A La Turca Restaurant

I’ve been to a la turca at least ten times over the last 6 years and must say it’s one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. The fresh bread they serve is just as good as it gets in any restaurant. I would almost home back exclusively for their lentil soup, which goes very well with the awesome fresh bread they serve. The staff is Turkish, so this place must be authentic, I think. Price to value ratio is also great, so what else can you ask for. Definitely recommend this place to anyone on Unilocal

Best turkish food I’ve had in the city! Very reasonable prices and there’s never a wait for a table. Highly recommend the lentil soup and beef shish kebab.

I’ve been twice. The first time was with my boyfriend. He ordered chicken shish and I had potato and cheese pide. Both were delish, plus the manager gave him a side of yogurt and me dessert on the house. This time I hosted a group dinner there. The manager was very accommodating; I had made a reservation for many, but he didn’t mind that not all showed up. He also gave us separate checks, which was helpful with a large crowd. The restaurant gave us a lot of food, whether we ordered appetizers, entrees, or desserts. My one complaint is some of my chicken shish was a little gristly and inedible. Otherwise, the food was very delicious, varied, and the staff friendly and helpful.

A la Turca is delicious. I don’t remember why I had bookmarked this place to try, but I’m glad I did. There’s so much good food in this neighborhood, but it helps to know where to go.
I came in wanting something warm and simple and light, so I opted for the lentil soup and the appetizer plate with hummus, baba ghanoush, etc. Amazing. Lentil soup was super homey and comforting, light. It’s made of lentil, onions, carrot, zucchini, maybe a little bit of rice, and all pureed. I’ve been back three separate times and each time I get the soup. I’ve since read that this lentil soup is a home comfort food for Turks. Maybe sort of like chicken noodle soup for Americans. Anyway, I totally get it. It’s delish and makes whatever turmoil I’m going through okay.
The hummus and baba ghanoush are also great. My friend-​who-​is-​married-​to-​an-​Israeli says hummus and baba ghanoush are sometimes made with mayo, and that this one has mayo. Makes it super creamy, rich. (The Chinese word «nong» comes to mind, which means rich/​strong/​earthy in flavor and smell, very concentrated)
The guy next to me said the rice is good. I tried meat and rice my third time, as did my friends. A+ all around.
Don’t take a word I’m saying seriously, because I don’t want this place to get too packed!

Ordered the lamb doner /​shvarma and it was pretty bad. The meat didn’t look like real pieces of meat, more like some artificial purée.
The service wasn’t great either, had to wait for 20 minutes for them take my check with the credit card (ultimately just went to the cashier not to waste any more time)

I visited A la Turca many years ago when I worked nearby. Since we had a concert to attend nearby, I suggested that we stop by for some Turkish cuisine for dinner. Upon arriving, the waitress promptly seated us. A loaf of pide bread. It was a thick, bread that had a doughy texture. Topped with white and black sesame seeds, the bread was warm, soft and tasty.
After checking out the menu, we ordered:
Pide bread came with our selected items. It was a thick, bread that had a doughy texture. Topped with white and black sesame seeds, the bread was warm, soft and tasty. (
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Lentil Soup — red lentils with rice, carrots, onions, potatoes, zucchini, celery and spices. It had a nice consistency and was tasty. (
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Spinach & cheese Gozleme — sautéed spinach with mixed cheese between flat bread. Brought back memories of our first experience with Gozleme during our recent trip to Turkey. We call it a Turkish quesadilla. The spinach was nicely seasoned. Very good. (
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Donner Platter — slices of vertically roasted ground lamb and beef with rice and salad. The slices of lamb/​beef were nicely seasoned and very tasty. (
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Food brought back memories of meals we had in Turkey. Delicious and service was friendly. Hope to be back soon, if I get a craving for Turkish food.

Food wise, this is my favorite Turkish restaurant in the bay area. Although, I would probably take my date to another Turkish restaurant (Tuba and Pera have nicer interior and better drinks for instance), when I am craving for some Turkish goodness, A La Turca is always the address.
This is one of those places that you need to know what you should (and should not) order. For example their Cacik was probably the worst I have ever had in my life. I felt like I was drinking mayo so not sure what exactly was in it. I could only take a spoon and left the rest.
My favorites dishes: Cheese and Sucuk Pide, Lentil Soup, Baba Ghanouj, Lahmacun, Gozlemes. The platters are okay but those are pretty on par with other Turkish restaurants. As a dessert, Burma is divine and Baklava is pretty decent.
They also deliver for a reasonable fee so easier to check ‘em out.

We’re Turkish and we want to support Turkish restaurants in the city. We wanted some foods from there half an hour ago. It was the smallest lahmacun and pide I’ve ever eaten. I’m still hungry.

It’s like a fun Turkish diner filled with Turkish people. The desserts are totally delicious, especially the one with sweet melty cheese. So good!

Good, solid, but nothing special
On the other hand, right value for the money (not overpriced)

Awesome food! Really cute interior — murals on the wall were very interesting to look at. Would come back!
— falafel platter
— forgot the appetizer name…

This is probably the tenth time I’ve been to A La Turca. It has been the best Turkish restaurant in the bay area for some time. However, over time, I recognized an obvious drop in quality.
During my last visit, lahmacun was burnt, rice pilaf was sticky, waitress had a bad attitude, and worse, people smoked inside. I take one star for each. All of these issues could be solved by the owner. I hope they can get their stars back next time.

Very nice food, first time I visited with friends almost 11 years ago. Since then I must have eaten there 10 times. Almost every time I visit SFO.

I have been to A La Turca too many times that I have already lost count. I found this place about a year ago when I wanted Kanafeh. I love A La Turca! All of their staff is really nice and helpful!
This place is such a cute restaurant, I like the art displayed on the wall, the mural is beautiful.
As far as food goes I usually order Lamb Beyti, Kanafeh, Turkish Coffee, and hot Tea. These items are delicious! I have tried all of their appetizers and all of them have also been really tasty.
…as far as the Kanafeh goes A La Turca has THE BEST KANAFEH! I have tried Kanafeh in many restaurants and have not been as delicious as A La Turca’s. My sister who is a health freak will break her strict diet to have a whole Kanafeh!
I highly recommend A La Turca for their great service, staff, ambiance, and food!

3.5 stars
Always friendly service and consistently good food. I always get the chicken kabob plate which comes with rice, salad, and soft, fluffy pita bread.
I always get take out so I can’t speak to the dining in experience. The price is around $ 16 for the kabob plate which I always thought was a bit high. Their case of desserts always looks amazing! Will have to try other dishes and dining in for a more accurate review.

Unexpectedly good meal. We got tired of waiting at the long line at Les Ros Thai (even at 9:30 pm on a Wednesday!) and ended up walking to A La Turca.
Got the:
* Chicken Beyeni — ⁵⁄₅. Delicious. Buttery. Tastes a bit like a cheesy lasagna with large chunks of chicken breasts rolled into it. But looks more like chicken wrapped in tortilla covered in yogurt and tomato (?) sauce. With what seems to be hot liquid butter then poured over. Generous portion.
* Gozleme with Spinach and Cheese — ⁴⁄₅. Two large thin pitas with a thin layer of spinach and cheese sandwiched between them. I appreciate the fact that it wasn’t overwhelmingly cheesy and there was a good amount of spinach in here. Had a nice crunch to the pitas.
* Boregi — ⁴⁄₅. Buttery puff pastry with spinach and cheese. A bit more heavy on the cheese ratio than the Gozleme but also really good. Who doesn’t love a buttery puff pastry. Two small halves that come with a tomato and lettuce salad in olive oil.
Also:
* Hummus — ⁴⁄₅ they thought we ordered it and gave it to us on the house. Fresh and delicious, but not sure why it’s marked as «spicy» on their online menu.
* Complimentary Bread — Pretty good. Very airy with a thick crust.

Very tasty place! Nice décor and service.
My friend had the Antep yogurtlu which was very tasty! We shared the lamb puff, very nice as well! I had the chicken liebeh so tasty

This is a nice Turkish Restaurant. It is reasonably priced. They serve many items. Customer service is friendly and efficient. It has a nice ambiance.
I tried their Turkish coffee. It was good and strong. A lot different than the coffee I get from my Keurig machine. Coffee was thick, aromatic, and not bitter. I did not need to add sugar to it to make it more palatable.
I tried the Lahmacun (looks like Turkish pizza). It was very good. It was light and tasty. Lamb Beef Doner Sandwich was also very good. The serving was large, the Doner meat was moist and tasty. The lettuce was fresh, and had the right amount of sauce.
The Kunefe was really delicious. It was baked with fine noodles and sweet cheese inside. It was slightly sweet and flakey.
I also had the Kiymali Borek. It is a pastry dough baked with sauteed ground meat. It looks like a Turkish Empanada. It was delicious. The pasty was flakey and buttery.
The Baba Ghanouj was good. It came with the house bread, which was warm and fresh. The Baba Ghanouj was tasty and had a subtle smokey flavor.
I really enjoy coming to this place. I look forward to trying out some more items.

Tenderloin digs, Pac Heights prices. Their new motto should be ‘faux-​Turkish hoping you don’t notice’. To be even more frank, this is non-​descript «Middle Eastern» food made for non-​Turkish people who are confusing us with stereotypes.
The food does not even look Turkish, and certainly does not taste like it. I ordered gözleme for a taste of home and to relive some old memories on my taste buds. What I got was a Mexican quesadilla/​tortilla from Safeway. Gözleme is more, appropriately, like the consistency of a French crêpe (if we are even to compare), but with luscious bubbled crispsness on top, stretchy like a Ukrainian or Polish pierogi. It’s made from yufka (phyllo dough). Lavash is a sister. Gözleme’s hometown is in the central region of the Turkish Republic.
In case you’re unfamiliar, here is a bit about gözleme, see here:
and here, for basic steps on making it at home:
The meat is gristly, sickly oiled and my tummy agrees, and sadly, the baklava looks three+ days old, doused in syrup to appear shiny and appealing. And they have the audacity to charge $ 5 for one slice of it. In the Tenderloin. The rice was boiled for too long and had absorbed too much water. It was mushy, too sticky and very un-​Turkish. It seemed more appropriate for sushi. Turkish rice is buttery, fluffy — we call it pilav, also known around the world as pilaf. Turkish rice is most authentically and commonly served like this:
Turkish people don’t mess when it comes to rice. Like bread, we treat rice with sacred appreciation and attention.
No, indeed, this is *not* where all the Turkish of San Francisco Bay Area gather. No, we don’t think it’s the ‘best Turkish in all of San Francisco or the Bay Area’. We steer each other, and our friends, clear of here, with raised eyebrows, but I decided to take a risk today, much to my chagrin. Many times, reaching out of my comfort zone produces incredible results or simply a lesson learned. Guess I’ll have to take the latter.
If you’d like some of the best Turkish meals this side of Istanbul or Cappadocia, please save your money and time for Kitchen Istanbul in the Inner Richmond, Troya in the Inner Richmond or Pacific Heights, Bursa in West Portal, Pera in Potrero Hill, Tuba in the Mission, North Beach Gyros, or even Olympus Caffe in Mountain View.

Delicious! We had a catered lunch from A La Turca Restaurant at work and that is what first brought me to love this place. It’s close by the office and the food is fresh, fast and very flavorful.
Their combination appetizer of Hummus, Baba Ghanouj, Ezme, Eggplant Salad, Cacik and Stuffed Grape Leaves was delicious. It is served with the house made pita bread. This was a good appetizer for the whole table and everyone got to try all of the different items.
We went in a couple weeks ago for a work luncheon before the holiday and I ordered the Combo Doner Platter which came with chicken and beef doner thinly sliced; served with salad and rice. The spicy hot chili sauce they have is a nice addition.
Love the food and will be back to try more dishes on the menu.