Cafe Mangal

We had a fabulous lunch at Café Mangal and I hear their dinners are even better.
I’ve seen the restaurant described as Turkish-​inspired Mediterranean fare. My avocado tuna salad was very tasty. It appeared to be huge upon first sight, but was just enough in the end. Extremely tasty and fresh ingredients. Not overdressed or lacking in any area. The lunch menu is extensive and contains ample vegetarian and non-​vegetarian options. Soups. Sandwiches. Tea. Coffee. Desserts.
The desserts looked amazing. The atmosphere is totally casual. Order at counter and the food is brought to your table.
Two salads and one cup of tea was about $ 35. Based on the quality/​taste of the food and the great service, I would highly recommend and can’t wait to go back for dinner.

I love this place such a cute nice stop! My favorite choice on the menu is the low fat ham sandwich! It is a perfect combination of Ham, melted mozzarella cheese, sun dried tomatoes, green beans and a basil mayonnaise that I’ve never tried before but love! This combination melts in my mouth and is amazing I highly recommend café mangal!!!

Food is good, very well prepared but a bit overpriced, particularly desserts — most are $ 12. Service is excellent. You can bring your own wine. Nice room, soft lighting, very comfortable, except for a few tables. We had a reservation, arrived at 6:00 as they opened and they brought us to a small table that was very close to another table that was occupied. Since the rest of the room was empty we asked to be seated at another table, which they graciously agreed to do. But we were surprised that they attempted to seat us there.

A bit overpriced but the food is good and the staff is really friendly. I’m not sure if they always have this but on the day that I went they were selling scarves, jewelry, and little trinkets from Turkey.

A delicious dinner — from appetizers to entrees to homemade desserts — all served in a lovely setting. The eggplant salads were scrumptious; the lamb kebobs perfectly prepared; and the tiramisu and baklava delectable. I’ll be back.

Outstanding meal at café mangal. Five serious foodies enjoyed dinner tonight trying three appetizers and 4 different meals. All were beautifully plated and portioned perfectly. Lamb special was tender and rich – spot on for a wintry night. The haddock was served with delicious roasted veggies and my friend cleaned her plate (but I got a taste first!). Finished the meal with fragrant coffee and a decadent chocolate pots de crème… heavenly. Will return soon!

My wife and i were celebrating our 43^rd and we chose the Café Mangal because it is one of our daughter’s favorite restaurants. We were not disappointed. The restaurant was very attractive and the ambiance was lovely. And best of all, the food was absolutely delicious. I am not a connoisseur of Turkish food but I wanted to try the most ethnic dishes. I cannot tell you which dishes I ate but it was all wonderful. And it was nice to be able to bring our own wine (for which there was a corkage charge).The staff was attractive and pleasant and the service was very good. And we also had the pleasure of also meeting the chef, Mehmet Ozargun who we found very interesting. We recommend the Café Mangal highly.

First time for dinner. Overall good but I would say soverpriced to make up for byob. Everything was fine. Very relaxed atmosphere not rushed. Service was terrific

We’ve been going to Café Mangal for years now. This local gem has it all. Wonderful, amazing people who are warm, funny and genuinely happy you are there and fantastic food. Whether you want to taste traditional Turkish food or just have a steak, you will not be disappointed. I promise. Plus, this restaurant is BYOB/​W. If you want to go out for either a romantic dinner or a group dinner this place is it. You can bring your own wine, enjoy a great meal, be waited on by friendly great people and just leave feeling happy and wanting to come back for more. GO! You won’t regret it.

A Turkish friend of ours recently took us here calling it his favorite Turkish restaurant in Boston. Amazing food! Everything was very fresh and flavorful, the meat was very tender — the best lamb I’ve had in a long time! Cozy atmosphere, the culture of welcoming guests into the house and connecting over delicious food is very much present. Highly recommend!!!

I remember walking by this place as a kid, but never went in until last week. It’s a bit squished inside, but the décor is nice. The food, at least for lunch is, eh…
So you go up and order yourself, and they’ll bring it to you. I took one look at the menu that’s drawn up front in chalk and was immediately overwhelmed with the amount of choices. I was starving, so naturally, I decided to go with a sandwich. I wanted something that seemed authentic or at least close to the Mediterranean, Turkish roots. So, I went for the Yengen sandwich (their specialty), which contains a pepperoni sausage that’s made with beef.
What came out of the kitchen was a small sandwich that literally could maybe fill me up 50% and a small side of salad next to it on a plate that’s 70% shaved carrot. The sandwich itself was overwhelmed with cheese that I walked out feeling like I’d ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, that I could have paid a lot less for, and also still hungry. Also, I’m still not entirely sure what yengen is supposed to taste like.
The prices here are not cheap, especially for lunch. I spent close to $ 20 for my sandwich and a drink.
On the plus side, the people and service are nice and friendly. Maybe I’ll give this place try for dinner next time I’m back in town.

We were shocked when our bill arrived and we were charged a «beverage tax» for two empty wine glasses that we used for our BYOB screw top bottle of pinot noir. Next time, I’ll bring my own wine glasses.
The sea bass was excellent and the atmosphere is warm and inviting.

Café Mangal is becoming my favorite neighborhood restaurant. It is quiet. The focus is on the food because they don’t serve alcohol.
Two tapas and one main dish serve me and my husband perfectly. The seasoning is expert, sublime in every offering. The temperature of the food is just right. Who knew tomatoes in a ‘cold’ starter would be just a bit warm to better bring out their flavor and balance the Haloumi in texture and taste?
My only complaint is that they don’t clear used dishes efficiently. But everyone is gracious and timely in every other way.

This is a long overdue review of my favorite restaurant. It is a family run institution where they recognize regulars, BYOB, romantic ambiance, exquisite fresh ingredients and delicious creative dishes. Plus they take reservations and treat you with such courtesy. It’s really a place unlike anywhere else in the Boston area/​western suburbs. I always start with the variety of spreads with the pita bread. The bread basket they bring once you’re seated has a delicious variety of rolls also! The chicken dardanelle is always a hit, the swordfish is amazing also… I (or my dining companion) have tried everything at least once and Café Mangal never disappoints. Always deicious!!! Add to that… paying $ 25 for a $ 25 bottle of wine always leaves me feeling like I just got the best deal in town!

Nice family run restaurant. Food is extremely fresh and very tasty because of that. Prices are a little high for the amount you get… but the quality surely makes up for it. Service is nice. Options are simple and nothing that I can say I would crave for… it seems that they just focus on the quality of the items they have.

Food is good but the service was ridiculous. They locked us out of the restaurant today as we were eating. They close at 3:30 PM and it’s 3:05 PM. We recommend coming earlier and not eating outside near 3:00 PM.

Great food, ambiance. Smoke Solmon & aragula with the goat cheese salad is perfect for lunch.

Best lunch and salads ever with creative and unique options such as figs, sprouts, half an avocado and more.
My favorite is a grilled vegetable sandwich.

Café Mangal is a Mediterranean restaurant with a Turkish twist that has been around for 13 years. The food is unique and has an authentic ethnic touch. The menu includes a wide variety of fresh fish, lamb, chicken etc. The prices are rather high and I found it very annoying that the menu online does not contain any prices. I spent at least 30 minutes online trying to find the prices of dishes or even a price range listed somewhere. They really keep you in the dark. I must say this almost discouraged me from even checking this place out but since I was in the area I decided to stop in for a bite to eat.
I tried the halibut filet baked in toasted pine nuts with dill, chardonnay, and butter served with arugula and radish salad. This dish had flavor but was not overpowering. Most of the ingredients in the dish were rich and it felt like they used a large amount of oil/​butter to cook the fish itself. This ended up upsetting my tummy later on in the night.
The grilled red snapper filet served over saffron rice with peas & carrots, fresh Mediterranean style tomato sauce and chopped cilantro is another dish I tried out. This dish was filled with an abundance of flavor and had so much going on. It was interesting but not really my style.
Overall, I certainly enjoyed my experience at Café Mangal, but I probably will not be a recurring customer. The prices are a bit too high. I definitely think it is worth checking out at least once.

Normally I love Turkish food, but Café Mangal seemed more like an American steak restaurant that put its meat on skewers and called it foreign. I can’t even attest to the freshness (our waitress literally said she’d «put more pita bread in the microwave» before it came out).
The meat itself was well-​cooked, and the menu had a variety of beef/​seafood/​lamb options. However, I wished they included sauces. All we got was a small pile of dry red pepper on the side of the plate.
The only real plus was the staff, who were extremely friendly. Even the other waitresses greeted our table. But over $ 30 per entrée (at rather small portions), I probably won’t be back.