Midtown Lunch

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. (Pogača 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