Okuz Burgers opens first U.S. location in Great Neck
The kofte grill with Turkish meatballs, served together with a burger and a chicken sandwich at Okuz Burgers in Great Neck. Credit: Newsday/Andi Berlin
Hatice Doyuk delivered the white platter of cheeseburgers, filling up the table with a colorful assortment of Turkish dipping sauces, dried peppers and grilled vegetables.
Okuz Burgers is a well-known hamburger chain in Turkey, and Doyuk and her son Ali Buyuknisan put a great deal of care into its first U.S. location in Great Neck, presenting the fast food like a gourmet tasting experience. There was no sommelier, but every meal came with a free can of Diet Coke, and even though you ordered at the counter, members of the family swirled around assuring that everything was made from scratch and checking how patrons liked their French fries.
Believe it or not, Okuz Burgers isn't the only Turkish fast food chain that's infiltrated Long Island as of late. The vegan fast casual spot Nefista expanded its New York presence with a franchise in Islip this December.
Okuz, which means ox, is the more decadent of the two chains as it delves into an icon of Turkish drinking culture, the hamburger. Doyuk's brother-in-law Mustafa Uver owns the chain in Turkey, which has a location at Istanbul's Metroport Mall.
In Istanbul's famous Taksim Square, the late night option of choice is an islak burger or wet burger, named so because it's dipped in garlicky tomato sauce and steamed in its box like an al vapor taco. Okuz doesn't serve wet burgers, but you're essentially able to make your own by dipping your burger in the tomato based sauce on the table.
There is a separate section of chicken sandwiches and wraps such as the chicken roasted eggplant, which had a luxurious spread that lent vegetal creaminess to the melted cheese that spilled out the side of the bun. The eggplant, an essential ingredient in Turkish cuisine, can also be found on the eggplant burger. But Doyuk insisted the original Orkuz burger is their pièce de résistance. (Not the Texas burger with barbecue sauce?)
The original Orkuz burger ($13.49) comes with caramelized onions and all the other familiar fixings: lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo, ketchup. It's more slider-like in shape, so it's easy to eat, and it's worth noting that the seasoned fries on the side are just superb.
Like at Nefista you can also get kofte, but at Okuz it's grilled and served with ground beef as flat little meatballs. The kofte platter ($17.99) comes with grilled peppers, tomatoes and yogurt sauce so you can mix and match the flavors of each bite.
Don't skip the homemade desserts, a honey-glazed şekerpare almond cake and a canister of baked rice pudding with some cinnamon for sprinkling. And for the final course, a teacup of potent Turkish coffee brewed in a long-handled cezve and paired with a couple of nutty squares of Turkish delight. Beats a McFlurry, any day.
Okuz Burgers, 348 Great Neck Road, Great Neck. It's open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. 516-570-6252, okuzburgers.com.
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
