Anatolia — Restaurant in Town of Hempstead

Sat.-06/22/24-Up-Dated/Edited: New menu, new policies, &, all different, are: change of owner's involved, delivery style, kitchen procedures, staff, policies, business model, type of customer's coming, taste of food; style of cstmr srvc; &, even higher prices; END OF QUALITY!; Etc. I HAD delivery from here very often, w/: meal costs, ranging from: approx., U.S.D.: $45; to: $210, each time; over 16 mnths.; right after its' re-opening under new operators It's: a partly fluent; semi-attentive dining place; w/: newer renovations. Their current newly restricted menu has items, in priced-fixed meal-sets. Mostly, they seem to be about these positive features: pleasant beverages; simple menu; adequate kitchen crew; adequate staff; adequate biz attitudes; along w/: posh decor; ample floor size; large parking space; having a catered party/niteclub-vibe; cushy ambiance; Turkish, mostly warm hospitality; flair; &, panache; Seasonal, bi-monthly, yet: OVERLY LOUD, live-music nights; attracting BIG crowds; &, DAILY sound system loud-DISTRACTION-NOISE in the eatery; &, Over The Phone; some reasonably, negotiative; &, fair bill-payment handling; &, attempts to make, some: real; sensible; and, lastly, some rather good cstmr accomodations; were all their, partial positives. As little as this is: I saw that all around, even this minor list can't easily be equalled, (at least, currently); elsewhere; altho, nothing; &, -no -place; is ever, -perfect; that's for sure; anytime; &, anywhere; including here;...i.e.: language skill lackings; &, related issues, assorted cultural challenges, inconsistent kitchen, less than: fully reliable; &, dependable staff, lax, negligent; &, avoidant behaviors; approaches; &, attitudes;...Etc.; have cropped up. However, some of the items I've struggled thru here, as low-value metrics; are, i.e.: TOO HIGH COSTS, too low service, poor quality control, product inconsistency; staff poor English non-comprehension, CONSTANT: ORDER DELIVERY INACCURACIES; &, INCORRECT ORDER PACKINGS; worker non-compliance, poor training, short staffing, understaffing, employee illnesses, uncooperative attitudes, unwillingnesses, non-openmindedness, dismissiveness, excessive excuse-making, assorted disagreeabilities, hostilities, dishonesties, disorganization, low discipline, indifference, uninspiration, inattentiveness, incompetencies, poor procedures, bad attitudes, lack of freshnesses; very undercooked, & very overcooked foods; &, unmotivations to change upward; ETC. These have sunken repeatedly; ongoingly; &, frequently; even here; &, for many reasons, some known; most kept unknown overall. In any case, I can state w/: a clear conscience, that they HAD pretty often, been good to me; personally; at: large levels, &, in many ways, which bad places, don't do. A Co-owner: Mr. John Yilmaz; &, his partner, Ex-Owner: Eddie-"Maxx"; HAD: often tried. Both of them &, most of the staff, HAD collectively, tolerantly, &, patiently; trying, too. It had been relatively easy to tell from various signs, that this once WAS a place of some better quality; albeit, w/: many much "higher price-level" menu cost points. All things considered; it HAD featured: good Turkish foods; &, beverages; (including: versions of: tea; manti/dumplings; bread; rice; soups; lambs; drinks; &, specialized salads; etc.). Here food HAD BEEN notable for being well-made; and, good; but, used to offer local Turkish cuisine; at an Ok end-value for the expense rates required; yet, NOT ANYMORE! It USED TO work; AT TIMES; &, the output WAS reliable. When ALL of that good stopped; ALL reasons for using here stopped. In the end, I HAD been pretty gratefully satisfied that this place HAD once blessed me. Since I love Turkish cuisine; their sometimes, formerly nicely delicious examples, now; &, then, HAD made the hassles worth it; but, NOT ANYMORE! Today, sadly; it's OVER; &, DONE!.

Bottom Line: Another complete overhaul of all aspects, is needed here. Without that, this IS: a, FIRM, HARD PASS.

A. - [Edited; &,...

OK, this is a different type of review. I wasn't a customer, or I wasn't initially there as a customer, I was doing an Uber Eats delivery.

On January 11th, I'd went in like a normal delivery. They had told me the customers food wasn't ready and to have a seat until it is. I went to go sit down on their red chair and as I put my hand on the chair to sit down, my hand had slipped and my wrist had been cut by an exposed staple they have on their chair leaving a scar on my wrist and messing up part of my tattoo. The staff had been helpful at getting it cleaned and wrapped up which I appreciate them for. I wasn't overly concerned about the cut because cuts heal but nonetheless still a safety hazard that should be taken care of ASAP.

I had waited around for 10-15 mins for the order in the store and one of the employees offered me a small case of baklava and some tea for my time. I appreciated the gesture and accepted it. Once I had gotten the food, I had went back to my car and tried some of the baklava. The first one I had was fine and ok, nothing wrong with it. I bit into the second baklava and bit on something extremely hard and was unsure what it was.

I had spit it out and didn't think much of it until my tongue touched my tooth and it felt cracked and exposed (Picture below). Whatever had been in that baklava or slipped in it CHIPPED MY TOOTH!

I was already on my way to the customer and after I was done with the delivery, I had called the restaurant to tell them about what happened. My goal was to come to a simple solution to fix the chipped tooth their baklava had caused. I wasn't asking for any additional compensation other than fixing the tooth. No call back for days.

I went back after not hearing anything and the lady there who was super cooperative and sweet had told me that their boss pretty much disregarded my issue and claim and REFUSED to further look into it or come to a solution. At NO POINT did I blame the chef, the front lady or other employees simply because stuff happens and I know it wasn't intentional. But to not acknowledge and disregard that one of your foods had chipped one of my teeth is PURE negligence and bad business practice. I'm a big foodie and had we came to a solution to get my tooth fixed, I would've loved to give them a true try and taste other menu options, but I CANNOT support bad business practice and an owner who wont even listen to what someone has to say.

Needless to say I will NOT be returning here nor doing any deliveries for this restaurant for as long as I'm alive regardless of the quality of their food. The employees were great and i have nothing against them, its just a shame that their boss cannot take accountability and doesn't have the simple respect or decency to evaluate a MISHAP....

DO NOT GO HERE! The staff discriminated against us because our party of friends included our Black friend and our LGBTQ+ friend.

Why do I say this? Because I was here a little over a week ago (all party members were South Asian) and received amazing service. My best friend (South Asian) also came here with her family and friends (South Asian) in the past and received great service. We were both shocked at the horrible service we received today, when our party was comprised of South Asians as well as our Black friend and our LGBTQ+ friend, both of whom received subtle looks from patrons and staff alike.

We made reservations for a party of 5 and were seated quickly. The waitress came over only AFTER we flagged her down but we chalked it up to them being a bit busy. We ordered an appetizer and entrees, and waited for OVER AN HOUR for our appetizer, which never came. The appetizer was a mixed app of hummus, babaganoush, pita, and other cold dips, which should not have taken OVER AN HOUR to bring out.

The waitress who took our order never checked up on us or offered an explanation for why we hadn't received any food, and the one we did manage to flag down (AFTER AN HOUR) seemed less than interested in helping us and gave an attitude. We spoke to her about the appetizer and waited an additional 10 minutes with no appetizer.

Overall, it was horrible service from staff that didn't seem to care about service because gratuity is automatically included in the bill. They didn't seem to care about serving our party overall and ignored us for the most part, only coming over when we flagged them down. The horrible service coupled with the looks my LGBTQ+ and Black friends received are enough to make me never come back here or ever recommend it to anyone because of their...