Great food but very pricey. I went here for lunch and the food is exceptional, the restaurant is…read morebeautiful and there's a view of a little park and a gorgeous church next-door. The service is on point and the servers are so nice. I just found it outrageously expensive, especially for lunch because they don't do any of the "performance food" that is shown on their photo wall or in their videos. One smallish mezze side of yogurt and mint sauce and one mixed grill for two people with water (they charge for table water) and 2 soft drinks was about $105 USD. It's just a lot, especially considering the prices of other places in Istanbul; there is no spectacular view or anything. It's obviously popular with a lot of celebrities, especially from Turkey, so if that impresses you then you'll love it because they have a huge gallery of celeb photographs. Again, I think these are mostly photos from the more elaborate dinner service. The food is really good and the waiters are excellent, but you can basically get a mixed grill like they serve in so many other restaurants with great service at half the price. I think the secret here is to come for dinner and to order a lot of really crazy exotic items so they do the "performances" when they serve them. While you're eating there are these gigantic video screens showing how elaborate the food performances are. At the end of dinner, they serve a really nice fruit plate as a "gift" with smoking dry ice that comes out of the top. Otherwise, I would pass for lunch. Go for a festive dinner.

The food was fabulous. My favorite was the warm hummus with flavorful meat sauce over it. This…read morerestaurant is a must when in Istanbul.

Delicious all the way! In the sultanahmet district we're you can find lots of restaurants and shops…read morewe chose this little gem. Simple yet warm and cozy the ambiance was nice and the staff were very helpful. My husband had the mezzo grill plate and I had the chicken grilled panini. Location- in the sultanahmet district upper floor and right in the arasta bazaar. Food- everything was fresh and crispy. You can tell they really seasoned everything just right. The chicken was flavorful and the handmade bread in panini was crispy. The kebabs were cooked to perfection. The Turkish coffee was a bit strong but the apple tea was delish. Service- although the waiter wasn't fluent in English he still made every attempt to try and help us with the menu. (Translated by Google) Cozy atmosphere, staff who know their job, delicious food. Were on vacation at the Hotel, as a rule, all restaurants break the price for medium quality dishes. In the Sultanahmet district, in my opinion, Arast is the best institution in terms of price and quality. I advise everyone, definitely five stars. Accept cards.

This restaurant was my *second best* discovery in Istanbul a month ago. My best friend and I spent…read morethe day wandering the streets and ended up in Arasta bazaar....at 9:50 pm we got hungry. We almost went to a couple of close restaurants and I said no....i want to go there...the vibe was very chill. We ordered our food and drinks....and everything brought to us was fresh, quality, and the presentation was excellent. You might say OK why is that such a big deal? Because we didn't know until we left at 11:50 (two hours later) that the restaurant actually closes at 10 pm. WUT???? Yes. The manager Abdullah was so classy. Never told us "hey we are closing," never brought us reheated stale food. SOOOO accommodating. Yes it should have occurred to us ladies that we were almost the only ones there after 10:15 but the food kept coming and the manager made us feel so welcomed that we never noticed. We loved it so much we went back twice more and had the exact same experience. Although we went when they were open lol. Pro tip: There's another Arasta restaurant nearby. This is Arasta Cafe Restaurant. Make sure you are at the one at the top of the stairs in Arasta bazaar. Also LOOK AT THIS HANDSOME BOY who snuggled up to me the next day.

Delicious! I had a wonderful Adana kebap here and the bread tasted fresh baked. It makes sense…read moresince they are also specialists in making fresh pide (Turkish flatbread pizzas). The service was great and the portions were big. It's also a good value and I don't feel like it's a tourist trap.

My boyfriend and I enjoyed our meal here. We got the mixed pide and shared a lentil soup and…read morehummus. Very tasty!

Great kebabs! The "sushi' kebab is not to be missed. The chicken kebab was so flavorful and it was…read more2 skewers! Friendly staff and delicious juices, especially the pomegranate. Their bread, tomato sauce, and yogurt sauce were top notch as well.

Okay going to be honest here we never had a bad meal in Istanbul. However, after the flight from…read moreSan Francisco in the hell that is Turkish airlines economy, coupled with a nearly 4 hour ride from the airport to the hotel (EID holiday celebrations) we were literal zombies by the time we checked in. We wandered about Sultanament and stumbled on this place. I will be honest it was more desperation that anything else and had a excellent mean. The outside tables made for excellent people watching. The service was friendly and on point, and the food was fantastic. The Food: After our order the waiter brought bread and Spicy Antep Ezmesi. This heavenly concoction of spicy crushed tomatoes with herbs, cucumbers, with big hit of acid was bright and refreshing. Think salsa meets gazpacho. The minty yogurt added a rich element that helped tame the heat. Fresh Squeezed Pom / Orange juice. Sweet, tart, all in one. Literally squeezed into the glass and served. Aryan: A yogurt drink. This may be an acquired state for many but is yogurt, water and salt. It hit the spot. I do prefer Persian Dough which usually has sparkling water and mint with a bit more aggressive sour profile. Combo Pide: Basically a canoe shaped pizza that was topped in thirds. One side had some kind of minced meat, the center spicy sausage, and another more tomatoey topping. Freshly baked and super tasty each third had a different flavor profile and it was fun to try all three Kabob Platter for 2: Basically 4 typed of kabob served over rice with roasted peppers and tomatoes. Each kabob had a unique flavor taste to it. My favorite was the Beyti Kebab which had flavorful ground meat wrapped in a pita then sliced into bite sized chunks. The lavosh soaked up the kabob juices and the meat was so tasty. The others were as good but this one stood out for me. As noted service was great and prompt, and the prices were actually reasonable given its a prime tourist area

The perfect place for Persian food. The chicken joojeh was amazing. It was perfectly cooked and…read moreseasoned. The rice was delicious as well. Service was second to none. Who would have thought I would come all the way to Turkey to have Persian cuisine? They gave a bonus piece of tachine tahdig. This style seems to be southern Iranian cuisine. Their tea was excellent as well. Very highly recommended!

Not the best, not the worst. The waiters are sometimes good and sometimes awful. The stews hardly…read morehave any meat in them.

Delicious and incredibly fresh Turkish food. Ask for Francis...he's the most amazing guy who…read morewelcomes all the guests to this restaurant. He's very charming and will recommend you all their best dishes. Francis was incredibly nice and gave us great advice about what to eat, and every dish we tried exceeded expectations. The food tasted incredibly fresh and was packed with flavor. The freshly baked bread was outstanding, and the "lamb on brick" was truly unforgettable. The meat was tender, delicious, and beautifully presented. They bring it right to the table and slice it open in front of you, which makes the meal even more special. With so many restaurants to choose from on this busy street, Alibaba Kebab really stands out. The food is exceptional, the presentation is wonderful, and the service is warm, attentive, and genuinely friendly. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a memorable Turkish meal.

This is a very local and authentic restaurant. We ordered Lahamachun, chicken kebpap and lamb…read morekebpap. They bring you complimentary vegetable plate, 2 types of bread and finish it off with a complimentary tea. Highly recommend. Everything was so delicious and great service.

Seems to be a locals place! The lahmacun was the best I've…read morehad in Instanbul. Not only did it have more flavor than most but the bread was crusty and perfect! The Shish Tavuk was excellently seasoned.

We visited Babylonia restaurant the last time we were in Istanbul, 8 years ago in 2013. We liked…read morethe food so much that not only we kept visiting it then multiple times, we also decided to revisit again this time in 2021 and we are so glad that we did. The food was simply delicious and the service amazing. Highly recommended if you want to eat something super delicious.

The food in this restaurant is top quality and the service is amazing…read more The owner is very friendly and always listening. Great place.