Well, much as there might be tonnes of cool things to say about this lovely place, the fact that we…read morewere simple unable to move during the latest gig I saw has slightly criplled my positive point of view on it. I am completely aware that it is one of the best places in Taksim, but the relentless crowd of people trying to move formard, make their way to the front place, as if the area were a stadium, got on my nerves. I honestly don't know whether this is a resolvable problem, but something must be done as this "predicament" seemed to put me off since it directly and adversely affected my concentreation on the "beautiful music" playing on the stage.

Hayal Kahvesi is one of those remarkable places that makes important contributions to the musical…read morelife of the city. Not only in Istanbul but also in several other cities, too. It's a well-known concert hall (also a bistro during the day time) where one can watch successful musicians at any night. I have watched some really good bands, too. But enjoying a concert to the fullest was always a bit a of a challenge here. I think it happens because the place is a bit small. You know how it gets crowded in front of the stage when there's a concert of a famous band? Think that you're stuck somewhere in that crowd and you need to go to the toilet because you drank lots of mid-priced beers. Well, good luck my friend because you're going to need it! You should break through that packed crowd till you reach the left end of the stage because that's where the stairs (that will take you to the toilet downstairs) are! You'll make a lot of people angry, face with some dangerous situations where you might have just get crashed down and possibly miss a big part of the show in the process. (Same applies for coming back.) I never had the courage to do that so far, but I'm so ready to hear your stories about this adventure. The other thing is that there are some waiters who try to break through that crowd for selling drinks, too. It kinda wrecks the mood for a minute or two and that happens at least 5-6 times. But anyway, I'm really glad that this place exists. It's getting harder and harder to find a good place to listen live music in this city. Some tips: *The tickets are always on sale on Biletix but it's also possible to buy them at the entrance. *You can check their website (www.hayalkahvesibeyoglu.com) to learn who's going to play when. *At downstairs you will find Hayal Perdesi to watch theater plays.

Thanks to one of my friends I finally had chance to come to Agac Ev! It's a great Rock Bar in…read moreTaksim. Prices are good and they have a big platform for the bands. Also the sound system is really well made in the bar. Inside is designed like an old English rock bar and the wooden bar is actually giving a sensation of 80's to the place. I really enjoyed the nice music inside.

Not safe for tourists. It may be a good location, with live music and a nice atmosphere... but they…read morewill rip you off if you speak English. ALWAYS ask for a price before ordering. We made the mistake of not doing this. We walked up to the bar and asked for one Efes beer (smaller one), a gin & tonic, and a jim bean on the rocks. The bar tender was pleased to assist us as no one else was ordering at the bar. After pouring the drinks, we asked how much and she strangely gestured to another man leaning against the bar. He came over, talked to her in Turkish, and wrote something on paper and gave it to her. Then the strange man let us know how much our drinks costed. The Efes beer was 15 TL, gin & tonic 30 TL, and Jim Bean 30TL. We got totally screwed and had to pay. These prices are 3x what they are normally. At the Jazz place next door a larger sized Efes beer costs 8 TL. Go there instead, they are much more honest.

Kadıköy was waiting for so long to get a place like this! If you're living on the Asian side, this…read moreis the best spot to listen your favorite band live without crossing Bosphorus. The place doesn't have a dominant music genre so the band range is really broad. From Hayko Cepkin to Mabel Matiz, from Sattas to Marsis; all kinds of bands can be listened here. Although the place looks rather small, there is usually enough space to watch the concerts in peace. The sound system is good and the staff is really friendly. The bar has a huge collection of alcoholic drinks and prices are in mid range, no more than a usual pub price. The tickets for the concerts can be bought at the door and also from the internet. You can follow their Facebook or Twitter account to know who'll be on stage at that month.

I was very happy with my experience here. The volume of the band, which is something I consider to…read morebe very important -- it needs to be loud, but I hate leaving a show with that deaf feeling in my ears -- was perfect. The beer was not too expensive at 10TL/33ml, and the venue was just crowded enough to have a good time without having your personal space completely infringed upon. This was overall a great venue and live music experience. I will happily go back. :)

Definitely a place i would recommend. View is amazing, food and drinks also…read more Later in the evening there is live band performing mostly older Turkish and International songs. Group and singer also quite nice to listen and fun could inspire people to dance even. Will go again for sure..

The food was good. The other patrons are fun and pretty. I think our experience would have been…read morebetter if we had stayed for the live music portion of the meal. The final bill was expensive, but nothing too crazy.

Reminded me of Soho, cool little area, nice bars, real people. We dropped and the the power had…read moregone down on the whole street. Candles everywhere and a large glass of red went down a treat. Hidden Gem

Being from Chicago, good blues music is pretty easy to find. In Istanbul, it's perhaps a little…read moreharder to find. Near where we were staying, we found out about this place and figured we would see what was up. The place wasn't easy for us to find for some reason (if you've been to Istanbul and have tried to find small places, then you know why). The place is pretty small but nonetheless interesting. The owner was cool and knew all about blues and even Chicago. The band that played wasn't amazing but nonetheless they didn't suck and it made for an enjoyable evening. Not bad at all and if you're in the area and are in need of some live music, then check the place out.

We had so much fun, live music was great and hosts were very freindly. Live music is local turkyish…read morewhich was great

This bar is located on a tiny side street off Istikal Caddesi. This is a great place to go after…read morehours to grab a beer and sit outside to listen to their live music (great musicians and lively crowd).

I discovered this bar last time I was in Istanbul, and I think my new friends and I went there 2…read morenights in a row. I figured out what bar it was and went back last night. In warmer weather, the rooftop patio is a lot cooler. They also remodeled the bar and put the bar at the back of the room making it much more spacious. A large Efes is 10 TL which is a decent price for what I consider a cool bar. People were pouring in at midnight on a Thursday, and a live gypsy improv band played for free. Great stuff. This is definitely my choice for going out in Istanbul.

Nice n friendly atmosphere, the food is OK to good... Prices…read moredefinitely OK The band was very nice, enthusisastic, but jazzz??? Hmmm not really... Overall: definitely would come back...

I am not sure why I have never come in here before. I walk by it every day. My husband and I had…read moredinner here tonight and it was a great experience. Good service. The food is within reason price wise compared to similar restaurants. But the food was definitely above average. I had an excellent mushroom tagliatelle in creme in a light pesto cream sauce. Really tasty. We had beef carpaccio to start and my husband ordered a steak, it was in a red wine sauce, kind of sweet due to pearl onions and raisins in the sauce. They start you with a little olive oil, some nice green olives and a grainy raisin bread. The interior is very nice, cool lighting and a long beautiful wooden table highlight the room. It's small but very chic and warm. To our surprise there is a small "club" in the basement which on the weekends hosts jazz musicians. On this night they had a magician! It was interesting and much to my surprise the little club was completely full. I will also add that the owner came to our table to ask if we enjoyed our meal. He was very charming and nice. In fact I would sum up the entire experience as a charming one. Will definitely be back. It's a few blocks from Tesvikiye but honestly it's worth the extra walk. And a really decent group of people. There is also out door seating which is standout.