Sofra — Restaurant in Washington

10/10. A rare gem in DC.

I arrived at Sofra with a very specific craving: manti. After a bit of searching, this unassuming Mediterranean spot emerged as a top contender. A quick call ahead confirmed it was available—manti can go fast—and we were warmly welcomed by the chef-owner himself, who assured us we were in for something special.

He was right.

From the first sip of freshly whisked ayran—cool, frothy, and remarkably balanced—we were transported. My fiancée, who was raised on the flavors of Istanbul, found herself suddenly back on Bağdat Caddesi, and I could see in her expression that the food had hit home.

The börek arrived crisp and golden, its interior layered and savory. The çorba, humble yet deeply nostalgic, carried the kind of comfort only slow-stirred tradition can offer. Then came the manti—silky, tender, bathed in yogurt and just the right kiss of spice. It was everything we had hoped for.

Unable to resist, I tried the chargrilled kebab, a noted specialty of the chef—and it exceeded even high expectations. Smoky, juicy, and expertly seasoned, it spoke to years of honed craft.

Service, understandably, slowed as the restaurant filled. With the chef managing both the kitchen and much of the dining room, we waited a little longer for our check—but it was a minor inconvenience, and only notable because of looming street parking limits. Next time, we’ll plan to linger and stay for çay.

Sofra is a labor of love. It’s not just a restaurant—it’s a return ticket to the eastern Mediterranean, served one soulful dish at a time. We’ll be back....

Looking at the menuwe were excited because the pictures on the menu looked very good. We chose the fried cauliflower and garlic shrimp as an appetizer. When we got them they looked nothing like the photo on the menu. We then got Salmon and Kanat. None of the food was flavorful, you could just tell it had been on the grill. The waiter asked everyone in the restaurant how was their food as they ate but never would ask us. Maybe it was because the cauliflower which was deep fried on the outside, not so much on the inside and was drenched in a tomatoe like sauce with a mass of white sauce in the middle was still there. My husband made himself eat the so called garlic shrimp which were extra small shrimp that had no garlic in them, but we're heavily sautéed with red and green peppers. I got a can orange fanta which I paid $5 for. Overall experience was no good at all. Customer service was lacking because regardless of my opinion or taste pallet, I still deserve to be treated as you would do a customer who likes your food. The place itself has an ok vibe, but it was all over shadowed by everything else. I didn't cause a scene even though thr waiter looked right at me as I was asking him for my check to go to the couple behind us to ask them how they liked their food. So I eventually asked for my check, paid the bill along with the 20% service charge, and left. Lesson learned, it's a 0 out of 10, DO NOT...

I dont know… we went here with high expectations after the reviews and everything. But the experience and meal did not live up. My boyfriend has been on the hunt for authentic turkish for for me in DC area and this place was well reviewed. The owner seemed very confident in his food told us “everything on the menu is the best” to us asking for his favorite thing. Our waitress/busser was another thing, she was clueless to the entire menu and honestly probably the restaurant industry. The appetizer we got was an eggplant dish with tomato and yogurt. The vegetables were hot, the tomato based sauce was refrigerated cold and the yogurt was room temperature(very odd). Also the bread was just not good. The bread served was just older bread that had been smushed and not warmed, it was dry and dense. The photos of the bread from 5 month ago look much better. The Manti was the best dish for sure, most flavor. But the lamb shish didn’t have quite enough flavor. The rice and the sides though were quite good(rice and salad). The owner did give us a turkish coffee free of charge which was nice. Overall I cant say I would call this my go to Turkish spot when I am missing...