Service Service Service!! Simply outstanding. Now to the food. ? my salad was delicious. And!!! The deserts at the counter are extremely delicious and addictive. Thank you MEAN GRILLE! Oh Oh Oh $5 margaritas (might be a happy hour) - that was the cherry on the top. ?
John N.
Amazing how my normally poor eyesight can suddenly zoom in at 20/20 when I'm near restaurants! By chance, I saw Mean Grille in the space that used to be Thai Cottage (3995 Richmond), but more importanly, I saw the tag that it serves Turkish food, which might be my favorite of all cuisines. My spouse and I stopped in Sunday night and were greeted heartily by the delightful owner Onur. The place is bright and cheery, and the menu is not extensive, though Onur beamed with pride in telling us that everything is made from scratch and with organic, locally-sourced ingredients. I don't always buy that when I hear it, but one taste of the Turkish-style salad that accompanied my entree, and I was convinced that he'd just picked the ingredients minutes before from a garden out back.We shared a falafel plate--here, they are patty-style and the fava mix is cumin-specked and gorgeously green from parsley and what I'm guessing to be coriander. They are served with your choice of sauces--try all 3 of them. We enjoyed the cilantro-garlic sauce with the falafel.For an entree, my spouse had a packed-with-flavor chicken kebab wrap full of veggies and a house-made hummus. I had one of my favorite dishes, Adana kebab, made with spiced lamb grilled on charcoal. The meat bursts with flavor and comes with a side of that amazing fresh salad topped with a pomegranate-sweetened dressing.So many nice little touches here, thanks to Onur and his partner. Adding to the pink motif and artwork, tables are set with Himlayan pink salt. If you wear pink on Wednesday, I understand you get a discount on your food. They serve fabulous fizzy Beypazari sodas from Türkiye sweetened with beets instead of sugar, and the soda machine has Maine Root Beverages. Mean Grille also features a selection of wines and beers and will soon have frozen adult bevvies. We were too full to try desserts, but the ones we saw look fantastic!We had such a great experience here--the charm and kindness of Onur is a big reason, along with the fresh, delicious food. It's easy to see why most of the online ratings for this place are 5 stars.
Courtney A.
Delicious food, so fresh, so tasty, I had the Adana plate with the cilantro sauce and the meat was so juicy the way the juices melted over the rice was delightful. Also had the spicy hummus that had a wonderful kick to it, definitely spicy! Got the dessert sampler and enjoyed Turkish tea, the honey rich desserts with the tea service were the perfect complement and an excellent end to the meal. Perfect dinner for a cold winter night. Would absolutely recommend and will be back!
Carolina B.
A gem of a place! The owner, Onur, is so sweet and genuine. They make everything in-house to order from locally sourced ingredients. They stay away from big name corporate food as much as possible. We got several yummy items, including hummus, falafel, fries, chicken kabob, döner, baklava, and a few of their Turkish imported sparkling drinks--which were quite tasty and not filled with sugar. Everything was delicious and fresh! The rice is so good, their salads are just like homemade. The baklava is fabulous! So moist and gooey, exactly how it should be! The place is super spacious and clean. Counter service, so perfect for a quick sit-down meal or to-go. I do miss Thai Cottage that was in this space since I was in grad school (memories!), but this is a very welcome addition indeed! Hope it stays for the long run!
F. Eymen Ü.
I'm so happy I found this hidden jam! I ordered a a beef tenderloin plate and absolutely loved it! The meat was super delicious and juicy. The salad was very fresh and the rice was delicious. As someone from Turkey and I found the food pretty authentic. Honestly it was more delicious compared to many restaurants in Turkey! My friend ordered a döner wrap and he also liked it a lot. In addition to regular soda you also have the option to sample some authentic Turkish soda drinks. Highly recommended!
Rohan S.
pink walls, perfectly cooked food, and amazing service. Onur struck up conversation and helped me understand the cuisine. Overall 11/10 experience
Claudia Sanchez
Cute new place open with amazing food and customer service. I got the chicken plate with spicy hummus and it was so so good! Not too heavy or greasy- very light and lots of flavor. Definitely will be returning :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alan C.
My second time back. This time for lunch and it didn't disappoint. I got the hummus again & tried the spicy version. It's mild in heat and it was a great side with my entree (though I prefer the regular hummus a little more). The owner said they make it from scratch and I can definitely taste the difference from other places. IMO best I've had in town. The adana plate was generously portioned with with rice & salad. Well seasoned kabob goes so well with the salad. Perfect spot for lunch.I really enjoyed the window seating. Colors are bright and fun.I'll be back to try their other items soon.
Francisco Sanchez
I ordered takeaway and noticed pita bread is next to meat which makes it wet with wrong consistency. Baklava needs to adjusted with real honey; flavor is too much customized for local sales. The rest of the food is real Turkish. I like and recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
AM
Food portion way too small, I paid $21 for this small platter.Fresh and quality food though.I will not come back unless I see some more evidence of generous portioned platters.
Great food! Hummus was fantastic and had a delicious wrap. Healthy, Fresh, and
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alexander Rumanov
The smell was awful, the only good thing about this place was the moment that I leave.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 2
max murano
Soujouk, dessert and watermelon strawberry soda.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
David B
Authentic food ! Great staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer M.
We live nearby and noticed this new spot and decided to give it a try!! So glad we did -- the döner wrap with the cilantro dressing was incredible. The veggies were super fresh, the meat was perfectly seasoned and the pita bread was perfect. We also got the falafel -- homemade and so tasty. The owner chatted with us and he was super nice! Definitely recommend this spot! I will definitely be coming back :)
Service Service Service!! Simply outstanding. Now to the food. ? my salad was delicious. And!!! The deserts at the counter are extremely delicious and addictive. Thank you MEAN GRILLE! Oh Oh Oh $5 margaritas (might be a happy hour) - that was the cherry on the top. ?
Amazing how my normally poor eyesight can suddenly zoom in at 20/20 when I'm near restaurants! By chance, I saw Mean Grille in the space that used to be Thai Cottage (3995 Richmond), but more importanly, I saw the tag that it serves Turkish food, which might be my favorite of all cuisines. My spouse and I stopped in Sunday night and were greeted heartily by the delightful owner Onur. The place is bright and cheery, and the menu is not extensive, though Onur beamed with pride in telling us that everything is made from scratch and with organic, locally-sourced ingredients. I don't always buy that when I hear it, but one taste of the Turkish-style salad that accompanied my entree, and I was convinced that he'd just picked the ingredients minutes before from a garden out back.We shared a falafel plate--here, they are patty-style and the fava mix is cumin-specked and gorgeously green from parsley and what I'm guessing to be coriander. They are served with your choice of sauces--try all 3 of them. We enjoyed the cilantro-garlic sauce with the falafel.For an entree, my spouse had a packed-with-flavor chicken kebab wrap full of veggies and a house-made hummus. I had one of my favorite dishes, Adana kebab, made with spiced lamb grilled on charcoal. The meat bursts with flavor and comes with a side of that amazing fresh salad topped with a pomegranate-sweetened dressing.So many nice little touches here, thanks to Onur and his partner. Adding to the pink motif and artwork, tables are set with Himlayan pink salt. If you wear pink on Wednesday, I understand you get a discount on your food. They serve fabulous fizzy Beypazari sodas from Türkiye sweetened with beets instead of sugar, and the soda machine has Maine Root Beverages. Mean Grille also features a selection of wines and beers and will soon have frozen adult bevvies. We were too full to try desserts, but the ones we saw look fantastic!We had such a great experience here--the charm and kindness of Onur is a big reason, along with the fresh, delicious food. It's easy to see why most of the online ratings for this place are 5 stars.
Delicious food, so fresh, so tasty, I had the Adana plate with the cilantro sauce and the meat was so juicy the way the juices melted over the rice was delightful. Also had the spicy hummus that had a wonderful kick to it, definitely spicy! Got the dessert sampler and enjoyed Turkish tea, the honey rich desserts with the tea service were the perfect complement and an excellent end to the meal. Perfect dinner for a cold winter night. Would absolutely recommend and will be back!
A gem of a place! The owner, Onur, is so sweet and genuine. They make everything in-house to order from locally sourced ingredients. They stay away from big name corporate food as much as possible. We got several yummy items, including hummus, falafel, fries, chicken kabob, döner, baklava, and a few of their Turkish imported sparkling drinks--which were quite tasty and not filled with sugar. Everything was delicious and fresh! The rice is so good, their salads are just like homemade. The baklava is fabulous! So moist and gooey, exactly how it should be! The place is super spacious and clean. Counter service, so perfect for a quick sit-down meal or to-go. I do miss Thai Cottage that was in this space since I was in grad school (memories!), but this is a very welcome addition indeed! Hope it stays for the long run!
I'm so happy I found this hidden jam! I ordered a a beef tenderloin plate and absolutely loved it! The meat was super delicious and juicy. The salad was very fresh and the rice was delicious. As someone from Turkey and I found the food pretty authentic. Honestly it was more delicious compared to many restaurants in Turkey! My friend ordered a döner wrap and he also liked it a lot. In addition to regular soda you also have the option to sample some authentic Turkish soda drinks. Highly recommended!
pink walls, perfectly cooked food, and amazing service. Onur struck up conversation and helped me understand the cuisine. Overall 11/10 experience
Cute new place open with amazing food and customer service. I got the chicken plate with spicy hummus and it was so so good! Not too heavy or greasy- very light and lots of flavor. Definitely will be returning :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My second time back. This time for lunch and it didn't disappoint. I got the hummus again & tried the spicy version. It's mild in heat and it was a great side with my entree (though I prefer the regular hummus a little more). The owner said they make it from scratch and I can definitely taste the difference from other places. IMO best I've had in town. The adana plate was generously portioned with with rice & salad. Well seasoned kabob goes so well with the salad. Perfect spot for lunch.I really enjoyed the window seating. Colors are bright and fun.I'll be back to try their other items soon.
I ordered takeaway and noticed pita bread is next to meat which makes it wet with wrong consistency. Baklava needs to adjusted with real honey; flavor is too much customized for local sales. The rest of the food is real Turkish. I like and recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Food portion way too small, I paid $21 for this small platter.Fresh and quality food though.I will not come back unless I see some more evidence of generous portioned platters.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food! Hummus was fantastic and had a delicious wrap. Healthy, Fresh, and
Food: 5
Service: 5
The smell was awful, the only good thing about this place was the moment that I leave.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 2
Soujouk, dessert and watermelon strawberry soda.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Authentic food ! Great staff!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We live nearby and noticed this new spot and decided to give it a try!! So glad we did -- the döner wrap with the cilantro dressing was incredible. The veggies were super fresh, the meat was perfectly seasoned and the pita bread was perfect. We also got the falafel -- homemade and so tasty. The owner chatted with us and he was super nice! Definitely recommend this spot! I will definitely be coming back :)