Cheap Eats 2007: Cafe Divan

Reviewed by Cynthia Hacinli , Michele Kayal , Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Don Rockwell

Cafe Divan

1834 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20007
Phone: 202.338.1747

Cuisines:
Turkish, Middle Eastern

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
Foggy Bottom-GWU

Price Range:
Inexpensive

Dress:
Informal

Crowd:
Sophisticates young and old.

Noise Level:
Chatty

Reservations:
Not needed

Special Features:
Delivery, Weekend Brunch, Kid Friendly

Website:
Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes
Sigara borek; sous borek; hummos; baba ghanoush; iman bayaldi, the classic stuffed-eggplant dish; doner kebab; iskander kebab; lamb kebab; yogurtlu kebab with beef; kuzu guvec, a lamb-and-eggplant casserole; whole roast baby lamb (Thursdays only); lamajun; pizza with kasseri cheese and fried eggs; Sucuk Pide pizza; kazan dibi, a rice-flour pudding.

Price Details:
Appetizers $3.95 to $5.95, entrées $5.95 to $16.


Women in headscarves at the next table are raving about the lentil soup. How good, you wonder, can lentil soup be? Really good.

The best dishes at this glass-enclosed dining room, popular with Turkish expats and Georgetown trendies, surprise and seduce. Sigara börek, named for their cigarlike shape, are deftly fried and ooze parsley-flecked feta. Imam Bayildi, a stuffed-eggplant dish, is bathed in olive oil. Döner kebab, a large roast of lamb and veal cooked on a vertical spit, then shaved into thin slices, is good, but it’s even better as iskender kebab, layered with tomatoes, toasted pita, and yogurt.

Among desserts, the baklava, crisp and not overly sweet, is better than most in the area, and kazan dibi, a puddinglike square blitzed with cinnamon, is creamy bliss.

Open daily for lunch and dinner.