We visit El Turco for both breakfast and dinner (on different days…)
Here are four happy words: Bring your own bottle. And three more: no corkage fee.
These words, though, are rarely associated with special restaurants. More often, they’re reserved for (very) casual dining. Happily, Buena Vista is home to an anomaly.
El Turco, a small Turkish café-restaurant, quietly opened its doors in Upper Buena Vista last year. Since then, it has gained a loyal following, a Bib Gourmand award from the Michelin Guide, and a sister restaurant in East Hampton.
It’s hard to say whether El Turco is best known for its breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s open for all three. In the morning, guests can choose from several breakfast options and pastries. The Menemen – slow sautéed tomatoes and sweet peppers scrambled with 2 organic eggs – is richly flavoured and delicious. Consider adding Feta. The Su böreği is also particularly indulgent. The particular recipe for this is unclear, but it seems to involve a healthy amount of pastry and cheese – both good things…
As breakfast fades into lunch, and then dinner, your attention might switch towards the all-day menu. You can enjoy main dishes individually, but along with the small plates, they work best as part of a family-style dinner. The tasty red lentil balls, refreshing cacick (yogurt dip) and Manti (beef dumplings) were all favorites during a recent dinner.
Each of the dishes are served on colouful, or characterful, plates. (Read: Very Instagram-friendly).
Upper Buena Vista
The location, Upper Buena Vista, is fun too. In this small enclave of artisan shops and restaurants (which calls itself, quite accurately, a “sanctuary”), El Turco counts textile artists, jewelry makers and photographers among its neighbors. The sanctury’s centerpiece is The Bodhi “wishtree”, a 120-year-old Banyan that is said to possess magnetic and spiritual values. It towers over you as you dine.
So we have fresh, flavorsome, colorful food – and zero pretense.
More good news: Until it secures an alcohol license (likely in the next few months), El Turco allows you to bring your own wine, without charging a corkage fee. Now there’s a combination sure to keep local wine lovers happy.
Please note: This is correct at the time of writing. Please phone ahead to reserve and check the current corkage policy. For the restaurant’s own website, click here.
We loved El Turco so much that we’re organizing a meetup for wine-loving readers of WGM at the restaurant. Bring a bottle of your favorite Mediterranean wine to share with fellow wine lovers while you enjoy delicious Turkish food. For info, contact Sarah & Jacqueline: hello@wineguidemiami.com.
Sarah is a freelance wine educator, writer and events host, based in South Beach. She holds the WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits and is a current Master of Wine student.
