Restaurant Details

Whenever I swipe a pita through the gorgeous meze platter at Pera, dabbing at the creamy smoke of the atom eggplant puree, or the tangy pepper-tomato spice of hand-chopped ezme, I’m reminded why this walk-in-only BYOB, its boisterous brick walls festooned with ceramic plates looking out onto a prime Northern Liberties corner, is always packed. Chef Mehmet Ergin’s menu is the area’s finest example of classic Turkish cooking, distinguished by the chef’s touch and close attention to techniques that render dishes with extra depth and flavor. There are the mücver zucchini patties and tender calamari, but I crave the intricately layered house doner kebab — a wonder of butchery for a specialty too often outsourced — Iskender style over butter-crisped pitas beneath a flow of tomato sauce and yogurt. Anything off Pera’s grill is great, especially the whole dorado. As for desserts, from the syrup-splashed hot kunefe to the densely creamy kazandibi burnt-milk pudding, I find them impossible to turn down.