El Turco: Michelin-Rated Authentic Turkish Cuisine Comes To The Hamptons

I recently learned that an authentic Turkish restaurant opened in East Hampton on July 8. And not just any Turkish eatery, but the original Miami-based El Turco, which received a Michelin rating after only fifteen months in business and achieving an OpenTable Diners’ Choice Award for 2022.

As I write this, I am on cloud nine because, well, I’m literally Turkish and grew up with these dishes. The restaurant is located in the space that was once a nightclub at 44 Three Mile Harbor. The new decor was beautiful, giving the space a completely different feel — so lovely that you could almost hear the Bosporus’ waves if you closed your eyes mid-meal.

My childhood is laden with blurry memories of digging up mussels and clams then roasting them on a bonfire soon after. This act of finding our seafood in one of Turkey’s gorgeous beaches was a beautiful and bonding experience with my late Uncle Halim. He taught us how to find the mussels deep under the wet sand on the shore in between waves by looking for their little breath bubbles that pop on the surface.

But I digress.

After ordering refreshing cocktails from the menu, which were not all Turkish, we kept it as traditional as possible. A Turkish feast always starts with the Meze course, which is a selection of small dishes served as pre-appetizers and can also act as a Tapas-type shared appetizer course. Meze is very often a vegetable extravaganza consisting of eggplant, beet, bean, cucumber, lentil, olive, and humus recipes. The beauty of the Turkish take on these vegetables is that the textures are silky and chunky at the same time, the flavors complex and the eating of it very informal. We used our forks, but in the motherland it’s customary to grab your homemade pita and dip away in between sips of your cocktail. I contained myself and scooped my portions to my own dish and dipped into ladylike piles trying not to fill myself before our entrées arrived. Every dish tasted incredibly faithful to its original and I was in bliss.

The menu offers salads and many other appetizers and like every Turkish meal I’ve ever had, it’s always too much food. We skipped the salads though the El Turco Mediterranean salad tugged at my heartstrings with its huge chunks of Feta cheese and heirloom tomatoes. Next time.

The whole Branzino was a stunning sight. Our waiter offered to filet it but we wanted the tradition of a Turkish meal and decided to consume it as a whole fish while we imagined the mint-blue Aegean before us. Yes, we pretended we were in the chic resort town of Bodrum, because the meal tasted like it. The grilled octopus was the perfect amount of char versus tenderness. The spices are simple while the aroma powerful.

I had never had shrimp casserole and with its presentation within its own small handled-cast iron pan, swimming in delicate herbs and butter that were picked up by a robust level of garlic was fulfilling and hearty.

In the old days, this is the point most Turks light up their Samsun cigarettes and wait for the dessert course to make its way to the table while a whole bottle of Yeni Rakı stands empty and everyone is tipsy. But alas, it’s the Hamptons and I wait like a good local for the sweets to arrive.

The Turkish word “Sütlaç” is actually two words in one, based on “Sütlü aş” and it literally means “food with milk.” It has its roots in Ottoman times and is the most popular dessert of Turkish cuisine after baklava. I grew up craving our mothers’ version which was about a once a month treat. My mother’s had chunks of rice that was, dare I say it, al dente, topped with pistachio chunks. El Turco’s Sütlaç was very different in texture but identical in flavor. They blend the rice into a silky sweet porridge and topped with cinnamon and walnuts.

The Semolina Halvah was a mind-blowing experience because its presentation was so unique. The perfect semolina dome covered a scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with pistachio bits. I’ve never experienced ice cream with halvah before as my mother would create little flower petals out of it by using a teaspoon to shape the pieces of halvah to eat as gritty candy. El Turco kept to its Arabic roots as a pudding firm enough to shape with the traditional texture that was lovely to mix into the ice cream.

After our meal we spoke with the general manager, Cristiano, who introduced us to the staff, some Turkish, where I got to speak my mother tongue. They informed us that they adore the region and plan on becoming a permanent fixture to our epicurean scene on the East End. I sat dumbfounded at the news that there will be a fantastic Turkish restaurant in the town that I live in. Am I dreaming? Pinch me.

El Turco is located at 44 Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton. To learn more about El Turco, visit elturcoturkishfood.com. To book a table click here.

Ty Wenzel

Co-Publisher & Contributor

Ty Wenzel, a recent breast cancer survivor, started her career as a fashion coordinator for Bloomingdale’s followed by fashion editor for Cosmopolitan Magazine. She was also a writer for countless publications, including having published a memoir (St. Martin's Press) and written features for The New York Times. She is an award-winning writer and designer who covers lifestyle, real estate, architecture and interiors for James Lane Post. She previously worked as a writer and marketing director for The Independent. She has won multiple PCLI and NYPA awards for journalism, social media and design, including best website design and best magazine for James Lane Post, which she co-founded in 2020. Wenzel is also a co-founder of the meditation app for kids, DreamyKid, and the Hamptons social media agency, TWM Hamptons Social Media.