This is a little cafe with sweets and borek and coffee. It's quiet and clean. They had American…read moremusic. The food was good.

Serving Sultanahmet since 1961 Çiğdem Pastanesi sees its fair share of locals and tourists, a wide…read moreselection of sweets and savories similar to other local spots luring guests in where a tight space is found decorated with aged wood and iron. Surprisingly limited in English, uncommon on the street between Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar, prices are a bit higher than Patisserie further from city-center while the products themselves are fair-to-middling and highlighted by Syrup-soaked Halka Tatlisi with Jam at the center.

Overall, bad service. Wait time to receive the menu took about 15-20 mins. Before that, we didn't…read moresee anyone even acknowledge that we were there or walk by us. We ordered chicken kabob and chicken shawarma plates, were told it would take 30 mins. for food to cook. We said we were okay with that, but 40 mins. later and we still had no food while many others that arrived after us were served their plates. The tea we ordered never came either. We would not dine here again due to their slow service.

Came here around 8pm on a Friday night after we checked old town where most of good local…read morerestaurants were closed. Knowing it might be a tourist trap, we decided to give it a try. We are surprised by the food. It was delicious and the service was good. Not to mention the ocean view from the outdoor sitting!one of the staff was so attentive...jumped to open the door for me when I was looking for bathroom. Except the price was on the high side... It is a place to try if you are at the area and looking....

What an assortment of Turkish desserts! Definitely a good spot to stop and try a dessert mid day…read more Can't go wrong!! Pricing is strange, slightly expensive and confusing to order.

Most people go to Mado for ice cream...and their ice cream is on point...but we were feeling a bit…read morehungry. I had a delicious pasta dish and I was very satisfied. The service was as good as the food! Try it out if you want a nice meal and a touch of ice cream to finish it off ;) This is on the Asian side of Istanbul...Kadiköy to be exact. Perfect view of the main ferry point from the European side to the Asian side. Good times!

It's very easy to miss this small door restaurant. If you find it, you will be treated to a secret…read moregarden dining with great food. Be sure to request for a non-smoking section if you are not a smoker. The sea bass and the grilled meat kofte Izgara are our best choices. The combo appetizers were delicious. Check out my pictures and hope you order the same items, you will not be disappointed.

This is really a "hidden gem" off Istaklal street. The restaurant is in a open area sorrounded by…read moregreenery. The food was delicious and not too expensive. It's worth a visit!

This is one of my cheapest meals in Istanbul. Cheaper isn't better, but wholesome is. Imagine…read morehomestyle cooking served cafeteria style. This is a vegetarian Nirvana. There were about fifteen options to choose from with two meat options during my visit. You get five choices for a 100 lira. Otherwise, there were some alternate options such as a bechamel-looking lasagna. Popular lunch spot but quick turnover.

By far.. after so many restaurants.. the best home meal…read moreGreat service.. sweet people.. a great experience.. will be back tomorrow...!!!! Food it's home beautiful cooking, fresh, variety and very tasty... A must to visit

It feels silly to write a review in a country that is not Yelp-centric (shout out to Zomato), but I…read morehave no Turkish literary ability and thus, my praises on Zomato for the glory that is Aperatif would be more lost in translation than light in a black hole. If you ever find yourself in Istanbul or just so happen to be studying abroad at Bogazici University, which is likely if you're looking for something on Yelp and Aperatif pops up in the "nearby restaurants" category-- go! Or, more realistically, go everyday!!! Turkish meze, hospitality and cay flow plentifully in this land of promise. And if you are an aforementioned foreigner in Istanbul looking for great Turkish food beyond the doner kebab you have been happily devouring, I promise you will find: cacık (yogurt with cucumber and garlic) köfte (MEATBALLS) beans (^ end of my Turkish knowledge) rice eggplant eggplant/beef dish? (get it.) hummus amazing chicken and beef dishes As well as tea and the friendliest servers you will ever meet and inevitably become best buddies with. You can go up and pick plates of different meze, or order from their menu, which also has all kinds of different, great Turkish breakfast items (menemen!!!!). All dishes are prepared fresh multiple times a day and portions are definitely 'Murica sized, if you're worried. Going to Aperatif everyday has been one of the highlights of studying abroad at Bogazici for the summer-- on top of the other amazing cultural sites and insights I've been exposed to in this beautiful city. Go eat, drink, enjoy free wifi and be merry!

the food is always delicious, but the staff is what keeps you coming back for more. it's such a…read moregreat atmosphere & there is no such thing as too much çay!

Came here for a traditional Turkish breakfast and absolutely loved everything we tried. More than…read morethat, the people were amazing. We had a bit of an issue where where someone from our group left their phone in the taxi. We needed help translating over the phone and also making phone calls and getting camera recording to find the car number and whatnot, and I'll stop at the restaurant were more than happy to help us. As for the food, everything is delicious! My favorite was the Biberli ekmek (flat thread with spicy cheese on top). That flat bread was phenomenal! Good amount of spicy cheese on top and something you could just have on repeat. Classic Turkish breakfast was also yum. Number of items was impressive! I think even a portion for 2 is enough for 3 or 4 people if you get another item outside of the Turkish breakfast. It comes with a mix of sweet and savory items so you have a whole meal there with dessert included. The main highlights here were the pumpkin item, the red pepper hummus, classic hummus, carrot jam. Traditionally suchukn sausage was also delicious. Dad loved the Muhammara. One thing though is that they put a lot of oil on top of every items so if you want to avoid that maybe ask them to avoid putting oil on things like hummus and the yogurt which don't already have oil inside it. I highly recommend combining multiple dips together in one bite along with the flatbread. really takes it to another level. Almost home items were really good except the cheeses. The string type of cheese and the other soft cheese were very very salty. The flatbread that came on the side was also unbelievably soft! The best part about that was the zatar that they gave along with the flatbread. That zatar was so nice I could eat it on its own. We even asked for a little container to take the extras back with us. Spicy sausage and cheese Menemen was a nice surprise. It was basically scrambled eggs with the spicy sausage and cheese inside the tomato sauce. Family tried the potato stuffed flatbread (gozleme) and I think they really enjoyed it because they wiped that entire plate out.

Stopped here for a traditional Turkish breakfast on my last day in Istanbul. Outstanding service…read more and attentive staff, the breakfast was great, the portions were perfect size (sometimes with Turkish breakfast I feel like the food is being wasted). I got to sample a little bit of everything. They have tables on the sidewalk, so you are not in the sun and there's a nice breeze. Highly recommend!