From what I understand, Sophra means in Turkish, a table set to eating a meal. And this was a nice meal that we had at Sophra Grill Midtown East. This casual place is a hidden gem that offers a wide range of Turkish and Mediterranean dishes.

I started our meal there with Ayran, a yogurt drink that has a slight salty taste, very similar to doogh that you would get in Persian restaurants.

Ayran yogurt drink at Sophra Grill in NYC, NY

We then got their mixed appetizer sampler that is a great thing to share, allowing us to try few cold appetizers with a delicious homemade bread that I totally forgot to photograph! The sampler had hummus, babaganouj, tabouleh, cacik that is a yogurt dip similar to tzatziki, eggplant with sauce (made with tomato sauce, pepper and garlic, and ezme, a spicy salad.

I also tried their grilled octopus that unfortunately was over cooked and quite chewy. A bit disappointing.

Grilled octopus at Sophra Grill in NYC, NY

We also shared their cheese pide, a long shaped flatbread topped with mozzarella, slices of tomato and butter. This looked very appetizing and was delicious: the crust was nicely charred and slightly crispy and they were quite generous with the cheese. This is a must try.

We finished with a kunefe and a Turkish coffee, medium sweet. I was so excited to try their kunefe, a dessert made with kataifi that is soaked in a sugar based syrup and layered with cheese. Crispy, gooey, sweet, this is heaven!

So, overall, this was a good meal that made me want to go back to Sophra to try other dishes. Yes, I’ll be back!

Enjoy (I did)!

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Sophra Grill - 535 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10016

Sophra Grill, Turkish and Mediterranean Cuisine

I Just Want To Eat!