Peri Ela

Critics' Pick

1361 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10128
nr. 90th St.
212-410-4300

Photo by Shanna Ravindra

ALCOHOL

Full Bar

RESERVATIONS

Accepted/Not Necessary

DELIVERY AREA

79th St. to 100th St., First Ave. to Fifth Ave.

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If the jam-packed Sfoglia up the street is any indication, denizens of Carnegie Hill are desperate for good food and cozy surroundings. Peri Ela delivers on both accounts, with its snug, wood-paneled, tin-ceilinged space filling up each night with locals tucking into platters of Turkish meze and kebabs. Owners Silay and Jill Ciner named the spot after their two daughters and have installed an all-Turkish kitchen crew. With only 35 seats and a bar, the onetime diner does get crowded, and so do the tables, especially when littered with multiple meze (creamy cacik, tangy bean salads, springy grape leaves, and several worthy eggplant variations) and a kebab or two. Our go-to Turkish litmus test, the yogurtlu kebab, was suitably rich and delicious, if portioned more for delicate Manhattan appetites than robust Gravesend ones, its succulent slices of well-done lamb arrayed over pita croutons drenched with thick, garlicky yogurt and tomato sauce. A very welcome addition, and let's hope the beginnings of a new restaurant row. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

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Peri Ela
1361 Lexington Ave., nr. 90th St.; 212-410-4300
Turkish food has infiltrated Carnegie Hill in the guise of this wood-paneled room with its small bar, cramped tables, and traditional menu. The vegetarian platter is listed as an entrée but actually makes an effective and delicious introduction to the pungent, potent world of Turkish meze, including a respectable hummus, a smoky patlican salatasi (mashed eggplant), and the thick, dill-flecked yogurt called cacik. There are whole grilled fish and various kebabs to be had afterward, but our recommendation is the irresistibly rich adana kebab yogurtlu, morsels of charred lamb over buttery pita croutons, drenched with yogurt and tomato sauce.