When craving authentic Turkish cuisine in Singapore, Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant immediately comes to mind. While numerous Turkish eateries dot Singapore’s landscape—particularly in the Kampong Glam area near Sultan Mosque—Sofra holds a special place in my culinary journey as the spot where I first experienced Turkish food some 20 years ago.

Back then, Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant was nestled in Shaw Towers on Beach Road, offering a lovely atmosphere and shareable dishes perfect for group gatherings. Now relocated to Marina Square, I decided it was high time to revisit this establishment with my husband, who’s particularly fond of Middle Eastern cuisine.

Warm Ambience and Hospitable Service

As we stepped into Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant, we were promptly greeted and shown to our table. The service was efficient, with staff providing physical menus alongside an iPad for placing orders—a nice blend of traditional and modern approaches.

The restaurant’s décor immediately transports you to Turkey. The space is quite generous, adorned with distinctive Turkish hanging ceiling lamps and authentic kilim table runners that add genuine Turkish flair to the dining experience. The spacious layout ensures you’re not elbow-to-elbow with other diners, creating a comfortable setting for your meal.

Starting with the Classics

**Prices indicated below are before 10% service charge and 9% GST

Turkish Tea ($2)

We began our culinary journey with a cup of Turkish tea each—essentially black tea that can be sweetened to taste. We preferred ours ‘teh-o kosong’ style (without sugar), allowing the pure flavour to warm our stomachs in preparation for the feast ahead.

Salad Plate ($27.50)

Next came the Salad Plate, which proved to be incredibly generous for two people. In fact, this platter could easily satisfy 3-4 diners, especially if you’re planning to order additional dishes. What makes this offering special is the variety—five different dips on a single plate, allowing you to sample a broader range of flavours.

The accompanying Sesame Bread was unexpectedly large, thin and soft with an abundance of white and black sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Its texture reminds one of packaged tortilla wraps, though be warned—those sesame seeds tend to scatter everywhere when you pick up the bread!

The dips showcased Sofra’s expertise in Turkish cuisine:

• Muhammara: A walnut and roasted red pepper dip offering a delightful combination of savoury, sweet, and slightly smoky flavours with just enough spice. It brought to mind sundried tomato pesto.

• Babaghanoush: This spicy roasted eggplant dip with tahini, lemon, olive oil and spices had a creamy texture reminiscent of cottage cheese.

• Hummus: Exactly how hummus should be—thick, creamy, and mildly spiced chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil and spices.

• Eggplant Salad: Featuring soft, moist eggplant combined with tomatoes, peppers and onion puree.

• Sofra Salad: Essentially a vibrant tomato salsa with green peppers, parsley, pomegranate dressing and crushed walnuts—a refreshing counterpoint to the richer dips.

The Main Event

Jumbo Kebab Platter ($77.00)

The highlight of our visit was undoubtedly the Jumbo Kebab Platter—a magnificent array of eggplant, lamb kebab, shish kebab lamb, doner lamb and chicken, accompanied by Turkish bread, onion sumac, purple cabbage, and Sofra salad. This platter is perfectly portioned for two hungry diners.

The eggplant was cooked to soft, tender perfection. Between the chunks of eggplant were meatballs, beautifully flavoured with spices, though slightly dry in texture.

The lamb cubes were soft, tender, and importantly, not gamey—cooked to a perfect medium with just a hint of pink in the centre. The chicken cubes were remarkably tender as well.

The doner chicken and lamb came thinly sliced and heavily seasoned. While flavourful, they were quite salty, making the accompanying salads essential for balancing the overall taste profile.

The green chillies provided a welcome kick of heat, while the bread was thick and dense—though personally, I preferred the thinner Sesame Bread from our starter.

Sweet Finale

Kunefe ($13.75)

To conclude our meal, we ordered Kunefe—a sweet cheese pastry made from kadayif noodles and unsalted melting cheese. The contrast between the crispy top layer and the stringy, mozzarella-like cheese beneath was divine.

The sugar syrup poured over wasn’t overpoweringly sweet, though the richness of the dish means it’s best shared among several people. A small portion is sufficient to satisfy your sweet cravings, as finishing an entire serving solo would be quite a challenge.

While Kunefe is a traditional Turkish dessert, it functions differently from typical sweet treats. Its richness makes it less of a light conclusion to your meal and more of an experience in itself—undeniably enjoyable but best approached with moderation.

Final Thoughts on Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant

Our order at Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant could easily have fed three people—we were filled to capacity and unable to finish everything. Like most Middle Eastern dining experiences, the emphasis is on sharing, making it ideal for communal meals. For variety-seekers like myself, their platters are perfect, allowing you to sample multiple dishes in a single sitting.

If you haven’t yet experienced Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant at Marina Square, I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a try. With its authentic flavours, generous portions, and warm atmosphere, it continues to be a standout destination for Turkish cuisine in Singapore, just as it was when I first discovered it two decades ago.