Top Reviews

Geri S. | San Francisco, CA

Lunch: crispy manti, lahmacun, kebap trio for two with desserts… pistachio gelato, Turkish coffee mousse, katmer, poppy seed revani. Every bite is delicious!

We will return to explore this intriguing menu. It is tantalizing… we will order pide next. Service is excellent—friendly and efficient, deserving 20% tip plus.

Linda H. | San Francisco, CA

Absolutely delicious. Cute restaurant with lovely decor. Went by myself on a weekday. The staff was nice and accommodating.

I had two appetizers, the lentil soup and their crispy manti. Soup was thick and creamy. The mantis were done with a twist. The flavor combination was all there though—very satisfied. Even the complementary bread and dip was delicious.

Would definitely recommend and go again. I’ve already told two different friends about this place!

Lilly G. | San Mateo, CA

Came in for lunch at around 12 with a party of two, were seated immediately. It’s pretty chill around this time, plenty of tables open.

This is definitely my top pick for a delicious meal in San Carlos. Everything from the bread, the soup, the meat, even the rice too, is so delicious! My favorite was the lamb meat from the Kebap Trio for two, and also the crispy flatbread that comes with the combo. Simple, delicious, so incredibly crave-able.

I highly recommend getting the lentil soup and pairing it with the free bread for the table. So good!

Mugdha T. | Sunnyvale, CA

It felt like I was teleported to Turkey. Amazing food and decor! Crispy manti was the highlight—succulent meat and tangy yogurt base with the right amount of spices! Loved everything we tried, especially the dessert—it was fantastic!

We tried the katmer and I felt like I could eat 10 of these and would blissfully be in heaven! The inside is nice and cozy and I would recommend having reservations. We came in early (6:30 PM on a Saturday with a reservation) but within 15–20 minutes all the tables were full.

Sarah O. | South San Francisco, CA

Delicious! Can’t recommend highly enough! This may be my new favorite Turkish place in the San Francisco Bay Area. Delicious food, great ambiance, wonderful location. Great service. Endless çay.

Elaine Y. | Cupertino, CA

OMG, this place is SO good!! There’s another Turkish-Med place we go to so the bar is set pretty high and they did not disappoint. I will say—my rating is more of a 4.5 but I bumped it up and I’ll share why later.

For appetizers, we got the Yogurtu (eggplant and peppers with tomato egg sauce on garlic yogurt). This is a staple for us when eating at a Turkish restaurant—and while this was delish with their bread, there wasn’t enough eggplant or peppers. It had a lot of tomato sauce, and the yogurt could have more garlic flavor. So this was good but not great compared to what we’ve had at other places.

We then got their crispy manti—a MUST for ALL to try! It was SO GOOD—small bites with lots of flavor and different textures!! DEFINITELY made up for the Yogurtu…

We also got their lentil soup which was delicious and hit the spot, as well as their Esnaf salad, which had the most amazing yogurt feta cheese dressing! I LOVE that salad!! And they added some sun-dried tomatoes which totally took it over the TOP! HIGHLY recommend!!

For our main dishes we got:

• Branzino: delicious, very tender with tons of flavor. Not sure what the rub was but it didn’t overpower the fish.

• Lahmacun: Angus beef on flatbread with onion tomato salad—makes the bite perfect!

• Ispanaki Pide: spinach and cheese on Turkish flatbread. OMG SO GOOD.

• Truflu Mancrili Pide: Crimini mushroom and cheese—this was my favorite.

I love that the pide was thin and crispy and held up to the toppings—never soggy, crispy every bite. Hubby LOVED the edges for the Turkish flatbread. Definitely a must-order when we come back.

FOOD was amazing—especially the crispy manti, Esnaf salad, and pides. Definitely going back to try more pides!

Janice H. | Santa Monica, CA

Esnaf is a perfect little slice of Turkish cuisine and hospitality. The food is excellent—the eggplant appetizer and mantis are super tasty. The star of our meal was the lamb chops, which couldn’t be more tender or juicy.

The Turkish white wine was very delicate and a perfect pairing for our apps. Service is attentive and the ambience is warm and inviting. This is one of the best restaurants on the peninsula.

Kimberly L. | Redwood City, CA

Had a delicious vegetarian-friendly lunch with a girlfriend today! We started with the 3 dip meze dish and the eggplant and yogurt bowl. Both were phenomenal. Delicious and the warm bread was addicting.

Our main course was the creamy rice with mushrooms—it was pretty much risotto? YUM. Get that. Can’t wait to go back and try more dishes.

Michelle P. | San Mateo, CA

Oh we had such a nice time yesterday—I had heard of Turkish breakfast and then randomly came across this place and looked at the menu—Turkish breakfast! It’s a sign, I must go! Hubby and I came around 10:30 and the place was half full. I’m glad because I don’t like terribly crowded restaurants—but I wish it was full to keep them in business. When enough reviews come out, this place will be booming.

We ordered the Turkish breakfast for two and had too much food to finish. The eggs were creamy and light, the tea was hot and delicious, the simit, roll with oil and pomegranate molasses, olives, cheese, honey, preserves, sausage slices, labne—all so good. A lovely spread of goodies.

Next time I’ll try the menemen and Turkish coffee—and of course dessert. Can’t wait to come back.

The host and waitress were very nice and personable. The bathroom is shared with Drakes next door. You have to walk through the kitchen, and since Drakes is bigger, there was a line, mostly kids needing help. Hopefully not a consistent problem.

Everyone in the kitchen smiled and I told them the food was delicious. Got back to the table and shoved two more bites down my throat even though I was full because the flavors were so good. Come to Esnaf—you’ll be so happy you did 🙂

Angel L. | San Carlos, CA
This is truly the best restaurant that I’ve eaten at in years.

1. Karides guvec: Shrimp in tomato, butter, garlic, and cheese. So savory and juicy—pairs beautifully with bread. My favorite dish!: Soft, tender grilled octopus with a wonderful and unique lime mashed potato. The most delightful, softest octopus I’ve ever eaten.
2. Crispy manti: Bite-sized baked dumplings in yogurt. A lot of meaty and savory flavor packed into one bite.
3. Somonlu pide: Dill, smoked salmon, and capers on bread. So savory and refreshing!: Cabbage rolls with rice. So soft, and had a lighter flavor.

I also loved the decor and cozy ambiance of the place, and the servers were very attentive. Would definitely come back again!

Valerie S. | Foster City, CA

Amazing food, reminiscent of flavors I had in Istanbul. Had a relaxed and beautiful lunch, efficient and friendly service. Beautiful decor. They bake bread fresh and bring it right to your table.

Marla B. | Belmont, CA

This is my new favorite restaurant!! I cannot say enough good things about the food, the service, and the ambience! I went there with a friend for lunch and we split a number of vegetarian dishes. Every single one was absolutely AMAZING!

Then we finished everything off with the most incredible pistachio gelato topped with the best bits of halvah I have ever tasted, along with amazing Turkish coffee. The flavors and the presentation were just wonderful. The service is fantastic and the restaurant is so beautifully decorated! So many wonderful details in the décor. I can’t wait to return!