Cafe Turko — Restaurant in Seattle

This is an excellent halal restaurant. Excellent quality food, flavor, cleanliness, hygiene, and ambiance.

Halal People who eat a zabiha halal diet want to be certain the restaurant food they're paying for is actually meeting those standards, and Mashallah I have zero doubts there. It's clear the owner has a lot of integrity--he goes out of his way to provide hand-slaughtered meat, even when it comes at a greater cost to him. (Even customers who don't follow a halal diet can rejoice that the meat is ethically processed!) No alcohol, which I love because it shows commitment to a principle, and strengthens my trust in the integrity of the restaurant owner (a very friendly, pleasant, down-to-earth gentleman who goes throughout the establishment, checking to see customers are enjoying their meals).

Beautiful It's very pleasant to eat in this environment surrounded by beautiful Turkish antiques like tapestries and gorgeous colorful lanterns. Some things you just can't get at home, even if you could cook the same dish.

Tasty Even the food is colorful and appetizing. Lots of variety and options, including vegetarian, gluten free, and vegan. On a cool and drizzly day, the Mishmish stew is a great way to go, with its warming spices (ginger and cardamom in a chic pea, leek, and apricot base--definitely a sweet dish, but not overwhelmingly so). The Velvet sip is exactly that, a filling and warming drink that's velvety thick with shredded coconut on top.

Clean No sticky surfaces. Even the kitchen looks clean. Bathroom is accessed through a corridor--not managed by the resturant, but good to know it's clean.

Covid precautions Spacing out the customers so it's less crowded actually makes for a more pleasant experience IMO since its less noisy. 😁

Family friendly I don't see other kids when I've dined here but I don't see why. Lots to look at, and though it's beautiful the overall vibe is down to earth and not hoity toity. Not sure if they have booster seats, and they don't have crayons for coloring but again, so much to look at (from your seats). Warm soft bread and hummus , grilled meat, red lentil soup, Turkish delight--even picky eaters will find some food to enjoy here.

Overall: this is a special place for sit-down dining. Keep up the great work,...

Tl;dr: I ordered Café Turko’s vegan dumplings and received Trader Joe’s non-vegan spinach tortellini.

I dined at Café Turko with my family on the afternoon of Saturday, July 12. I ordered “Green Green Mantı”, a vegan dish of dumplings topped with chickpeas and tahini dressing. When my dish arrived, I needed only one bite to know I’d been served meat-filled mantı. I alerted the server of the error, who kindly comped my party the dish and promised to bring me my vegan mantı in 7-8 minutes.

About 15 minutes later, my replacement dish arrived. This time I hardly needed to taste the “dumplings” to confirm that I again hadn’t been served vegan mantı. Instead, I’d been served Trader Joe’s spinach tortellini. I would know—I practically lived on TJ’s spinach tortellini my senior year of college. I also know that these tortellini contain three types of cheese and that their dressing was yogurt-based rather than tahini-based as stated on the menu. Furthermore, I know the kitchen staff and the server were all in on this sleight of hand: There’s no mistaking the heirloom-textured, deep-green dumplings of “Green Green Mantı” with the industrially smooth, white and pale green spinach tortellini from Trader Joe’s.

It’s disturbing that Café Turko’s vegan dishes aren’t reliably vegan. It’s disappointing that Café Turko’s dumplings are sometimes Trader Joe’s tortellini. But most of all, it’s embarrassing that Café Turko chose dishonesty over all its other options to resolve what probably began as an honest mistake. If the server had told me the kitchen needed extra time to prepare my vegan mantı, I would’ve gladly given them the time they needed and taken advantage of the chance to try another appetizer to tide me over. If the server had told me that the kitchen simply didn’t have the ingredients to make my vegan mantı, I would’ve happily ordered and probably enjoyed another dish. Instead, Café Turko took a gamble on my not being a TJ’s shopper who knows tahini from yogurt....

I’m in love with Cafe Turko! What else can I say? This restaurant is so incredibly lovely. Filled with nothing but loving people, it’s a treat everytime I’m here and my family appreciates the experience as well.

The interior is decorated so thoughtfully and carefully that while you’re waiting for your food you can take the time to look at the ceiling, the walls, and you’ll always find some traditional decor that you missed last time. The restaurants dining space is a large space with plenty of tables where you can sit and even chat with the tables beside you, see familiar faces and make new friends.

The food is always incredible, and I’m not just saying that. They’ve recently updated their menu for 2024 as well, with new dinner items like the Turko Lamb Shank and the Grandfather Beyti, two additions that’ll make you hungry just by reading the descriptions. Offering a variety of well-seasoned meats and kebabs, a load of tasty salads options; flavorful and carefully crafted dishes are what await you at Cafe Turko.

The staff is always friendly as well, I think if you believe that a smile means charity then their service staff and even the cooks in the kitchen are working hard on giving their customers a charitable experience.

Their menu is clear and big but never overwhelming, and they’ve always got tasty desserts rolled up their sleeves. My favorite dessert is the Revani, homemade delicious Turkish semolina cake. They’ve also got a variety of fresh drinks like ice-teas, hot turkish tea for after your meal, or a delicious Turkish-coffee for all of us coffee-lovers.

I can’t wait till I’m back in the area and able to...