In the news

NEW YORK, NY — August 2026. Turkuaz®, the Turkish restaurant that has been part of New York’s dining life since 1999, has opened its second location at 1072 Second Avenue in Midtown East. The kitchen is now serving dinner nightly from 5 p.m., with weekday lunch and weekend brunch beginning in September.

Turkuaz® began at Broadway and West 100th Street in 1999, later established its Theatre District location on West 53rd Street, and has now expanded to Midtown East. To the East Side it brings the food and hospitality of Türkiye — hand-rolled dolma, shared meze, kebabs grilled to order, seafood, and the slow-cooked dishes of the Ottoman and Anatolian table. The West 53rd Street flagship continues to welcome guests.

What sets the menu apart is a rotating collection of dishes reconstructed from historical Ottoman culinary sources and palace records, prepared in limited quantities and offered as daily additions. Among them is Mastabe, a cold preparation of chard and garlic yogurt documented in fifteenth-century sources and in palace accounts from the reign of Sultan Mehmed II. Mutancana, a sweet-savory lamb dish enriched with dried fruits, appears among dishes recorded for Mehmed II in 1469 and again in sixteenth-century Ottoman palace records. Borani, with deeper roots in the culinary traditions of the region, also appears in fifteenth-century records from Mehmed II’s kitchen. The selection extends to dessert with Helva-i Hâkânî, a rich almond helva made in the Ottoman palace kitchen from the fifteenth century onward and prepared for court occasions such as royal births, accessions to the throne, and victory celebrations.

Rather than simply borrowing their names, Turkuaz® looks to the historical record to understand the ingredients, techniques, and character of these dishes, then brings them back to the contemporary table. Beyond the documented palace dishes, the rotating menu explores the broader culinary traditions of Anatolia and neighboring regions, including Mesopotamia, with preparations such as Yahudi Köftesi (also known as Masluka), Kerkük-style Dolma, and Kayısı Yahnisi, a lamb braise with dried apricots.

“These are recipes with a written history — dishes that have survived in palace records, manuscripts, and the culinary traditions that followed them. For me, bringing that history back to the table is part of keeping Turkish cuisine alive.”

— Dr. Ali Kocak, PhD in Chemistry, Founder of Turkuaz®, and a cook of Turkish cuisine for more than forty years

Alongside the heritage selections, Turkuaz® offers a full à la carte dinner of meze, charcoal-grilled meats, seafood, and traditional Turkish desserts, together with signature Turkish specialties — among them Yaprak Döner, hand-stacked and slow-roasted on the spit; Tandır, slow-roasted lamb prepared in the traditional style; and İncik Kebap, braised lamb shank. Several of these specialties will be introduced in September, when weekday lunch and weekend brunch also join the program.

Locations · Midtown East (new): 1072 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10022 — dinner nightly from 5 p.m. · Theatre District (flagship): 310 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019.

Media Contact: info@turkuazrestaurant.com · (917) 679-5258. High-resolution images available on request.

The real attraction, however, is to enjoy good Turkish cuisine, a culinary bridge between Europe and Asia, in stylish surroundings with a service to match. Turkuaz® plays Turkey’s traditionally strong hand of fresh cold and hot appetizers, casseroles and grilled food very well.

Turkuaz® differs not only because the food is good, but also because it has a clear identity.

Turkuaz® has an extensive menu and I head directly for the cold appetizer, perfect when the going gets steamy. The kazandibi was a treat, just like the rest of the meal.

Fox News featured Turkuaz® Restaurant in a segment on Midtown Manhattan’s Turkish dining scene. Watch the full segment on YouTube.