Delicious and original pizzas, cosy atmosphere in a local neighborhood, friendly owners and…read moreexcellent service.

Ambiance is amazing. Service is kind and average speed. However the gluten free pizza is beyond…read moresoggy and gross. Normal pizza looks good but not gluten free.

Even months later, I still have fond memories of Serbethane. Whether it be for a coffee or tea…read morebreak, dinner or even a late night hang out with some nargile, we really enjoyed it. We happened upon the cafe by coincidence on our first evening in Istanbul, while roaming the streets in search of somewhere to eat. A little bit overwhelmed by the restaurants nearby that tried their darndest to lure you in, Serbethane was different. The staff was friendly and welcoming, but never pushy. The outdoor sofa were also a huge draw. Everything we ate was DELICIOUS! Nice presentation, tasty, filling and well priced. A nice place to sit down after a day of walking, to enjoy food and rehydrate. Of note: there is no alcohol served here, but there are lots and lots of juices and sodas to choose from, so we didn't miss it. The location is also pretty great: tucked into the edge of the Arasta bazaar, partly outside, partly inside, with sofas and regular tables to choose from. When it gets cool in the evenings there are blankets to wrap yourself up, making sure you can spend some more time lingering.

I came with a tour group and the menu was set for us, so that may have made it different from the…read moreregular experience. But wow, was it wonderful! Everything was so flavorful and satisfying. High marks for the lentil soup and the lamb and chicken kebab. And the baklava was just dreamy. Just fantastic!

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!

Stopped by for a light breakfast and had a great experience. The staff were friendly and welcoming,…read moreand the service was impressively quick. The food was pretty good overall, but the highlight for me was the tomato scrambled eggs, they were so flavorful and really stood out. A solid spot for a simple, satisfying breakfast.

Rated in a local paper as one of the top 10 places to eat menamen in turkey…read more We had one plain and 2 with sausage Not photogenic as far as meals go but taste is good. Diner vibe. It's slightly spicy and with a heavy green pepper taste. That seems pretty standard in turkey. We had better menamen elsewhere ( see My other reviews in turkey) but it was fine

In Istanbul, Turkey on an amazing food tour with Culinary Backstreets (Gonca, our guide) and Milk…read moreStreet. On our first night in town, we ascend a walking historical tour through the streets of Upper Beyoglu. We are walking uphill for our meal, meaning our meal will taste even better. In a quiet neighborhood, we arrived at an unassuming building with no sign, named Cuma. This old house is separated into individual dining rooms with exposed concrete walls, small hallways, creaky wood floors and floor to ceiling heavy drapes. The feeling is that this is going to be an amazing night. I under estimated just how great it could be. Ten worldly travels are joining us this culinary adventure. As we are seated for a fixed service, the dishes, start coming out of the kitchen. The description of what we are having is causing me the salivate. The first dish was lightly steamed snow peas with a dusting of hazelnut taratore. Simple and amazing! Our next dish was Turkish pastrami with roasted eggplant, tahini yogurt and crispy onions. I don't like eggplant but there is nothing left on my plate and my senses are on high alert. Simply delicious! Our next dish is minced kibbeh, tahani and fresh herbs. A new dish for me and over the top, again. Georgian dumplings with salted antakya yogurt and porcini mushrooms are up next. What a beautiful dish and packed with a smooth creamy flavor. We finish off the night with baklava, quince paste, pistachios and kaymak. It was light, savory, crispy and delightful. Hands down, one of the best evenings of dining I have experienced. The presentation, flavors, portions and experience were INCREDIBLE. If you are in Istanbul or planning a trip, please place Cuma on your list. To the staff and chefs, thanks for making our first night in Istanbul and great memory.

TLDR: Cuma offers great bistro-style food with Turkish flavors in an intimate indoor/outdoor…read moresetting alongside a quiet alleyway. Recommend the signature cocktails, ceviche, friend oysters, and chicken. They accept credit card and speak English. I'd highly recommend Cuma. We booked a reservation via phone for 8pm on a weekday. The restaurant was about half full. Most of the seating is outdoors in their cute garden courtyard. You can smoke out there. If you wanna avoid the smoke, sit indoors which has roughly 6 tables with 2-4 seats per table. The food is best described as French bistro meets Turkish flavors. We had the fried mussels, ceviche, duck, and chicken. All were cooked perfectly. Lots of citrus flavors. We didn't have dessert. You won't find traditional Turkish desserts here if that's your thing. However they have the standards you'd expect from a bistro like apple crumble and carrot cake.

Yup! Three star food. And the service was OK…read more But we really wanted a place a bit removed from the maddening crowds where we could sit and watch city life 'happen' from a second floor veranda on a rainy day. Score! This was perfect for that! The kebabs were just OK. But we could have spent the entire afternoon people watching. Less than a hundred meters off the main pedestrian mall, you have to look for it, but just far enough out that you're a bit removed from the bazillions of tourists and maddening crowds. All things considered equal, I say "go."

Great place to grab something delicious, local and fast! It is located meters away from Istikal…read moreCaddesi, and it offers great menu with Kebabs, Durem, Saldas, fish, Kumpir, and fresh fruits juice. We had a Tuna sandwich made fresh in the moment and a chicken duner with french fries. We drank granadine juice and water. Service was kind and fast, and they understood english. Highly recommended to go.

Awesome views and delicious food. I tried the lahmacun and the muhammara and baklava and all were…read moredelicious. Service was quick and friendly. Great place for a family dinner or hangout with friends.

Ate upstairs and had an incredible view of the city. Service was very good. The mezze were all…read morevery good with the puffed bread. Entrees were good but the meats were a little dry. Loved the raki.

We arrived around 6:30 and a couple of families were already seated. Clean, no hassle, first class…read moreservice, delicious food, quality bar and wine selections, and family atmosphere - so different from most establishments nearby. Our server was so helpful; he even suggested a lower priced wine once he heard our taste preferences. We would be back again except we departed the next day.

We went to Istanbul a few weeks ago. We stumbled upon this restaurant, a few steps from our hotel…read morein the Sultanahmet district. The food didn't disappoint. My family had lamb kebabs, meze platter and I had grilled fish. Everything we had was delicious. We enjoyed dipping our warm pita bread with the different things on the meze platter---baba ganoush, hummus, yogurt, etc. The fish was fresh and good with a sprinkling of lemon. We sat outdoors which was perfect---cool and great for people watching. Service is quick, friendly and engaging. There's like mini fire shows going on at other tables. It was a great start to our Istanbul vacation.