Taverna Toscana

My mother and I had lunch here on a Sunday afternoon and it was very good. Despite many restaurants having long waiting lists, Cafe Istanbul was getting people in and seated in a timely manner. We were seated immediately and quickly had water brought to the table. We had zucchini pancakes for an appetizer. They were served with yogurt and it was a lovely compliment to the interesting flavor of the pancake. For the main meal we had Labne and Moussaka. Though the Labne was an appetizer it was of sufficient size that my mother had it for an entree and it was plenty. The Moussaka was also a large portion. The only negative was that the center was a bit cool. It had good flavor to the sauce and all of the vegetables were cooked well- even the eggplant! I sometimes find eggplant slimy, but this was done perfectly, no slime! We couldn't decide what we wanted for dessert- so we ordered 3 for the 2 of us! The Sutlac (Rice Puddding) was delicious with the right blend of cinnamon and other flavors. The Kazandibi (Milk Custard) was very mildly flavored and not really something that we enjoyed- but that was just a matter of taste. It was good, but just not for us. Finally the Keskul (almond pudding) was also very good, flavored well and good consistency. Service was spot on- refilling our water, making sure we had bread with dipping oil, getting boxes for left overs.

The staff was very friendly and helpful with the menu. The bread and oil was very good (hot fresh). Both the lamb beef mousakka and the vegetarian mousakka were served very hot and the portions were huge. The chicken saute was delicious. The portion was large (enough for 3-4 people). Had we known the portions were so large we would have shared. Prices were reasonable.

This was our second visit to the same location at Easton Mall. The first visit was in May. For that visit, we ordered Lahmacun (3 huge flatbreads with ground lamb), falafel, fried calf liver cubes, Adana kebabs and lamb kebabs. All great! This time, we ordered Sigara Borek for appetizer, it was supposed to be feta cheese wrapped in phyllo, but came deep fried and tasted very sour (spoilt). We couldn’t eat it; told the server and he took it off the bill. We also ordered Lahmacun and Adana Kebab again. The Lahmacun was ok but lukewarm so not as tasty as the previous visit. The Adana Kebab was edible but not particularly good, unlike the last visit. Instead of buttered rice it was served with plain rice. The Iskender Kebab was a disaster; slices of tasteless Doner kebab (think gyro) over charred pieces of bread covered in a strange tomato sauce. It is sad when the best tasting food of the meal was the complimentary bread and dip. We won’t be back.

A wonderful surprise. Big fan of middle eastern food and this met my expectations as the portion sizes were HuGE but the food was very authentic. Great, speedy service with both indoor and outdoor seating. Overall just really enjoyed the authentic food here

Wonderful service and great food! Stopped there on a whim while shopping and so glad we did. The service was impeccable it was a hot day and my water glass was always replenished. We got the lunch specials and it was so much food for such an affordable price. Plus there’s complimentary bread and olive oil before the meal that is to die for. There’s a little patio out back you can sit at but it’s right next to a parking lot, so we’ll probably sit inside next time. Great place for vegetarians! Will definitely be back!