Hunkar Restaurant in New Jersey

Janine Aloisi: Our Restaurant of the Week is Hunkar restaurant located in New Jersey. It specializes a Mediterranean Turkish cuisine from Istanbul and the setting is in a beautiful red brake house that’s like being in your friend’s home. Our crew had a chance to visit and meet the staff. Let’s go see it.

Female: We opened this restaurant couple of months ago and we actually got very good direction from the community in this neighborhood. There are people who want to go for Turkey and who wants to taste the food before going to Turkey and had a feeling of a Turkish atmosphere here. So those are all positive reactions that we are on the right track. And we wanted to—how the decoration here that’s very—it has some essence from the classical colors and the mirrors and we have different decorations and we have pictures from Turkey that people really show interest to. People show interest in Hunkar just not because our name is Hunkar but also I think they’re interested in the way it’s cooked because it’s really different than any other dishes.

There are also many desserts that people show interest to because we prepare all of our desserts in that premises there’s no artificial flavors in them everything is cooked with our chef and with our chef and the traditional way that they have learned from their grandfathers. And we also have a very extensive cold appetizer section in our menu. People are really very happy about because it has a very balanced fraction between vegetables and the meat in it. And they can have a nice appetizer before their main dishes.

Male: Everything was perfect. The hospitality was wonderful, the people, the family, the atmosphere second to none. We had a wonderful time, everything was beautiful and it just makes even more pleasant when you have more and we have wonderful people to eat with. Thank you very much.

Female: Actually this is my father’s dream and to open a Turkish restaurant. He’s been the cook for 40 years with experience. And my grandfather is also a Turkish cook and my mom she’s an excellent cook and I’m really happy to work with them. And Turkish food has—vegetables, olive oil like very happy and at the same it’s delicious. It’s not only the healthy food that doesn’t—sometimes they have don’t any paste but the Turkish will have an excellent paste which is good for everybody’s appetite.

Female: this is one the—our family restaurants that we love to come to, we come often and we love the food it’s our Turkish traditional food. We like all the recipes the chef takes out it’s me and my fiancé come here once a week to say—to have our Turkish culture food it’s very tasteful. If you didn’t have Turkish food before this is one place that you should come as a family, friends and everybody should come here definitely to eat.

Female: I believe everybody has heard about Turkish food in this or that thing it’s the legendary, it’s extensive because it has a taste from different continents throughout the centuries. And I’ll just say come in and try it, try it where it’s a good family style where it’s cooked really traditional style.