Sip Sak

The owner of this place is horrible. I believe his name is Orhon and even Turkish people has a bad review about him on the websites. I saw a sign says «HELP WANTED» and went inside and the owner told me to come back the next day to work as a server. But the next day when I come in he was yelling at me with no reason and he was keep asking me «WHO SEND YOU HERE» «I GET A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU» and then he was telling me about his menu and started yelling again «YOU HAVE TO PAY ME TO TEACH YOU». I have no idea why he has to treat people who are looking to work like that way. I’M SO GLAD I DIDN’T GET A JOB THERE can you imagine working for someone like him. I’ll never forget how he treat me and hope the karma comes back to him.

There are a few Turkish restaurants in Midtown East. But really, if you want well-​cooked dishes using fresh ingredients, the choice pretty much winnows down to Sip Sak. I briefly lived in the neighborhood, and have been working in the area for about 10 years, so have had now been to Sip Sak numerous times of the years.
Some things I like about Sip Sak:
(i) The bread — always fresh and proper Turkish pide bread, as opposed to the pita bread some of the lazier places serve.
(ii) The shepherd salad — this is a basic salad, but so many places get it wrong — I guess the freshness of the ingredients make the difference.
(iii) Lentil soup: As hearty as it should be, and goes perfectly with the bread.
(iv) Alinazik. One of the best alinazik kebabs I’ve had.
(v) Fish of the day. Do ask about what the fish of the day. When they have one (and most days they do, it’s usually grilled to perfection, and again — always fresh.
(vi) Consistency of quality: Having visited Sip Sak regularly since 2005 or so, I’m impressed that the place has maintained its high quality on a consistent basis. This is not so easy in the restaurant business.

Had the chicken kebab and eggplant salad. Both were excellent. The kebab is juicy and perfectly cooked.
Love that I just found this place in my neighborhood. Any menu that has a dish labeled «buttered noodles» is a must try in my eyes and you know I’ll be back her pronto to order that!
Friendly and attentive staff.
Bravo!

Best Turkish restaurant that I have been to in the USA. The food was amazing. The service was really good. I felt like I was in a nice restaurant in Istanbul. I recommend this place to others

Don’t bother yourself going to this restaurant if you dont want to deal with very very extremely rude owner who is yelling and cursing all his stuff and employees even to the customers!!! I was there couple times and was regret all the time!!! He has no respect to people, has super big ego out of NOTHING!!! Food is garbage!!!

Best Turkish restaurant in NYC, if not in the entire US. So many specials and hard to find dishes

Don’t believe the 3.5 star rating. This is the top Turkish spot in the city. They have vastly improved in every way since years ago. They brought along some management from the old Turkish mainstay Dervish (now extinct). This place is amazing. I think Unilocal should reset ratings when the trend starts going in another direction (up or down). Come on, get smarter!

Love, love, love this place. I finally found another Turkish restaurant in the area (first being Taksim). On a sunny day, they leave the doors open so you can you can have your meal with the breeze hitting you; it’s one of my favorite parts of the day: sitting back with some tea, enjoying NYC. The food is better than any Turkish restaurant I’ve tried in Manhattan (I’ve tried over 15). The service is class-​A; if you’re alone, they always come by to keep you company — not in a business type way, but in a friendly way where you feel comfortable and enjoy your time. Finally, the food is terrific I recommend the Moussaka — the absolute best I’ve ever had no matter which version (veggie/​beef). The octopus is famous among their patrons and it lives up to the hype. It’s a small, pricey menu, but the food is worth it and it comes in larger portions than your average restaurant.

Came in for lunch on a Saturday, an authentic Turk in tow. One of us began with the ayran, which is was apparently very good (the American palate is not so used to it, but worth a try). From the bread + eggplant salad that comes with it, it was clear that it was going to be a great meal. We ordered the borek to begin, and it was by far the best I’d ever had; light and extremely cheesy. I had the manti (beef dumplings in yogurt sauce), which was incredible, and the stewed beef on top of (more!) eggplant was equally good. The owner was even kind enough to give us free dessert! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would recommend – food and service were amazing.

I love this place, I’ve been there few times. The food is amazing, love the yogurt soup. I’ve tried several things on the menu, I was never disappointed.
Highly recommended if you enjoy Mediterranean food.

I really liked this place! Casually upscale (sophisticated casual?) ambiance. Terrific humus, delicious greek salad. So many other items I would have considered except I went vegetarian several weeks ago. A solid array of wine, I had the Majestik Sauv Blanc, (and a Bombay & tonic) — both very good.

Delicious food at reasonable prices. 2 of us shared a huge Greek salad. Entrees of tender lamb kebab and a ground lamb on top of pureed eggplant were incredibly delicious. Highly recommend. We were there early (5:30 pm) so it was quiet, but around 7 it started to fill up and got noisier.

So glad I discovered this place! The food is absolutely delicious and tastes fresh and homemade. We had the yogurt and hummus appetizers and it was dee-​lish. The pita bread that comes with hummus is homemade and light and crispy with some chewiness. Soooo good.
I had the veg moussaka, which was delicious and comes with a plate of bulgar rice. My friend had the grilled lamb and she said it was amazing.
I’ll be back for lunch when I’m in town again. Great service! Friendly staff!

What a great find for us. The service was terrific and the food very flavorful and tons of it. The Lamb is fantastic and a must to try in whatever entrée.

Where do I start? This place is amazing! Just what we need in this neighborhood (a restaurant that actually serves a good food – Authentic Amazing Turkish Food).
I’ve been here a handful of times and have tried many things on the menu:
— Grilled Octopus, cant explain the taste of it, its a heaven food.
The Bronzino (perfectly served, the sauce and the char on the fish make up for it – also great price for a whole fish)
Manti: Tiny doughy meat filled pillows of goodness smothered in a yogurt sauce. Great taste.
The lamb shish is the best shish in NYC! But the others are good as well — Super flavorful adana and steak.
As far as appetizers:
The hummus is amazing as is the labne.
We get a large shephard salad with feta every time because I can’t live without it for too long.
Oh and the desserts! The baklava is incredible and the ALMOND PUDDING is seriously amazing. THE BEST DESSERT ON PLANET!!!
Banu (Manager) greats everyone that comes in, so it feels like you are a guest in her home and not like you’re just at some restaurant.
Orhan (the chef) is a well know turkish chef and there is no word to explain his talent. He is the master!
To sum it up: go there! You won’t regret it. I’m actually on my way there right now as usual:)

First of all, the service was amazing!
Since the moment we stepped inside of the restaurant untill we left. Super fast service and the waitresses making sure always the table is clean of dirty and empty plates and making sure to fill up your glass of water/​soda.
As concerning to the food no complaints aswell.
Every dish were better then the second that leaving super fantastic tastes in your pallet.
Truly will recommend if you like and familiar with Mediterranean cuisine.
5 from 5!

A last minute lunch engagement before the holidays posed a challenge but Sip Sak pulled us through. We have been here a number of times before so it was a pleasure returning to this upscale Turkish eatery on Second. Marble tables, mirrors and old tin/​zinc ceilings evoke a bistro and an earlier era but without needless kitsch.
We shared an amazing brazed Octopus appetizer which was well prepared with a plum vinaigrette garnish. The fish was really fresh and a pleasure to the palate. For entries we ordered a vegetarian Moussaka and a hand cut spicy Lamb dish. Both entries were nicely prepared and my lamb was tender, tasty and presented with an onion/​tomato salad. The Chef excelled in presentation and taste.
Though very busy, as before the service is well intentioned but spotty. The Manager however then handled our table splendidly.
Sip Sak remains a reliable Turkish stalwart in Midtown. Though a bit pricy, it is well worth the cost and a visit.

Waste of $$
Go to Alibaba Restaurant instead where food is much better and employees are actually polite and courteous to the customers.
We are Turkish and we would never ever eat again at Sip Sak! Substandard restaurant.

Everything we have had here is good! I used to work around here, and this would be our go to lunch spot when we needed some time out of the office. The past couple times I have been there I really only get the appetizer sampler and a salad. It’s plenty of food and you get a great assortment of mezze.
My friend and I had a leisurely lunch the other day and ordered the mezze sampler platter for two and a couple glasses of wine. The waiters are fun and friendly and we always leave pleased.

Holy [villanous] mother of Flotsam and Jetsam! OCTOPUS (another octopus review, another Ursula pun — it just needs to happen, people).
I came to Sip Sak on a Tuesday night around 8:30 and it was EMPTY. Not sure why this place doesn’t get more traffic — Midtown East corporate types are never itching for some good Turkish food? Not that I know anything about Turkish food, but I know I liked this.
Ambiance was very pleasant. Classy yet quaint. I’ve seen some complaints on here about the service, but I had no problems with it. Friendly and efficient, which is all I can ask for. It would be downright embarrassing for the service to be bad with so few parties there, anyway.
So down to the meat (literally) of my review. My date had raved about the octopus at Sip Sak since I first met him. He’s a huge foodie/​cook, so I assume he knows what he’s talking about. Before we ordered, he said (as he has said numerous times before): «this is the best meal I’ve ever had in New York». That would be a bold statement for anyone, but when uttered by someone who’s well-​versed in New York’s culinary options, I had to take note. The octopus only appears as an appetizer on the menu ($ 19 dollars, yeesh), but our waiter said we could get an entrée portion as well. I got a bit too excited, immediately forgot about the thing I try to do called «eat on a budget» and fervently opted for the larger plate.
First off: You are very very aware that you are eating an octopus. There’s no hiding that these are full TENTACLES. So if that freaks you out, you’ve been warned. The octopus is prepared in a plum vinaigrette and served with tomatos and onions (blistered? roasted? something like that?). The plum vinaigrette caught me off guard, but I’m all for interesting flavor combinations, so I had no qualms there. It really does pair beautifully with the octopus. Something about the subtly sweet plum with a hint of vinegar and the meaty consistency of the octopus just worked. The octopus is grilled and had a very slight crispiness to it, which when combined with the blistered/​grilled onions and tomatos, makes for a really satisfying texture profile. Unilocalers, the fact that I can remember this in such detail is a testament to how incredible this dish was. So, as the kids say, mad props to my date — and madder props to the chef!
One note: My only con here (mostly outweighed by the quality of the food) is how pricey this place is. It’s $ 19 for the octopus appetizer, but we got the entrée portion — the price for which is not on the menu (obviously we could have asked… oversight there). Over $ 30, folks. I mean the food was absolutely incredible, but that’s quite steep. Thank god we didn’t order wine. It’s dive bars for me this weekend.