Pera Turkish Kitchen

Pera Turkish Kitchen is our favorite place for lunch. The lamb & beef kebabs are excellent, as is the adana. Don’t overlook the excellent appetizers — the tabbouleh is slap-​your-​face fresh; the red lentil soup is the best in the city; pide bread and humus are a heavenly match… Tastes just like your grandmother’s comfort food, if your granny immigrated from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. :-)… Hospitality is superb. Cengiz (manager) will take *very* good care of you…

This place is amazing! Food is as Turkish as it can be and the folks here are so nice and welcoming. Will definitely be back, a lot :)

The Turkish Shepard salad and the chicken shish are heavenly. And the prices are unbelievably reasonable. Great «hole in the wall» gem! We will definitely be coming here more often!

This place treats you like you are dining as their personal guest. Wonderful service & wonderful food!

Delicious food and awesome customer service! The owner was personally tending to us and he answered our questions and made recommendations. The basket of bread must be lined with cocaine because it is the most ridiculously scrumptious bread. Go, you’ll love it!

The food was quite good this time when we went to Pera. Both of us had a lamb dishes which were delicious, seasoned and cooked well and quite tasty. The eggplant appetizer was great, especially when eaten with their delicious warm bread. A trip back is in the future!

Every lunch i have had there and every dinner — a sheer delight. I have not settled on one single dish, as i keep trying different ones each time. That’s unusual for me but Pera’s quality makes me want to explore their menu.

Excellent Turkish restaurant, and its popularity showed as the place was packed at night, with virtually all seats taken. The owner kept going around tables and putting his weight into helping the servers to make sure everyone was satisfied with both the food and service. It was certainly pleasant.
My trip here was strictly vegetarian, which is unusual for me. Don’t worry, there’s meat offerings too and they do also look great. But my review is going to be on the vegetarian dishes. Mostly the mezzes.
I had the EZME, which is a strictly Turkish spicy red pepper, tomato and walnut salad — and it was only very mildly spicy, and it was delicious. The EGGPLANT SALAD was more like the baba ganoush but without the tahini, and it was also good, refreshing, smokey, roasted, and lime-​garlicky. The DOLMAS or stuffed grape leaves were a nice surprise — usually the vegetarian dolmas are boring, consisting of only rice and spinach. But these had pine nuts, currants & onions. The TURKISH FETA CHEESE comes with tomatoes with drizzles of olive oil — and oddly it tastes almost as if it was a seafood-​mayo salad, and it was also very good. HUMMUS looked simple, but it was well-​made.
Of the mezzes, the only thing that I probably wouldn’t order again are the FALAFELS — I felt these could be better. I believe these are made with more fava beans than chickpeas since they look very green inside, although the menu mentioned both.
And of the entrees, I tried the vegetable casserole and the vegetarian moussaka. The VEGETABLE CASSEROLE did not look like a casserole but more like a ratatouille with rice being separate. I’m not sure if it’s worth ordering, although the flavors of the vegetables were good. The VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA was excellent though — with the chef being somehow able to keep the potatoes firm, yet cooked, and layered with eggplants and béchamel sauce. It was also accompanied with rice, which I thought was too much starch. Next time, if I’m getting the moussaka, I would ask for them to switch out the rice for a salad.
And for dessert, I tried the KAQANDIBI, which is a baked caramelized burnt milk pudding (I’m not sure where the burnt part came from but it’s what the menu says). It was topped with cinnamon and perhaps a few other spices, and comes with a house-​made whipped cream. I thought this was great and unique since it’s also the most Turkish item in the dessert menu. The other ones, you can find in other Middle Eastern restaurants except maybe for the Turkish coffee crème brûlée. Speaking of the coffee, I had also the Turkish coffee, and I thought it was just alright — they did not strain out the coffee grind that was used to make the coffee, that perhaps ¹⁄₃ of the cup I received was the grind itself. It would be good if they keep the grind out as much as possible (even if 100% is not possible for traditional Turkish coffee).
Other things that caught my attention are the pides, the traditional Turkish pizzas. I’ll have to try this next time, and this would be a great appetizer for the table.
This place is a BYOB establishment, and the owner is kind to provide the glasses and to open the wine bottles. Nice find, and I will definitely be back.

Excellent service, very good food. Flavorful, cooked to perfection, and delicious. We will definitely be returning when we are in the area. Also the restaurant was very clean.

This is the real deal! The owner of Pera’s is from the culinary center of Turkey, and it shows in his cuisine.
Our meal started with warm sesame seed covered bread with tzatziki dipping sauce. The kofte (grilled lamb and beef patties) were cooked just right, and the rice was plump with a nice texture. The ezme salad was spicy and unique with tomatoes, balsamic reduction, and nuts. My husband loved the stuffed cabbage and said it was very filling. We were treated to some complimentary baklava which was the best I’ve had outside Turkey, slightly crisp on top yet pleasantly soaked in a sweet honey sauce.
The owner was so friendly and stopped to talk with us about the beautiful country of Turkey.
I wish I lived closer to Dallas so I could go here more often!

Pera Turkish Kitchen makes the absolute best falafel I’ve ever eaten in my life. I’m not sure how the got my lamb shank on the plate in tact because the moment my fork touched it, the whole thing fell apart into delicious, super-​soft morsels. The bread before lunch was soft on the inside, crispy outside, very slightly chewy, light, and deliciously airy.
Service was very nice, the atmosphere was basic, but warm and endearing. I will certainly return as often as possible.

I am not always a big fan of Mediterranean restaurants, but Pera is certainly the exception. We have been there twice in the last week and the food is nothing short of spectacular. The service is excellent as well. We have spent time in both Turkey and Greece and this is by far the best representation of Turkish cuisine we have found in the Metroplex.
Their Tabbouleh is by far the best I have ever eaten and the falafel moist and flavorful. This is unique, as most places produce a fairly dry falafel.
Their bread is so good you are tempted to make a meal out of it. The yogurt based dipping sauce they supply with their bread is also exceptional. You should probably resist the temptation to devour all the bread they bring or you will not have room for your entrée.
We had 20 people there last night for our monthly dinner group and they handled the heavy load very well, with all the entrées arriving almost simultaneously.
They are BYOB, which frankly I find to be a convenience, as you can supply exactly the beverage you prefer.

Out of all of the Mediterranean food, I gotta say Turkish is my favorite with the yummy rice and refreshing pickled cabbage side dish. So far, I have only found 2 Turkish restaurants in DFW, one is Istanbul Grill in Arlington, and now Pera after I have moved to Dallas. Both are fantastically delicious!
First time I came here was during lunch. Their lunch special is hard to beat. For less than $ 10, you get an appetizer, an entrée, and a drink. The owner was very hands on and did not mind waiting table. He was extremely nice, even brought us a free dessert.
Second time, we got there for dinner. Great service as usual, but with much bigger entrée portion of course. Now only if we brought a bottle of wine. Oh, have I mentioned it’s BYOB? Yup! You can’t go wrong with that!

I went here for the first time tonight. The complimentary Turkish bread was a great start. I had the ezme as an appetizer, which was true to the description given by the waitress – sweet and spicy and absolutely delicious. I had the salmon marmaris as an entrée. The salmon was extremely tender and well seasoned.
In short, the food was amazing and the service was even better. If you’re looking for a laid back place to get a quality meal in good company this is the place to go!

Great place brought my nephew here Sept 8^th we got 2 lunch specials (can’t remember what he ordered) but I got the lamb gyro and it was great really fresh and tasted like lamb (which is odd to say, but some places serve lamb that doesn’t taste much like lamb). The special comes with an app and a drink so it was a great deal all for $ 24.25.

LOVE Pera. Easily and by far the best Turkish food in all of Dallas with a super welcoming waitstaff.
Really good quality of meat and ingredients used here and always the perfect seasoning– not too spicy but super flavorful.
I always order kebab with rice, enjoy some hummus and salads for starters, and have a little dessert too (last time was chai and a dish with crispy, sweet shredded wheat with cheese inside and honey. Ugh so good.), but everything me and my family have tried here is always great.
Overall, this place is WAY better than any other Turkish restaurant in the metroplex and I’ve tried them all. Again, love Pera

A little disappointed by the great reviews I read about this place.
Came here for a weekday lunch. I really liked the bread that was brought out beforehand. I had to really stop myself from filling up on it. We started off with the cold eggplant and the falafel appetizer. Both rather bland. I wasn’t a fan of the coldness.
I got the much talked about Adana plate and was underwhelmed. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great. The rice was good, but was probably drenched in butter. The bf got the gyro plate which we both liked a lot more.
Maybe if I hadn’t come in with such high expectations, I wouldn’t have been disappointed. Not sure if I’d come back.

My wife and I were looking for something different for lunch. We did a Unilocal search based on our location and Pera popped up. We have been to Turkey a few times and we love the food so we thought we would give it a shot.
The Elite reviews here are very accurate. The place is very clean and the service is friendly and efficient. Now the food…
A wonderful lunch menu with lots of choices with everything, including a drink, for $ 9.95. A real bargain for quality Turkish food. My wife had the Gyro chicken salad, wow what flavor. I wish I knew how to cook chicken like this! My Adana was absolutely wonderful.
This place is a bit of a trip from home, but I would certainly drive a few extra mile to enjoy this food again!

Finally tried this place and was so surprised that my friend and I were the only two people there on a Saturday afternoon. We split the cold app. combo and decided on the hummus, sauteed eggplant and feta cheese dip. The hummus is a little thinner than I’m used to but it didn’t affect the taste at all. The feta cheese had some dill and olive oil drizzled on top and went well with the complimentary bread basket. The bread basket with the yogurt dip was probably one of the best pre-​meal item I’ve had in a long time. You would think just by looking at the bread that it’s going to be tough, but it was incredibly soft and still warm from the oven. And I’m not a huge bread person but I would come back just for the bread and dip alone. Did I mention that the bread was good?
I ordered the Adana like so many others and did not regret it. The lamb on this dish was seasoned so well that it inspired me to recreate it the next day at home because I’m craving the same taste. Other than it being a little small on the portion size for the price (the bread basket and dip makes up for it) and the waiter being a little distant I have no complaints.
Make sure to try the turkish coffee after your meal (medium sweet) to really make whatever your next activity is a lot more interesting. We did ask if we were supposed to eat/​drink the sludge and sand-​like stuff at the bottom of the tiny cup as there’s more of that than the actual liquid. Answer: no. Waiter says you drink this coffee to cure hangovers in Turkey!
Also, Buffet is only available on Sunday Brunch time.

Definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas. Yes, it seems like a little hole in the wall place and I definitely wouldn’t have thought to come here. However, the reviews on Unilocal suggested otherwise. And, boy Unilocal has yet to lead me to a place I don’t like!
The food was simply amazing! Here are a few things I tried.
Bread with Cheese spread — it comes with every meal and I absolutely loved it. I hated trying to save room for more food, because this was the highlight of my meal.
Zucchini pancakes — fried zucchini made into a party, topped with a cream and tomato based sauce. Delicious! The orders only have two per, so definitely get multiple if you want everyone at the table to get a piece.
Spinach in Phyllo dough — decent, but not my favourite. The dough was a little soggy, and the filling needed more seasoning. But I’m going to chalk this up to personal preference instead of a problem with the dish.
Lamb Adana — signature dish of the house. I’d eat this every day if I could! Definitely get it if you aren’t sure what to get.
Chicken Adana — not quite as good as lamb, but a close second!
Pilic Tookapi — a Cornish hen stuffed with rice ontop of a zucchini pancake with fries. Fries are kind of bland, but the hen was amazing! Will definitely have to come back here for more.
Kunefe — the only disappointing part of our meal. Please keep in mind I have no idea how this is supposed to taste. I really expected this to be more flavourful and less sweet. The noodles on top were too crunchy for my taste. I just wish I had ordered the baklava instead. I really think the fault with this one if my personal taste, not the chef’s here. So don’t be afraid to order it if you like the dish at other restaurants. I am probably the worst judge on this dish.
Other than the minor dessert we didn’t like, this place was simply amazing! Definitely one of the best in Dallas!