Everything I ate here was utterly delicious and unique. The staff was lovely and so helpful. Their recommendation of what to order was spot on. I'm already craving a second visit. read more

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Galata Kitchen is not a doner grill and it doesn't open onto a busy street with a big outdoor patio. After two days having some great meals in Istanbul of that type, we looked for something different. Not far from Galata Tower, GK is on a side street with little foot traffic. It has a big modern sign back off the street and one of the operators saw us hesitating where to enter and waved us in from the front entrance. Inside it has whimsical and funny decorations and serious books mounted on the wall, but is not atmospheric, more like a diner. BUT the food is displayed in a case, hot and cold entrees separated, so you can see what you are ordering. You pick what you want and they assemble your choices on a plate and bring it to the table. Hot entrees included chicken bites in a tomato sauce and chicken with onions, lamb stew and beef and plenty of salad and vegetable choices in the cold display case. The group of men running the place that night were low key but personable, answering our questions about food items and Turkish literature. Service was prompt but understated and helpful. Our group of four had a great time and the menu is diverse enough that everyone found choices that pleased them. But remember, we came in expecting something very good other than doner kebap and were not disappointed! read more

We enjoyed a wonderful early dinner here. The staff was incredibly gracious. The food was so delicious.and we loved how the restaurant was tucked away off the busy main street. Fun atmosphere. read more

Perfect breakfast with many vegan/veggie options. The place is clean, staff is friendly, and you'll never have an empty plate or cup.

Really good authentic food w quality ingredients. The simplicity of it is nice. Best dolmas that almost match turkish grandmas. Best pumpkin dessert of the trip w twice roasted tahini. And extra points for carrying linden tea whoch everyone should be serving. If you havent had it you should. Its so good for you and delivious just make sure to brew it long enough. read more

Wow it feels good to do international travel. I landed in the evening and came here after checking into the airbnb; our host recommended this place as a great spot nearby. I was super hungry, but I can tell the food was made fresh. It had a local, home-made feel to it despite being so close to Galata tower. Had some sort of spicy lamb stew, kebaps, stuffed bell pepper, and something that had pomegranate in it. It was all good, though I would skip on the pom dish next time. read more

5 GOLD Stars! Exceptional food, beautiful atmosphere, and warm and friendly service. I spent three weeks in Istanbul and without doubt Galata Kitchen was the best local food that I had; very high-quality Turkish cuisine with a variety of meat dishes and many excellent vegan options. Needless to say, I happily returned to this wonderful restaurant often. Many thanks to Galata Kitchen! read more

Yes yes yes! Go here. You won't regret it. The staff is amazing. The food is fantastic. The prices are awesome. We loved loved loved our food. Ate here twice during our trip to Istanbul. read more

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Great location, terrific food, and very comfortable environment! Definitely worth a visit at least once.

Tucked away in a side street this gem of a place is not to be missed. Was in town for three days and went here two days and a row. The owner was over the top friendly and great with suggesting what we should order. Great staff, amazingly prepared fresh food in a great atmosphere. When I mentioned this place to some locals they knew exactly where I was speaking of and said that it is one of the best places in town. read more

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Today I wandered around in Galata and we saw the restaurant by coincidence. They had some nice places outside and nearly every seat was taken. We were two people and sat inside. They have a huge range of different dishes and they English is just fine. We ordered a mixed plate for sharing for 20TL and I have to say it was great! They know hot to play with sweet and sour and all different kinds of herbs. They have lots of vegan and vegetarian dishes. One half portion without meat is 6 Lira. You'll get water and bread for free. We spent 45 Lira in total for two people and were satisfied. It's a nice place with traditional food apart from iskender and adana kepab. Check it out! read more

Galata Kitchen - lots of vegan options - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

I had dinner at the Galata Kitchen tonight and the food was marvelous! You can pick out of an enormous amount of Mezze (Appetiters, salad) which are perfectly spiced, especially the eggplant and chickpea salads are delicious. Ask for advice when choosing: the chefs will be more than happy to explain and describe each dish for you! Also try the dessert its so tasty! read more

Galata Kitchen - Hmm my choice of Mezze, the medium size dish: chickpeas, eggplant, bulgur, çig köfte, tsarziki and feta cheese with bread! Yummy - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

So today is my third day in Istanbul and my 3rd meal at Galata Kitchen. Homemade quality food served by a friendly crew in a down to earth environment. There is a resident cat that sat at our table with us. Some customers had their dog with them at their table as well. All around amazing food on a nice street away from the crowds. There are around 15 vegetarian dishes and a few meat dishes. Tons of different beans in every color. Celery stuffed with fava beans? Check. Italian orecchiette in marina sauce? Check. Meatballs in tomato sauce? ... All check pluses. Prices are around 15-20tl max and the servings are large enough to share family style. read more

Tucked around the corner from the main pedestrian drag, this earthy, women-run eatery was wonderful. There wasn't really a menu, just a chalkboard indicating the prices for half or full portions of meat or vegetarian dishes. They didn't speak much english... so we just pointed to random dishes and asked for half portions. Nice surprise to taste 5 different dishes with unique flavors and capped lunch off with some sweet Turkish tea. read more

Galata Kitchen - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

Good homemade style Turkish food, including vegan and vegetarian options as well as meat options. Order at counter. Share table with others. Water decanter and bread at the table. Friendly and very busy staff. Small cozy space. Shared salad appetizer and had half serving each of hot eggplant dish and hot cauliflower dish. The veggie hot dishes are a bit like large veggie side plates. We shared a table with a kindergarten teacher from Germany and had a lovely long conversation with her. Very enjoyable. We will go back and we highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Don't leave the Galata area without stopping by this small place for lunch or just a snack.. Galata Kitchen is serving traditional Turkish food and both quality and quantity is great. They have a funny concept, where you go and order your food at the front disk. You can either choose a whole meal or a shared plate with a little bit of everything. As a tourist it is a funny experience and a nice meal. The place is opened up by two Turkish women, and as far as I understood it is run by the family. The service is really good, the staff is very nice and helpful. read more

I wasn't a big fan of this place - you walk up and order a bunch of things and they bring them over to your table. The babaganoush was not good at all (I think it had too much cardoman); I get much better versions in the US. The red pepper spread was tasty and had a nice kick to it (although that's not too hard to find in Istanbul). There was a spinach with cheese dish that I wasn't fond of either. The falafel was pretty weak and not crispy at all. Overall, the food didn't seem so fresh and I think you're better served finding another, more local place to eat at read more

Galata Kitchen is a small homestyle restaurant with delicious Turkish food. They have an appetizer/salad bar with a variety of options. They also have a hot bar with vegan, veggie, and meat options for a warm meal. At the counter, you can see the all of options before placing your order. After ordering, choose a seat at one of the indoor or outdoor tables, most of which are shared with other diners. Each table has water and bread. The waiter/waitress brings a cup, utensils and your food to you. Seemed to be consistently busy with locals and visitors. We stopped here for lunch and shared a medium appetizer/salad plate with a range of flavors, half portions of eggplant, cauliflower, and chicken with rice. The meal was extremely enjoyable. Would love to venture back to this restaurant, highly recommend going here! read more

Galata Kitchen - Medium appetizer/salad plate - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

Galata Kitchen has become my favorite spot to grab lunch since moving to Istanbul. All of the dishes are freshly made and incredibly tasty. The variety of Turkish mezzes and main dishes is always changing, and they have great options for vegetarians and vegans. Their classic tomato basil aubergine is one of my favorites. The staff is super friendly and the bill is always cheap. Can't recommend this place enough! read more

tl;dr -- You will not regret a meal at Galata Kitchen!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only downside to Galata Kitchen was that we discovered it on our last night in Istanbul, so we couldn't go back for more!!! This was a truly fabulous dining experience: wonderful staff of people genuinely passionate about good, authentic Turkish cuisine; lovely vibes -- a perfect combo of lively and charming; and most importantly, delicious food!!!!! The menu options change every day (which is part of what made the meal so exciting), but we were lucky enough to be there on a day when they served meatballs as a hot dish -- these are a must-try!! We sampled about 8 different mezze and loved the variety of rich flavors, from fresh celery to cheesy pepper to tangy yogurt. The flavor profiles were super unique, making our meal an exciting gastronomic adventure! read more

We tried 11 dishes, they were all delicious. Host/owner is extremely patient and kind. Went to Kapadokya, came back to Istanbul, headed back to Galata Kitchen right now. So good, so cheap, you will not have a bad time. Edit: Had 12 different dishes this time - all wonderful. read more

I have no idea how their food tastes! and why is that?? BE CAUSE THEY WERE CLOSED!!!! it says on their entrance that they are open till 10. We rushed from Taksim square to get to this place ( its pretty steep) to find this place closed at 9:00p.m.!!!!!! It would have been really nice to get to a enjoy vegetarian turkish meal....really unfortunate! read more

Phenomenal mezzes and focus on Turkish vegetarian options. The staff is really helpful and the food is truly excellent. Highly recommend.

Gem of a place with a simple but high quality menu. Very friendly staff and I asked the chef to put together a Mezze platter for me based on his selection. I was cleaning up the plate. Highly recommend it. Reasonably priced. Loved it read more

This place is fantastic. Great food and friendly service. It's a bit out of the way but well worth finding it. We tried most everything they had (which is one of the benefits to eating there - you get a plate with multiple items you can chose, cafeteria style) and didn't find a single one we didn't like. Everyone there was genuinely happy to serve us too and eating outside made for a great experience. read more

Super cool restaurant in ideal location in Istanbul! In the streets behind the Galata Tower this place has an awesome range of vegetarian and vegan options! It's almost like a buffet style where you pick your meze and your main meal and they bring it out to you. The food was fresh and super delicious & nutritious while also being quite traditional turkish flavours! The stuffed vegetables are amazing, really enjoyed the stuffed peppers! Great place and K definitely recommend! read more