Artsy looking Turkish restaurant in the center of Cologne, decorated with magazine photos,…read moreportraits and an eclectic mix of artifacts.
We were seated by a friendly waiter in the front room and after a while I got curious and went exploring since regulars seemed to be going straight to the back room. Indeed, there were a couple other interesting looking rooms, and a cool little bar. But it looks like tourists like us who don't know better are put in display in the front part of the restaurant.
Our waiter was apologetic about not being able to find the only English menu the place owns and had to translate the relatively short list of dishes offered. I still wonder if the English version even exists, especially after reading other reviews.
Service was very slow, even though it was just my husband and I in that front room. Unfortunately, after all that waiting, the food was disappointing. I am surprised at all the good reviews raving about tasty food.
After a week in Germany, we wanted something different from the local food and since my husband had been to a yummy Turkish restaurant in Dusseldorf a few days earlier, we were hoping for a similar experience.
No such luck, Artistanbul offers an interesting atmosphere, but that's about it.