Hamdi
Turkish restaurant · Fremont ·
Open-fire Turkish restaurant with lamb kebap, mezze, and cocktails
Open-fire Turkish restaurant with lamb kebap, mezze, and cocktails
"How Far In Advance Should You Book? Day-of for smaller groups, a couple of weeks out for parties of four or more. This Turkish restaurant known for dry-aged steak and mezze used to run out of reservations within minutes of releasing them—now, not so much. The best seat in the house is up front near the wood-fired grill, where the chefs put on a show. And though it’s trickier to get a big group dinner booked on short notice, this place works better for a special date night, anyway." - gabe guarente
"Chef Berk Güldal and Katrina Schult worked at literally the best restaurants in the country (Single Thread, the French Laundry, 11 Madison Park) before hosting pop-ups at Fair Isle Brewing, where they made their reputation roasting entire lambs over a wood fire. So when the couple opened their brick-and-mortar in Frelard in 2022, it immediately became a buzzed-about dinner destination. The restaurant they’ve created is dark and theatrical, with a long chef’s counter facing the open kitchen, where you can watch Güldal cooking meat over an open flame. Lamb is still the star of the show: The kebap — an upscale version of the kebab everyone knows — is fatty and luxurious, and the lamb ribs are crunchy on the outside and somehow creamy on the inside. Not that Hamdi only caters to carnivores: The roasted cauliflower with tahini sauce and a sunflower seed dukkah is one of the most decadent gluten-free and vegan dishes in the whole city. Best for: Special occasions; don’t come here with a date unless you’re sure you like them." - Harry Cheadle
"Hamdi started off as a pop-up that supplied hungry brewery-goers with Turkish dishes like kokorec and lamb kebabs cooked over a wood-fired grill. It’s no surprise, then, that they’ve made a large open grill the centerpiece of their upscale restaurant in Ballard. You’ll see plenty of meat getting seared here, and the servers may encourage you to order one of the restaurant’s touted dry-aged steaks. But you’re better off focusing on the mezze, like a tasty garlicky celery root dip with chunks of dried figs that cuts through the tangy yogurt. Or a refreshing watermelon salad speckled with pungent spices and salty Tulum cheese. Even with a scaled-down order, you’ll still get a show. Hamdi is lively and loud, both from the busy kitchen and the sounds of guests having a nice night out at candle-lit tables. It’s a good idea to snag a reservation at the curved chef’s counter. They’re the best seats in the house, with an entertaining front-row view of the commotion happening over the blazing flames—though be warned you might leave smelling like a campfire. With very small portions (and high price tags), we wouldn't recommend coming here to have a feast with a big group. But for a date night, special occasion, or catch-up session with an old friend, Hamdi gets the job done. Food Rundown Mangal Ekmek You’ll want to order this char-marked sourdough served with herby olive oil and use it as a utensil to sop up juices from other dishes. photo credit: Kayla Sager-Riley Kereviz This dip is one of the best things at Hamdi. The yogurt has an intense flavor after being smoked for six hours, and the celery root is chopped so finely it almost has a meaty texture. Lots of garlic and crunch are happening here too, and you’ll want to scoop it all up on some of that aforementioned sourdough. photo credit: Kayla Sager-Riley Karpuz We want more of this kind of salad in this world—it’s salty, sweet (from big hunks of watermelon), and reminiscent of summer. photo credit: Kayla Sager-Riley Pide This dough boat tries to do too much. The middle is stacked with tons of heavy filling like melty white cheese and parsnips in pickled, pureed, and fried form. But it ends up just being floppy, bland, and hard to eat. photo credit: Kayla Sager-Riley Turk-Bone Hamdi’s steak offering changes nightly and costs upwards of $100. But for the amount of time it takes to prepare, the lack of sides, and the fact that the meat is really nothing outstanding, it’s not worth the wait. photo credit: Kayla Sager-Riley" - Kayla Sager-Riley
"This Turkish restaurant from fine dining vets Berk Güldal and Katrina Schult is dimly lit and theatrical — everything from the succulent lamb kebap to the chicken wings to the steaks are cooked on a flame-spouting charcoal grill. But it’s not all about the meat here; the cauliflower topped with tahini is among the most luxurious vegetarian dishes in the city. The menu changes constantly, but you can be rest assured you’re in good hands." - Jade Yamazaki Stewart, Harry Cheadle
"A lawsuit against the owners of Hamdi accusing them of withholding tips and overtime pay and not providing mandated breaks was dismissed with prejudice after the parties agreed they had resolved their mutual misunderstandings; co-owner Katrina Schult told Eater Seattle the parties reached a satisfactory resolution. Schult and her partner Berk Güldal said their only failing was not documenting in writing how tips would be distributed between front- and back-of-house. The couple, who have worked at some of the country’s most critically acclaimed restaurants, arrived on Seattle’s dining scene in 2021 with pop-ups outside Ballard’s Fair Isle Brewing that involved roasting entire lambs over an open fire, opened a brick-and-mortar in November 2022, faced early setbacks including a chef leaving for family reasons and a month-long closure in January to “reestablish some things” (the lawsuit was filed days after that temporary closure), and have since received significant recognition from outlets such as Bon Appétit and Esquire, which named it one of the best new restaurants in America last year." - Harry Cheadle
