Everytime I come here, this place gets better and better. I absolutely love the curry chicken…read moreplate. Their pasta dishes are great as well. Oh, and dessert is good too.

Found this gem of a place on Happy Cow after spending a few days in Istanbul. Turkey is a pretty…read moremeat heavy culture, but you can seek out some good veggies places. This is one of them. It is a little hole in the wall place, but they serve up a traditional flavorful dish a bit like seitan basically. You can get it in a wrap and if you are staying somewhere can take a box home for fairly cheap. Also be sure to check out nearby Parsifal. This is a simple sit down affordable place that is 100 percent vegetarian and has many vegan options. The menu labels what is vegetarian and what is vegan making ordering easy.

Zencefil which means "ginger" in English is located Istiklal street area and it is one of the few…read morevegetarian restaurants in Istanbul. I have been going to Zencefil for years but last time I was there was about 4-5 years ago. The restaurants has been keeping its style, quality for many years. Even the menu looks like the same except for a few new dishes depending on the season. There are several kinds of vegetable quiches such as eggplant, spinach, etc. The nice think is that before the meal they serve butter mixed with herbs accompanied with bread. There were two kinds of bread; with corn flour and whole wheat. However, the bread could be better, I didn't like the whole wheat bread. I can make batter breads and I am wondering why they do not make their own bread adding different kinds of herbs and vegetables. Although it is a vegetarian restaurant, there one or two chicken dishes on the menu. Since there wasn't so much change on the menu for years, I have already tried most dishes which were OK. I mean the tastes are nice, not heavenly but you know that all of them are healthy. This time I had warm served Aegean stew made of artichokes, faba beans and black-eyed beans. It was so light and tasty, I really like it. I had homemade ginger ale for a drink but frankly saying I didn't like it maybe because I am used to Canadian dry or other brands. But I recommend its lemonade with ginger. I hope they add more experimental vegetable recipes on the menu next time. At the end of the meal they always serve coriander and some dry herb to refreshen the breath which I really like. Lastly, the ambiance is nice, bright, colorful and the place is mostly full of young people and tourists during lunch hours. The service is not bad but I wish they smile more...

Great food, great ambiance and the service is top notch!!!…read more We've been there several time during this trip and plan to go back again before we leave. Don't miss experiencing this gem while in Istambul.

Quality mixed meat platter. The side grilled veggies and the yogurt dipping enhanced the flavor of…read morethe platter. Loved hearty fresh salad paired with sweet seafood such as salmon cubes, shrimps, squids. Relaxing background jazz and a appropriate service.

Visited Çiya Sofrası as it is a restaurant featured on the World's 50 Best discovery list and as…read morethe chef was featured on Netflix's Chef's Table. Menu is based on recipes collected from all across Turkey an the menu might vary daily depending on what they have available. The restaurant itself also features 3 locations all adjacent to or across from each other. Party of 7 seated upstairs. There honestly is so much space and seating between all three locations. No reservation as we just walked in. Honestly didn't look at the menu as we had friends who were local and asked if they could just order. What I would recommend though is just get whatever sounds interesting as everything we tried was delicious. The big airy bread and the beets were a must as well as the stuffed intestines. The kebab we ordered was also so good that we got a second one. It's also very large and shareable. In fact, everything should be shared. A lot of desserts to choose from and my favorite was the bitter orange.

Great place to try authentic Turkish cuisine. They have a huge variety of dishes, and thanks to the…read morecafeteria-style presentation, we were able to point to different dishes and try all kinds of things that we normally wouldn't have tried since we didn't know what they were or what they looked like. We also bumped into a local woman outside who told us what her favorite items at the restaurant were. My favorite dish was definitely the meat topped with the pomegranate seeds and the oblong falafel-looking thing shown in the first picture. I wasn't a fan of the intestines. I also wasn't a fan of the Turkish pizza with lamb, though I felt the lamb all throughout my time in Istanbul was a bit too gamey for my taste. Overall, I think this is an excellent place to get a taste of what Turkish cuisine has to offer--we came here towards the end of our trip but I think coming here at the beginning would have been a better choice, so that we could know what kinds of dishes to seek out during the rest of our time at Turkey!

Thank you, Yelp, for steering two jet-lagged tourists to House of Medusa for dinner after a long…read moreday of travel. Our hotel was near the Basilica Cistern, so this restaurant was close as well, and easy to find. Yelpers had raved about the Stewed Chicken with Almonds and Cream and they were NOT incorrect -- it is DELICIOUS! Finally had to stop eating because I was full -- but that sauce makes you want to just keep eating and eating! We also got the Meatballs Stuffed with Bulgur, and a Shepherd's Salad dressed with pomegranite juice. Service was friendly, and the ambience cozy. Hope you'll give it a try when visiting Istanbul!

Outdoor patio with soft bossa nova playing in the background. Spotty wifi, which would kill it for…read moreme if i were doing some heavy duty tourist research. I ordered a beer (of course), and an open faced sandwich which came with fries. I was pleasantly surprised with that addition. Eat quickly before the cold air cools your food down. I was full, but left feeling that the meal was overpriced. Of course it's so close to all the attractions, but so was the cafe I went to down the street last night and I felt like I got some legit Turkish food there for a great deal. The service here doesn't compel me to come back either...if you do find yourself at Medusa, it's not so bad. But it's not great either.

This was my first night in Istanbul and I eased tired from traveling from cappadocia earlier in the…read moreday. This restaurant was close to my hotel and had great reviews on Yelp. When I arrived there was only one other customer inside. The restaurant decor was cute and I very comfortable. The staff were friendly and welcoming. This spot was a bit pricey just like most of the restaurants in this touristy area. I had certain Turkish entrees i wanted to try during my vacation. I ordered the Iskender kebab which is beef and pita bread covered with tomato sauce with yogurt on the side. I ordered a side salad to go with it. The dish was very delicious as you can tell in one of my pics. I chatted with some of the staff about life in Istanbul. I was offered some complimentary pomegranate tea before I left and it hit the spot. This is definitely a place to check out when you're in the area.

A MUST TRY. As an American, I have been SO impressed with food here in Turkey and if you are in the…read morearea, this restaurant is an absolute MUST-TRY if you're looking for great food. I had some of THEE BEST chicken kebab I've ever had in this country here. The beef kebab was also tender and flavorful. You cannot go wrong with any of these! The service was quick and prompt, and the servers were great at making recommendations. I came here in the winter so we sat indoors which felt a bit cramped however, there is also outdoor seating during the nicer weather months. If I'm ever back here in Istanbul, I would definitely come back. And if you're reading this, you NEED to try the Old Ottoman!

I can't express enough how happy we're to have this meal for our last night in Istanbul. It was…read morerecommended by one of the locals. The place was small yet very charming. They have a lower area and alfresco seating. We had their Antakya Kebap Dürüm, Beğendili Bonfile Şiş Dürüm, and 4 kinds of appetizers. We savor every bite and it was really good. Note this place could have a wait time, if you have a big group I recommend try to reserve.

I happen to stumble upon this restaurant while visiting turkey. It's located in a basement so just…read morebe on the lookout because you can miss it. However, the food was so fresh and fulfilling. I enjoyed every moment of it and if I'm ever back in turkey, I will go back. My only downside was the fact that the restaurant allowed stray cats to come inside and the cats will try to steal your food or either jump on the seat to sit next to you if you're not a cat person just keep your head on a swivel. Try everything on the menu you won't regret it.

It's a 7/10 place and definitely not go out of your way or go the next day again kinda place. It's…read morecute, seemingly family run, tight space but efficient with outdoor seating also. Adana kababs were decent, Urfa didn't have much flavor for me. I just had the most wonderful Adana kababs in Adiyaman and was expecting Istanbul to top or atleast match that but it didn't. Atleast not this spot. And it's $450/kabab. People seem to like this place as 5 star but honestly I wouldn't give it more than 3.5. You decide for yourself.

This is a small family run restaurant with excellent kebabs and durum. The meal begins with a free…read moreplate if warm oily toasted pita and garlicky hummus or vegetables. The Adana durum is made with crunchy pita wrapped around ground meat, spices and vegetables served with a few seared peppers and tomatoes. it's a good value, too. Somewhere I saw someone say it was overpriced. No way.