Koftegi

"Koftegi is a Turkish restaurant/bakery in Little Arabia with a menu that at first glance looks similar to others in the neighborhood. But skip the kabob wraps and meze (though they are tasty) and concentrate on the house specialties. Namely, the ground beef kofte, and the Turkish bread boats known as pide. You can order the kofte in a wrap, on a plate, but we prefer them stuffed with kashkaval cheese, a mild yellow cheese that's sometimes called "the cheddar of the Balkans." As far as pide, they offer 18 varieties filled with things like muhammara or soujouk, but if we're here in the morning, we go with the salty-sweet egg, cheese, and parsley one." - brant cox

"Koftegi is a Turkish restaurant/bakery in Little Arabia with a menu that at first glance looks similar to others in the neighborhood. But skip the kabob wraps and meze (though they are tasty) and concentrate on the house specialties. Namely, the ground beef kofte, and the Turkish bread boats known as pide. You can order the kofte in a wrap, on a plate, but we prefer them stuffed with kashkaval cheese, a mild yellow cheese that's sometimes called "the cheddar of the Balkans." As far as the pide, there are 18 varieties ranging from muhammara to ground beef, but we prefer the salty-sweet egg, cheese, and parsley—especially if we're there before 10am." - Brant Cox

"Little Arabia is a hotbed for Middle Eastern flatbreads thanks to bakeries like Al Amir Bakery and Forn Al Hara, which both specialize in round Lebanese-style manakish, also known as sphiha. Koftegi started as Al Sanabel Bakery in the same space. After chef Mehmet Kaplan and wife Lisa Matarazzo took over this colorful quick service business, they expanded the menu to include Turkish comfort foods and continued serving Lebanese flatbreads. They also added Turkish boats, traditionally called pide, that feature different shapes and fillings. Walnut lahmbaajin is a crispy oval topped with tangy ground beef and vegetables, finished with crumbled walnuts. The cheese and Turkish soujuk “boat” is both softer and pointier, topped with salty white cheese and sliced house-made beef “pepperoni.” You can’t spell Koftegi without Köfte, their signature grilled ground beef and lamb patties. The version filled with Kashkaval (sheep’s milk cheese) is particularly noteworthy, served with hummus, fluffy house-baked pita and salad. Döner, spit-shaved beef and lamb, stars in Iskender. Tomato sauce, browned butter, and toasted pita chunks accentuate this historic döner fueled dish, named for Mehmetoğlu İskender Efendi." - Joshua Lurie

"Koftegi is a Turkish restaurant/bakery in Little Arabia, and at first glance, has a menu that looks fairly similar to others around the neighborhood. But skip the kabob wraps and meze (though they are tasty) and concentrate on the house specialties instead. Namely, the kofte (seasoned ground beef patties) and pide (Turkish bread boats). You can get the kofte in a wrap, casserole, or as a plate, but we prefer it stuffed with kashkaval cheese, a mild yellow cheese made from a mixture of sheep and cow’s milk. You can wrap pita around the kofte if you want, or just do what we do: Go at it with just a knife, fork, and reckless abandon. As far as the pide goes, you can’t go wrong with any topping, because at the end of the day, it’s all about the thin, perfectly crunchy crust." - Brant Cox

"Koftegi, located within Al Sanabel Bakery, serves Turkish comfort food and baked goods. Their signature dish, köfte, consists of ground beef patties flavored with lamb fat, cumin, and onion. Another popular dish is Iskender, featuring beef chuck and lamb shoulder marinated for 48 hours and served with tomato sauce and browned butter over toasted pita cubes. The bakery also offers walnut lahmbaajin, cheese & Turkish Soujuk, and desserts like ashura. The venue is decorated with faux stone arches, photos of Istanbul, and Iznik-style ceramics." - Joshua Lurie