El Turco Turkish Food Reviews

We had such a great experience at El Turco for Thanksgiving. It ended up being the perfect non-traditional holiday meal. The food was excellent from start to finish, and the location & setting is absolutely beautiful. Upper Buena Vista has this super lush, tropical garden vibe that makes you feel like you’ve escaped into a little jungle oasis right in the city. The Lahmacun was great, but the standout for me was the El Turco Salad. Everything was incredibly fresh and bright. The Vegetarian Bowl was another highlight because it gave us a taste of so many different flavors and textures. The Manti were plentiful and comforting, and the Kavurma Braised Beef was fantastic—rich, tender, and even better with the extra yogurt they brought out for us. Beyond the food, the service really made the experience even better. I don’t remember our server’s name, but she was incredibly friendly and took her time explaining dishes, offering recommendations, and making sure we never felt rushed. Truly warm and attentive hospitality. We finished with the Baklava, which was delicious and a perfect sweet end to the meal. Overall, we loved everything about El Turco and already can’t wait to go back. Highly recommend.

Great food, excellent food, fast service and a pleasant atmosphere for share with family and friends. I recommended this place.

In beautiful zen setting. It feels tropical. Even though there were many people there it didn’t feel crowded. Quick service and nice portions. Go for the full experience and get a Turkish coffee. It won’t disappoint. There is some shopping as in the area. It’s a bit of a walk but you can go to the Design District for high end shopping. I would recommend the protein bowl. The meat melts in your mouth.

This was my third visit to El Turco, and once again, everything was perfect—from the service to the food. Our server, Ganges, was incredibly friendly and well-informed about the menu, which made the experience even better. We ordered three different dishes and shared them family-style—each one was full of flavor and absolutely delicious. El Turco never disappoints!

Simple environment without any glamour. Horrible food, poorly made and without any quality, impressive. Escape without any remorse!!!!

Amazing breakfast bagels. Wish we found this place sooner for dinner. Stunning setting and lovely staff. Even got to meet the owner.

Tried some dishes recommended by the waiter everything was excellent. Deserts were not the best though will not recommend having them there baklava and tres leches were way below expectations.

The breakfast was ok nothing to be excited about. The service was simply not there. The girl working in the kitchen seemed bothered when we went inside to to ask very basic questions regarding a breakfast meal even when we spoke to her native Turkish and we would have expected a typical Turkish welcome from her but again it seemed like she could care less if we were from Turkey and couldn't be bothered by our presence. The waitresses working the outside area we likewise not attentive and just missed the basic simple amenities that a table should have when sitting down for any meal. The restaurant service industry in Turkey is one where servers and workers make you feel welcome, the girl working the kitchen on the other hand was just the opposite and I suppose since she prepared the breakfast meal working she did not put any effort into the quality and hence the presentation was lacking.

Good food and service. Amazing ambiance. We liked the manti, braised beef and lamb kebab. Pricey. Liked it better when we came 2 years ago.

I went to El Turco for a family celebration, it was a special occasion and because of the Michelin star rating I was sure we would have a great experience, once we arrived the service provided was very slow and not friendly, it felt like we were disturbing the person attending our table. After a long waiter placing our order, the food came to our table five minutes later, all entrees were cold, obviously there were take-out of the refrigerator as the plates themselves were very cold, all the food ordered was bad, the only moderately good ones were the wraps ordered by a couple of our family group. I truly have to wonder how such a mediocre (close to bad) restaurant was given a Michelin Star.

Wow wow..I don’t know what took us so long to get here. El Turco is as authentic ,fresh and as close to a meal on the Bosporus that you can get in Miami. The friendly and professional care and service today by Luisa and Maria Jose made the wonderful Turkish Breakfast plates we chose taste even better. The hospitality at El Turco took us back to our trip to To Turkey Last year . We observed The owner Gokhan greeting guests, preparing birthday surprises and he even brought us over a special must have cheese plate with nuts and honey..no words except OMG! It was so good. The staff is what really makes El Turco shine in sync with its Delicious foods and delights… my husband even ended up ordering a Doner wrap to cap off his breakfast brunch. This is a MUST restaurant for all locals and Miami visitors to try. It won’t disappoint. Çok teşekkür ederim! XOXOX

the place is an informal mostly outdoor with superquality food all very well made. It is a small place with reduced menu options, no alcoholbring your own promoted. The staff is very attentive and service is prompt and effective. Have been there 3 times in the last twoor three months with up to 4 famiily member. In front of it is a Glutten Free bakery the is four stars

Not a hidden gem per se as it’s a Michelin recommendation, but not as busy or overpriced as the other Mediterranean options near by, this restaurant serves great Turkish food. The wine list offers only Turkish options and that can be a bit tricky.

Had doner wrap 5/5, babaganoush 4/5 and lahmacun (Turkish pizza) 5/5. The lemon soda was refreshing…and last but the best was baklava. The area where the restaurant is located is a cute place with free shops and bar- local feel. Would recommend trying it!

Very fine food, very good friendly service. We all liked it very much. Definitely recommended.

I came to this restaurant recommended by a youtuber all the way from the Orlando Area. What a mistake. The food came out warm. I cannot complain about the service, the guy was really nice. But the food no flavor, and expensive. $92 wasted. The location is pretty nice, the setup is pretty, but wow the food was not up to par. I love Turkish food, and I've eaten in many places and states around the USA, but this one is at the bottom of the chart. I would give it a zero if I could. But the guy was really nice to us, so I gave it a 1 star. I hate to leave bad reviews, but I felt totally robbed by EL TURCO. Bad is an understatement.

A little Turkish food, a little international. I didn't think it was a great place to eat, but it's okay. The atmosphere is good, the food normal.

Very nice restaurant and with typical food from Turkey with good cost-effective. Friendly attention from the team.

Excellent service and delicious food. We ordered two of the bowls for two of us and had plenty leftover. I quite enjoyed the Turkish white wine too!

We discovered El Turco in the Miami Design District by chance and loved the food, Service and decor. There was Pilav with Kavurma, kebab wrap, mini Lahmacun, Sarma, Ayran, and Turkish tea - all a treat, wonderful - highly recommended

We have lived in Turkey and are very familiar with Turkish cuisine and were disappointed with the food's lack of taste and flavor. The rice and chicken, which were recommended by the server, consisted of plain rice and what tasted like three-day-old shredded chicken. The stuffed grape leaves appeared to be canned, and the servers lacked enthusiasm, they were careless, forgetful and slow which further turned us off from the dining experience.

We were five for Father’s Day dinner. El Turco is located in a residential neighborhood on NE 50 Street Miami in The Upper Buena Vista entrance. There are artisan shops, coffee stands, Citroen ice cream truck, bars, sushi and more. All outdoors. Plenty of tables around. Bamboo forest, Very old Banyan trees and palm trees. Incredible atmosphere. The founder and host Gokhan of El Turco greets you as you enter. The appetizers were Simit bread, pita bread, yogurt, beet hummus and chopped eggplant. Entrees were slow cooked braised beef, Turkish meatballs, shrimp casserole, rice, Turkish cheese with salad. All items are served at the same time so you take as you wish as in Turkish tradition. Everything, everything served was delicious. The braised beef was super tender and very flavorful like nothing we tasted before from the herbs and spices used to cook the meat. Nothing was spicy. The Turkish meatballs also had a unique flavor. We highly recommend El Turco and we’ll dine there again very soon. Attached photos showing El Turco on the right and the Citroen ice cream truck.