This was my first night in Istanbul and I eased tired from traveling from cappadocia earlier in the…read moreday. This restaurant was close to my hotel and had great reviews on Yelp. When I arrived there was only one other customer inside. The restaurant decor was cute and I very comfortable. The staff were friendly and welcoming. This spot was a bit pricey just like most of the restaurants in this touristy area. I had certain Turkish entrees i wanted to try during my vacation. I ordered the Iskender kebab which is beef and pita bread covered with tomato sauce with yogurt on the side. I ordered a side salad to go with it. The dish was very delicious as you can tell in one of my pics. I chatted with some of the staff about life in Istanbul. I was offered some complimentary pomegranate tea before I left and it hit the spot. This is definitely a place to check out when you're in the area.

A MUST TRY. As an American, I have been SO impressed with food here in Turkey and if you are in the…read morearea, this restaurant is an absolute MUST-TRY if you're looking for great food. I had some of THEE BEST chicken kebab I've ever had in this country here. The beef kebab was also tender and flavorful. You cannot go wrong with any of these! The service was quick and prompt, and the servers were great at making recommendations. I came here in the winter so we sat indoors which felt a bit cramped however, there is also outdoor seating during the nicer weather months. If I'm ever back here in Istanbul, I would definitely come back. And if you're reading this, you NEED to try the Old Ottoman!

I LOVE this spot. The views, the food, the service, the music .. I love it!…read more This is where I was first introduced to adjika, a tasty pepper sauce that is served with their table bread, which is also delicious. I had to grab some at a local market. I highly recommend the chicken kabobs, juicy and well seasoned. Also enjoyed the margaritas, stiff and not overly sweet. Staff is pleasant and attentive. The views are unmatched in the evening. Make your reservation in advance to secure your sunset table. The inside is nice and classy but I simply adore the open air views from the roof. The birds really set off the skyline and you can see several of the mosques around. Not SUPER expensive but it is in the higher end price wise compared to their surrounding competition -- 100% worth it in my book. I will definitely go again on my next visit. Glad I could introduce it to a friend this go round. The only thing I disliked about this place is the "dining dome" as I called it. A portion of the roof now offers seating in a large plastic dome. The dome is scratched up and obstructs the view of the city but does protect diners from the wind. I was not a fan of this dome. I'm sure it's something someone saw on the internet and implemented .. I hope they get rid of it, it's super unnecessary. Otherwise -- LOVE!

Beautiful views, nice restaurant, huge menu. Had some really good mezze and shared the turkish…read moreravioli that we hadn't seen elsewhere and were like dim sum. The views, food, and service make for an unforgettable experience.

Food was amazing... wonderful service... constant attention…read moreBaris, our server was delightful and very helpful

We saw the reviews and pictures online and decided to give it a try. We are so glad that we did try…read morethis place. From the location, ambience, food, taste, and service... everything is superb. Mr. Baris was our waitress and he took his time serving us as well as making a foodie show! Everything we tried is great. But of course we love the Turkish pot kebab. We recommend everyone to try this dish. The garden is so lovely too and such a quiet escape in a busy city. Thank you all for such a nice time. Baris, we wish you the best!

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.

From the owner: Müşkülpesent, İkinci Yeni'lerden ilham alan İkinci Yeni Lokanta.read more

I am trying this restaurant because around this town this restaurant this is a famous one. It is…read moreknown for its meatballs. That don't looks like round lol. They are so famous here that the menu has them listed as the only main thing and everything else listed is a side dish or dessert. The Turkish meatballs were good. They come around with a red spicy sauce you can add to it. They had a nice taste to them. I got French fries and rice as a side. I loved the rice. The fries were different for me. It was a different type of potato that I had never had. It was good. The service was crazy fast. The staff is none stop moving. They come around to refresh things. They clean tables right away. It was impressive. It is a good thing that they do because the line for this place is long. It wraps around the restaurant. It's a must try place. I am glad I did

After a morning spent exploring the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia, our hungry family was thrilled to…read morefind this restaurant a stone's throw away from these iconic landmarks. The menu is minimalistic but makes up for its simplicity in the flavor it brings. Service is very fast and as with all things in Istanbul, very courteous. We tried the Izgara kofte and the Lamb Shish Kebap, a side of Corba (lentil soup), seasonal salad, some pickled peppers and a round of Ayran to wash it all down. And wrapped up the meal with the Semolina Halwa and Baked Rice Pudding to share. Delicious. Highly recommend!!

This was my local kebap place when I stayed in Istanbul. It's a nice under the radar local…read morerestaurant that's been here over 20 years. They have a full menu of kebap, pide and lahmacun all at very reasonable prices. My favorite dish was the doner with rice and I also really liked their Iskender kebap. They don't speak much English but were always very friendly.

Visited Çiya Sofrası as it is a restaurant featured on the World's 50 Best discovery list and as…read morethe chef was featured on Netflix's Chef's Table. Menu is based on recipes collected from all across Turkey an the menu might vary daily depending on what they have available. The restaurant itself also features 3 locations all adjacent to or across from each other. Party of 7 seated upstairs. There honestly is so much space and seating between all three locations. No reservation as we just walked in. Honestly didn't look at the menu as we had friends who were local and asked if they could just order. What I would recommend though is just get whatever sounds interesting as everything we tried was delicious. The big airy bread and the beets were a must as well as the stuffed intestines. The kebab we ordered was also so good that we got a second one. It's also very large and shareable. In fact, everything should be shared. A lot of desserts to choose from and my favorite was the bitter orange.

Great place to try authentic Turkish cuisine. They have a huge variety of dishes, and thanks to the…read morecafeteria-style presentation, we were able to point to different dishes and try all kinds of things that we normally wouldn't have tried since we didn't know what they were or what they looked like. We also bumped into a local woman outside who told us what her favorite items at the restaurant were. My favorite dish was definitely the meat topped with the pomegranate seeds and the oblong falafel-looking thing shown in the first picture. I wasn't a fan of the intestines. I also wasn't a fan of the Turkish pizza with lamb, though I felt the lamb all throughout my time in Istanbul was a bit too gamey for my taste. Overall, I think this is an excellent place to get a taste of what Turkish cuisine has to offer--we came here towards the end of our trip but I think coming here at the beginning would have been a better choice, so that we could know what kinds of dishes to seek out during the rest of our time at Turkey!

Really descent food with lots of options. Portions were on par and didn't leave still hungry or…read moreoverly full. Beer was super cold !!

Although Faros Kebap isn't as authentic as other restaurants within the area, the food here was…read moredelicious! Coming from a vegetarian, I was appreciative of the fact that they had so many options for me - I really enjoyed the hummus, falafel, fries and pide. Had a super filling meal for quite the reasonable price.

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.