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.

We are a family of Persian Americans visiting Istanbul and wanted authentic Persian food and this…read morewas the best place! Great food, service and atmosphere! I highly recommended!

It just goes to show you that you shouldn't believe the Instagram hype. Obviously most of these…read moreInstagram influencers, have no idea what Persian fruit should taste like. As for me, I am someone who comes from Los Angeles and is used to tasting some of the best food that the Persian community has to offer, in great restaurants such as Sadaf, Shekarchi, Shamshiri, and of course, Darya Restaurants. I was very disappointed with the quality of food in this restaurant. The kabob meat was tough, and the portions were 2/3 of what they show in the pictures. The rice was not the quality of the Persian restaurant. The decor was extremely nice, and the bathrooms were clean. The service staff were attentive and informative. It's a shame that such a restaurant with so many reviews, is not able to keep up the quality of food. We also ordered nonalcoholic Mojito. What they served us, looked more like green juice, than any Mojito that I have seen. Let's send that bartender to get some training, shall we? I'll be visiting Istanbul in the coming months, I'm hoping that this restaurant improves their food quality and starts to offer tender and juicy kebabs, such as is the tradition in Persian restaurants in Iran and most overseas places.

THIS PLACE IS A HIDDEN GEM!! Great service and very affordable prices. I needed dinner late at…read morenight, and Ziya Baba hit the spot! The ambiance was nice and quiet too. The lentil soup was perfect, and the chicken kebab was delicious! Seasonings were on point, and it was COOKED PERFECTLY!! The owners are very sweet and make sure you are being taken care of very well. I'm glad I stumbled upon this place--the lovely reviews truly reflect the place!

Great food, no hawkers, nice and relaxing to sit and eat by the street old of the worst of the…read morecrush. Totally recommend although they do not serve alcohol which may not suit some people

I visited some of the main tourist sites in Istanbul around the Sultanahmet, and wanted a nice…read moreplace to relax with dinner and choice Palmiye Cafe Restaurant. The reason I chose it was that I was accosted by a very friendly employee as I walked by who explained in great detail what they had on their menu. After he went through all that trouble, I didn't think I could walk away. It turned out to be a good choice, since I had a very relaxing, nice dinner. I sat outside and could people watch while I ate. I really liked the Turkish beer that they served and the Iskender kebab dish. It came with a large piece of pita bread. They offered me a complimentary Turkish Apple tea at the end. The total came to 49 TL. It is true as another reviewer noted, that they add tax to your bill--not sure if this is normal. I think this restaurant is a good choice for tourists visiting this area.

Friendly staff. Nice outdoor heated space. Ordered soup,…read morerolled up cheese pastry, and tea. The food was ok, but it was nice to have a comfortable, warm place to sit. This is the first restaurant where the bill had tax. Maybe taxes are just applied in this very touristy area.

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.

Possibly the mother of all tourist traps…read more In Taksim square there are multiple locations. We went to one and they guided (felt forced) to walk into their other one of many locations there. By far the worse food and ridiculous prices I've ever seen. Where is the Istanbul police or tourist authority to Check this? Everything smell and reeks of lamb... why can't they just have beef or chicken?

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.

Yummy baklava, delicious potato flatbread, but slightly chewy lamb. Really liked the vibe inside…read moreand that you can watch the flatbread made fresh right in front of you!

Late night shopping. Stopped in to the Green Corner on a whim. Live traditional music playing,…read moregreat atmosphere. Food was good, but reflected the fact that we were in the middle of the tourist zone. Great service and a friendly cat made for a nice time!

Everything we had was amazing! We actually had the head Chef NECATİ YILMAZ make recommendations and…read morehe did not disappoint. He even had one of us cook with him! It was a very unique experience that none of us will ever forget. Staff was friendly, the ambiance was beautiful. We will recommend and even return!

If you're in Istanbul and want to try something a little different than your typical kebab joint --…read morego to Deraliye. We found ourselves in Istanbul during Eid, and were so happy to have found this great restaurant open when a lot of other places were closed. This place is all about Ottoman-style dishes, and boy, they absolutely nailed it. We started with the Mixed Appetizer Plate, which was the perfect start to the meal. While we've had all of the appetizers multiple times in Turkey and during other travels, the flavors of the muhamara and dolmas were outstanding. They were so kind to keep bringing us more fresh hot breads to mop up all the yummy dips. The goose kebab was rich, juicy, and unlike anything we've tried before -- kind of like if duck and lamb had a delicious, flavor-packed baby. Then came the stuffed quince, which sounds unusual but totally works -- sweet fruit stuffed with spiced ground meat in this cozy, tangy sauce. We also had the pistachio kebab, and it was so tender with pops of nutty crunch and just enough spice. And of course, we had to try the classic Imam Bayildi/ Fainted -- slow-cooked eggplant goodness that melts in your mouth. Comfort food at its finest. The vibe? Upscale but relaxed -- no need to whisper or sit up straight the whole time. Our server was super friendly and gave us the backstory on a few dishes, which made the whole experience even cooler. Complimentary hot tea seemed like the norm across our time in Turkey, but I tried the Aurangzeb at almost every meal and this one didn't come out of a package. Fresh frothy and tart, it was so refreshing! If you're looking for something a little off the beaten food path that still hits every flavor note, Deraliye is it. 10/10 would go again!