Fantastic food. Servers and chefs are very knowledgeable about the dishes, and each dish is unique. The atmosphere is great, with dishes being prepped in a kitchen in view of the dinning room.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
İlhan Aydın
Great food! Great staff! Turkish people are really good at hospitality!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle Sterling
I've been to Bosforo a couple of times now and it does not disappoint. I've tried several different dishes and always go with the recommended dishes. The food is so flavorful, healthy and they offer a great variety of dishes. The service is impeccable and I appreciate the owner/manager? sent us over complimentary dessert and OMG, was it is amazing (turkish rice pudding).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vance Chan
Great food but really, really noisy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Sam Watson
This place is amazing. We were up to our knees in dips. The waitress said “let us know when you need more bread” and as she turned around we said “oh we need more bread”. We got the girit ezme, tarator, smoked cacik, bosforo hummus, icli kofte, cukurova lahmacun, bosforo kebap, and chicken kebap. Im glad the car was parked close by 😂😂😂
Our favorites were the tarator, icli kofte, and cukurova lahmacun. We were also shocked that we LOVED the chicken kebap. It was so juicy and didnt have the taste that thighs sometimes have. The icli kofte I wished we would have gotten 5 of instead of 1. The hummus was incredibly warm which was a nice touch.
The portions were massive!! I think this place was really well priced. Although not my favorite dip they give you a gallon of smoked cacik.
We will 1000% be back soon, and we are gonna buy every icli kofte that they can make.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maide Kutluca
The service was excellent especially Mario and Fatih, who were incredibly friendly and attentive throughout our visit. The food arrived very quickly, and everything was delicious. The Adana kebab, lahmacun, and especially the baklava are absolute must tries. Highly recommend this place for both the amazing food and the outstanding service. We will definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matthew Caputo
Disappointed, food and drinks weren't worth it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
NicoleParks
the vegan köfte was incredible!! it was made with beyond meat and it was absolutely delicious, seasoned really well and super flavorful. i also had the tarsus hummus which came with bread and was also amazing
Updated from previous review on 2026-03-05
Paula V Scott
I went in for dinner on a Friday night and had a pretty good experience overall. The place has a relaxed vibe, not too loud, and the staff was welcoming without being over the top. I ordered the chicken kebab plate and a side of rice, and everything came out hot and fresh. The meat was tender and had a nice char flavor. Portions were fair for the price. Service took a little time since they were busy, but nothing unreasonable. I also tried their baklava, which was sweet but not overly heavy. I’d come back again and probably try one of the lamb dishes next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth Matoshkina
We recently visited Bosforo Turkish Restaurant and unfortunately were very disappointed with the experience.
To start, the dish we originally wanted to order — which we had seen in photos on Google Reviews — was not on the menu. When we asked about it, the waiter simply suggested choosing any other meat dish instead of offering helpful guidance. We ended up ordering the Bosphorus kebab and lamb chops.
The Bosphorus kebab was extremely overcooked, falling apart into shredded pieces rather than proper cuts of meat, and it came with only a small side of red onions and a few vegetables. My boyfriend’s lamb chops were equally disappointing — bland, with no noticeable seasoning, salt, or pepper, and the texture was oddly mushy. When he asked for something like a dill sauce to go with the meat, he was told he could order a yogurt sauce from the menu for $15, which felt unreasonable for a simple accompaniment.
I had also noted in the reservation comments that we were celebrating my birthday, but this was not acknowledged at all. While we had a 7:00 p.m. reservation and arrived at 6:50 p.m., we seated ourselves right away — only to wait until 7:50 p.m. for our main courses. Aside from one small appetizer, we spent most of the evening waiting for food.
The service did not help improve the experience. The waiter came across as somewhat arrogant and uninterested in guiding us through the menu, recommending standout dishes, or enhancing the experience in any way.
The restaurant was also quite noisy, which added to the overall discomfort. We’ve dined at many similar Turkish and Mediterranean restaurants and usually love this cuisine, but unfortunately, we did not enjoy the kebab or the other meat dishes we ordered here.
Overall, this was a disappointing birthday dinner, and we left wishing the experience had matched the restaurant’s reputation.
Extremely disappointed with this experience. We had a 7:00 PM reservation, arrived at 6:50, and didn’t receive our food until 7:50. Waiting a full hour with a reservation on a regular evening is unacceptable.
The service was arrogant and dismissive. I asked for extra dill sauce (a simple white sauce), and was told it’s “$15 and must be ordered separately.” I was clearly referring to a basic side sauce they already use on dishes. I also asked for extra red onions and was told we could only choose two salads. I asked for onions, not a salad. We were promised pita — it never came.
The lamb chops ($42) were absolutely not worth it. Extremely thin, overcooked almost to well-done, dry, tough, and completely lacking salt or flavor. Served with a bland porridge-like side. Honestly felt like chewing on a dry sole.
It was my birthday — no acknowledgment at all. At the end, they brought some random “complimentary dessert” — angel hair–like strands with no explanation and no utensils. Were we supposed to eat it with our hands?
Overall: slow, overpriced, flavorless food with condescending service. There are far better places in North Park for this price. Not recommended
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Brad Sund
Incredible. Everyone should go. Liked lamb for 1st time in my life! Such a unique restaurant. San Diego has needed this for years!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Natiton Parker
I’ve visited this place twice already, and I can honestly say it’s absolutely worth it! 🤩 I highly recommend making a reservation in advance because dinner time gets fully booked very quickly — and once you try the food, you’ll understand why! 🍽️✨ What I love most is that even though you know exactly what you ordered from the menu, once the dishes arrive you almost stop trying to figure out every single ingredient. The flavors are just that good! The seasoning goes far beyond simple salt and pepper — it’s all about perfectly balanced, layered spices that blend beautifully and truly elevate every ingredient. 🌿🔥 The cocktails are fantastic as well, with creative Turkish-inspired twists that make them unique and memorable. 🍸 They also have a great selection of Turkish beer and wine, which adds to the whole experience. We ordered the Margherita pizza as our hot dish — it was tasty — but the Turkish pizza was even more delicious and full of flavor! 😍 For dessert, the rice pudding was the real star of the night. Honestly, I enjoyed it even more than the baklava! 🍮 The staff were friendly, attentive, and happy to recommend both food and drinks. The overall service was excellent, and I’m definitely looking forward to coming back again soon! 💛
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mark Basak
This restaurant serves excellent top shelf Turkish food, drinks, and desserts. As one who’s been to dozens of Turkish restaurants in several different states, and in several different countries, it’s refreshing to experience one that over performs on so many levels. The vibe is more of a tapas bar than a traditional Turkish restaurant, which makes the experience more exciting. If you’re craving Turkish beer like Efes and Bomonti, they have it! The traditional Turkish pizzas are crispy and delightful. The meats are fresh and tender. Portion sizes are normal, which enhances the European style of experience. Pro tip: make a later reservation to avoid the dinner rush. 8:00 pm or later it’s quieter and not as packed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tolga İçmez
I’m visiting San Diego from Turkiye, and I truly did not expect to find Turkish food at this level. Bosforo genuinely surprised me.
The Bosforo Kebab was outstanding perfectly grilled, juicy, and full of flavor with that clean charcoal aroma we grow up with back home. You can taste the quality of the meat and the balance in the seasoning. It felt both authentic and elevated. The lahmacun also was another highlight. Everything felt fresh and made from scratch. You can tell this is a chef-driven kitchen that respects tradition but executes it at a higher level.
Service was warm and welcoming real Turkish hospitality.
It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if Bosforo catches Michelin’s attention in the future. If you’re in San Diego and want true Turkish cuisine done right, this is the place.
Fantastic food. Servers and chefs are very knowledgeable about the dishes, and each dish is unique. The atmosphere is great, with dishes being prepped in a kitchen in view of the dinning room.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food! Great staff! Turkish people are really good at hospitality!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I've been to Bosforo a couple of times now and it does not disappoint. I've tried several different dishes and always go with the recommended dishes. The food is so flavorful, healthy and they offer a great variety of dishes. The service is impeccable and I appreciate the owner/manager? sent us over complimentary dessert and OMG, was it is amazing (turkish rice pudding).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food but really, really noisy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
This place is amazing. We were up to our knees in dips. The waitress said “let us know when you need more bread” and as she turned around we said “oh we need more bread”. We got the girit ezme, tarator, smoked cacik, bosforo hummus, icli kofte, cukurova lahmacun, bosforo kebap, and chicken kebap. Im glad the car was parked close by 😂😂😂
Our favorites were the tarator, icli kofte, and cukurova lahmacun. We were also shocked that we LOVED the chicken kebap. It was so juicy and didnt have the taste that thighs sometimes have. The icli kofte I wished we would have gotten 5 of instead of 1. The hummus was incredibly warm which was a nice touch.
The portions were massive!! I think this place was really well priced. Although not my favorite dip they give you a gallon of smoked cacik.
We will 1000% be back soon, and we are gonna buy every icli kofte that they can make.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The service was excellent especially Mario and Fatih, who were incredibly friendly and attentive throughout our visit. The food arrived very quickly, and everything was delicious. The Adana kebab, lahmacun, and especially the baklava are absolute must tries. Highly recommend this place for both the amazing food and the outstanding service. We will definitely be coming back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Disappointed, food and drinks weren't worth it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
the vegan köfte was incredible!! it was made with beyond meat and it was absolutely delicious, seasoned really well and super flavorful. i also had the tarsus hummus which came with bread and was also amazing Updated from previous review on 2026-03-05
I went in for dinner on a Friday night and had a pretty good experience overall. The place has a relaxed vibe, not too loud, and the staff was welcoming without being over the top. I ordered the chicken kebab plate and a side of rice, and everything came out hot and fresh. The meat was tender and had a nice char flavor. Portions were fair for the price. Service took a little time since they were busy, but nothing unreasonable. I also tried their baklava, which was sweet but not overly heavy. I’d come back again and probably try one of the lamb dishes next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We recently visited Bosforo Turkish Restaurant and unfortunately were very disappointed with the experience.
To start, the dish we originally wanted to order — which we had seen in photos on Google Reviews — was not on the menu. When we asked about it, the waiter simply suggested choosing any other meat dish instead of offering helpful guidance. We ended up ordering the Bosphorus kebab and lamb chops.
The Bosphorus kebab was extremely overcooked, falling apart into shredded pieces rather than proper cuts of meat, and it came with only a small side of red onions and a few vegetables. My boyfriend’s lamb chops were equally disappointing — bland, with no noticeable seasoning, salt, or pepper, and the texture was oddly mushy. When he asked for something like a dill sauce to go with the meat, he was told he could order a yogurt sauce from the menu for $15, which felt unreasonable for a simple accompaniment.
I had also noted in the reservation comments that we were celebrating my birthday, but this was not acknowledged at all. While we had a 7:00 p.m. reservation and arrived at 6:50 p.m., we seated ourselves right away — only to wait until 7:50 p.m. for our main courses. Aside from one small appetizer, we spent most of the evening waiting for food.
The service did not help improve the experience. The waiter came across as somewhat arrogant and uninterested in guiding us through the menu, recommending standout dishes, or enhancing the experience in any way.
The restaurant was also quite noisy, which added to the overall discomfort. We’ve dined at many similar Turkish and Mediterranean restaurants and usually love this cuisine, but unfortunately, we did not enjoy the kebab or the other meat dishes we ordered here.
Overall, this was a disappointing birthday dinner, and we left wishing the experience had matched the restaurant’s reputation.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Extremely disappointed with this experience. We had a 7:00 PM reservation, arrived at 6:50, and didn’t receive our food until 7:50. Waiting a full hour with a reservation on a regular evening is unacceptable.
The service was arrogant and dismissive. I asked for extra dill sauce (a simple white sauce), and was told it’s “$15 and must be ordered separately.” I was clearly referring to a basic side sauce they already use on dishes. I also asked for extra red onions and was told we could only choose two salads. I asked for onions, not a salad. We were promised pita — it never came.
The lamb chops ($42) were absolutely not worth it. Extremely thin, overcooked almost to well-done, dry, tough, and completely lacking salt or flavor. Served with a bland porridge-like side. Honestly felt like chewing on a dry sole.
It was my birthday — no acknowledgment at all. At the end, they brought some random “complimentary dessert” — angel hair–like strands with no explanation and no utensils. Were we supposed to eat it with our hands?
Overall: slow, overpriced, flavorless food with condescending service. There are far better places in North Park for this price. Not recommended
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Incredible. Everyone should go. Liked lamb for 1st time in my life! Such a unique restaurant. San Diego has needed this for years!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve visited this place twice already, and I can honestly say it’s absolutely worth it! 🤩 I highly recommend making a reservation in advance because dinner time gets fully booked very quickly — and once you try the food, you’ll understand why! 🍽️✨
What I love most is that even though you know exactly what you ordered from the menu, once the dishes arrive you almost stop trying to figure out every single ingredient. The flavors are just that good! The seasoning goes far beyond simple salt and pepper — it’s all about perfectly balanced, layered spices that blend beautifully and truly elevate every ingredient. 🌿🔥
The cocktails are fantastic as well, with creative Turkish-inspired twists that make them unique and memorable. 🍸 They also have a great selection of Turkish beer and wine, which adds to the whole experience. We ordered the Margherita pizza as our hot dish — it was tasty — but the Turkish pizza was even more delicious and full of flavor! 😍
For dessert, the rice pudding was the real star of the night. Honestly, I enjoyed it even more than the baklava! 🍮 The staff were friendly, attentive, and happy to recommend both food and drinks. The overall service was excellent, and I’m definitely looking forward to coming back again soon! 💛
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This restaurant serves excellent top shelf Turkish food, drinks, and desserts. As one who’s been to dozens of Turkish restaurants in several different states, and in several different countries, it’s refreshing to experience one that over performs on so many levels. The vibe is more of a tapas bar than a traditional Turkish restaurant, which makes the experience more exciting. If you’re craving Turkish beer like Efes and Bomonti, they have it! The traditional Turkish pizzas are crispy and delightful. The meats are fresh and tender. Portion sizes are normal, which enhances the European style of experience. Pro tip: make a later reservation to avoid the dinner rush. 8:00 pm or later it’s quieter and not as packed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’m visiting San Diego from Turkiye, and I truly did not expect to find Turkish food at this level. Bosforo genuinely surprised me.
The Bosforo Kebab was outstanding perfectly grilled, juicy, and full of flavor with that clean charcoal aroma we grow up with back home. You can taste the quality of the meat and the balance in the seasoning. It felt both authentic and elevated. The lahmacun also was another highlight.
Everything felt fresh and made from scratch. You can tell this is a chef-driven kitchen that respects tradition but executes it at a higher level.
Service was warm and welcoming real Turkish hospitality.
It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if Bosforo catches Michelin’s attention in the future. If you’re in San Diego and want true Turkish cuisine done right, this is the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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