Sip Sak

by Dennis S.

Get ready to be bossed around - and enjoy it.The owner is very opinionated, which is good when 1) there's good Turkish food, and 2) you know little about Turkish food.  We enjoyed eating here several times, each time with the owner telling us what we should and shouldn't have with our main course order.  I really think he wouldn't have served our requests if he thought they were wrong.  We picked up great carryout from here too.  It's a casual place, absolutely not fancy.  But delicious.

by Amy C.

Thank God this place is right by my job because I cannot get enough of it! I came in with a friend after work on Friday evening and we were more than tempted to order 25 dishes each just to sample everything. Ultimately, we decided to split the Börek since anything fried, filo, and cheese are all high up on my list of favorite foods. For our main courses, I couldn't decide between the Manti (home made beef dumplings with yogurt garlic sauce), musakka, or Ali Nazik (seasoned ground beef served over mashed eggplant puree). My friend was stuck between several dishes as well. To compromise, she ordered the Manti and I got the Ali Nazik so we could try each other's. My fork mastered a little dance jumping between the Manti and the Ali Nazak. It's been two days now and I'm still tasting that eggplant puree. I have a feeling I'm going to gain some pounds due to excessive Turkish food in the coming weeks. The two blocks walk over from work should balance that out in my foodie world where weight and prices are meaningless.

by louis h.

I love this place.  Get the Turkish pizza and ask how to eat it.  They always have a couple of things not on the menu so ask away.  And get Turkish Coffee.

by Deborah H.

Great complimentary bread, yummilicious hummus, and the lamb pizza was really unique (in a good way).  Ground lamb, tomatoes, onions, and parsley on a super thin-crust that you roll up into a Turkish eggroll of deliciousness.Service is fine, prices are decent (expensive for lunch, reasonable for dinner), and you'll leave with nice oniony stink-breath.

by Jewel Y.

Fantastic eggplant salad!! Just like the one I had in Turkey! çok lezzetli! The tarama was ok, I had better one at Beyti Kabab. They serve good bread so I kept eating them with my delicious eggplant salad as a spread. The Turkish style croquette (Forgot what it's called) was delicious, and I loved the accompanying tomato sauce. The service was good, and the ambiance was casual and pleasant. We got a nice table by the sidewalk, which was the best spot in my opinion. I'd like to come back again if I happened to be in this neighborhood.

by Jamie S.

Despite no bellydancing, hookahs, or whatever fun middle eastern gimmicks-my friends and I really enjoyed this classy-casual, not too expensive Turkish restaurant. Some of these friends have sensitive stomachs and palates (superlame, yes this puts a strain on our friendships), yet everyone enjoyed their food here. I have found no truth to the rumors that the owner here is awful; all the staff was really friendly to us even after a rowdy discussion about sharting that disturbed other diners AND even after we broke a wine bottle on the floor (turkish wine, worth trying). I love the manti- dumpling things in a yogurt sauce and the lamb pizza. A lamb special entree was also good- and huge.  We also enjoyed a grilled octupus appetizer even though the portion was really small. recommendation if there is a wait: We enjoyed a happy hour with some decent mojitos and margaritas across the street while waiting for our table.

by Chris C.Amy C.K O.Laura T.Dano W.

One rare day, we found ourselves on the East Side of things.  We had little time and needed good food pronto.  I noticed Sip Sak around the corner and figured it was probably one of the safer options.  It was a good call on my part.  We were seated promptly and dug right into some of that Turkish bread - oh those Turks and their bread.   We decided to go with the eggplant salad, leeks in olive oil and a Greek Salad.  Very good choices all around if I say so, myself.  My girlfriend, being Greek, has a chip about Turkish places but loved Sip Sak.  I, being the health nut, was really impressed with the amount of good, filling, healthy and delectable goodies available on the menu.  We quietly claimed that Macedonia was ours, paid the check and went happily on our way.The staff was very friendly and although the place seems to be undergoing some renovations, it was still clean.  Besides, I go to eat, not to look.   We'll happily return to Sip Sak when on the East Side again!Thank God this place is right by my job because I cannot get enough of it! I came in with a friend after work on Friday evening and we were more than tempted to order 25 dishes each just to sample everything. Ultimately, we decided to split the Börek since anything fried, filo, and cheese are all high up on my list of favorite foods. For our main courses, I couldn't decide between the Manti (home made beef dumplings with yogurt garlic sauce), musakka, or Ali Nazik (seasoned ground beef served over mashed eggplant puree). My friend was stuck between several dishes as well. To compromise, she ordered the Manti and I got the Ali Nazik so we could try each other's. My fork mastered a little dance jumping between the Manti and the Ali Nazak. It's been two days now and I'm still tasting that eggplant puree. I have a feeling I'm going to gain some pounds due to excessive Turkish food in the coming weeks. The two blocks walk over from work should balance that out in my foodie world where weight and prices are meaningless.I love Turkish food. It's probably my favorite and their use of eggplant is extraordinary. Take me to Turkey baby!I was here just last night and already want to go back tonight. Even though it was just the two of us I think he ordered more then half the things on the menu. And when I asked the owner if that was his Harley Davidson bike parked in the front he said, "Yes that is my bike, that's my girlfriend, and this is my restaurant." huh errrrr awkward.......but funny.Cacik was the best I have ever had. Fried Eggplant was very flavorful. Grilled Lamb Sausage was a new one. Never had it before. Loved it.I don't think what he ordered for me is on the menu. But it was basically a little of everything. 1 Grilled Lamb Chop, 1 Chicken Shish Kebab, 1 Lamb Meat Ball, over rice with salad. I only wish this restaurant was in my neighborhood cause it is unbelievably good.I love the food here. When I lived on the Upper East side (in the upper 70's), I would take the bus down to 50th just for take out - now that's serious dedication. But, why you ask,  did you only give the business 4 stars then? You obviously enjoy the food since you would spend 20 minutes in transit each way to delight in the delectable hummus salad. Well, little grasshopper, let me explain.Maybe this is a common occurrence, but never before have I seen two different menus at the same restaurant - one for take-out and one for in-house dining. The eggplant salad (which is heaven in my mouth) is more expensive if you order at the restaurant itself - and I'm not talking about including tax and tip. I was a bit surprised at this and it made me not want to eat in the restaurant, even though their decor is quite festive. I'd rather save the extra money. (please let me know if this has changed!)With that said, let me list some of the great dishes to try: hummus and falafel appetizer - so good I got my friend hooked on itthe chopped salad - huge fan, except for the abundance of peppersfried eggplant / eggplant salad - nom nom nom!musakka - musakka'me more!Love this place, can't wait to get take-out again from them.Considering our dining options on Second Ave, I was asked to describe Turkish food.  I thought about it for a second and asked if my fellow diner had a taste for lamb.  It probably doesn't do a whole national cuisine justice, but in any case, that settled it for the night.  At Sip Sak, the adana kebap is particularly delicious, although there are definitely tasty lamb alternatives for people who aren't as big fans of a little spiciness.Other than the lamb, Sip Sak has tasty appetizers, interesting Turkish beer, a decent wine selection, and a friendly wait staff.  Check it out.

by Amanda C.

Hummus was like tasteless paste - not a good sign at a Turkish restaurant. Found prices on some items to be too high - and my friend was charged an extra $4.50 for a side of feta for her salad, which she was talked into and didn't even eat! $5 cappucino? Uh, no. But service was good and we never felt rushed.

by Ryan H.

Really good food.  My wife and I started out with the cacik (yogurt with cucumber and garlic) and the sauteed spinach.  Both were great and came with delicious bread.  We then shared the chicken shish kebab with yogurt garlic sauce over pita.  Also, delicious and a really big portion.  The pita was diced and crispy like croutons.  We also had rice pilaf.The service was good.  We were seated next this crazy lady who was making us uncomfortable.  Our waiter was more than happy to move us to another table and apologized for the inconvenience.The price was pretty good.  $40 for everything.  I suppose that's a little on the high side since we shared an entree and didn't get any booze but we both felt it was well worth the money.We'll definitely go back.

by B C.

Meeting up with an old friend, I wanted to go somewhere casual but not Pret casual yet not typical like a burger joint.  Sip Sak fit the bill well.  We ordered the Musakka and Cabbage Rolls which were very satisfying.  Yes, I think satisfying is the word...not overly delicate, not complicated, not boring.  The dinner was about the conversation not the food, but that doesn't mean we should settle for poorly made food either.  It was good but didn't steal our attentions away from our conversation.Sip Sak lost  a star because the service was very rushed.  While I understand it's a busy night, the atmosphere was a bit stressful with the waitresses, bus boys, and hostesses running around non stop. In order to get a table, the hostess put us on a table that was reserved for 830, which gave us 1 hour to order, eat and pay.  I want to like this place...it has a lot of potential.  I'm going to try dropping in on a less busy night.