Sofra Cafe

Loved this place! Thought the food here was better than Turkish Grill down the block.
Was really surprised to see this place super empty all the time. Service was pretty good, the waitress was attentive and quick (no reason not to be since we were 1of 2 tables).
We had the hummus for appetizer. The bread it came with was so warm and soft, we really enjoyed it. I’m a big fan of chicken adana so, of course, I had to try how Sofra made it. SO GOOD! One of my favorite. My hubby had the lamb shish and loved it as well. I had to steal one :)
For dessert, the waitress recommended we try the Kazandibi. Caramelized milk pudding? No regrets.

I was very skeptical about this place after reading some of the recent negative reviews. But, we gave it a try anyway given that there were some positive feedback, and the restaurant also serves halal meat, which was one of the main reasons to try the place out. So, I went there last night with a few friends for my birthday, and the experience was unexpectedly pleasant. The restaurant had a decent décor with a cozy feel. We were greeted right away, and the staff was very attentive and cordial. We ordered a few different appetizers and entrees, and I must say, I was hoping for bigger portions. My friends and I aren’t choosy when it comes to food, but we aren’t uncritical either. We all liked the food, loved the service, and agreed to return. Though it may not have been one of the best Turkish restaurants I have been to, and I have been to a few different ones, including some in Istanbul, but this was definitely a restaurant above par and a must try.
Here is one example of their good service: Their credit card machine wasn’t working, so they offered us to pay whatever we could with the cash we had, but we had enough cash to pay in full anyway. Then, they gave us a 15% discount, which we added to the tip. Also, my friend had gotten me a cake, and they didn’t charge anything extra for the dessert plates, which some restaurants do. Overall, it was just a good experience, and I am definitely going back.
Try the Mixed Grill and the Mediterranean House Salad!

How they have four stars average is beyond my comprehension! They must be paying people to review or bribing them with food because this place is always empty even during brunch hours. That alone speaks for itself.
Wait for food is looooooooooooong so seems they make food from scratch as not enough business is coming in to pre cook food. That makes we wonder about the freshness of the food. :S Service is nothing but sub par so why the automatic 20 percent tip for already overpriced mediocre food is also beyond comprehension?!
Focus on the real reviews that are below three stars. That is the true story of this place. They truly just suck and are inconsistent with food when either ordering out or eating inside.

We ordered Mediterranean Branzino which very fresh and perfectly cooked, highly recommended! the owner and wait staffs are very friendly too. love this place. i’ll be back with my family :-)

Sofra was quite the disappointment considering all the highly rated reviews here. I went here on a Sunday night and the place was nearly empty compared to the packed restaurant next door. I sense the few patrons meant there was only a few chefs working because it took an hour (I tracked) for our food to be served.
Mediterranean Bronzini ($ 17.95) — The fish was dry, tough and lacked flavor. The grilling must have took every trace of moisture from the meat. There was a hint of lemon but it needed more seasoning. (⁶⁄₁₀)
Grilled Jumbo Shrimp ($ 19.95) — The shrimp benefited from the charred flavor. Likewise for the vegetables. However $ 20 for 5 pieces of shrimp (might I add they were far from «jumbo») is robbery. (⁵⁄₁₀)
The food in this experience was mediocre and service was only a bit better. Our waiter was nice and quickly answered any requests we had like changing the cups or checking on the food. However, service as a whole was slow and one other waiter almost brought someone else’s entrée to us. The best thing about the restaurant is probably the décor. Sitting on the sofas did make the waiting a bit more comfortable.
And to top it off, there is an automatic 20% tip charged to the bill even though I just ate with one other person.

Just ordered after a long road trip. Got the chicken and rice dish. It came to my apt in less than 30 min still Hott. Super juicy chicken and great quality.

Huge dissapointment, just see my pics. Photos speak louder than words. Got full refund hence the two stars and not one. I sincerely applaud and thank them for that.
I did not eat the food as the «platter» did not resemble what is served inside the restaurant and tried playing the cheap card on me. Pic says it all, the nerve!
Moreover, chicken soup was ¹⁄₃ oil and ²⁄₃ water, no sight of any chicken bits just a few morsels and under cooked celery. To top it off… not properly packaged, just see my pic, full drip even when they tried covering it with foil. Lol! Learn packaging 101. Nice try but let me enlighten you ~ there is such a thing as a plastic soup container. If you are trying to save money by using a thin floppy salad container, you lose on presentation and convenience. In the long run, you lose. So invest in proper containers if you want to keep the customers you do not have.
Turkish Grill have a proper lunch special and do not try to jip you even when you order out. Why would I take my friends to sit and eat here, pay tax n tip and possibly leave embarrassed as take out orders seem to be a riddle you are still trying to figure out. Luckily for $ 10 I gave you one more try and certainly the last.
Good luck folks! Do not be fooled by their beautiful exterior and interior design. They are deliberately hiding their «B» inspection rating with their nice doors.
«A» inspection rating is the minimum if you are still trying to figure out restaurant protocol and etiquette.

I am a born and raised Sunnyside girl, and I just discovered this hidden gem just a block away from Queens Blvd. My boyfriend is a classically trained chef who criticizes every place we eat at, and he had NOTHING but great words to say about Sofra — and I agree. Everything we tried (and we ordered a LOT) was beautifully presented and seasoned to perfection. We couldn’t have asked for anything better. The best part about it — the owner and his staff are by far the most pleasant people to come across.
So much better then Turkish Grill or Mangal — trust me. I’ve eaten at both of them many times and I had much better experience at Sofra then either of them. AND their prices are by far the best in the neighborhood.
I hate reading negative reviews, especially one’s about delivery and I really think everyone should give this place a shot. Well worth the block walk away from the boulevard. I will be returning there again and again.

My wife and I ordered take out from here tonight. It took them over two hours to deliver out food. When our food finally arrived it was cold and they had forgotten to deliver the soda we ordered.
Food was average at best but might have been better had it arrived warm but we will never know. Very disappointing experience we likely will never order from here again.

This is a delightful, underappreciated gem in Sunnyside. I came here on a weeknight to only see a handful of tables full. Please go here and help this business grow; you won’t regret it.
My friends and I ordered an appetizer combo thing that included a variety of delicious apps like hummus, baba ganuch, yogurt, etc etc. It was huge and should be split amongst 4 people.
Our entrees were also large portions. I got the okra over rice. It was very good.
The prices are fair for the amount of food they give you, which is a lot. But I feel the really highlight of the experience is their service. Our waiter was very passionate about the food. He even gave us a free dessert because he just wanted to share a bit of his culture with us. He was genuinely excited about every thing they served. A passion and love for food like that is infectious, and he had the right to be proud because it was all delicious.
I would definitely return and try a new dish!

Sofra has the potential to be an excellent restaurant, and I for one, hope it makes out. (Low light ambience, with several couples that night apparently on dates.) One of the owners manned the floor. He was personable and helpful with recommendations.
We started with a complimentary basket of delicious hot-​out-​of-​the-​oven rolls, served with a sesame dip (not quite like hummus.) Per the server/owner’s recommendation — and because I don’t cook anything like this at home — my husband ordered lamb shank. He looooved it!
As a fish kinda gal, I was looking at the trout, but hesitant to order it since it wasn’t deboned. I was promised that the bones would be minimal, and easy to remove. They were! With a couple of squirts of lemon, trout was a very good choice.
My daughter had chicken kabob, that was well marinated and quite good. Main dishes are plated with either rice or salad. The kabobs also had cabbage and what looked like roasted tomatoes.
The restaurant has a range of Middle Eastern desserts. We shared a cake — sorry, I don’t know the name — that was melt-​in-​your-​mouth moist and delish.
Note that until Sofra obtains their liquor license they permit byob, without a corkage fee. (Run to the liquor store across the street.)
If you’re curious about Sofra — granted, a bit more upscale than the Sunnyside I remember from 25 years ago — check ‘em out!

Sofra is the newest arrival on the scene in terms of restaurants that are serving a broad variety of authentic Mediterranean cuisine. And while the term «Mediterranean» may be used as a wider label for what this restaurant is about, deep at its heart, the restaurant is beautifully Turkish. This can be seen in the lahmacuns that are stuffed like little pastry boats filled with tender ground lamb crumbles, or the numerous varieties of grilled meats, served as meatballs on skewers, cubed, or available on fresh pita.
Any of the starters can easily combine to make a meal. Grape leaves are rolled carefully around a Greek salad that smells of a sweet perfume. Phyllo is rolled lengthwise around feta, parsley and tomato to create little cigars of bourek. Baba ganush sings of tahini and tender roasted eggplant and spicy peppers are carefully diced into a dip known as ezme. And the hummus — smooth as the purple velvet stripes lining the dining room chairs.
Seafood is satisfying as well. Shrimp arrives stewed in a tomato sauce with hearty chunks of freshly cubed vegetables. Trout is served with a wonderful lemon caper sauce, and salmon is served in a creamy blend of olives, mushrooms and tomatoes. These are some of the best Turkish recipes being served in New York City.
The Turks are a passionate people, and the owners here are no exception. Guests sit and sip coffee or tea long after their bronzini is carted away.
Owners Kaan Oralis and Yuvuz Gülü have been friends for more than 20 years, bringing together experience in restaurants and hotels such as the Ritz Carlton, Plaza Hotel and Waldorf Astoria, where Oralis is still a banquet server a couple of nights a week. So it came as no surprise that the two decided to take a stab at running their own restaurant. And man, did it payoff.
For a grand finale, nibble on homemade honey-​soaked desserts and baked puddings with tea and a strong demitasse of Turkish coffee. When you finish, don’t be startled when you are expecting a check and the waitress asks if you have a moment before proceeding to turn over the coffee mug allowing the grinds to drip slowly onto the saucer. And don’t be surprised if she then reads your fortune in the shapes and patterns of those coffee grinds.

I been wanting to try this restaurant since it opened since it had gotten such great reviews. I came with my friend for dinner, they don’t have a liquor license so its BYOB.
They brought us some warm bread which was delicious. We started with the appetizer sampler which had eggplant, hummus, spinach tartare, ezme and grape leaves. I really enjoyed the spinach tartare and ezme.
For my entrée I got the chicken chops which were tender, juicy and delicious. It came with pilaf rice and grilled vegetables.
The portions are large and the prices are good.
I had enough food to take some leftovers home :)

My friend wanted to try this place, so we met there for dinner on a Saturday night. It wasn’t crowded when we arrived, which was about 8:45 pm. The food was good, the staff were nice and attentive, including the owner, and the chairs were really comfy. They gave us pita shortly after we were seated. It was delicious; I love warm, crunchy bread. My friend and I shared the appetizer sampler, which comes with five cold appetizers of your choice. We ordered hummus, spinach tartare, grape leaves, eggplant (pureed), and ezme. My favorite was the ezme because it was full of flavor; you can taste the garlic and it had a kick of spice. My least favorite was the grape leaves (I’ve had better). I ordered the sauteed chicken with vegetables and that was really good. It is served with a side of pilaf, which was fluffy. The portions are big. The prices were very reasonable and at the end of dinner, the waiter gave us a discount off of our bill and gave us a free Turkish drink, which tastes like licorice. Overall, I had a pleasant experience.

Came here with a $ 40 for $ 20 Groupon. Ordered 4 apps and an entrée + dessert to split for 2 people and barely made it to $ 40 so the prices are reasonable.
Got the hummus, fried zucchini, Turkish yogurt, falafel, and Turkish meatballs. All were good (though I wish the falafel was spicier). Their bread was amazing — crispy on the outside and light/​fluffy on the inside. Dessert was a baklava/​cookie thing which really hit the spot.
BYOB w/​no corkage fee and a liquor store literally 25 feet away is pretty much ideal as well. We got stuffed and tipsy for $ 15 a person after tax tip and Groupon. VALUETOWN ALERT!

This is the best Turkish restaurant in the entire city hands down in all aspects. I have eaten in numerous places (the old Dervish before it shut down, Ali Baba, Beyoglu, Ushkudar, Turkish Kitchen, etc) and Sofra is really a cut above in terms of taste of food, quality of service, attention, location, ambiance and price.
In terms of food in my opinion their lentil soup is the best out of all the restaurants I have been to. Portions are generous but quality isn’t spared at the expense of the quantity. I had the chicken Adana while my wife had the chicken sautee. Excellent. The bread is fresh and the meze is perfect. The dessert we had was almost a cross between baklava and a cookie. We ate a lot but had a very reasonable bill.
Maybe because they opened recently the owner/​chef makes a real effort to get to know you and talk with you but he’s a swell guy. We went in the evening and the ambiance was just right. Nice music and not too loud but not library quiet (we had our 4 year old daughter who was able to be herself without bothering our fellow diners. The waiter was very kind and willing to answer our questions.
The location is great because it is close to the 7 train but not right on Queens Boulevard. We drove and perhaps the only drawback is the lack of parking (not the restaurant’s fault and acutely felt today because of the frigid temperatures) because there are residential apartments all around.
Overall we will be back and likely be regulars when we are craving Turkish food. Perhaps the best barometer is my wife. Not particularly a fan of Turkish food she has said we will be back! It’s been a long time since we felt this good in finding a good restaurant. The reviews here on Unilocal were greatly helpful.

A gem waiting to be found! This place serves delicious Turkish food! I find the vegetarian menu wonderful. It contains more vegetarian options than the other Turkish places. Good service and I really like the appetizers which features vegetarian options! The waiter tells us that they bake fresh bread everyday. It melts in your mouth!
Another tibit — BYOB!!! I’m sure many will find this appealing!

we went with a ethnic meetup group
. And get change to try almost 10 different dishes~!
By the way great group if you love to try different restaurant.
is a group that we all get together and eat with group of friend once a week to try different food.
everybody is friendly and dishes that I recommend is MIXED appetizer.

There is tough competition for «best Turkish/​Mediterranean» in Sunnyside, but I’d like to crown the newly opened Sofra the clear winner.
The new renovation is very nice. The feel may be a bit «mature» for some, but makes for a relaxing escape for a date or a ladies’ night out.
As of early 2014, they were still waiting for their wine/​liquor license but don’t let that stop you from giving it a go before then! It’s truly that amazing!
We started off with a mediterranean salad and our favorite, cigar borek. The salad was enormous and very fresh. The cigar borek was perfecly made, and I’m very happy to report that Sofra isn’t scared to use a little spice when making this dish. It had that tangy-​taste with a beautifully cooked crust that often gets white washed at other restaurants.
For our meals we had Turkish-​style meatball and Donner Kebab. Both were amazingly succulent, came with the most delectable cous cous I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating and fabulous Turkish-​style bread along with complementary white sauce (cacik I think?). My only warning is on the side there is a whole pepper; I didn’t think it would be that hot but YOWZA it was VERY hot. Don’t eat it if you are sensitive to super spicy. My husband loved the pepper though so I hope they don’t get rid of it!
Honestly, it was the freshest and most succelent and high quality meals, I’ve had in Sunnyside. And the price was completely reasonable.
The staff was also very lovely and charming.
I’m a fan of all of Sunnyside’s Turkish restaurants, but this, for me, has become the one I will always return to. Good luck Sofra!!!

Sofra is awesome. The food, the service, the atmosphere — everything is exactly what I expect from a restaurant.
We stopped in a few days ago for lunch after having noticed a lunch special advertised in the window. Lamb gyro or chicken kebabs with soup or salad for $ 10. I chose the lamb gyro and lentil soup. Before my order arrived, the waiter (who was so nice by the way) brought us a basket of warm, fresh bread along with a plate of baba ganush and beans in a tomato sauce. The bread is absolutely delicious. The lentil soup was flavorful. Finally, the lamb gyro platter included a large portion of meat, fluffy and buttery rice, and a salad. Totally delicious.
My first lunch experience was so good, I went back the next day for dinner with a group of friends.
If you are in Sunnyside, I wholeheartedly recommend that you give Sofra a try.