Angela W.
Yelp
Holy COW I think I just found my favorite Mediterranean restaurant. We waited an hour in freezing NC winter for our seats at Bosphorus and it was well worth it. The restaurant came highly recommended to us by some of my mother's friends, all with quite discerning palettes. We dropped by for dinner and were wowed by the food offered. First of all, the restaurant has a nice ambiance and is decorated with a Turkish theme. Service was friendly and prompt. They checked in on us more than I usually prefer, but they were not too intrusive about it. Hot tea is free on request, and the cups they use are almost exactly the ones I've gotten at my Turkish friend's house.
We started with the cold meze platter, consisting of several veggie-forward dips and two stuffed grape leaves, and generous slabs of their house-made bread. Before I even get to the meze platter, I gotta talk about their bread!! Pillowy goodness with a perfectly crisp exterior, fresh out of the oven, it was heaven in each bite. My table got two refills for the bread because we kept eating it by itself. Paired with the cold dips, including a smoky eggplant dip, hummus, tabbouleh, a yogurt dip, and two featuring tiny diced veggies, each bite was an explosion of flavor. Mix and match any of the dips, they all go so well together.
At this point I was already getting pretty full, and then the main course arrived. We got a lamb pide to share and I got a kofta kebab plate. The lamb pide was a hit with the whole table, we all loved the spices, tender lamb, and amazingly fluffy bread crust. The kofta was incredibly tender, flavorful, and HUGE. it was served on a platter with a little cup of their yogurt sauce and a mountain of tender pilaf underneath. I ate this with the leftover dip from the meze platter and I was in spice and texture HEAVEN. So many unique flavors, so much textural contrast. Just imagine the bite of fresh lettuce, soft meat, smoky eggplant dip, and pilaf. Now imagine that bite 50 times over, with more left on my plate to take home. I was delighted by each bite! Despite being stuffed, we still ordered baklava for dessert. It came with a heaping scoop of soft whipped cream, and the crispy sticky-sweet pastry paired perfectly with the pistachio filling and whipped cream. What a perfect ending to a perfect meal!
Bosphorus is a MUST for anyone in the Triangle who loves Mediterranean food. Reasonable prices, huge portions, and truly stellar food. I will be dropping by every time I'm in NC!