The Flying Carpet Turkish Cafe Opens Its Doors in Lewisville

The Flying Carpet in Lewisville blends Turkish culinary tradition with the lavish charm of a nineteenth-century coffeehouse.

This spot is the brainchild of Turkish-born chef Cebrail Demirtas. Here you can immerse yourself in the rich ambiance of Turkish decor while downing a plate of Ottoman-inspired food or sip on a cup of Turkish coffee. Everything is served in vintage Middle Eastern dishes. Antique decor, recipes and music are just some of the ways that the restaurant promises will “take you back in time.”

This isn’t chef Demirtas’s first foray into the restaurant space. In fact, he opened his first Turkish restaurant in New York over a decade ago, before pioneering the Turkish food scene in Fort Worth a couple of years later. A fire this year shuttered that location, which is how he landed in Lewisville.

“Everything happens for the better,” chef Demirtas says. “It’s more than just a meal here in our new location; it’s an all-inclusive experience.”

We can’t argue. Colorful patterned carpets come together with dim lighting and white tablecloths to create a palace-like grandeur. Turkish antiques and trinkets are placed around the space, and ground pillows allow floor seating in certain areas. Cross your legs, get comfortable on the nineteenth-century carpet and drown yourself in the sounds of Turkish music as you browse the six-page menu.

The cuisine follows suit in authenticity. Start off with a mixed appetizer plate with hummus, baba ganoush, baked eggplant and other Turkish dips. For about $18, the plate is a good way to explore the Turkish culinary world. Traditional options like the cigar borek (phyllo dough stuffed with feta cheese) and yogurtlu tavuk kebab (chicken kebabs marinated in spicy yogurt sauce) stand out on the menu. Some dishes have creative names, such as The Sultan Was Pleased, which is hunks of beef simmered in a tomato sauce and served on a bed of eggplant puree.


At The Flying Carpet individual entrees take a back seat to the communal spirit of Turkish dining. Our best advice is to bring a group of hungry friends for the tapas-style dining. Shish kebabs come with shareable skewers of tender lamb. The Karides is a scoopable shrimp casserole baked with a generous layer of Turkish kashari cheese.  Fresh-off-the-grill lamb chops, calf livers and beef sausage add to the allure of hearty Middle Eastern cuisine.

Our ongoing quest for delectable desserts was satiated by both apricots stuffed with cream and ground pistachio nuts and kazandibi, a milk-based pudding that’s baked to a golden brown exterior. We even had the pleasure of witnessing magical cheese pulls from the neighboring table's kunefe dessert. That indulgence will have to wait for our next visit.

The Flying Carpet, 2702 Lake Vista Drive, Lewisville. Daily, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.