In high school, while in New York City, at a Turkish restaurant I never learned the name of, I had my first experience with falafel.

It was mind blowing; for a ball made of ground veggies, it tasted hearty, and remarkably not vegetarian at all. The flavors, texture and satisfaction level were impressive, and I didn’t miss meat for a second. Who needed meat when you had fried ground chickpeas? Surprisingly, not me.

That was my main motivator for going to Saray II, located at 1374 Allen St. in Springfield. The original restaurant, Saray I is located in West Haven, Connecticut.

Having plenty of falafel since then, but not having been to a Turkish restaurant since, I wanted to see if the falafel lived up to my first experience.

Spoiler: it did not.

The falafel appetizer at Saray II is plated attractively and elegantly, like the lovely décor. However, the unseasoned falafel was lackluster. The outer crispy layer was satisfying crunchy, the inner, soft and the textures were all fine. But as someone who tries new foods as often as possible in an attempt to satisfy my desire for unique flavors, the blandness disappointed me.

The salad it came with was alright.

The main course was a huge improvement. Not looking the prettiest on a plate, it made up for it in flavor tenfold.

Kusbasili Pie wasn’t pie in any sense of the word as we know it. Made of open-faced dough, it was filled with ground beef and small veggie pieces. The serving size was generous, and the food extremely filling. It only took half to satiate me, though I may have been because I was overzealous with the warm bread bowl that came before the meal.

The meat to veggie ratio was something like nine to one, which is great bang for your buck, but made the dough, that started crispy, greasy and soggy on the bottom after a while.

A problem that came up several times was the way the pie was plated. Served on a sheet of wax paper, when the juices came out of the meat, it sort of glued the paper to the dough. While it was probably put there to absorb a small amount of the oil, it ended up accidentally attached to the food and in my mouth several times.

Nevertheless, the dish was tasty and I would consider eating it again.

My companion got the

, which again was nothing like the Kebab we would imagine. His food looked more like Mexican enchiladas, but tasted nothing like them. His dish was slow baked lamb with vegetables wrapped inside dough, fried, and served with garlic yogurt on top. It came with two kinds of rice and a salad.

While he found the meat flavorful, he ran into my falafel problem with one of the rice servings: blandness.

If you love meat, Saray II is the place for you.

Saray II is located in a tiny plaza next to a produce market and near a gas station on Allen St.

Meal prices are a bit steep for most college students, ranging from $12 to $22 per entree. But Saray shows a lot of promise. The food isn’t terrible; even with my complaints I think further exploration of their large menu would prove positive.

The staff is friendly, and helpful, and the music, modern Turkish pop mixed with more traditional songs, happy.

With a Google rating of a nearly perfect 4.7, and a Yelp rating of 4.5, they are well reviewed.

My final verdict: The staff at Saray II is friendly and the food good overall. Steer clear of the falafel and you’ll be alright. Be ready to shell out a decent amount of cash, and head on down to 1374 Allen St. Springfield, MA. Saray II is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

This is number 3 of my monthly international cuisine reviews for the Yellow Jacket. I hope you will seriously consider visiting one.