The Turk — Restaurant in Town of Pawling

The Turk is so underappreciated! I can't figure out why they aren't busier. The food is phenomenal. Bursting with flavor and you can tell they use high quality ingredients by the way the food tastes. The service is kind and speedy and we never felt rushed to leave. The owner and his nephew are there every time I've been in and they are both warm, welcoming and interested in the experience of the customer. Customer service at The Turk is top tier.

In the restaurant, I enjoyed the complimentary olive oil and mustard dip with freshly warmed pita. Bursting with flavor, refreshing and tasty. I have also enjoyed their fried calamari (not pictured because it was gone before I could think to snap a pic) which was lightly breaded, fresh, never chewy and so delicious. I found the lemon to be enough for the calamari but also enjoyed the tomato sauce as well. I've had the feta cheese spread with warm fresh pita and enjoyed the blended flavor of the roasted red peppers with the feta. The flavor was smooth and creamy. I would love to go with a group of friends/family and order a little bit of everything because nothing has disappointed me yet.

I've had the falafel dinner twice. The falafel are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The hummus and tahini blend so well together and have a smooth and savory flavor. I find the dish to be comforting and cozy. The falafel is accompanied by rice and a side salad, both of which are also delicious.

My husband had the chicken saute which comes with a side of rice and even though he's generally not a fan of Mediterranean food he completely enjoyed his dish and finished the whole thing. He said the flavor of the red sauce and tenderness of the chicken was impressive and were reasons he enjoyed the dish.

The atmosphere in The Turk is clean, modern and cozy. Tables are nicely sized so you don't feel cramped and the seating options are beautiful upholstered chairs or couches, very comfortable. The intricate lanterns/lights are stunning and mesmerizing. There is a full bar. Leave room for dessert! We had the chocolate pudding which was the perfect sweet treat to end our meal.

We really enjoyed The Turk and wish Sinan and his team nothing but the best!!! 😊 Pawling is lucky to have...

I’ve eaten at this restaurant three times before leaving this review. The first time was takeout where I picked up the order myself, the second was sit down in the restaurant, and the last time was just tonight as delivery through Grubhub.

Pros: the meat is very good. The staff is nice

Cons: everything else outside of the meat is incredibly bland or not to expectations. The meals don’t come with any of the expected sides or sauces for Turkish or Mediterranean (just rice, a lettuce only salad, and bland tabbouleh). The babaganoush super bitter and no taste of any herbs or spices, the pita is hard as if it’s just reheated and not fresh, the stuffed grape leaves (which is typically one of my favorites, I even like them out of a can) are slimy and honestly just not good

The restaurant itself is also not the best looking, and has a slightly odd sour odor. I typically don’t leave any comments about the decor itself because honestly the food is all that matters, but the smell reminds me of a moldy smell which makes me a bit nervous as it’s a very old building.

I’m so sad to write this review! This restaurant was long awaited in our town and I was looking forward to...

My friend and I went for lunch today 1/22/2025. It was the first time for both of us and the first impression was how nicely decorated it is, beautiful multi colored lighting globes adorn the ceiling. When we were seated we were served a warm basket of sliced pita bread and honestly the best dipping sauce I have ever had, an olive oil based mustard dip that e both enjoyed tremendously. We both went with the lunch entree which is two courses, a starter and the an entree, I had the baba ganoush which was very good and he had an eggplant in source dish which was described as slightly spicy but was very mild, he liked it a lot. We ended ordering the same entree which was the lamb kabob which came with rice and a salad, it was excellent. I also ordered a to go order of 2 chicken kabobs for dinner tonight for my wife and I, it was a bit one get one special and it smelled fantastic, can't wait for dinner. Excellent restaurant, beautifully decorated, and the owner is very nice, sent me home with some baclava...