Named after the turquoise sea

Turkuaz takes its name from the turquoise-colored sea that traces Turkey's coast and folds into the wider Mediterranean. We opened our first dining room on Manhattan's Upper West Side in 2005, building a small following one charcoal grill and one bowl of cacık at a time.

In 2019 we moved to Midtown West, on Restaurant Row, where pre-theater diners and curious visitors discovered what neighborhood regulars had known for fifteen years. In 2026, we crossed Manhattan to open a second home on the Upper East Side — same kitchen philosophy, same family.

We've never been interested in fusion. Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean cooking is already the original fusion: a centuries-long conversation between Anatolian shepherds, Ottoman palace kitchens, and the coastlines of three seas. Our job is to listen carefully and not get in the way.

"The lion is most handsome when looking for food." — Rumi

The kitchen is halal. The wine list is short and chosen to drink with food, not to impress sommeliers. The room is meant to feel like dinner at someone's home, if that someone happened to have access to charcoal grills and a great spice merchant.

Welcome to Turkuaz. Bring an appetite.