If you like delicious, handcrafted dumplings, filled with the fine ingredients, you’re in for a treat – because Lezizel Manti, the popular Turkish dumpling eatery, has arrived in Frankfurt!
Turkish manti are tiny dumplings traditionally boiled or steamed, then draped in a rich medley of melted butter, garlicky yogurt, and fragrant spices. Though they share some similarities with other stuffed parcels around the world, Turkish manti stand out with their petite size, bold flavors, and distinct regional variations.
Restaurant Profile
🏷️ Name of the Restaurant: Lezizel Manti – Frankfurt (incl. menu)
📍 Adress: Berger Str. 148, 60385 Frankfurt am Main
🍜 Style: Turkish Cuisine – manti dumplings, rice dishes, salad etc.
💰 Price: around 15 – 25 EUR per Person (incl. drinks and tips)
The menu at Lezizel is simple, but full of customization possibilities. How it works:
Pick Your Dumpling –
- Classic Beef – tender minced beef in a wheat dough
- Vegan – spinach-broccoli dough stuffed with seasoned potato
Choose Your Size –
- Small (already hearty!) or Large (for the truly hungry)
Sauces – Each bowl comes with three:
- Rich tomato sauce
- Creamy yogurt sauce – with or without garlic (lactose-free or soy yogurt available for +1€)
- Smoky paprika sauce – with butter, rapeseed oil, or none
Now the fun part: Toppings!
- Savory: Sautéed mushrooms, cow’s milk feta cheese (Hirtenkäse), pastirma (air-dried beef bacon), caramelized onions, chickpeas
- Crunchy: Roasted sunflower seeds, walnuts
- Bold: Spicy jalapeños, savory olive slices, rich truffle cream
- Sweet-Tangy: Mango-apple chutney
Pile on your favorites or try one of their curated combos, each with 3 nicely paired toppings. Here are a few combos we’d like to recommend:
“Yoda’s Secret” combo – manti in a trio sauce (of tangy tomato, garlicky yogurt, and smoky paprika), paired with briny olives, wilted spinach, and a lavish swirl of truffle cream
This is one of our go-to combos. One of the highlights is certainly the truffle. The unmistakenly bold, luxurious scent of truffle hits you right away – deep, musky, and intoxicating. It’s not just a shy whisper of aroma, but a generous, thick dollop of truffle cream, lavishly spooned on top, its flavor umami-rich, slightly sour, and utterly indulgent.The olives cut through the truffle’s richness with their bright, tangy punch, while wilted spinach adds earthiness and freshness.
We tried this combo with beef and vegan manti:
- With beef Manti: Tender, finely minced beef adds a rich, meaty depth that pairs well with the bold truffle. The creamy, cooling sauces play against the savoriness of the beef, creating a flavor harmony.
- With vegan Manti: These dumplings with spinach-broccoli dough, filled with seasoned mashed potato, taste light with a subtle earthy sweetness. their clean taste allows the purity of the truffle aroma shine even more.
Silky sauces, tender dumplings, pop of tangy olives, and soft spinach create a spoonful of contrasts.
“Sultan’s Choice” combo – manti in a trio sauce (of tangy tomato, garlicky yogurt, and smoky paprika), paired with spinach, cow’s milk feta cheese (Hirtenkäse), pastirma (air-dried beef bacon)
We had this combo with beef manti – wheat dumpling packets filled with seasoned ground beef, bringing a rich and savory core to every bite.
The slightly tangy tomato sauce, cool garlicky yoghurt sauce and paprika sauce form a rich, creamy base.
Topping it off is Hirtenkäse, a traditional cow’s milk feta with a sharp, cheesy aroma—it’s bold, briny, and slightly crumbly, adding a salty punch.
The wilted spinach is mild and slightly sweet, balancing the dish’s richness.
Overall, this dish leans rich and creamy, with layers of savory thanks to the pastirma and cheese, balanced by a slight sour edge from the yogurt and tomato.
DIY Bowl – vegan manti (spinach-broccoli dough filled with seasoned mashed potatoes), drenched in trio sauces and topped with spicy jalapeños, briny olives, silky spinach, and pastirma (Turkish air-dried beef bacon).
This is our personalized flavor bomb that packs heat, creaminess, and zing in every bite. And you can amplify the flavor with their spice trio:
- Chili Powder: Smoky, warm heat that’s not overwhelming
- Mint Powder: Cool, aromatic, and refreshing
- Sumac: a zingy, citrusy note that makes the flavors pop
The jalapeños and pastirma make an electric paring, they are the best part of this bowl. The crisp, juicy jalapeños bring a fiery, grassy heat—fresh and sharp, while thinly sliced pastirma, savory, smoky umami, almost melts when it hits the warm dumplings. Its meaty intensity gets lifted by the chili’s clean, spicy kick and subtle bitterness.
The spinach, slightly sour and tender, adds lightness. Olives pop with a salty-sourness, while the sumac adds a lemony zing that makes everything taste even brighter.
The soft, lightly sweet vegan manti stays earthy and mellow beneath it all – a perfect mild base for the bold, palate-buzzing toppings.
Turkish Black Tea
Turkey consumes more tea per capita than any other country. It’s like a social glue, served morning to night, whether with meals or during chats.
At Lezizel, you can order a glass of amber Turkish black tea (çay):
- Unsweetened, it has robust and malty body, with subtle floral notes and a faint astringency. clean and refreshing, it’s a great palate reset between rich, saucy bites of manti
- With Sugar (added extra), it turns into a rounded, honey-like sweetness that softens the tannins without masking the tea’s natural taste.
In Turkish culture, the tea is seen as a natural digestive aid, often sipped post-meal to ease heaviness—especially after doughy, meaty dishes.
The Turkish manti is like a bite-sized piece of history. Its story stretches back centuries to Central Asia, believed to be the birthplace of manti’s earliest form. As nomadic tribes moved westward, they carried this food tradition with them— adapting and evolving in Anatolia, the heartland of modern Turkish cuisine. Over time, manti absorbed influences from many cultures – from Mongolian cooking to Ottoman refinement. Thanks to the Silk Road, spices and food ideas flowed freely across regions, shaping manti into the rich delicacy it is today.
Lezizel—meaning “tasty hand”—carries this tradition forward with care. With a commitment to no additives, halal-certified beef, and a wide variety of vegan and vegetarian options, it’s a great place to enjoy a fresh, healthy, and convenient take on this timeless culinary heritage.
