Jon Busdeker is a freelance journalist and videographer. Follow him on  Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Check out his website at www.jonbusdeker.com
 By Jon Busdeker

 

There’s a new eatery near College Park and it isn’t an Italian restaurant or a pizza joint. (Seriously, how many pizza places does one neighborhood need?)

Zeytin Turkish Cuisine (Facebook | Instagram) on Edgewater Drive just north of Fairbanks Avenue [GMap] is the latest addition to the neighborhood.

Owner Zeynel Gulsoy, who also worked as a cook at Bosphorous in Winter Park and co-owned Istanbul in Lake Mary, opened Zeytin in December.

Zeytin, which means “olive” in Turkish, specializes in – you guessed it — Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine like hummus, lamb kebabs, mousakka, pide (a Turkish flatbread) and lavas. Zeytin serves halal meat.

Vegetarian dishes include okra sauté and vegetable casserole made with green beans, eggplant, bell peppers, onions and garlic over rice.  Most dinner entrees start at $16.95.

Zeytin also serves beer and wine.

Gulsoy, who grew up in Turkey, spent seven months renovating the space, which was the former site of Woody’s American and Italian Grill. The dining room is decorated with items from Turkey, including hand-crafted booths with Turkish fabrics. The restaurant seats about 50 people.

If you go to Zeytin, don’t leave without ordering a cup of Turkish coffee and getting your fortune read. In Turkey and in other Balkan countries it’s tradition to have your fortune told by the leftover coffee grounds in your cup. My waitress on a recent Wednesday night was spot on with the fortune.

Zeytin is open for dinner from 4 p.m. to midnight TuesdaySunday. The restaurant is closed Mondays.

 

img_2716

img_2720

img_2721

Pictured, lahmacun or "Turkish pizza"
Pictured, lahmacun or “Turkish pizza”

Jon Busdeker

Jon Busdeker is a freelance journalist and videographer. He lives in College Park and is a co-host of "Bungalower and The Bus." Check out his website at www.jonbusdeker.com.

Join the Conversation

22 Comments

Have something to say? Type it below. Holding back can give you pimples.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Love the reference to ‘not another pizza joint’ in the neighborhood and yet what’s pictured? A Turkish pizza U0001f602
    Will try this place soon. Menu looks greatU0001f44dU0001f3fb

  2. I have tried a lot of Turkish restaurants but I never like it , I don’t know why but it taste different than back home