Gonul's J Street Cafe

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RestaurantConnoseur

Joined 4 years ago

Friendly, Unusual, and Delightful. I really like this cafe. I read a number of reviews of it before going to eat there, and they were so mixed that I had no idea what the experience would be like. Then I noticed that all the negative reviews were dated before May of 2008, and all the reviews with later dates were positive, so I inferred that the quality of the food and service had probably improved immensely since those early reviews were written.

Anyway, I went for lunch. The later reviews were accurate. This is a really nice cafe, with an interesting menu and a pleasant casual ambiance. I met Gonul, and found her both charming and strongly committed to making her cafe the best it can be.

For lunch I had a Turkish version of Paella, the well-known Spanish seafood stew. It was delicious. With it I had glass of a Turkish white wine that the server recommended. It was tangy, fruity, and a perfect compliment to my lunch entree.

I was sorry not to be a dessert eater or coffee drinker. The dessert menu is very enticing, and Gonul offers a nice variety of coffee drinks.

I?m going back soon, and often.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review. Restaurant features American food with a Mediterranean twist and a casual dining atmosphere.

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jkdiver

Joined 7 years ago

Excellent California - Mediterranean foods, in-house bakery goods and pizzas.. Gonuls provides a lovely blend of Mediterranean and California cuisines with a twist of Turkish, imaginatively prepared with fresh ingredients, as well as a moderately priced selection of carefully chosen wines. This is a neighborhood cafe with excellent food, brunch on weekends, and on some evenings accompanied by jazz musicians. Highly recommended for a casual (never sloppy) and inviting ambience.

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angelshark

Joined 8 years ago

Sit outside if the weather's nice. We live in the neighborhood, so we walked here late on a Sunday morning for brunch. The place was packed, but we got a table outside. Since it was a warm, sunny day, it was very pleasant sitting out there. The only downside was that the sun reflected brightly off our white tablecloth and we had forgotten our sunglasses. Luckily, the waitress brought us some extra cloth napkins (which were a darker color) and after covering our table with those it wasn't so bad. The food was good, decently priced, and the wait staff very friendly. They were a little slow, but I suppose that was because they were so crowded. Still, if you're not in a hurry and like to people-watch, this is a great local spot.