Turquoise Cafe Restaurant

(773) 549-3523

2147 West Roscoe
Chicago, IL 60618 41.9432 -87.6824

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Neighborhoods: Roscoe Village, North Side

Last updated 10.15.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Group Dining, Brunch, Outdoor Dining

Cuisine:

Mediterranean

What People Are Saying About Turquoise Cafe Restaurant

Featured Review

Robyn Galbos

Contributor

The Scene – Located on the ground floor of a Roscoe Village apartment building, this cozy restaurant draws a neighborhood crowd seeking Mediterranean flavors. The narrow dining room has a bar to the left, while comfortably spaced tables hug the opposite wall. Jewel-toned pendant lamps hang from the ceiling, casting a romantic glow. Couples and small groups dine and chat with a sultry soundtrack of Turkish music. – – The Food – The menu offers traditional and contemporary Turkish dishes with several seafood options. Lahmacun, crispy flatbread topped with well-seasoned…

ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “The ambiance was very warm- casual with a relaxed elegance.”
  2. “The atmosphere was cozy and friendly.”
  3. “Great food,beautiful atmosphere,good p.”
  4. “The place is cozy and the old guy who was our waiter was super attentive and fun.”
  5. “This is a great first date place - it's not too loud or quiet, and the overall atmosphere is warm and inviting.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “Recommendation: don't go when they are super busy - go on a quiet night and you will be plased for a few reasons: 1) the service will be great, 2) the food will be great, and 3)if you are lucky sometimes they will give you their UNBELIEVABLE chocolate vol”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “We finally were able to order the first bottle of wine.”
  2. “The Turkish coffee is also great, especially if they have time to read your fortune!”
  3. “They seated us immediately at 8 PM, brought our silverware, the tasty carrot and yogurt appetizer and took our drink orders.”
food quality
86.96000099182129% positive
  1. “The red lentil soup was terrific.”
  2. “If you want a great meal at a good price Turquoise is the place.”
  3. “ordered the salt crusted sea bass which was very tasty and impressively done.”
  4. “The fish dishes are excellent!”
  5. “We will never return, not when there are much better, authentic Turkish restaurants in town.”
  6. “We love this place - despite the fact that yes, we kept thinking it was a bakery because of the big neon "bread baked daily" sign.”
  7. “Their appetizers are delicious and their kebab plates are superb.”
  8. “have tried kabobs before but the lamb kabobs were excellent.”
  9. “Our appetizer (delicious zucchini pancakes) and main courses were great, as was the bread.”
  10. “The food is good, the service okay, the people unusual but interesting.”
  11. “Great food,beautiful atmosphere,good p.”
  12. “This was my first time having Turkish food and I loved everything about the experience.”
  13. “The food was fabulous.”
  14. “Great, great, great food!”
  15. “Turquoise Cafe is a turkish restaurant with excellent service, very reasonable prices and delicious food.”
  16. “The flat bread was great.”
  17. “This is a great place for a casual, very tasty Sunday brunch with friends or family.”
  18. “This is some of the best Turkish food in Chicago, and very reasonably priced.”
  19. “The food was mediocre, at best.”
  20. “They seated us immediately at 8 PM, brought our silverware, the tasty carrot and yogurt appetizer and took our drink orders.”
  21. “We'lll probably always love Turquise though - it was the first place in Chicago to actually have good service and good food - which after 3 months we desperately craved.”
  22. “Recommendation: don't go when they are super busy - go on a quiet night and you will be plased for a few reasons: 1) the service will be great, 2) the food will be great, and 3)if you are lucky sometimes they will give you their UNBELIEVABLE chocolate vol”
  23. “loved the combo of flat bread with smoked eggplant appetizer.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “If you want a great meal at a good price Turquoise is the place.”
  2. “This is a great place for a casual, very tasty Sunday brunch with friends or family.”
  3. “This is a great first date place - it's not too loud or quiet, and the overall atmosphere is warm and inviting.”
return potential
0.0% positive
  1. “We will never return, not when there are much better, authentic Turkish restaurants in town.”
service
90.0% positive
  1. “DO understand the person who gave the bad review - but we have only had bad customer service once in a countless number of times we've gone.”
  2. “Turquoise Cafe is a turkish restaurant with excellent service, very reasonable prices and delicious food.”
  3. “Recommendation: don't go when they are super busy - go on a quiet night and you will be plased for a few reasons: 1) the service will be great, 2) the food will be great, and 3)if you are lucky sometimes they will give you their UNBELIEVABLE chocolate vol”
  4. “The place is cozy and the old guy who was our waiter was super attentive and fun.”
  5. “The atmosphere was cozy and friendly.”
  6. “We'lll probably always love Turquise though - it was the first place in Chicago to actually have good service and good food - which after 3 months we desperately craved.”
  7. “They are not stingy with the portions and the staff has always been very friendly.”
  8. “The food is good, the service okay, the people unusual but interesting.”
  9. “While there wasn't a host/hostess manning their station, overall the service was great.”
  10. “The service is very friendly and puts you at ease.”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “Turquoise Cafe is a turkish restaurant with excellent service, very reasonable prices and delicious food.”
  2. “If you want a great meal at a good price Turquoise is the place.”
  3. “Better places for Turkish elsewhere, but a unique experience worth trying.”
  4. “They are not stingy with the portions and the staff has always been very friendly.”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/22/09

Great, great, great food!

by sl4mmy at Citysearch

This is some of the best Turkish food in Chicago, and very reasonably priced. But the restaurant itself is kind of small, and can be very crowded. I recommend you call ahead to make a reservation.

  • Pros: Excellent food, reasonable prices
  • Cons: Crowded, noisy, slow service
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/09/08

First time Turkish and LOVED it!

by bd1234 at Citysearch

I was there for the brunch one Sunday last winter but only now decided to write a review. This was my first time having Turkish food and I loved everything about the experience. The place is cozy and the old guy who was our waiter was super attentive and fun. The food was fabulous. I was sure going in that there would be at least one thing I didn't like but I was completely wrong! Everything was tasty and served at just the right time. I think I'm a Turkish bread @ddict now, too! This is a great place for a casual, very tasty Sunday brunch with friends or family.

  • Pros: The food was great, as was the service!
  • Cons: Possibly parking....but that's a real stretch to find a "con."
1 Star Rating: Poor

08/18/08

Worst Customer Service

by Balci at Citysearch

We, me and my wife, live about 130 miles south of Chicago, and we were visiting Chicago that weekend for a festival. However, one of the attractions in Chicago for us is the Turkish restaurants. So we did not hesitate to drive for about 30 minutes to Turquoise Restaurant since we had not been there before. We did not have any reservations, and we were told we would need to wait 15-30 minutes since they had a lot of reservations. We accepted that and started waiting. About 5 minutes after we started waiting, another family of 5 came. They did not have a reservation either and they were told to wait like us. They also accepted, but kept insisting on a waitress they probably knew there to get one of the tables at which the guests were done with their food, and were waiting for the check. They were given the table before us and we were told that we will need to wait another 5 minutes for our table. Witnessing all this double standard and disrespect for the customer we naturally did not wait and left for another restaurant, after making sure that the waitress understands why we were leaving. They tried to make up excuses that did not make any sense. I think such places should be punished for such behavior, and I do not recommend this restaurant to anybody.

  • Cons: Double standard on treating the customers. Hard to find parking. Very rude staff.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/13/08

Great vegetarian selection

by kmg8421 at Citysearch

My husband and I decided to try Turquoise because of their ample vegetarian selection. We went on Saturday night at about 8:00 (without a reservation) and had no problem getting seated. Our appetizer (delicious zucchini pancakes) and main courses were great, as was the bread. The atmosphere was cozy and friendly. My one complaint is that the tables were a little close together. We had the wait staff rushing past us all night, which was a bit unnerving. Otherwise, it was great, and I would definitely go back again.

  • Pros: service, wine, atmosphere
  • Cons: close set tables
4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/11/08

Cozy and Delicious for Sunday Night Dinner, Inviting Atmosphere

by nolachitown at Citysearch

A friend of mine and I were scouting for a random restaurant recently and stumbled on Turquoise (Cafe). While there wasn't a host/hostess manning their station, overall the service was great. They seated us immediately at 8 PM, brought our silverware, the tasty carrot and yogurt appetizer and took our drink orders. Come here prepared to eat, they have generous portions - especially with their appetizers. I was shocked to see the HUGE pile of mussels they brought us for our first appetizer. This is a great first date place - it's not too loud or quiet, and the overall atmosphere is warm and inviting. Oh - check out their wine list - it's unbelievably well-priced.

  • Pros: quick service, tasty and aromatic food
  • Cons: rather small space I can imagine parking would be an issue?

The Details on Turquoise Cafe Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • great food
  • great first date place
  • great service
  • warm overall atmosphere
  • flat bread
  • great appetizer
  • beautiful good p
  • very tasty sunday brunch
  • tasty carrot
  • very warm ambiance
  • very friendly staff
  • unique experience worth
  • loved everyone
  • excellent fish dishes
  • loved combo
  • excellent dining
  • great meal
  • excellent lamb kabobs
  • never authentic turkish restaurants
  • probably always love lll
  • great flat bread
  • best turkish food
  • perfect tuck
  • good price
  • absolutely recommend turquoise

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