One of our favorite meals in Istanbul. The meat was so juicy and flavorful in both the spicy adana…read moreand the chicken. And mixed perfectly with the onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. A wrap is not too large; most of us ordered seconds. Prices were als9 fantastic. Limited indoor and outdoor seating, but we were able to be seated easily Wednesday evening.

Our first food here in Turkey. Welcoming staff. Sweet waiter that took our order very promptly…read more Restaurant appears small from the outside, but actually has a second floor with more seating. Very clean bathrooms were a bonus downstairs also. Food was served quickly with an excellent portion size. I ordered the beef wrap and fries with a Pepsi. It was supposed to have been a small lunch, but was actually very filling. I will say the meat could've used a sauce. Something to cut all the grease that it was covered in. I did try someone else's chicken and it was even more in need of a flavorful sauce. That being said, it is served with ketchup and mayonnaise, which is familiar to us, but not the sauce I had in mind. Overall though, great first stop.

When you're walking around the water in Istanbul, you will be inundated with fish sandwich stalls…read more But which one to go to? It can seem so difficult to choose. Our suggestion? Navigate over the bridge (past the fish stands on the boats), past the fish market where the path then begins to lead to a series of restaurants and small stands, the latter of which were all selling what appeared to be identical fish sandwiches. We walked the entire length, carefully scrutinising each vendor before recognizing the correct stand. While every fish sandwich purveyor may seem to be serving what looks like identical products, Emin Usta's stand was the only one with a line. Along with this line comes Emin, a hulking beast of a man whose singular mission in life appears to be making the most amazing fish sandwich in all of Istanbul. Whereas we observed other vendors haphazardly throwing together a sandwich in under 15 seconds, Emin's attention to detail and pursuit of perfection carries his sandwich to heights others can only hope to attain. In his massive palms a pair of ordinary kitchen tongs transforms into culinary tweezers, which he wields with the precision of a surgeon, ever so delicately plucking each and every minute bone from the thin fillets. This attention to detail is the foundation upon which a remarkable sandwich is built. However, as you might expect, perfection like this comes at a price: if you are in a hurry, this is not the fish sandwich for you. Whether there are 3 or 30 people in his line, Emin remains at an even keel, completely unswayed as he churns out a sandwich or two every 5 minutes. He may also stop for a cigarette in between. While we were patiently waiting our turn to place our order, the gentleman in front noticed us as tourists and explained that he works nearby and that Emin Usta's fish sandwiches are legendary, as they are well-known to be the best among a sea of imitators. He did also give us a one recommendation for ordering: go with a wrap instead of on a roll, which we readily obliged. The end result? This was an incredibly delicious wrap. The fillet of fish was fresh and perfectly grilled, still flaky and moist without the slightest hint of being overcooked. The veggies added crunch and texture while the quick squeeze of lemon brightened everything up. Then, a drizzle of pomegranate syrup, secret sauce and a sprinkle from an unlabeled jar of Turkish spices brought all the flavors together - salty, spicy, sour and sweet. Plus, a bit of time on the grill after everything was put together meant the wrap had a bit of crispiness as well as a bit of smokiness. (TRY 9 = $3.50) When we had been on the other side of Galata Bridge, there were a couple of floating boats churning out fish sandwiches that were incredibly full of tourists (and maybe locals). After having Emin Usta's fish sandwich, we both agreed there was no way they would have been as good. He doesn't work the grill all the time (he has an assistant that works sometimes), so just look for the wet wipes with his face at the stand! If we lived in Istanbul, we would definitely come here regularly.

apotheosis of lahmacun. 1 portion has me FULL. it's been about 25 years since i was in Konya but…read morethe taste was authentic. the waiter was so generous - made me fresh iced tea with ice and turkish tea. a taste from heaven. the cashier was friendly: laughed at all my jokes. i'm a lousy comedian. my waiter's shift is over. the guy on duty now is more decorative but not nearly so friendly but the guy who just waitedon me was the waıter at ıftar durıng ramazan and he is just as generous and attentıve and good hearted as it gets. now they are playıng türkü

Walking around Istanbul and needing an authentic dinner place....i, of course, turned to yelp for…read morehelp! Found this place close by with ravishing reviews, so why not. Get there and easily seated. Small place but people were constantly going in and out and place was buzzing with tourist and locals alike. Menu properly labelled with prices so not a tourist trap. Sat down and ordered the lamb chops and the Adana kebabs (minced meat). Both dishes outstanding. The lamb chops were the best I've ever had. Grilled just right to perfection. Seasoned well with Turkish spices and meat was juicy. The kebabs were the same. Juicy and succulent and perfectly seasoned. Came with complimentary lavash and spicy hummus dip and some pickled veggies. Service quick and portion sizes just right. When in Istanbul, a must try for sure. Cheers! Happy eating!

I was going to try the turkey lamb chop. So I pick a restaurant close to grand plaza. It was close…read moreto the tram station. There are four chops in the set. The chop was pan fried to almost well. I am guessing they don't ask about the temperature. Overall the food is good. The meat here is a bit tougher than the United State. They are likely seasoned. The meal comes with grilled pepper, tomato and turkey blow bread.

One of the absolute best we had it Istanbul. My husband and I did a couple Michelin restaurants in…read moreIstanbul including Turk Fatih Tutak and Sankai but I must say Pera Antakya was certainly our top pick in its category even next to our Michelin experiences. It was our most memorable experience given the food was just so authentic and good. We were pleasantly surprised because I had found Pera Antakya in my research when planning our trip and it was first on our list to try, we then discovered when we arrived at our hotel (The Westist) on our first night that Pera Antakya was right next door. We were shocked/surprised/thrilled all at the same time. As such, we had dinner here the first night we arrived in Istanbul and was blown away. We did the meze, the wrap, farmer's cheese, and the mixed grill plate all based on recommendations from who we believe was the owner. The hospitality was lovely, welcoming, but more so the food was incredibly memorable and we found ourselves wishing we had more time in Istanbul so we could come back and eat at Pera Antakya. We did a couple other highly rated restaurants in similar concept to Pera Antakya over the week we stayed in Istanbul and ultimately though food in Istanbul is generally good, we found Pera was still the best we had out of all them in the same category. In fact, if it was only one restaurant we could go back to and have another meal at or if I could only recommend one restaurant to eat at while you're in Istanbul--- it would be Pera Antakya. We were that impressed with this place. Do not miss it if you're in Istanbul!

Wonderful authentic Turkish food from Antakya. Service was also solid, English speaking and good…read morewith talking through my girlfriend's allergies. We got the mezze plate with 8 different mezzes---the spicy yogurt was our favorite and it's very spicy. The bread they use is excellent, has some red spice on it that we all loved. For dinner got the lamb shish which was excellent, and the pera antakia kebab which was also very good. All around great, highly recommend

Delicious local lunch spot. It's not on the Main Street but use Google Maps to save it and then go…read morebut go early. They will sell out by late afternoon. The Lentil soup was rated #2 best of all of Istanbul. The döner kebap was rated #1 of all restaurants we visited. I has a vegetarian wrap and my wife had a chicken wrap. Packed with flavor and just the right amount of sauce. The hummus was very good and the service was fantastic. The have seats inside and in the patio area. Don't miss out on the best döner wrap in Istanbul.

Small, casual kebab joint near Hagia Sophia and blue mosque. Very friendly people with some…read moreEnglish spoken. The kebabs are fantastic! We would eat here every day if we could. Try the Beyti Sarma. Delicious!

Great little restaurant near the grand bazaar that offers a variety of food options. Great service,…read moredelicious food, clean, affordable, etc. I ended up wandering in here because I was looking for anything to eat other than meat/fast food. They have a lot of veggie options, which was much appreciated. Highly recommend!

So my first day in Istanbul, get taken from the airport to the hotel. I walk from the hotel to and…read morearea around Blue Mosque and Ayasofya, and just go for it. No tour guide, don't speak the language. I come across this place, looks like the locals are getting sandwiches from there, i'm gonna go for it! Theres a bunch of things to choose from, pressed meats, cheeses, olives, spreads, i have no clue what to order or what they are called. I just gesture to the guy to give me one. He looks at me and gestures to me to pick what i want. I shrug my shoulders. He says, "first time?" Yep. he just picks a bunch of things for me and makes me a sandwich. Pretty good, My first taste of turkey, lots of cheese and olives, and small portion of meat compared to what im used to, very Mediterranean taste to it. Very cheap, i think it was 4 or 5TL ($2 - $2.50)

You know a restaurant is good when their menu is simple and they only specialize in one thing- cag…read morekebab. We came on a weekday evening for dinner and found a line already forming around 6PM. Despite the crowd, there was a quick turnaround, and we were able to get seated quickly after only 10 minutes of waiting. We ordered the cag kebab wrap, soup of the day (lentil soup), and a side of salad. The kebab was nicely seasoned, with each bite delivering a rich, savory flavor. I also loved all the Turkish lentil soups and this one was no exception- it's tangy, savory and extremely comforting to drink on a cold night.

On a culinary tour in Istanbul, Turkey with Culinary Backstreets and Milk Street. They guided us…read morethrough the markets, gave us historical highlights and fed us at all levels from fine dining, food stall and street vendors. All of the places have been vetted by our guides as they share a personal connection with the very friendly vendors. Sehzade Cag Kebap was hands down, the best lamb kabobs I've ever had. The staff here are rock stars, smiling, engaging with patrons and welcoming everyone to stick your head into the kitchen and view the succulent wheel of lamb meat. Your sense heighten as you sit and get ready to eat one of the best lamb dishes I've ever had. This feeling was shared with several members of our tour. Language could of been an issue here, but the smiling and friendly staff watched intensely as we inhaled their delicious entree. Their condiments were onions, red pepper paste, pomegranate molasses, tomatoes and plenty of homemade bread. They allow the star, "savory lamb meat" to be featured and not be buried by the accutramonts. It is a truely stunning dish and voted #9 in the world for best kabob. If you are in the market of the Old City, please look up Sehzade Cag Kebap, your taste buds will thank you. To the amazing team, excited about their talented skills, thank you for this incredible meal. Great quality food, we will return!