant to the twilight of our Palo Alto office in April 2013, we placed over 60 take-out orders with 0 unhappy Smuleans! Yep - we ate from this fine place about once a week and no one ever complained!

Their menu features so many great dishes that you'll have to visit several times before you even cover my favorites. Iskender's Favorite is a delicious entree consisting of lamb and beef in a buttery tomato sauce blend and a side of thick, creamy yogurt. This entree is very heavy, so you might want to share it with a dining partner! Going a bit lighter, the Moussaka Plate is a perfect confection of eggplant, lamb, beef, potato, and veggies covered in a delicious homemade tomato sauce. If you want to sample all the meats this place offers, check out the Combo Grill Plate; or if you're in the mood for fish, the perfectly tender salmon in the Grilled Salmon plate never disappoints.

The meals always arrived in a very reasonable amount of time, and Don, their delivery guy, is really nice and funny.

The Smule team celebrated Smule Unification Day in May 2013, and we're all working out of our sweet San Francisco office now. That said, when dinnertime rolls around I know there are many Smuleans wishing Anatolian Kitchen would deliver to...

After a trip to Turkey a few years ago, I suddenly started paying a lot more attention to Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern food, especially the Turkish variety. I am by no means an expert, but I know what I like and I like this place. There's a lot more to it than kebabs and felafel, and I strongly encourage you to try some of the other items on the menu here. The Meze, which are Turkish small plates, are typically served as appetizers in the states. As usual, there are FAR too few options available, but they're still good. The combo platter is a great way to try a variety of them.

For entrees, the meat dishes are good, and one favorite is the "Alexander's Favorite". It is served with a big dollop of yogurt, so not everyone will like the tartness. The Mousaka and Stuffed Eggplant are wonderful, and the Manti is a great dish if you've never had it. They're small, delicious ravioli, served in a yogurt sauce. All of these make for good family-style sharing as well.

Turkish wine and beer are on the menu, as well as tea and coffee. Overall I love the food at Anatolian Kitchen. It's a bit of a small place, and it is dimly lit at night, giving it a cozy feel. Reservations may be a good idea on a busy night. The staff is friendly and welcoming, and food doesn't take long to come out. I've been here many times, and will be...

My first time here - went with friends - great atmosphere and ambiance. Not too many seats indoors - but offers that intimate feel. Service is good too. But food is ok, esp for the price it charges. The guy who manages the place is a little pushy and has a little attitude - would be good to have a person that genuinely cares about people! Anyway, I ordered a veggie moussaka (and I've had this dish multiple times at multiple places) and I have to say this may be the worst veggie moussaka I've ever had. The eggplant was chewy, some of the veggies were undercooked and the tomato sauce was flavorless (that straight out of the can taste!). Also ordered by the group were "Alexander's Favorite" and chicken shish kabab - and again, no one was too impressed i.e it was ok, nothing to brag about. Eggplant with tomato sauce for the appetizer was decent and the Turkish coffee was good too. Also on the positive side, most wines are reasonably priced (if you order a bottle) unlike other restaurants on CA Ave. Overall it was ok - food was a little underwhelming - will definitely not go back by choice. And if I do it might only be for wine and...