The extended Turkish family who operates this small restaurant embraces customers with stories about food and life in Turkey. When the restaurant isn’t too busy (on weekends you must make reservations), they may invite younger customers to help make their own pizza. And at the end of some evenings, it is not uncommon for the whole family to gather around the television to eat and watch Turkish movies or soccer matches as you finish your meal. Such warmth makes it easy to forget the colorless surroundings. Furnishings are mostly utilitarian, and white walls are lined with souvenirs from Turkey that are cheaply framed and educational.

The focus then is on the food. “Shepherd’s Bread,” cooked in the brick oven, is fluffy and complements everything else in the meal. Tabbouleh is bracing and bright with more parsley and lemon than bulghur, while baba ghanoush is appropriately light on tahini and full of smoky eggplant with chives. Traditional grilled items are best here, like Inegöl köfte meatballs, redolent of onions and cumin; Adana kebab’s minced lamb is alluringly smoky; even chicken becomes intriguing on this grill.

The couple of Turkish wines on offer aren’t some of the country’s best work; the pilsner’s a far better option, but really, you should bring a wine that will better suit the complex and amazing flavors here.