As my husband and I were walking towards Butter Lane Cupcakes in the East Village, we passed by an adorable Turkish restaurant – Mediterranean Grill and Tapas.
We noticed a couple sharing a hookah, and since we were both famished, and in the mood for some hookah, the choice to dine at this cute little restaurant was obvious.
First impressions… I loved the atmosphere at this tapas restaurant – it was romantic, intimate, laid back, with great Turkish music. Sometimes the best dinners are unplanned.
LOCATION:
128 1st Ave
Manhattan, NY 10009
(East Village)
MENU: Mediterranean Grill and Tapas Menu (selective dine in menu, takeout next door)
COST: $$
CUISINE: Turkish, Mediterranean, Tapas/Small Plates.
RECOMMENDED TO: Casual Dining, Couples, Groups, Romantic Dining.
AMBIENCE: Laid-back/Intimate
MY REVIEW
Since my husband and I both love hookah, we decided on the Fresh Apple Hookah, it was tasty and hit the spot. We were also given 1 free refill.
We each started with a glass of Sangria. Not only did the sangria taste fruity and delicious, the glasses were pretty huge too. Wine and fruits, how bad can they be?
Fried Calamari… even though we were at a Turkish restaurant, my husband had to order fried calamari – it’s one of his favorite starters. He will never admit it, but he LOVES fried food. Both the calamari and cocktail sauce were delicious.
Babaganoush… smoked eggplant puree seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. The babaganoush was good, but nothing out of the ordinary at a Middle Eastern restaurant. We both enjoyed it, but I’ve tasted better.
Chicken Kabab… tender chunks of grilled chicken marinated with yogurt and spices. Personally, I prefer more chargrilled kababs with the “blackened” effect, and although the chicken tasted good, I thought it could have used more flavor, perhaps a little lemon and garlic. 
Pintox de Camarones Grilled Shrimp skewers with Salsa Romesco… the shrimp was perfectly grilled to perfection and spicy – I loved this dish. The salsa and yogurt sauces perfectly balanced out the flavors of the shrimp.
VERDICT: 4 / 5
Sometimes it’s nice to dine out without planning for it. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed Turkish food with hookah and drinks, let me just tell you, it’s so FUN! The food here is a blend between Turkish and Spanish cuisines which was great. I look forward to scoping out more Middle Eastern establishments in New York City that serve hookah, and I definitely look forward to returning to this lovely Turkish gem for their amazing sangria and wonderful tapas.
Just fyi… there is a Belly Dancer on Fridays at 10:30 PM.
Food: Good
Drinks: Excellent
Decor: Good (warm & cozy)
Service: Excellent (very friendly)
Value: Excellent
TELL ME: Do you enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine? What’s your favorite item to order?
My mouth started watering here
My mouth is drooling!! I LOVE Middle Eastern cuisine! The best I've ever had was when I visited Beirut a couple of years ago- words just don't do justice! The food is also one of my main reasons to keep visiting Dubai haha! My favorites include muttabul, hummus, lamb kebabs and tabbouleh…YUM!
i love middle eastern cuisine, and hookah def a hit with me 🙂
soooo agree with u on the sangria..wine and fruits cannot go wrong..and the best part, you keep drinking it thinking its some juice and then u stand up 2 go to the loo and you realize ure tipsy:)
Thanks for dropping by my blog Nisha 🙂
@Khushboo – wow, you're quite the traveler – Beirut! I'm trying to do Istanbul this year, so maybe I'll get lucky with some amazing food. I love tabbouleh and hummus too.. chicken kababs and all that. So yummy!
@An Open Book – haha, exactly! I actually spilled half my sangria – I was tipsy, and they were nice enough to give me another glass, not a smart idea. Hookah and Sangria is the BEST!
What a gorgeous restaurant!
I adore getting tapas… the more I can try of everything on the menu, the better!
Love the pretty presentation…and presentation is more than half the battle, right? It looks delicious!
I went to a Turkish restaurant in NYC…can't remember the name of it now! It was tasty but nowhere near this place. This is on my list!
Tapas are the best – when else can you feel perfectly fine sampling a little bit of everything from the menu 🙂 Great photos!
@mollie – I love tapas too, it's a great way to try new dishes.
@Ameena – You're right, presentation is half the batter. Aww.. I wish you could remember that Turkish restaurant, I love your taste in food and restaurants.
@Jen – I love tapas too.. it's a great way to sample a bunch of dishes. 🙂
Oh my, the food looks divine!
I think everything looks delicious – especially the calamari!
Can't comment about the food since I'm a vegetarian, but damn it's been ages since I had hookah.
I used to like green apple and paan-flavored hookah, until I was single and happy. Now My hubby wouldn't let me go have hookah, can you accompany me!?! 😀
@Nisha – really, no hookah? Why? It's not really smoking smoking, it's flavored and once in a while. I loveeeeeeee apple, I have to give other flavors a try. 🙂
@Ellen @Pam – thanks guys! Calamari was delish! 🙂
This is a great place one of my favourites in New York. Best Turkish food outside Istanbul!
Tapas is really the best! I have a thing called sunday sangria with my friends! Absolutely LOVE sangria – How can anyone go wrong with wine and fruit right?! 😉
@BakerStreet – what a great idea? I think I'll have to do something like that once a month since I'm married, it would be fun to do a Sunday Sangria with girlfriends. LOVE the idea. Thanks!
don't ask. i have married a saint who thinks drinking, smoking, cooking with eggs at home, hanging out with guys, everything is wrong/bad.
FML. hehe.
@Nisha – awww.. well, there is good in everything. 🙂
the website address is misleading. their website is http://www.winetapashookah.com
given website address in the blog belongs to restaurant next to the bar.
What a gorgeous restaurant!
@hookah – thank you! It is. Love the name and hookah. 🙂