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With flashier Turkish restaurants along upper Second Avenue, you might easily pass by Uskudar's humble picture window and diner-style neon sign in search of a more exotic looking place to eat. But folks in the know pack the narrow, hummus-hued spot nearly every night of the week. Blue glass "evil eyes" and black-and-white photos of Istanbul's towers, palaces, and mosques watch over neighborhood regulars as they dig into appetizers such as borek, tiny phyllo triangles filled with spinach, dill, and a salty, dry feta; imam bayildi, baby eggplant baked until falling apart and stuffed with a savory tomato, pine nut, sweet onion and parsley melange; and mucver, shredded zucchini patties fried to a crisp brown, and delicious when dipped into sour yogurt. While chicken and fish entrees are offered, lamb—butchered on the premises—is the specialty. Among the dozen variations, toothsome shish kebabs, mint-spiked ground-lamb dolmasi, fork-tender braised shanks, and homey lamburger-like kofte kebabs are all superb. Turkish wines, beer, sodas and juices (sour cherry and apricot) are all worth trying, as is ayran, a traditional salty yogurt drink. And don’t pass on dessert. The atmosphere may be modest but the almond-stuffed dried apricots topped with nutmeg-infused whipped cream are the food of sultans. — Colleen McKinney

Imam bayildi, $8; borek, $8; lamb shish kebab, $18; kayisi, $6