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.

One of few restaurants which allowed customers eat inside. It overlooked Aya Sofia from 5th floor…read moreterrace, and it is inside, so can dine in warm. And best of all, there are elevators, and no need to climb up 5th floor. The food was slightly higher then other places we ate, but the quality of food was better and worth paying for the extras. The waiter was very attentive and could explain and suggest for the food for us.

Good food! We really enjoyed the view although it was raining that day. Great friendly service.read more

Amazingbfood servive and atmosphere... not a tourist trap locals dine here…read more Thank you for hosting me ozbolo kebap

Hm... Not good enough, even for a hungry person. Simple interior, old menu with wrong translation…read moreto Russian. Meatballs was not round! Waiter was Indian and his English was even worse than mine. Too expensive for this kind of food. My hairs are still smells by grilled meat and smoke. Finally they got 2 liras more than should get.

I was walking along this stretch of street looking for a nice place to eat and noticed this place…read morebecause of the open atmosphere and cool decor on the inside. The ambiance of this place was top notch. Perfect place to take a date. I had some tasty hummus, a pot of seafood and a bottle of red wine. I was able to negotiate a small discount on the red wine which made me happy, and I was seated facing toward the street so got some great people watching in. The food was pretty good, particularly the hummus, and the wine was delicious though it was not cheap even with the slight discount. I do think they need to have a talk with their waitstaff about appropriate etiquette dealing with customers. At first my waiter came across as very friendly and nice but then started getting a little overly flirtatious and obnoxious to a point where it was uncomfortable. And then he gave me his information and pleaded with me to write a 5-star review on trip advisor and make sure to mention him BY NAME and say he was the best waiter ever. He reminded me of this at least 3 times and I found that to be a little obnoxious as well. Of course I didn't put a review up on tripadvisor and I don't remember the guys name. Anyway, this would be a 4 star but the waiter's behavior knocks it down to a 3-star for me. Still the ambiance was great, there were plenty of choices on the menu and my meal was pretty good.

I really wanted to love this place just based on its name alone! Sadly, you could do a lot better…read moreelsewhere. The Husband and I picked this place based off Trip Advisor reviews but left kind of thinking, "Meh, that's a letdown." First, the service was not great. Our waiter was slightly rude and gave us the cold shoulder. Not sure why, maybe he didn't want to work that night? We asked to be moved to a table closer to the fireplace because we were seated right next to the entrance door, which was open almost the entire time in February. But our waiter either didn't hear us or didn't care. The food was okay. Nothing different from the restaurant next door or the one up the street. It was the standard tourist fare of simple kebabs. The Husband ordered the lamb but it was way overcooked. I thought the chicken curry sounded good (because I love love LOVE curry) but the curry was so slight that it was mainly chicken in a bland sauce. Let down. We passed on dessert because, well, why bother? Looking around, the place only had tourists eating there. No locals. So keep in mind that if you're looking for really traditional Turkish fare, venture out of the Sultanahmet.

Food is delicious and the menu is what you see people cooking on Instagram. They seem to be a…read morehigher end chain in turkey based on what I saw in their tv. Place is clean and servers are nice. Lack of English made it difficult as they got me to order a ton of food for just one person. But it was all very good.

The food was excellent. Great outdoor seating. Servers very nice. Food came out quickly. Tea was…read moreamazing

We were looking for a lunch spot after visiting the Blue Mosque and Altin Kupa looked pretty…read morepopular with the alley of tables completely full so we had to grab a table inside. I had the Iskender Kebap which is doner meat with tomato sauce on a bed of cut pieces of pita with some yogurt sauce. This also came with fries and fresh tomato slices(http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alt%C4%B1n-kupa-restaurant-istanbul?select=9JL5uXYT8gibrxnbro02dA#tqK-PyWXRhoyPRSnrIbpTg) The meat was pretty dry so definitely needed the tomato sauce (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alt%C4%B1n-kupa-restaurant-istanbul?select=9JL5uXYT8gibrxnbro02dA#kWZgLSkGk5MhY5QaFVpQaA) 2 stars The g/f had the Grilled Whiting which came with some shredded carrot and cabbage, a couple of radish slices and a "salad" of parsley and sumac dusted onions (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alt%C4%B1n-kupa-restaurant-istanbul?select=9JL5uXYT8gibrxnbro02dA#2-_wKYq3qV3_mE-pctbnoQ) This was much more successful with moist and nicely seasoned fish (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alt%C4%B1n-kupa-restaurant-istanbul?select=9JL5uXYT8gibrxnbro02dA#2-_wKYq3qV3_mE-pctbnoQ) 4.5 stars Service was so-so with more focus on the outside tables and we definitely had to be vocal whenever we needed something. It worked for us, but one couple left after waiting a while for someone to take their order.

We went in here for a drink. Decent quiet atmosphere, away from the hustle bustle of the area…read more Typical tourist prices though!

I visited Konyali after a tour with friends of the Topkapi Palace and Harem. Our guide had a…read morereservation for us and we were seated immediately even though the restaurant was busy for the lunch. Our table of 4 were happy about our selections and we had a feast. Our appetizers came out pretty quickly and then we got one entree to share between two of us but we shared it amongst four as we were getting full from the appetizers. Service was friendly and efficient. We had some difficulties with translation but got through it pretty well. Prices were extremely reasonable. We all enjoyed this restaurant and I recommend checking it out. Only one thing is that the restrooms were small and lines seemed to be continuous. I am not deducting a star for that however.

The only restaurant in the very crowded Topaki Palace was at the first courtyard. The restaurant…read morewas huge with many tables in front, around the back and inside. Strangely there were only 3 ladies room toilets. Large tour groups came through, families requesting large private banquet rooms, tables of guides and tourists like us. The menu was filled with pages of pictures. Alcohol is not served. It was very busy & difficult to find a shady smoke free table to eat. We each ordered water and doners with fries for $10 each. Our wraps were large, cut in half and were not particularly flavorful. The Turkish wrap was around a chicken sandwich and our second was very well done beef. Condiments & napkins were on the table. Okay Service was fast. Konyali has been here since 1897, I'm surprised to be their first Yelp review. They have a captive audience, serve quickly, are fairly priced and appear clean.

We ate at Istanbul Anatolian Cuisine on our first and last nights in Istanbul. The best Lentil…read moresoup you will find in all of Istanbul and we tried at least 10 different restaurants during our stay. The owner and family are a treat. They are very genuine and caring, speak English, and cook everything on their menu with passion and love. What makes Istanbul Anatolian Cuisine our pick for the best dinner? Real food at affordable prices. Small menu with always fresh ingredients Gracious host and family that truly understands service and hospitality Jessica the cat Everything we ate over two visits had flavor. The seasoning for the Lentil soup was perfect and the Hummus was divine. I had the moussaka vegetables and my wife had Adana kebap spicy version one time and next time she had the chicken skewer. The tea and baklava afterwards were the perfect ending to our meals. There are a lot of restaurants in the historical district but many of them are tourist traps and bad ones at that. Istanbul Anatolian Cusine is not an ordinary restaurant or a tourist trap but a hidden gem located on a side street surrounded by boutique hotels. You'll love your dining experience with Istanbul Anatolian Cuisine and if you're lucky, you'll get to meet Jessica the cat.

We came here for dinner after a long day exploring the city, but found the experience a bit…read moredisappointing. The food was not as tasty as many of the other places we tried in Istanbul, while the final bill ended up higher than other places we enjoyed more. Per the staff's recommendation, we ordered a clay pot dish for 2. This was quite the show, as they brought out an entire setup and lit the clay pot on fire before serving. While the show was impressive, the food was just average. The "door" to the restaurant is just a glass, sliding door, and at different points, the stray cats of Istanbul entered the restaurant and were a bit too comfortable. One of them leapt onto our table, which, no matter how you feel about animals, wasn't pleasant. There are better places just around the block.