Fremont's Cafe Turko To Move Up 34th Street

Fremont's beloved Cafe Turko will soon be on the move, but it's not going far. The building where the restaurant lives has been sold to developers, but this is actually great news for Turko, as arrangements have been made to relocate the eatery 500 feet down the road to 900 N 34th Street, with a bigger and better kitchen, and lakeview deck seating.

Cafe Turko owners Süreyya and Gencer Gökeri have been at their current location for 24 years. They have operated Istanbul Imports, a Turkish rug and retail shop, at the address the whole time, and two and a half years ago, they added the cafe.

The cafe has been very successful so far, but a tricky undertaking without a full kitchen: there is no gas connection and the staff cooks on portable electric stoves. In the new, slightly larger location, the restaurant will gain a proper grill and hood, and Sureyya Gokeri says she's excited to add lamb, chicken, and beef shish kebabs, as well as gyros, to Turko's already popular menu. The restaurant will also gain a deck overlooking Lake Union.

The transition should be smooth and fast (the Gökeris expect to be closed a few days, max, once the space is ready), and likely complete by the end of November. Sureyya Gokeri teaches cooking classes around town, and is also considering running them out of the restaurant in the new space.