Aksaray Turkish Cafe & Restaurant

Aksaray Turkish Cafe & Restaurant has been a fixture near Kings Highway since 1998, a broad, welcoming Turkish dining room in the Homecrest area between Midwood and Sheepshead Bay. Its long hours have made it a beloved late-night address for decades; for about five years it even stayed open around the clock. The menu is wide and comforting, covering soups, cold and hot appetizers, salads, grills, seafood and sandwiches, with homemade Turkish bread at the table. It is a neighborhood institution in the truest sense, part of the deep Turkish and Central Asian food scene of southern Brooklyn, where a family dinner, a quick gyro and a solo bowl of soup after a long shift all feel equally at home.

Featured by the YouTuber New York Turk in 2025, Aksaray rewards a classic Turkish order. Start with the lentil soup, made daily and served with homemade bread, and a spread of cold appetizers to share. Lamb gyro was the original staple here, with chicken gyro added in 2006; beyond those, look to Iskender, yogurtlu lamb shish, the Aksaray kofte special or Hasanpasa kofte, braised lamb shank, lamb chops over rice, or a whole grilled sea bass. Kuru fasulye, white beans cooked with lamb, is a homestyle favorite. Finish with baklava or kazandibi, the caramelized milk pudding, and a glass of tea. Catering is available too, useful if you are feeding a crowd.