Ottoman Taverna

This place brought me back to Turkey when I visited in 2014. Very nice relaxed atmosphere. Loved all the decor. Very rich feel to the restaurant. Everyone was very friendly and the food was very quick. We did the taste of turkey a 4 course meal. It was all a wonderful experience. Highly recommend this place

It’s a romantic restaurant, decorated beautifully. Our server was Hüseyin and he was very nice and attentive, and made great recommendations. We had three hot and three cold mezzes along with tavuk sis (chicken skewer), butter shrimp, and Çökertme. It was all delicious and very reasonably priced. Best food I’ve had in a restaurant in DC.

I knew this place was going to be yummy because the majority of reviews said it was but I was pleasantly surprised how tender and flavorful everything really was. This restaurant is family friendly and everything was absolutely delicious. Portion sizes where also great with a lot of options for sharing. I ordered the Lamb shish which was the best Lamb I've ever had as a kabob. Doesn't look different from other places but the flavors are out of this world.

We stayed in Washington DC for our kids' soccer match and, on the way back, decided to have Turkish food before the flight. Wow, I don't even know where to start. I've had Mediterranean or Turkish food in many places outside Turkey, but I've never tasted anything this delicious anywhere else. The ambiance is fantastic – not overdone, but an elegantly chosen design. It's not overly luxurious, a simple yet clean environment. The staff is very attentive and friendly. The service is very fast. As for the flavors, one of us tried the "Trip to Turkey," a 4-course, pre-fixe menu for $44.95. Lentil soup, sigara boregi, inegol kofte, and baklava for dessert. The portions are satisfying, and everything except the baklava deserves 5 stars. Baklava gets 4 stars, but finding good baklava outside Turkey is really challenging. On the table, we had Adana Kebap, Tavuk sis, Greek Salad, Ezme, and Shepherd Salad. The salads were incredibly tasty and fresh. Tavuk sis wasn't dry at all, it was tender, and Adana Kebap was perfectly cooked. I highly recommend the Tavuk sis; I've never had such tender and flavorful chicken skewers. For dessert, I tried kadayif, and I enjoyed it. I ended my meal with Turkish tea. The Pide that came with the meze were warm and tasty. Whether it has a Michelin star or not didn't concern me, but the ambiance, taste, and service deserved 5 stars from someone as hard to please as me. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Ottoman Taverna is a culinary gem that transports your taste buds to the rich and flavorful world of Ottoman cuisine. Located in Washington DC, this restaurant offers a delightful fusion of traditional and contemporary dishes inspired by the Ottoman Empire. From succulent kebabs to delectable baklava, every bite is a journey through history and culture. The warm ambiance and attentive service add to the overall dining experience, making it a must-visit for those looking to savor the diverse flavors of Turkish cuisine.

This is my first time having Turkish food, and I will say that after trying the Istanbul breakfast, I am not sure if Turkish food is my cup of tea. However, I do think Ottoman Taverna has excellent food, and I would give it 5 stars because of the work they put into their food, their affordability, and the varieties that are included in each dish. They are also very tasty when, for example, one finds their favorite dip with the cheese. It was definitely an experience of discovery. The menemen was very tasty! Eggs were well-made and having the vegetables in there made me feel like I have had it in other cuisines, and overall just felt very homey. Eating the Istanbul Breakfast was a journey of trying to eat everything together and discovering new flavors. For example, cucumber with tomatoes, tomatoes with cheese, cheese with olives with honey, yogurt with cucumber, etc., and I kept discovering new flavors. But I cannot say I fully enjoyed the process because purely from a personal preference standpoint, I would prefer my food combinations cooked, or at least not just stacking one on top of another. I know it speaks more about the cuisine than the establishment. The cold meze platter had six different types of dips, and I only knew about hummus. The flavors were all so different and I loved experiencing all of them! Just purely personal preference, I think I would like to try those dips with veggies as well just to see how it turns out. Regardless, Ottoman Taverna did a great job creating the hummus, pembe sultan, muhammara, atom, haydari, and moutabal! I will definitely recommend this establishment to anyone who wants to try Turkish food. That is without a doubt!

we were celebrating a birthday and wanted a special place and someone had suggested Ottoman Taverna so we decided to check it out. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice - reminded me of the business class lounge at Istanbul airport. The service was also good and attentive throughout our time (they include service charge for every table no matter the size) we started with the cold mezze which was good and filling - complimentary pita bread was also given. we then got the vegetarian moussaka, lamb dish, kabobs and eggplant. the veggie dishes were good, a little bland but good. the meat dishes were good but the salad and rice accompanying could’ve been better overall good turkish food in a nice ambiance

Traveled to Washington DC and Ottoman Taverna was in one of the Michelin Guide recommendations, and obviously the food was absolutely delicious, flavorful and authentic. Our server was very nice and kept apologizing because the food took over an hour and a half to get to us (it was Labor Day weekend, place was full) regardless, the food was amazing and I’d like to think it was just our bad luck that day.