Walking around Istanbul and needing an authentic dinner place....i, of course, turned to yelp for…read morehelp! Found this place close by with ravishing reviews, so why not. Get there and easily seated. Small place but people were constantly going in and out and place was buzzing with tourist and locals alike. Menu properly labelled with prices so not a tourist trap. Sat down and ordered the lamb chops and the Adana kebabs (minced meat). Both dishes outstanding. The lamb chops were the best I've ever had. Grilled just right to perfection. Seasoned well with Turkish spices and meat was juicy. The kebabs were the same. Juicy and succulent and perfectly seasoned. Came with complimentary lavash and spicy hummus dip and some pickled veggies. Service quick and portion sizes just right. When in Istanbul, a must try for sure. Cheers! Happy eating!

I was going to try the turkey lamb chop. So I pick a restaurant close to grand plaza. It was close…read moreto the tram station. There are four chops in the set. The chop was pan fried to almost well. I am guessing they don't ask about the temperature. Overall the food is good. The meat here is a bit tougher than the United State. They are likely seasoned. The meal comes with grilled pepper, tomato and turkey blow bread.

I LOVE this spot. The views, the food, the service, the music .. I love it!…read more This is where I was first introduced to adjika, a tasty pepper sauce that is served with their table bread, which is also delicious. I had to grab some at a local market. I highly recommend the chicken kabobs, juicy and well seasoned. Also enjoyed the margaritas, stiff and not overly sweet. Staff is pleasant and attentive. The views are unmatched in the evening. Make your reservation in advance to secure your sunset table. The inside is nice and classy but I simply adore the open air views from the roof. The birds really set off the skyline and you can see several of the mosques around. Not SUPER expensive but it is in the higher end price wise compared to their surrounding competition -- 100% worth it in my book. I will definitely go again on my next visit. Glad I could introduce it to a friend this go round. The only thing I disliked about this place is the "dining dome" as I called it. A portion of the roof now offers seating in a large plastic dome. The dome is scratched up and obstructs the view of the city but does protect diners from the wind. I was not a fan of this dome. I'm sure it's something someone saw on the internet and implemented .. I hope they get rid of it, it's super unnecessary. Otherwise -- LOVE!

Beautiful views, nice restaurant, huge menu. Had some really good mezze and shared the turkish…read moreravioli that we hadn't seen elsewhere and were like dim sum. The views, food, and service make for an unforgettable experience.

Great place with delicious food and wonderful views! The entrance is a little difficult to find but…read moreafter entering what may appear to be a small office building door on the Main Street and climbing to the second floor, one is greeted with a spectacular view of the ocean and skyline. The food and service were great. We had octopus and a few jumbo shrimp as appetizers. We then had grilled sea bass as a main. The waiters were very helpful in giving suggestions and recommendations. They even gave us a few small dishes and desert to try on the house. The seafood was fresh and flavors great. Would really recommended to others and will definitely be coming again.

Good, not great. The waiter seemed put off by us, not very helpful when we asked for suggestions…read more The shrimp we ordered was served on a hot skillet which continued to cook the shrimp so by the time we ate it, it was overcooked. The crab appetizer was very good. The salad was filled with parsley that overpowered the whole salad. Also be prepared for smoke filled rooms. Only about five smokers but they were non stop and made dinner uncomfortable. The positive was the beautiful view!

We were looking for fish, Turkish style, and found this restaurant…read more Because we wanted to try a mixture of fish, we went with the seafood platter for 2. Some fresh fish catches including sea bass and a couple of frozen fish like tuna and salmon were on the dish. Add in the calamari and pawns, and we got what we were looking for. The restaurant has a chill vibe and we enjoyed looking out the window to people watch. It is conveniently located near the tourist sites so that is a plus. Wait staff were friendly and service was good. Worth the try and you can expect to pay about $100 US before drinks.

Near the Agora Life Hotel, this restaurant is so good it makes me recommend the Agora Life Hotel so…read moreyou're in close proximity. We sat one night next to a Dutch family that had a similar travel rule to us, never repeat a restaurant because it's important to maximize variety and experience on a trip. They decided the meal was so good they would return and so did we. They don't have a door bully roping unwary tourists in, and there is a definite inverse relationship between the quality of the food and how loud and forceful the door monsters are. The food here, especially the fish dishes, are superb.

Excellent food! My friend and I were looking for a good local place to dine. Thankfully we got…read morerecommended to come here. We ordered few appetizers, the small fish Kabab with rice and shrimps and calamaris. Every single of them was delicious. As a tourist is hard to find a nice local place. We are so happy to find this place. If you go there weekend, make sure to reserve ahead of time and if you reserve in rooftop you will see the city lights. The owner, Aret was such a kind person and we had a nice chat with him.

Great, fresh mezze, loved the bread and raki! It's on the top story, good place to go before a…read morenight out in Taksim. You can smoke inside, they had live music when i was there on a Wednesday night. The bathroom is one floor below, 4th. Take the elevator up/down :) enjoy and thanks Aret!

Khorasani stands out even in the midst of tourist-catering restaurant! While it also catered mainly…read moretoward tourists, this restaurant nonetheless makes an excellent meal stop because of its delicious dishes, generous additions, and good service. After a long intercontinental flight, I wanted a quick meal near the Blue Mosque and my prior research pointed me to this restaurant based on past positive reviews. As soon as I sat down and ordered my dish, I was greeted with a small basket of bread with garlic hummus dip. Initially, I suspected that this was a trick to tack on extra charge, but the waiter ensure that it's on the house! I tried the bread with the dip, and loved the softness of the bread and the garlic savory taste of the hummus dip. It was a good start to my first meal in Turkey - and to think that I used to dislike hummus in the US! Then my entree of Adana kebab arrived. Made from finely-grounded lamb meat, the Adana kebab was surprisingly filling and packed with flavors, even though it looked deceptively small-portioned and unremarkable. On the same plate, the included rice pilaf was another delicious surprise with subtle flavors and the salad vegetable was fresh and crisp. For about 30 TL, the dish was a delicious mini feast! When I asked for the bill, the waiter asked if I would like a cup of tea and knowing my suspicious nature, added that it's complimentary. At first I declined but as I was paying my bill, I noticed that everyone - locals and tourists - around me had a tulip-shaped cup of tea and it dawned upon me that tea was an important drink in Turkey (a fact that I verified later in my trip) so I changed my mind and requested for the tea. Even after I paid my bill, the waiter without hesitation brought me the complimentary tea to end my meal. Overall, the total charge was 36 TL, which included water and 10% service. While it's the typical cost of a meal especially in the Sultanhamet area, you certainly would get more food from the same price because of the complimentary bread, hummus, and tea. In addition, the meal here remains one of the best I had in Istanbul and is comparable to the authentic meal I had outside the tourist district, so I definitely recommend dining here when you need a nice sit-down meal in Sultanahmet.

1. The menu for the salad I ordered did not include red peppers, but they were in there (I had to…read morepick them out). The food was fine (we didn't eat much) 2. The service was essentially non-existent. He took our order and it was delivered. Noone ever checked to ask if we were OK and we were right by the front door and 2 of them were outside. Nobody was friendly, just all biz. 3. We ultimately went inside to pay because someone sat at the only table with an ashtray and lit up (right by the entrance which is a bad idea).

I highly recommend giving this place a try if you are in the area. Fish wrapped sandwich (super…read morethin flat bread) is cooked right in front of you and you cannot even compare how much better it is than the one you can get at the places under the bridge. Mackerel is so flavorful and perfectly cooked on a grill. Dorada is excellent as well! You choose your fish, and their amazing chef would cook it for you. They have fresh mussels, different types of fresh catch, and shrimp. It is very reasonably priced and a must try if you are looking for quality fresh seafood.

First found this place during my first trip to Istanbul in back in October 2013. Ordered some food,…read morearmed wrestled one of the employees, and the rest is history. The main reason we visit this place is for the midye dolma (stuffed mussels with aromatic rice). Check out the photos I've posted. It is located in the outskirts a bar/restaurant area called Nevizade. We would hit this spot every night, eat a few mussels, proceed to the bars for drinks, and return at the end of the night for round 2. Upon our current 2015 visit to Istanbul, our nightly routine did not change. Same good food, same good guys! We make sure to rent our apartment within walking distance from this area. Golden Koreç, Thank you for taking good care of my wife and I!!!! -Tarzan

I've fallen in love with the Turkish cuisine all over again!…read more I've come here with a bunch of folks on a weekday evening and I had the most amazing dinner - seriously! So here's what I recommend (in fact, pretty much in line with what Dilara E already pointed out): - I really though the Aegean Greens were lovely (an assortment pf various spinach-like greens doused in olive oil)...Popeye would approve! - the pistachio & cheese meze dish is delightful - so is the aubergine meze - last but not least, I loved the grilled octopus! - order lots of raki... I do recommend making a reservation as even on a weekday night this place was packed. By the way, this place does do seafood very well, so when I expressed an interest in köfte (meatballs), I got very strange looks ;-) Last but not least, I heard many good stories about the owner and how she opened this place having trained in something completely different. Alas, on my visit I didn't get to meet her, but I envy her for being so entrepreneurial and would like to express my highest regards! Well done!

Really nice local restaurant…read more Had the "Sidka for beginners" dinner. The sea bass in grape leaves is great. The staff tried very hard to help us communicate and saved us from over ordering raki. Note:The location shown on the yelp map is incorrect by about 1 block. It's uphill from where shown on the map.

Food was amazing... wonderful service... constant attention…read moreBaris, our server was delightful and very helpful

We saw the reviews and pictures online and decided to give it a try. We are so glad that we did try…read morethis place. From the location, ambience, food, taste, and service... everything is superb. Mr. Baris was our waitress and he took his time serving us as well as making a foodie show! Everything we tried is great. But of course we love the Turkish pot kebab. We recommend everyone to try this dish. The garden is so lovely too and such a quiet escape in a busy city. Thank you all for such a nice time. Baris, we wish you the best!

I have only been to this restaurant thrice and was impressed with its variety of fish and the…read morequality of its cooking and service. My Grandfather used to frequent it in the 50's as did my father who took me there in 1990. I have since been twice and each time it has been a lovely experience. On entering you are confronted with a fish display as you would find in a fish market. Get shown to a table and watch furs go past on summer evenings. If you are lucky to get a table by the waterfront then you will have a great view along the Bosphorus. I am not a great cooked fish lover,but this place is good. I am afraid that I can not comment on prices as I never had to pay in this restaurant, but for a western European it is affordable(ish)