Turkuaz Grill — Restaurant in Town of Riverhead

Found this online when I was searching for dining options in Riverhead, it had been some time since I last had Turkish food so decided to try it out, overall it was a fine experience, the food was good, though we only ordered some basics, babaganoush, falafel, and chicken shish kebab, the falafel came with hummus so was able to try that as well

The babaganoush was well made and had a hint of smokiness, paired with the warm pita bread slices it made for a good start, the falafel and chicken shish kebab was also well made though the shell on the falafel could have been better if just a bit less crunchy, I'm accustomed to the more round falafels while theirs is flatter and more oblong, the chicken shish kebab was overall well made with a nice char and reasonably juicy chunks of chicken meat

The only thing I would really dock them for would be service and atmosphere, to be clear, the service wasn't bad, it was just a bit slow and a couple members of the staff had thicker accents so it made communication at times a bit more difficult, they also apparently have a policy of not seating parties of just two people at the picnic style bench tables in the yard, I could understand if this was during more busy periods where larger groups were coming but when we got there it wasn't very busy so I was a bit unhappy about having to sit inside when there were empty picnic tables outside, the inside was ok but it would have been better if the background music was set to a lower volume, it wasn't loud but was the volume was just high enough to be distracting

They take credit cards but charge a 3% fee for such transactions, I assume to cover the merchant fees, so I would recommend bring cash, overall it was pretty good for $75 after tax and tips and we walked out very full, the walk along the river bank made for a much needed...

I really love the food at this place but unfortunately the service on my last two visits hasn't been the best. Especially from the Hispanic girl who works there. But this time I went over the limit!!! FRIDAY weekend I entered the establishment at 8:35 pm immediately the girl said we close at 9:30 pm... I told her but it's not 9:30. She answered saying but the kitchen closes at 9 pm and I answered but it's not 9. I UNDERSTAND THAT IF A PLACE CLOSES AT A CERTAIN TIME IT IS BECAUSE THE LAST CUSTOMER CAN ENTER UNTIL THAT TIME. From that moment on it was a marathon of service. I understand that they could inform us but at least after greeting us and sitting us. I would also understand if it was a different day and the restaurant did not have more customers but there were 4 tables and it was FRIDAY night. However, we placed our order quickly and even ordered dessert to help out a little. They brought us dessert without finishing the meal and I had to ask for a disposable cup to take my drink home because I couldn't finish it.Because they star cleaning the room. They turned the lights completely on before we left. I ADVISE NOT TO GO TO THIS PLACE NEAR THE TIME THEY SAY CLOSING, TERRIBLE SERVICE. NOW I'M NOT UPSET ONLY WITH THE GIRL BUT WITH ALL THE OTHER EMPLOYEES (I WANT TO THINK THAT NONE OF THEM ARE THE OWNER) BECAUSE NONE OF THEM DID ANYTHING TO FIX...

Today was our first time at Tukuaz Grill. I was here many years ago but after seeing it on News 12 East End, that sparked my interest.

We ordered the humus and the babaganoush appetizers. I have no pictures but I will say we devoured them quickly! They were both tasty and excellent. We just needed to ask for more pita.

For lunch we had the lamb kebab, Doner platter and the Falafel.

Here’s my take on the food. The portions are all very nice and came out hot. My wife enjoyed her Falafel and m my daughter in law enjoyed her Doner platter. My Kebab was 8 pieces of lamb but I thought that the seasoning was kind of bland. I was expecting that string lamb flavor like when you are biting into a nice Lamb Gyro at the diner! Again, it wasn’t bad, I just didn’t get that “wow” of flavor that I was expecting from the Lamb. I think the meat was missing a little char to it as well. I also tasted the meat from the Doner platter and felt the same about the seasoning. My daughter in law said it was delicious so maybe it’s just me….. who knows, Covid again? I hood not LOL!

I will go back but then I will go for...