Midtown Lunch » Gulluoglu

Gulluoglu to Reopen Tomorrow Morning

Zach Brooks — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:00:30 +0000

Ouch! From the looks of this photo emailed in by Lunch’er Harry, Gulluoglu’s closure earlier in the week wasn’t self imposed. The strange thing is, they had a DOH inspection less than a month ago and got a 7 (which is pretty stellar.) Maybe they really did just have a “sprinkler issue”. In any case, they plan on reopening tomorrow morning.

Auntie Anne’s Fail; Gulluoglu Having “Issues”

Zach Brooks — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:45:48 +0000

It appears as if the Rock Center Cinnabon has claimed its first victim. Blondie and Brownie is reporting that the Auntie Anne’s in the Rock Center concourse has closed. Thankfully we still have the other four Midtown locations to fall back on for our cinnamon topped, butter soaked pretzel needs. Also in sad-pastry-news, Lunch’er “Owen” emailed in this morning to say that Gulluoglu, the amazing baklava haven on 52nd St. and 2nd Ave, is closed because of some sort of “sprinkler” issue. Might have to hit up the Turkish kiosk in Bryant Park as a temporary replacement until Gulluoglu reopens…

Photo courtesy of Blondie and Brownie.

Warning: Not Everything at Gulluoglu is Amazing

Zach Brooks — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:45:12 +0000

Looks really good, right?

On my first visit I was completely enamored with Gulluoglu, the Turkish baklava spot that opened on 52nd and 2nd a month ago. I only tried the meat and spinach boregi (amazing!) and a bunch of the sweets (every one, also amazing!), but vowed to return and try everything on their menu. Well, on my way to check out Barros Luco the other day I stopped in to pick up a little snack- a feta cheese filled acma. Sadly it was completely dry, and pretty terrible. (Maybe it was just old? Who knows…) It won’t stop me on my quest to eat everything in that place- but thought you should no. Boregi=good. Baklavas=good. Acma=bad.

Avoid the Hot Dog at Gulluoglu (But Everything Else on the Menu Still Looks Good)

Zach Brooks — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:45:01 +0000

There were so many things I wanted to try on my first visit to GÃ¼llÃ¼oglu (on 2nd Ave. and 52nd St.) two weeks ago, I was completely overwhelmed. I ended up going for one savory pastry, and a box of sweets- but vowed to return to “eat my way through their lunchtime offerings” (and there are quite a few delicious looking options.) I haven’t been able to make it back to start chopping away at my list, but thankfully Robert Sietsema has made it a tiny bit shorter by posting about their “sausage sandwich Istanbul style”, which turned out to be just a “gussied-up hot dog”. That’s good to know… now all I have left to try is their lamb burger, beef burger, sausage/salami/kashkaval sandwich, their “gypsy chicken wrap”, Turkish style toast, simit sandwich, their “salty special donut”, pretty much every one of their savory pastries, rice pudding, and pistachio ice cream made from goats milk.

Check out the full menu after the jump…

Click on the photos for a larger version

Your First Look at Midtown’s Gulluoglu

Zach Brooks — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:45:11 +0000

I could barely contain my excitement yesterday, when I stumbled upon Gulluoglu- which opened on 52nd and 2nd Ave. last week. Known mostly for their extensive selection of Turkish baklava, the first American branch of this popular Turkish chain opened on Coney Island Ave. in Brooklyn back in 2005, but this is their first Manhattan location. Alot of what they sell is imported from Turkey, but I was surprised to find a good number of savory baked goods plus a menu of sandwiches and salads available. Sadly I had already had lunch, but I could resist picking up a few things- and snapping a few photos of everything they had to offer.

Check it out after the jump…

The space is a typical cafe set up. You order either order at the counter to go, or have a seat at one of the tables.

The savory stuff is in the back, and I was immediately drawn in by some of the unique offerings, some of which I had never seen before. (PogaÄa anyone?)

Like this Gul Boregi with chopped meat and spinach ($3.95).

The outside was more doughy than flaky (like you find with standard spinach pies or borekas, which they also have) and the inside was delicious. I was there pretty late in the day, so it wasn’t hot- but even at room temperature it was soooo good. I could eat one of these every day. They also have a plain spinach version for the vegetarians.

Over on the sweet side, which is the first thing you see when you walk on, the options are overwhelming. There’s a whole case full of cakes, pies, and pudding- but the real star is the baklava…

So many options… from the now standard walnut filled baklava, to the more authentic Turkish pistachio filled options, there was also one pastry with chestnut and another with cherries. They’re pretty much all covered in syrup of some sort, and a few are covered in cream.

This assortment came out to around $7-8, and gone by 7-8pm

Everything is bite sized, so it’s hard not to just ask for one of everything. My favorite are the ones that are soaked in cream, but eating them on the go with your hands is not recommended (I found that out the hard way). Everything is sold by weight, but it comes out to around $1-2 for each of the bite sized pastries. They also have Gulluoglu brand ice cream, made from goats milk and imported from Turkey, in a freezer behind the counter. Pistachio flavor is topping my list at this moment…

Like I said yesterday, the place is well worth traveling to 2nd Ave. for, and while yesterday was a good start- I will most certainly be back soon to eat my way through their lunchtime offerings.

Gulluoglu, 982 2nd Ave (on 52nd), 212-813-0500