Bridge: Turkish & Mediterranean Grill

I live in HP and pass this place often. I finally had a chance to drop in for takeout. I got the lamb gyro, grape leaves, and the brown custard dessert. All were good. The lamb gyro came with what looked like a decent sized, round bread loaf. Not sure if they called it a bread loaf on the menu. Whatever it was, it was nice and warm and I found that I liked it better than the average pita bread that is usually given when one orders a gyro. Staff was friendly enough for the takeout transaction. I would go back and dine in.

Overall is good on taste. But the price is higher than expect. The serving speed is relatively slow. They serve bread for snack and the volume of the entrees is quantitative. Much meat and rice, good for a guy but too much for a girl!

This is not a terrible restaurant. But they really really need to do better.
First, with these above average prices for the Highland Park area, they should have tablecloths and fabric napkins, not a formica tabletop.
Next, the pleasant server needs to pay more attention and not constantly disappear. One should not have to query him about where an appetizer is after 20 minutes, and then have it appear a minute later. The cigara boregi were good, but should have been browner, and the cheese not quite so salty.
The main dishes were not bad, just sub-​par. Sis kebab should have some skewered veggies with it, such as onions and green peppers. Not just chunks of meat, accompanied by a half over-​grilled campari tomato and some lettuce. Two kinds of rice are ridiculous – no vegetable is served. The baked lamb was served in exactly the same way.
The owners obviously don’t wonder why their restaurant is about one-​tenth full on a Saturday night. They should take a walk to Pithari Taverna down the street to learn how to run a Mediterranean restaurant. It is jammed on a Saturday.
The comments about the entrance/​exit are just ridiculous, though. Obviously, the writer has never been anywhere, even in New Jersey, since many of the restaurants in New Brunswick are entered in this fashion. And that IS how Turkish bread is made, which is not «sweet challah.»

I really liked this place. It’s very clean and the food was pretty good (I like the appetizers the best)

This place is amazing. I picked it on a whim after a trip to newyork. I ordered the cheese pide and the combo platter of lamb shish kebab and chicken shish kebab. The flavoring on the kebabs and the spicing was on point and tasted amazing. The meat was juicy and tender and a ton of flavor. Their bread was some of the best bread i’ve ever had! Most importantly, the waitresses were very friendly and smiling. On top of that, the owner kept walking around and greeting people who walked in and asking those who are eating whether they’re enjoying their food and whether they need anything else. The kept coming around with ice water and the second my glass would empty, the waitress would come and fill it for me. In short, the experience was amazing and I recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area and or anyone who wants to try amazing food! Plus, it’s HALAL! It’s amazing here!!! The kunefe and baklava are also out of this world! And their green tea!

Early dinner with friends. Ample parking in the back and yes, a bit odd trek past some offices to the back entrance. Waitress was very nice and was accommodating of our very early dinner arrival. Both couples ordered and split the Bridge salad with cucumbers and tomatoes. ideally seasoned with feta and great start to the meal. We ordered the chicken platter — portions were large and we could have split it between the two of us. Odd that the falafel didn’t come with pita but with bread (I see another reviewer wanted pita for hummus) and suggest they get pita deliveries from The Phoenician Market on Georges Rd in North Brunswick. Lamb dish was well seasoned and generous.
Anyway — it was a perfect early dinner — great atmosphere, really accommodating waitress and good food. Get some pita bread!

Not a bad place for lunch. The feta cheese roll ups were disappointingly fried. They are similar to spanakopita. Baba ganoush made with tahini — I think j would have preferred it with olive oil and more garlic. Cost was high for what we had — Turkish salad with extra charge for feta, baba ganoush, hummus, feta cheese roll ups, one iced tea and one dessert which was similar to Spanish flan but not as good. So, 50.00 for lunch for two!

Overall this place was not good at all, despite some of the other reviews here.
It started with the strange entrance/​exit. There’s one in the front but also a parking lot in the back that is shared with the other three offices nearby. Then in the back there is an entrance to the building «lobby» which is strange and you have to walk through an office to get to the restaurant?
We went on a Tuesday night at about 8 ish and there was one other person in the restaurant.
A good highlight of our experience was the décor;the restaurant is very pretty and open looking and bright however personally I think the lights should’ve been dimmed a little more. There are many pictures of I assume Turkey and they change color but then there is a television with a slideshow of pictures … Too much in my opinion.
The tables and chairs aren’t very upscale either.
So we sat down and our server came over and gave us water but then took a while more to come back and ask about entrees; she also didn’t ask us if we wanted something else to drink.
We tried the hummus which was pretty good and it came with bread; the bread however was average but not great as it was «homemade» but tasted sweet like Challah bread.
Something that we did not like at all was the rudeness of some of the service! We asked for more bread after we finished the two pieces we were given; and she asked us if we were gonna finish a whole loaf because she didn’t like serving that much bread if we weren’t going to finish it! I’m sorry but if you’re that concerned that your restaurant is going to go under because of uneaten bread, then there are bigger issues…
Nonetheless we got more bread and finished it all.
I got the salmon, which came with rice and a salad. The salmon was ok but brown? I was very surprised it was not pink at all… And the sides were hard so I only ate the middle. The rice was not good, it tasted sticky.
My boyfriend got the chicken Adana and chicken shish combo which he enjoyed!
Finally we ordered dessert, we got the baklava. It was not warmed up nor decorated but both of these aside, it was just plain bad. It was very wet!!! It also tasted strange and was mushy!
The food was average priced and so the check was kinda expensive but average for Mediterranean food.
Overall, they have a big menu with lots of options but I think the food is hit or miss…
We are very familiar with Mediterranean food and the other restaurants in the area and this one does not add up at all to the others.
So that’s why I’m giving this place a one star review, and we will not be returning.

This is my new favorite spot! This was my first time eating here and from the service to the food, everything was great. Stephin was our waiter and he was sweet and attentive. He made sure our bread (which was home made and amazing) and water was constantly filled and it seemed as though he genuinely cared that we were enjoying ourselves. I had the chicken kabob with Sheppard salad dinner and my bf had the mix grill dinner. We both really enjoyed this place and will definitely be back. A++

We went for supper on a Sunday night. The place was mostly empty which is too bad, more people should try the food, it should be packed! Anyway we started with the cold appetizer platter — hummus, baba ganouj, labneh with dill and walnuts, tender cooked eggplant and «spicy vegetables.» Good but they were out of pideh bread, but still the more «European» bread was very good.
I ordered number 39 the Hünkar Begendı and requested lamb instead of chicken. It was pretty good but the lamb appeared to be from Döner Kebab, and it should be tender cubes. My friend ordered the normal 39 with chicken which was excellent. The dish involves meat served on a very pure white purée of flesh from grilled eggplant, flavored with cheese. Rich and delicious. We brought a nice bottle of Rioja which went well with the food. My wife ordered a shrimp shish kebab which was also quite nice and came with salad and grilled vegetables.
After the appetizer platter we could only eat about half of the entrees and had them boxed up for a tasty lunch.
The décor is very pleasant, there are Iznik style vases and ceramics and a sparkly high tech chandelier, plus video screens which show scenes like the Rumelihisarı and other famous places in Turkey. The building was our bank for many years, but I like it better as a Turkish restaurant!

It was just about ok, it may have got an extra star coz of the baklava though (which I don’t know why it was so sweet!)
Anyway the well advertised award winning (as we were told by our server) are not so good. The koftas on the other hand are just fantastic! Go for that and only that if you want. Soft, flavorful, spiced perfectly and portion size is good too!
Overall 3 stars is all it can get from me

Review for takeout only. Yes, a little expensive but you get a double portion so you’ve got lunch for tomorrow. Great healthy choices when you don’t feel like cooking. I always get #40 (Shepard salad topped with marinated grilled chicken). Their cold spreads are FIRE (mixed apps). Get those when you’re feeling like going a little wild and you won’t be disappointed.

I ordered from them last night off of EatStreet — we ordered three vegetarian entrees and the flavor was wonderful. We got a spinach dish that was amazing! Also arrived in a reasonable amount of time with a very friendly driver.
Will most definitely order again and will go seek the restaurant out in person.

My friend and I walked in here a few weeks ago, and thought it was too nice for our shorts and t-​shirts. We returned tonight (with no real improvement in our garb) and needn’t have worried– casual is ok here. Good for my biker ways.
I had lamb «doner,» which is Turkish for gyro (and in Arab it’s schwarma). It came on a platter with two types of rice and a bit of romaine salad. It was a good portion that could be a full meal or be enough to save some for later. I think I will try to demarcate some for take away next time. I had thought that I would take some home tonight, but with no real boundary set, I ended up just eating it all.
We also split an order of baklava for dessert, which was delicious. This was M’s first time having baklava and he thought it was very sweet. Having already acquired the taste, I thought it was just right. I don’t like things too sweet either, but a little baklava once in awhile is ok. They have some desserts ready to go in their glass showcase, so you could pick some up if you have a sweet tooth.
My friend had falafel, and I tried one– it was good. Not too greasy. My doner was a bit greasy, actually, so I don’t think it’s the healthiest option on the menu. Would like to try something else. We ordered the most cliché dishes– falafel, gyro, baklava– I think because this was the first time the person I was with was having this type of food.

Great food, awesome seasoning, great service.
I can’t understand why this restaurant isn’t constantly packed!

Stopped by on a Saturday for lunch. Lunch menu is inexpensive — only $ 9.99 for soup or salad and a choice of several entrees. My wife had the lamb patties which were very good. Same goes for my chicken kebobs. Generous servings.
We spent a few dollars extra on appetizers — the white bean salad (good) and the feta rolls (very nice).
We had the Turkish tea after our meal; I have had better but it was OK.
Turkish music in the background; decent décor — they have a few flatscreens showing scenes from Turkey (plus a few pets) — a bit odd but acceptable.
Our server was a nice enough young girl but seemed to be still learning the job.
I am giving it four stars since the price value is great.

The staff from the restaurant was very friendly and took very good care of us. We were celebrating a birthday and they let us bring our own cake and provide us a lighter for the candles.
However I was a bit disappointed with the food, it is good but a bit overpriced. Or for the price I was expecting better quality, it can be seen in both direction.
I will not make it a restaurant I will return every other week.

We ordered for delivery and the food came as expected via GrubHub. Immediately after placing the order, an employee called and told me they ran out of several drinks because their supplier did not arrive yet. We ordered the raspberry drink but it ran out (as well as Dr. Pepper), but they were able to give us a similar or homemade drink for the same price.
Honestly, the drinks (raspberry and green tea) needed some kind of sugar or sweetener because they were very bland and tasted bitter. However, the food was very good: we ordered the falafel platter and chicken shishakob with seasoned rice. We also ordered a cold, eggplant dish (baba ganoush), which was my favorite and even baklava for dessert, which was very sweet and delicious.
The portion sizes were big and we were able to save the leftovers for a later time :)

We had the imam bayildi and kebabs with yogurt. I loved the imam bayildi, a stuffed eggplant dish. The rice was delicious. I enjoyed the lightness of the meal. We also had the kebabs. I probably should have stuck with traditional kebabs. We found the flavor of the yogurt a bit overwhelming in the dish. Good service. Came with delicious fresh hot bread.

I play softball in Highland Park and I’m in town frequently; however, my office had a lunch in April 2015 at Bridge and that is how I was introduced to it.
This is a lovely restaurant and the food was absolutely on point. We shared some appetizers and they were superb, as were the entrees. The falafel was really great, in both flavor and texture. The staff was exceptionally friendly and took the time to answer our questions and inquiries. One could certainly tell that the chef took great care in preparing each dish. We had a range of dishes encompassing chicken, lamb, and vegetarian focuses, and all were delicious. I had the lamb myself, but my coworker had the Chicken Kebab in Yogurt and I am telling you, that dish alone would convert a vegetarian. It –was– that good!
We also ordered some desserts– the baklava, kunefe, and almond pudding. Each were spectacular. The baklava was fantastic and the kunefe was perfect. If you’re looking for a great place in the area to end a date night in a quiet setting, Bridge is definitely the place you want to go to.
Most of the menu runs the range of $ 7 to $ 25, and the lunch menu has a few dishes for $ 9.95 that include rice and soup/​salad. They have a kids’ menu as well, so this is a great place in the community for any kind of party. I will definitely be returning and recommending this restaurant to area friends and businesses!