Ottomans Café

Very good Turkish food, the quality was very good and also the service, but RUN! from the west village area is not the same anymore, the neighborhood had gotten so bad is sad. I used to be in love with this area now is only teens fighting in the streets, drunk people everywhere, + more… a disaster that is to hide from. SANDLY THIS PLACE CLOSE DOWN DO TO ALL THE FIGHTING RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIS DOORS, IS SAD TO SEE A GOOD PLACE TO CLOSE AFTER A YEAR.

I’ve been pleased with the food every time I’ve eaten here. It’s fresh, delicious and the ingredients are generally of very high quality. The gyros are made from uncommonly good meat and the staff has always been friendly and attentive. Considering how late they’re open, even though they charge more than many similar cafes I’d say they’re probably the best value for the dollar in the area.

i dont know why the whole west village crowd is hatin on this place…
the food quality is good, but its a little pricey for the portions of food they give.
i’ve tried the adana kebab & doner both of which were cooked well and tasted fresh.
the spot is nicely decorated, and the staff is super friendly and tries to accommodate the large ICNYU crowds that show up post events.
for a tight hole in the wall joint its not bad, the only thing is you dont get the full bang for your buck.

I was excited when this place first opened. A real döner made by real Turkish cooks in my own neighborhood? I know it must be frustrating for businesses that receive negative reviews, as they have no recourse to challenge them. That’s why I decided if I had a bad experience, I would give the place another chance before jumping to any conclusions. Well, I gave Ottoman’s three chances. It failed each time.
I’ve tried the kofta kebab, the döner kebab, and the chicken kebab. I don’t know what they do (or fail to do), but the meat is so dry I feel the need to drink a gallon of water afterwards. And no, it’s not because I’m drunk either. The vegetables seem fresh, but there is no flavor to what they serve and the hot sauce is about as spicy as ketchup.
This place has a great location and has potential to make serious business because of all the foot traffic that passes by. I’ve had my share of kabobs in my lifetime (look at my picture– can’t you tell?) and this is in the bottom 10%. I think other neighborhood dwellers recognize. That’s probably why every time I walk by Ottoman’s while entering the West 4^th St station, it’s empty. Walk an extra two blocks to MacDougal St and get a kabob at any one of those places, and it will be better than this.

Probably the most depressing dinner I’ve had in quite some time. $ 10 for a falafel salad and they couldn’t use anything better than the same chopped iceberg lettuce they use in the sandwiches? The falafel itself is terrible. I can’t even tell you what it tasted like, because I can only think of what it DIDN’T taste like, which is chickpeas. However they made them, they were not sitting well with my stomach last night.
I’m sure their meat options are better based on reviews but don’t bother with the falafel.

Best Turkish food I have ever had. Doner sandwich and red lentil soup, $ 10.78. A bargain!

I figured that the worst possible real estate in the west village (the crap windowfront next to the W4 subway stairs) was just un-​rentable. Who would go there? But, a turkish looking sign arrived on the scene, and a restaurant soon after.
I normally hit Hummus Place or Taim for my middle eastern fix, but this Ottoman’s is super convenient, so I figured I’d go there instead. Walking in, I was really hopeful — it was uncharacteristically well-​decorated for the area, and the wall menu and laminated menu both seemed good. I was hoping that, at minimum, it would’ve been at least as good as my old Williamsburg standby (Oasis) for the late-​night falafel sandwich run.
Sadly, it was not meant to be. A bland pile of middle eastern whatever in a pita. It was all just a mush of nonsense. I also asked for it spicy, and it wasn’t at all. The entire thing was disappointing.
I’m optimistic that their other dishes are better, as they genuinely seemed to care about their food, and maybe the falafel sandwich was the wrong dish to order — but based on that, this is a definite pass.

3.5−4 Stars. I had chicken shish kebab and the chicken and rice were pretty awesome. The sauce wasn’t bad but I didn’t have much before giving mine to my friend.
Nice waitress, nice atmosphere and pretty inexpensive for NYC. Located right above the subway… literally, you walk up the stairs and its there. Very convenient location when you are meeting a friend for lunch and need to be able to make a quick exit to get back to wherever. Providing an oversized wet nap (like 3 times the normal size) in a slick chrome wrapper is a nice touch in case you made a mess of yourself while eating or want to save it for later when you need to wash some of the skanky crap that you are bound to encounter in the city.
Plus they have an outdoor area out back that is probably pretty nice when its not 20 degrees outside like it was when I was there.
I will go back.

Authentic — one word that really describes this place.
The Turkish staff here serve guests delicious and freshly made Middle Eastern food — mostly from Turkey of course. We tried the kebabs (both the plate and wrap) and found the meat to be very high quality, seasoned just right, and brought to us straight from the grill.
The location is perfect — right outside of the West 4^th Street subway station.
This place may be better for dinner as service was a bit slow at lunch time and the prices were a bit higher than what one may prefer to spend at lunch: $ 8 for a wrap and $ 12 for a plate.

OMG… Granted, it was a bit late in the night, but what an awful experience. I ordered the chicken gyro on a pita. All seemed well at first. It was bland, and rather flat, but all in all it was slightly lower than street meat.
Halfway through the meal, I see something out of the corner of my eye… It was a HUGE freaking rat. I will never ever eat here again, and I live in the neighborhood.