Mega hyped because of the Anthony Bourdain connection. I've been in Istanbul for over a month, and…read moreevery time I have visited the place has been completely packed with tourists. Many of the reviews mention the good service, but my experience has been a little different. Every time I've visited here, I felt very uncomfortable and I don't find it welcoming. They still have an enormous amount of tourist business because of the Bourdain connection, and people seem to come here almost as a pilgrimage. The food itself is very good, but honestly, it isn't significantly better than some of the other places nearby. There are several restaurants in the area serving good kebap. Overall, glad I tried it because of the Bourdain connection, but for me, the hype is much bigger than the experience.

Our first food here in Turkey. Welcoming staff. Sweet waiter that took our order very promptly…read more Restaurant appears small from the outside, but actually has a second floor with more seating. Very clean bathrooms were a bonus downstairs also. Food was served quickly with an excellent portion size. I ordered the beef wrap and fries with a Pepsi. It was supposed to have been a small lunch, but was actually very filling. I will say the meat could've used a sauce. Something to cut all the grease that it was covered in. I did try someone else's chicken and it was even more in need of a flavorful sauce. That being said, it is served with ketchup and mayonnaise, which is familiar to us, but not the sauce I had in mind. Overall though, great first stop.

When you're walking around the water in Istanbul, you will be inundated with fish sandwich stalls…read more But which one to go to? It can seem so difficult to choose. Our suggestion? Navigate over the bridge (past the fish stands on the boats), past the fish market where the path then begins to lead to a series of restaurants and small stands, the latter of which were all selling what appeared to be identical fish sandwiches. We walked the entire length, carefully scrutinising each vendor before recognizing the correct stand. While every fish sandwich purveyor may seem to be serving what looks like identical products, Emin Usta's stand was the only one with a line. Along with this line comes Emin, a hulking beast of a man whose singular mission in life appears to be making the most amazing fish sandwich in all of Istanbul. Whereas we observed other vendors haphazardly throwing together a sandwich in under 15 seconds, Emin's attention to detail and pursuit of perfection carries his sandwich to heights others can only hope to attain. In his massive palms a pair of ordinary kitchen tongs transforms into culinary tweezers, which he wields with the precision of a surgeon, ever so delicately plucking each and every minute bone from the thin fillets. This attention to detail is the foundation upon which a remarkable sandwich is built. However, as you might expect, perfection like this comes at a price: if you are in a hurry, this is not the fish sandwich for you. Whether there are 3 or 30 people in his line, Emin remains at an even keel, completely unswayed as he churns out a sandwich or two every 5 minutes. He may also stop for a cigarette in between. While we were patiently waiting our turn to place our order, the gentleman in front noticed us as tourists and explained that he works nearby and that Emin Usta's fish sandwiches are legendary, as they are well-known to be the best among a sea of imitators. He did also give us a one recommendation for ordering: go with a wrap instead of on a roll, which we readily obliged. The end result? This was an incredibly delicious wrap. The fillet of fish was fresh and perfectly grilled, still flaky and moist without the slightest hint of being overcooked. The veggies added crunch and texture while the quick squeeze of lemon brightened everything up. Then, a drizzle of pomegranate syrup, secret sauce and a sprinkle from an unlabeled jar of Turkish spices brought all the flavors together - salty, spicy, sour and sweet. Plus, a bit of time on the grill after everything was put together meant the wrap had a bit of crispiness as well as a bit of smokiness. (TRY 9 = $3.50) When we had been on the other side of Galata Bridge, there were a couple of floating boats churning out fish sandwiches that were incredibly full of tourists (and maybe locals). After having Emin Usta's fish sandwich, we both agreed there was no way they would have been as good. He doesn't work the grill all the time (he has an assistant that works sometimes), so just look for the wet wipes with his face at the stand! If we lived in Istanbul, we would definitely come here regularly.

So my first day in Istanbul, get taken from the airport to the hotel. I walk from the hotel to and…read morearea around Blue Mosque and Ayasofya, and just go for it. No tour guide, don't speak the language. I come across this place, looks like the locals are getting sandwiches from there, i'm gonna go for it! Theres a bunch of things to choose from, pressed meats, cheeses, olives, spreads, i have no clue what to order or what they are called. I just gesture to the guy to give me one. He looks at me and gestures to me to pick what i want. I shrug my shoulders. He says, "first time?" Yep. he just picks a bunch of things for me and makes me a sandwich. Pretty good, My first taste of turkey, lots of cheese and olives, and small portion of meat compared to what im used to, very Mediterranean taste to it. Very cheap, i think it was 4 or 5TL ($2 - $2.50)

Our tour guide brought us here as we were starving!…read more ATMOSPHERE: It's a simple restaurant that offers a ala carte line of food, as well as plated service. There is a/c but was still hot in certain places as it's open air too. Clean eating areas & restrooms. MENU: The ala carte line of food had so many different choices. I think it's pretty much the same as what's listed on the menu and used more for takeout service. Kebabs of course, there was even spaghetti and mac & cheese. FOOD: Beef & Cheese Kebab Wrap - This was really good. The beef was tender & flavorful, and came wrapped with sautéed tomatoes, onions, cheese, peppers, and French fries inside the wrap. The tortilla shell was lightly grilled. Great price at 15 TL which is about $7 USD. SERVICE: Nothing special. The young male servers have zero personality. OVERALL: Delicious fresh food and great prices.

A really nice little sandwich shop! I am so happy this opened in Nisantasi. Outdoor seating is a…read moreplus! We talked with the owner who worked in Belgium which explains her thoughtful sandwiches and delicious desserts!

Nice, cozy coffee shop and cafe. We ordered iced lattes with double shots and they were ok, not as…read morestrong as we wanted.

Excellent coffee. Good service. There was a guy smoking under the roofed areaand we complained and…read morethe server kindly asked him to sit closer to the street. We were happy!

Style over substance…read more MOC, as you can also tell from my pictures, is the picture perfect coffee shop. It's what every coffee shop wants to be, hip, inviting, comfortable, friendly, full of people from all walks of life, from the young, to the seasoned, to people with their pets, it's "the" hip meeting point for those who have long forgotten about the cat piss they serve at Starbucks. And this review would've been 5 stars if I only had one quick coffee there and left. I would've said "Yes it's expensive but it's worth it" for their coffee variety is amazing, they even have Australian coffee on the menu. However, everything after that first aeropress, which was quite good, was a let down. The cappuccino I got afterwards was terrible, bad enough for me to send it back after one sip and order a V.60, which thankfully was much better. They still charged me for the cappuccino, which goes to show you the service standards. However the sandwich tops the cake. The veggie sandwich I ordered was blander than sand, even Starbucks doesn't serve sandwiches of this mediocrity. It's a complete rip off at 18 lira. Not even the location can justify that markup. They got the atmosphere down to a T, and it really looks like the quintessential coffee shop, it's a shame that it's such a mixed bag. I was hoping for much, much more. I will recommend the Aerodrip and V.60, but do not expect great service, and I would stay away from the food, I fear the veggie sandwich not being the exception.