Turkish Cafe & Lounge — Restaurant in Plano

First time customer here. Was referred to Turkish Cafe right after visiting Another Place (lamp store) not too far away from here. We were excited to see a small-ish front dining room open up to a large back dining room with tables with access to outside. The Turkish lamps from Another Time were definitely present in the decor which was cool. Sadly, I think the positives end there…

We were able to get a table right away and be seated. A man took our order of drinks but then a young woman introduced herself as our waitress shortly after. We repeated our drinks and eventually got around to ordering food. As we ordered she fiddled with some electronic device to input our orders but it just seemed like she just didn’t retain what we were telling her. I had to repeat “lamb chops” multiple times and pointed to the menu to show her what I was trying to order. I was never asked what temperature I would like the lamb chops cooked. After a good amount of time the waitress came out with a wrong drink order and asked “you didn’t order lamb chops did you?” It took me a second to realize she was serious. The food came out presented nicely. The lamb chops needed salt but they were only ok, especially since they were pricey. We ordered two Turkish coffees and the waitress had to repeat it a few times to us before she left. She then came back later asking if we had the Turkish coffees. When they eventually came out they were not very hot and didn’t come with sugar.

My wife’s Turkish salad was good, very fresh and she liked the olive oil that was used to make it. The beef hummus was also good. The place wasn’t busy but it seemed like a lot of workers were just congregating and talking instead of being attentive to us. I had to walk over and approach our waitress that we were ready for the check. It was disappointing service for sure, we were so excited from the recommendation but sadly it didn’t live up to it. Also, it was only my wife and I but the service fee was already automatically added...

Delightfully adorned and tucked under the eaves lies this hidden gem. Entering the establishment, you step back in time - it’s almost an out-of-body experience- with beautiful mosaic tile and lanterns lending aesthetic value with fiery, vibrant energy and a welcoming vibe like no other. We have lived in the area for 23 years and I don’t know what rock I have been living under, but this place hit it out of the park in terms of food, service, and ambiance. Having lived in the Middle East for 18 years, we have been in search of amazing Mediterranean cuisine ever since moving to Texas in 2001, to no avail - until we discovered Turkish Café and Lounge all these years later. We will definitely be returning here for dinner and possibly Brazilian or Bollywood Night when the venue comes alive in the evening hours!

Mom and I opted to sit on the patio. We were greeted by Umit, then promptly seated and handed Menus by our server, Manu. We started off with Turkish Mules. The pomegranate seeds lend a delightful flavor. Not tart and not sweet - just the right balance.

We then ordered the Hummus, Falafel, the Cheese Flatbread, and the Chicken Kebab (which came with 6 chargrilled cubes of chicken, rice pilaf, onion salad, pickled red cabbage onions, & grilled tomatoes and peppers), followed by the Turkish Tea and the Pistachio Kunefe for Dessert. All excellent! Manu ensured we had what we needed during our meal. We chatted with both Umit and Manu and found them to be professional, knowledgeable, attentive, and friendly.

Not sure why this place has such low reviews. This was not reflective of our experience and exactly why I tend to take google and Yelp! Reviews with a grain of salt. This is a beautifully run Family establishment and you would be doing yourself a disservice for not stopping by. There’s just something about the vibe and energy here. It’s charming, inviting, and the people are delightful. We think we have found our new favorite place! Thank you for having us and we will see...

DO NOT COME HERE! First off.. the food always is amazing. However, the service was AWFUL. We had a party of 20 people for my brothers wedding and our server was nowhere to be found half of the time even though the restaurant was pretty empty. We ordered a hookah and the coals were never changed out which caused the shisha to be full of ash. I waited over 15 minutes for a glass of ice even though I asked 3 times. We were overcharged for bottled water we never drank or ordered and were never told that it costs 3 dollars a bottle. One of the servers pretended to be a manager when I complained even though the other servers told me that the manager left an hour ago. They added a 20 percent gratuity on our check, which is common for large parties, however the service was awful and she treated us as a guaranteed tip and therefore did not care to keep up with the table.

I am a server myself at a fine dining restaurant. Being charged for water bottles when we just asked for water even though one of the servers blamed me for not specifying tap or bottle is a scam used by too many. The higher the check, the more tip she gets on the 20%. So of course she kept bringing water bottles out even when no one asked for them. When I asked for a cup of ice, she brought that cup, over 15 minutes later, with a water bottle. I did not ask for that.

My sister in law was called a slur on the way out and when I confronted the staff, they said that I was stupid and talk too much. All I asked was for an apology. The server even made a face at one of my friends when they refused to tip on top of the 20%. She asked him multiple times if he needed change and “do you want to leave the rest of the money as a tip” even though she added 20% on top. She was trying to scam him out of 36 dollars on top of his 20%. Outrageous.

This is outrageous. I used to come here all the time, for any big occasion. It is now a scam and you will be...