Divan Turkish Kitchen

Starting June 1 2009, Ilker Ugur has taken full control of Divan. Average prices for delicious Turkish... more

Starting June 1 2009, Ilker Ugur has taken full control of Divan. Average prices for delicious Turkish Kebaps are reduces all the way down to 11-1... more

The dumplings are great! Can't say enough about the food, my only hope is that it and I mean all of it...food, service, atmosphere never changes. Pros: Food, service and outdoor seating. Cons: Wish I lived closer! more

I love their dumpling dish although havne't yet tried out their other options. It definitely has a unique place in the neighborhood/city and will definitely be going back soon! Their prices aren't cheap but they aren't unreasonable either. more

Enjoyed everything I ate there. There wasn't a bad dish presented. The waitstaff was very attentive and knowledgeable. I would recommend it to anyone who asked. Do RSVP on busy nights. more

This is my favorite place for lunch. It is cozy, friendly and informal. I never had to wait for the table. But usually I am making reservation. Food is delicious. My preferred choices: Kuzu Sis (Lamb shish kebab), Kuzu Pirzola (Lamb Chops), Adana Kebab (Char-grilled Ground Lamb). Prices are not cheap, but not over the board. Pros: Good Food, location more

We live nearby and wanted to support local establishments in the area. The staff was nice, attentive & helpful. The food was tasty (we shared the two appetizers, the mixed grill, the veggie kabobs and the lamb kabob), the drinks interesting, strong and large! Dessert was excellent and coffee traditional. The place was uncomfortably hot and the bill seemed large for how full I felt afterwords. I will go back - but not as often as other places where kabobs are just as good and cheaper. Pros: Interesting, large, strong drinks. In the neighborhood. Cons: Warm & expensive. more

My husband and 10 month old daughter ventured over to Divan after frequenting Cafe Fulya (operated by Divan's owner, Ilker's sister Fulya and their mother). We were excited because Cafe Fulya has become like a second ""living room"" to us Fulya and her Mother can't wait to play with our daughter (and vice versa) and their coffe and baklava is the best I've ever had (and we're Greek so that's saying a lot!). Divan is beautiful and cozy. We went on a sunday at 4:30 which was perfect because it wasn't too busy and with a baby that is key. We ordered a few appetizers (the Kalamar is excellent) and shared the Lamb Chops. They were perfect, so tender and beautifully seasoned (they even put tin foil on the bone so you can eat with your hands). I wish we could have lingered over some turkish coffee and baklava but our daughter got fussy and we had to leave. We will definitely be back. The neighborhood is on the up and up so no worries there. We love Divan and Cafe Fulya (on 2nd and Monroe) and their owners! Pros: Parking, Ambience, Authentic Turkish cuisine Cons: no air conditioning (they have fans though) more

My family and I had our Father's Day Dinner at Divan Turkish Kitchen. We had never heard of this restaurant and since the place we wanted to go was completely booked for Father's Day, we were driving by and decided to give this BYOB a try. We had our own bottle but was urged to try some Turkish wine, which we loved because it complemented almost all the food we had. But the food was even better than the wine. We started with a mixture of starters that were tasty and plentiful. For dinner we tried smoked eggplant, my wife had the lamb which were so tender. It could not have been prepared any better. It was a memorable dinner because of the great food, great service, even the manager came over to check on our table and she was interested in our opinion. Keep up the great work Divan. Pros: Great Ambiance, Great Food more

This is the first time I tried Divan Turkish Kitchen. \r The food was delicious. Especially mixed grill plate was excellent. Little bit of every kind of meat they serve was a good idea. \r I couldn't eat them all, because earlier I ate alot of their delicious mixed cold apptizer dishes. Humus and Haydari was excellent.\r Even on a crowed weekend night, the service was good and our food came in pretty quick.\r I would recommend this place to meat lovers. Next time I will try their Mediterranean Sea Bass, it smelt so good when they were serving to the table next to us.\r The only thing we didn't like was waiting for our reserved table. They let us wait at least 5-6 mins.\r But the food made it up to us.\r Pros: excellent food Cons: we waited to be seated for a reserved table more

I love this place.. Their food is soooo good I wanna go there over and over again. My fav dish is Doner. If you havent tried their doner yet, I would highly recommend it. It's so upsetting to see all the neg comments about this place. I ve never had any bad experiences with them and if you love Turkish food or never tried it before, you should go to Divan and taste their delicious food! Pros: Satisfying meal more

Both their take-out menu and website have inaccurate prices. I ordered based on their website and had to pay a little extra due to price increases. Also, the picture of their falafel had 4 pieces. We received 3. Other than that, food was very good, very large portions. I'm stuffed and happy. more

I went with a large group for dinner not too long ago. Our waiter was warm and wonderful. He suggested some appetizers for the table and was quick to answer any questions we had about the entrees. The food was fantastic and we never once felt rushed, despite it being a small place and a Saturday night. Great group spot. Am going back again this weekend with my parents, who are visiting from out-of-town. Pros: Food, knowledgable staff, not too crowded, good place for a large group Cons: um....? more

When I found Divan Turkish Kitchen's menu and read the reviews on the food, I was excited to order several dishes from them. So on Wednesday Nov. 28 I ordered and drove into Philly to pick it up. The employees were kind and courteous when I called, as well as in person. Unfortunately the rest isn't so great. First we started with the spinach pie, there was barely any spinach and tasted like undercooked dough. It was very tough and bland, we didn't even finish eating it. Second was the Falafel appetizer which was good, it had the right amount of crispiness on the outside and still soft on the inside. Third was the fried Calves Liver, tender but totally bland! Fourth was sliced marinated Lamb ""Doner Kebab"", it was tender but I don't understand how something can be marinated and still have NO flavor! The rice was good. Lastly we had the mixed appetizer plate, since it is always my favorite in Greek and Turkish restaurants I though possibly it would redeem Divan Turkish. Instead it just made me aggrivated. The Hummus, Haydari and minced red peppers were all good. But the stuffed grape leaves were sweet and mushy and all the eggplant dishes tasted bland, the mashed eggplant Patlican Exmesi had the most awful chemically taste to it. I mean don't they taste this stuff!! So in closing the only good thing I can say about Divan Turkish Kitchen is I'm glad I found this out before suggesting it to friends who, like myself, are use to flavorful Turkish meals. \r Pros: Nice service, warm lighting. Lovely bathroom. Cons: Noisy. Terrible tasting food. more

I went to Divan with my husband and his parents on Thursday night. I'll note that this place is good for a couple, or a group of people - the owners seem really accommodating. We've been here several times before and we always enjoy it. We started with the mixed appetizer plate - it's great for a group b/c you can try a variety of different things (eggplant, grape leaves, hummus, etc). For our entrees, we ordered the chicken and lamb shish kebabs...the chicken is incredibly tender and the lamb melts in your mouth (my husband wanted to ask where they buy their meat). Unfortunately we didn't have any room for dessert, but it looked really good. ps: I'm not sure what the other posters are talking about...every time I've been here, the waiters seem really friendly and the food is consistently amazing. I highly recommend this place! Pros: food, friendly staff, cozy atmosphere Cons: I never have room for dessert more

An absolutely fabulous BYOB, Divan Turkish Kitchen brings the flavor and essence of Turkish food to... more

An absolutely fabulous BYOB, Divan Turkish Kitchen brings the flavor and essence of Turkish food to Philadelphia in a cozy environment just right ... more

Dear Alexandra17 and Rocco1031\r I am the owner of Divan Turkish Kitchen. I have read your reviews about my restaurant and they made me feel terrible. I put my life into Divan Turkish Kitchen, to be able to serve good food with good service and ambiance. \r Instead of trying to hurt me and my business with your reviews, you could talk to me or my sister about the issues that you mentioned (rude waiter, corkage fees etc) , you could rather be more positive and supportive and let us try to solve these problems.\r If you are real people, who doesn't have hidden agendas by doing these, please try to get in touch with me so that we can answer your questions and try to be more careful for service at our business, and even fire some workers to make you happy.\r Warm Wishes to Every Readers and Divan Turkish Kitchen Guests.\r Thank you all.\r ilker Ugur\r 918 S. 22nd street Philadelphia PA 19146\r 215 545 5790 more

It is not fair to criticize Divan so harshly because of a corkage fee. Divan has had a full, licensed bar since Spring. Because it started as BYOB, they still continue as BYOB during this transition period. I think that a $7 corkage fee during the weekends is very reasonable considering the extra service. I doubt that they are making any fortune out of it! On the contrary, they are encouraging customers to start using their bar and get a taste of delicious Turkish beer and vine.\r Divan is a charming and popular restaurant in the neighborhood. It gets crowded during the weekends and noise level goes up. Authenthic & delicious food and very friendly service make me to go back there again and again.. Pros: Food, parking Cons: N/A more

Warning to anyone who goes to Divan on a Friday or Saturday night - there will be a $7 corkage fee. I took my father there solely because this place has been advertised/reviewed as BYOB and a very snotty waiter told both us and the people at the next table - ""you see the bar, don't you?"" Considering how many diners were walking in with bottles tucked under their arms, I'd imagine this restaurant is making a fortune off the corkage fees.\r \r The service was really awful - our waiter kept sticking his elbow in my face as he put the plates down, he continually spilled water in my lap (his excuse: ""The table is too small."") and acted very annoyed whenever we asked for something. He glowered at my father when he asked for a slight alteration to an order (allergy related). The restaurant is also very crowded and loud, and we had to ask the diners sitting next to us to get up so we could leave. \r \r The food was good, but by no means the best Turkish food I've had, and my chicken kabobs were quite dry.\r \r I will not be back and I will not recommend this place to anyone. Pros: Good parking Cons: Everything else more