Found this gem of a place on Happy Cow after spending a few days in Istanbul. Turkey is a pretty…read moremeat heavy culture, but you can seek out some good veggies places. This is one of them. It is a little hole in the wall place, but they serve up a traditional flavorful dish a bit like seitan basically. You can get it in a wrap and if you are staying somewhere can take a box home for fairly cheap. Also be sure to check out nearby Parsifal. This is a simple sit down affordable place that is 100 percent vegetarian and has many vegan options. The menu labels what is vegetarian and what is vegan making ordering easy.

Zencefil which means "ginger" in English is located Istiklal street area and it is one of the few…read morevegetarian restaurants in Istanbul. I have been going to Zencefil for years but last time I was there was about 4-5 years ago. The restaurants has been keeping its style, quality for many years. Even the menu looks like the same except for a few new dishes depending on the season. There are several kinds of vegetable quiches such as eggplant, spinach, etc. The nice think is that before the meal they serve butter mixed with herbs accompanied with bread. There were two kinds of bread; with corn flour and whole wheat. However, the bread could be better, I didn't like the whole wheat bread. I can make batter breads and I am wondering why they do not make their own bread adding different kinds of herbs and vegetables. Although it is a vegetarian restaurant, there one or two chicken dishes on the menu. Since there wasn't so much change on the menu for years, I have already tried most dishes which were OK. I mean the tastes are nice, not heavenly but you know that all of them are healthy. This time I had warm served Aegean stew made of artichokes, faba beans and black-eyed beans. It was so light and tasty, I really like it. I had homemade ginger ale for a drink but frankly saying I didn't like it maybe because I am used to Canadian dry or other brands. But I recommend its lemonade with ginger. I hope they add more experimental vegetable recipes on the menu next time. At the end of the meal they always serve coriander and some dry herb to refreshen the breath which I really like. Lastly, the ambiance is nice, bright, colorful and the place is mostly full of young people and tourists during lunch hours. The service is not bad but I wish they smile more...

Good place for a meal! Bit touristy, but food is good. They open till late so it's a good place to…read moregrab a meal. We ordered ayran (cold, savory yogurt drink), babel special, and a mixed meze plate so we could try as much food as possible.

It was fine not great. There was a lot of salad with some of the mains which was nice. My issue…read moremight be that I prefer the seasonings in North African or Lebanese versions of similar dishes. Beer list is mediocre and

Walking distance from our hotel and we had to try it. We were seated right away. Tables were really…read moresmall and the place seemed crowded to begin with. Had to pay for our own water. The pizza were a bit salty but it go well with the spicy olive oil! Drinks were not amazing but it was good and cute presentation! Over all, a 6 out of 10.

Trendy restaurant away from the craziness of Istiklal Ave with a welcoming atmosphere…read more I went for the basics and ordered an arugula salad and a Margarita pizza. Both were ok. While the prosciutto, dried tomatoes and walnuts were a great addition to the arugula, the salad was drowned in vinegar and buried under a disproportionate amount of cheese. As for the pizza, it was plain and the sparsely sprinkled fresh basil, barely-there tomato sauce or not-no-spicy olive oil did not really stand a chance against all the cheese. The service was very friendly and I liked the atmosphere sitting in a comfy chair tucked away in a corner upstairs. This place offers breakfast and is a coffee hangout during the day. Prices are very reasonable.

Great atmosphere, decor and celebrity status as the local hangout of famous photographer, Ara…read moreGüler. Food is generally ok, coffee (6,5TL) and cake (13TL) are a little mediocre. Service is not very personal.

Charming cafe with a very relaxed atmosphere despite it being super close to a busy area. Food is…read morealways great.

Upon walking into the restaurant, you immediately embark upon a open-fire grill. The smoke coming…read morefrom it made me crave the not-yet-ordered grilled meats. For appetizer, my friend and I shared the mezze platter consisting of eight different spreads. It was a great choice because it let us try several different spreads. My favorites are the eggplant spread and the hummus. For grilled meats, we loved both the grilled filet mignon and the grilled chicken skewers. The meats have been aged and seasoned to perfection. It was the best meat we have had in Istanbul. You really can taste the difference between other inferiorly prepared meats. The meats come with grilled flatbread, which was delicious as well. For dessert, I had the best kunefe ever! I was so full at the end of the meal that I almost could not drink their sweet complimentary tea...almost. P.S. Warning: The long pepper that comes with the meats is extremely spicy. Don't say that nobody warned you.

Highly recommend for a traditional Turkish meal that is fresh and clean…read more We started with the mezze platter for two which had an array of different cold dips. Accompanied by fresh baked bread which was mildly crunchy on the outside but light and fluffy inside. Every item was full of wonderful flavors. For the main course we had the Tenderloin which was so soft and tasty.

Delicious! Try to get here early because I've been a couple times and wasn't able to get a table…read moreright away. This last time (today) I got a beautiful table right outside the door. The service is so nice, polite and fast. They offer you a delicious chopped tomato salad spread and fresh flat bread when you sit down. I really liked the Turkish pickled carrot juice (Turşu Suyu) that they have on the menu. It goes great with one of their dürüm wrap sandwiches. I ordered the Kuzu Şiş Dürüm (lamb cubed wrap) and it was fresh, juicy, delicious and really tasty. Their falafel is really good and very fresh; it's prepared in a way I've never seen them before. The falafel are little flat discs with holes in them (like wheels) and they're so cute. Everything on the menu is delicious and I highly recommend this place if you're craving kebap. Also, the street that this restaurant is on is fantastic for shopping with lots of antique shops and little indie stores with fun clothes, leather goods, textiles and bags. Lots of antique stores too. Definitely walk up and down the street before or after your meal! It's at a bit of an angle and a workout but the shopping is great.

Finally a shish kabob with a nice char. Enjoyed the complimentary vegetable dip and bread. I…read morewould skip the falafel because it needs a dipping sauce and ate dry. Sadly I did not order the durrum wraps or lamb kebabs which looked amazing. Only four outdoor tables on an incline street, but indoor tables if you don't mind the indoor grill. Service was prudent but could be more gracious.

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.

The secret is out! This restaurant used to be a local favorite and it was a hidden gem. Now the…read moresecret is out. Everyone knows how delicious the potato pancakes and the shish kebabs are. Their sample platter is filled with various samples of the local cuisine and a must try for any traveler. I need to mention the potato leek pancakes again. They were my favorite. Come share in the not-so-secret secret!

Amazing food with great atmosphere. I love restaurants where people sit on the streets drink, eat…read moreand have fun in the process. This was a great example. We tired few dishes the best was the egg plant with minced meat and rice. Very similar to middle astern Musaka. There was a Turkish street singer on the next table which med the atmosphere even more enjoyable. Service was great and very friendly staff. I would definitely recommend and would come here again next time I'm in Istanbul

Excellent service, excellent food- The lentil soup is the absolute best , ever. Sude and Erdem are…read moreamazing. guys, if you read this, thank you so much for your hospitality and of course, the Lentil soup. Joey

A great Turkish breakfast! We ordered the breakfast for 1 and a lentil soup. It was more than…read moreenough for 2 people. The prices have gone up since menu photos were last posted so keep that in mind. It was about $40 USD, but the quality was amazing. Tons of sweet kittens outside!! We went early, soon after they opened and the service was great and it was peaceful inside. Definitely recommend!!

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

Galata Kitchen is not a doner grill and it doesn't open onto a busy street with a big outdoor…read morepatio. 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!