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When we asked Turgut, our Turkish-born cabdriver, whether he knew of any good restaurants, he unhesitatingly advised us to head to Kebab Garden in the East Village ASAP. Our policy being always to follow blindly the advice of Turkish cabbies named Turgut, that is precisely what we did. And what we found was an all-night cafeteria, outfitted with prefab suburban diner-style furnishings, kitschy plastic fruits hanging from the ceiling, and a glum, mostly male, potentially taxi-driving clientele shoveling various foodstuffs into their maws like coal into a steam-locomotive firebox. We also found some surprisingly tasty, inexpensive grub, like eggplant moussaka, hot and cold dolmas, chickpea stew, and countless other spreads and salads, all priced to move at $6.99 a pound and self-served from a buffet table that nearly runs the length of the dining room. A paltry $9 buys a hefty kebab or shawarma plate, grilled to order or sliced off the spit and served with rice and salad. As good as everything is, Turgut reserved his highest praise for the pastries, which come directly from the famed Gaziantep-based bakery Güllüoglu and can be found near the checkout counter. “Make sure they are fresh,” our cabbie friend advised. “And tell them Turgut sent you.” — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

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