Star Manti

What an awesome find! We were looking for something different for a midweek lunch. Saw lots of good reviews, so we gave it a try! We were not disappointed. Started with the feta cheese rolled up in crispy philo. Then had a great tabouli salad. Main course was the kabob sampler. Fantastic. We will be back! Wonderful baklava for dessert w Turkish coffee. So yummy!

Been coming here for years since it opened. I am not local but I make it a point to stop by when I’m passing across the state. Definitely try everything… Everything is better than the next!!! Great friendly owners! Family owned!

This restaurant is a great place to have authentic Turkish food. My fiancé and I stop by whenever we are in the area. The owners are very friendly and hospitable. We typically order the manti (Turkish dumpling or dough filled with seasoned meat and topped with garlic yogurt and melted butter) which is delicious. We also usually order Turkish coffee and baklava for dessert. I wish we lived closer so we could come by for dinner more frequently! Definitely give this place a try!

Best Turkish food in the area. I lived long years in Istanbul and whenever I come here. The eggplant kebab is amazing. Actually try everything with eggplants I love this place.

(4) ~ very good food & service… my one wish would be a liquor license, so we can get some Efes (beer). Located in the shopping center towards the back.
OUR MENU:
* Turkish Coffee = (4.5) Very Good!
* Water (tap) = (4) very good… must be filtered;)
* Cacik (cucumber salad) = (4) very good
* Manti (beef) = (4) very good
* Hunkar Begedi = (3.75) Good
* Sekerpare (dessert cookies)= (3.25) pretty good, but not great

My husband and I come here all the time. They have home style cooking beyond what you find at most Turkish restaurants. The nohut (chickpeas) and fasuliye (beans) can’t be found anywhere else and they’re so delicious! The salad is made with garden fresh veggies. Try the kadayif dessert — it’s amazing!

My Turkish Boyfriend took me there. after he paid $ 75 for Two we couldn’t enjoy our meals. Turkish tea is free most of the other places but not here. Cheapest kebab $ 14.95 with no bread served ! no other comment needed

The food was home-​made and delicious. the owner was very welcoming and took good care.

The food was home-​made and delicious. I had the best mantı and fasulye there. :) the owner was very welcoming and took good care of us. We were on a road trip and needed some rest, and we found that at Star Mantı with freshly brewed Türkish tea. Definetely worth a visit.

Very good food!
It’s not fancy but very solid simple and comfortable turkish food.
Portions could be a little larger but these ones are fine too.
And to top it all off take sone Baklava, Kadayif and turkish coffee! Perfect finish for the perfect meal.

Such sweet people who run it. Very caring and personalized experience. Solid, authentic Turkish Food. Delish kebabs and shepherds salad. All the pita you can eat. Not huge portions. Authentic Turkish coffee presentation. A homey atmosphere, as personalized as you can make from a strip mall place, but nothing exotic. Not amazing ambiance like other reviews suggest.

Many of the other reviews are spot on! We enjoyed everything we ate and the service we had that is cute little restaurant. The owner and server and host was so hospital and sweet. He offered us to stay in the restaurant after closing and did so so graciouslly. Continually checked on us and made suggestions. Everything we had was delicious! We have the mixed kabob grill, manti, the dolmas/​stuffed grape leaves (best I’ve ever had!), chicken soup and lentil soup, and a cucumber salad. We also had baklava and mint tea. The baklava was another standout. Keep in mind they do not have alcohol.

This place is a hidden gem, a friend of mine introduced me to this place and it is by far the best turkish food I have had. All the dishes are tasty and I simply can not reccommed this place more.
Also if you are a fan of coffee you must go and get a cup of turkish coffee, its delicious.

The best home cooked Turkish meal I’ve had in America. My family is from Turkey so we would know! The owners of the restaurant cook and serve your meal themselves, and they are so kind and warm, I really felt like I was in my grandmothers house in Istanbul! If you’re looking to try authentic Mediterranean cuisine, this restaurant is a must! Tip: try to fried half moon cig borek, it is to die for!!!

Fragrant, flavorful, unforgettable.
Star Manti is named for the Turkish dumpling, a small dough-​wrapped delight with spiced meat inside. Here, they come with a butter sauce and yogurt. So wonderful.
The gentleman who took our order and brought out the food, who is also the owner I think, was supremely nice and gave us great suggestions. Though I am willing to bet all the food is amazing, he helped us figure out what sort of dish we would enjoy most.
Everyone seemed happy with their choices. We all shared tabuli. My mother did not finish the mixed kebab plate, but she said it was delicious. The shrimp kebab, which my dad ordered, was amazing. The spices on the shrimp mingled perfectly. I had the Besamel Soslu Tavuk, aka chicken in a bechamel sauce. I couldn’t finish it all, but it was tasty too. I left knowing I want to try everything else on the menu, especially the meatball stew.
The only reason for not giving Star Manti 5 stars is that it was a bit drafty and dim; we had difficulty reading the menu.

Have been going to this place regularly for the past few years. This is the ONLY Turkish restaurant I’ve found in Philly/​South Jersey/​Manhattan that makes delicious authentic home-​cooked style Turkish food and am very grateful to have discovered it. Owners are extremely friendly and run the place by themselves and it feels like you’re visiting them at their home. I am always amazed how the chef is able to turn out such an amazing selection of Turkish home specialties all by herself with lightening speed :) She rocks!
Also love to come here for brunch on weekends (turkish tea/​coffee, eggs and sausage, simit (Turkish bagel), börek pastries, kisir (tabouli)). Turkey has a very rich breakfast culture so I would highly recommend for those who have not tried it yet. You might get hooked ;)
Star Manti is truly a hidden gem that you must try!

Location location location definitely doesn’t matter when it come to this hidden gem. From the moment you step in the owners (a very sweet married couple from Istanbul) greet you with smiles and plastic wrapped menus. I started off with the apricot nectar, a little deceiving because it comes in a can. I mean come on, what juice could possibly taste that good and come in a can except for pineapple purée? Lolll!
I started off with the Appetizer sampler: Potato salad, couscous, grape leaves, hummus, grilled eggplant, and roasted vegetables.
Then moved onto the mixed kebob plate which you can request various meats. I ordered the Lamb, Chicken (super tender and juicy) and Beef served with a fresh yummy salad and perfectly cooked white rice.
By the time the Manta (a meat dumpling) came out I was stuffed and had it taken to go. If your feeling adventurous and want to make a trip to the middle of nowhere in New Jersey your tastebuds will thank you later.
#JustDigit

For starters I went to Star Manti based on the reviews of other Unilocalers and the photos listed.
The food is 3.5, service is a 5 and atmosphere is a 3.
The atmosphere was a little cluttered but had objects that were easily topics of conversation… nothing crazy just a handful of things to look at. There is room for group settings and family friendly. Although, I went to catch up with a friend as a duo.
Service was always on point and friendly. Even though it was empty, I didn’t feel rushed to leave or ‘watched’…my pet peeves.
Our order was shared so we could get a good idea of the menu.
Manti with beef: not much beef in the dumplings; heavy on the mint (I didn’t mind though); they supply the spicy butter sauce via table side and is a mild type of spicy; the yogurt portion to the plate was just right. Essentially, this would be a fair dish comparable to something someone might order if they were avoiding cheese. I would order the Manti again but I’d try the spinach instead.
Nohut with chickpeas and lamb, side salad: the side salad was light and refreshing… really enjoyable. Nohut is a dish that includes tomato, onion, green pepper and red pepper paste along with the main ingredient of chick peas. The lamb is cooked well and there is a heap of rice to go along with the dish. I really enjoyed this dish more so than the Manti, but its merely a matter of preference.
Last but not least is the Turkish coffee, which arrives in such a way that you’d think it was fit for a king or queen. It’s on a little pillow and silver cup that makes you love it for presentation alone. The Turkish coffee is pretty much expresso and puts a kick in the rear of waking anyone up.
Overall, I liked Star Manti and could see a part two or three.

Everything that I tried was delicious here.
The lamb and eggplant dish is absolutely my favorite of what I’ve tried here. The eggplant was mashed into a paste that I would describe as similar to sausage gravy, a white smokey sauce that was filled with spice. The lamb, sauce and rice mixed to a perfect meal.
The beef manti was very tasty, but not at all what I expected. I would equate manti to beef tortellini in blush sauce. Small beef filled dumplings with a cream sauce, tomato paste, and hot pepper oil. While this was my first time trying this dish, it had a very familiar taste. I would be interested in trying it with the spinach, but would first want to try something a bit less familiar first.
The tabbouleh was good, it had a bit more wheat than I am used to, but very good.
The salad sampler was very good, a nice way to try a little bit of everything.
While I didn’t try it myself, the falafel looked very good. The inside was green, a trait that I have come to associate with a more flavorful falafel.
The coffee is terrific, I have had Turkish coffee once before. I definitely preferred it here. Turkish coffee is strong, dark, and thicker than American coffee. The Turkish tea I tried was also very good, good for drinking without sweetener.
The baklava was delicious, something that I have to order each time I come here. A larger plate that what has been served to me in the past (4 small squares of baklava).
The service was excellent, very friendly and quick.

When our daughter was going to Rutgers New Brunswick and we would visit her there and we had a choice of very good Mediterranean Eastern restaurants. Effys is very good, and Sahara and also Pithari in Highland Park. Here in the Cherry Hill area there are only Ariana and Kusina that can compare. I looked on Unilocal!and based on the great reviews, we decided to take a trip to Star Manti. Thank you again Unilocal!This was one of the better meals we have had in a while.
Star Manti is in a fairly generic strip mall off of Route 130. We went on a Sunday night and the strip mall was pretty dead. The place didn’t look like much from the outside but on the inside we are very pleasantly surprised. It was inviting, clean and tastefully decorated with Turkish paintings and such. The service was top notch. We were greeted by the owner/​chef and everyone made sure we felt very welcome. There was only one other couple dining in while we were there sadly.
We had the Hummus for a start. This was the freshest, best tasting Hummus we have ever had. The pita bread was fresh and warm. The homemade Lentil soap was also outstanding. We would have all been happy with just the the Hummus and the soup. For main courses we had Doner Tabagi (Gyro Plate)-Thinly sliced roasted beef, Hunkar Begendi (Ottoman Dish) — Classic Ottoman dish made with beef or lamb over smoked eggplant purée, and lamb dish over chick peas. Wow, everything was outstanding. The smoked eggplant was so flavorful and had just the right amount of smoke, the Gyro beef was perfectly seasoned. Everything was great. The other table was finishing about the same time as us and they loved their food also. They told the waitress they surrender after their coffee and dessert. We did too, we were completely stuffed but couldn’t stop eating because everything was so good.
The chef explained that her food was Turkish style home cooking and we could taste the love and pride that went into the dishes. It is pretty cool to see that in contrast to today’s plethora of chain restaurants. We had Turkish coffee and that was served in a unique style cup and saucer. We had to try the baklava and some other dessert, and again we were not disappointed.
Star Manti has been open 7 years. I hope they continue with their excellent service and food quality. We will definitely be going back.soon. I am fairly stingy with 5 stars but Star Manti was deserving.