After spending 2 weeks traveling around Turkey, it was such a treat to find this place. Even as…read morepescatarians, we have found it difficult around Turkey to find menu selections that go beyond the "usual suspects": Vegetable Casserole, Grilled Fish, Shrimp Skewer, Vegetable Pride, etc. - all of these have their merits on first tasting, but get boring with repetition. The lunchtime buffet that we encountered here was varied, well-prepared, and delicious: sautéed cabbage, potato/rice dumplings with yogurt sauce, stuffed peppers, falafel, tabouli salad with beets ... it went on and on. Good food at a great price, all in a cozy, literate space a little bit above the busiest streets near the ferry terminal.

AYCE vegetarian buffet for ₺20! I stuffed my face with two big plates. When I went, here were the…read morechoices: bread, mini cucumbers, cheese, bulgur rounds in tomato sauce, cheese polenta squares, roasted potato, stewed cabbage, chickpea rice, warm hummus, lentil köfte, and black eyed pea salad. They also give you a personal-sized pitcher of water. Everything was so tasty. I'm wouldn't say that I'm a diehard carnivore, but I mostly think that some sort of meat usually rounds out a meal. I didn't miss it at all here! Really liked the place. It had coffeehouse vibes (like I could hang out there for hours leeching their wifi with my laptop, or reading a good book) but with excellent food.

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...

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!

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!

Loved this place! Concept that I always dreamt of did not know exists…read more There is no menu! Every day is a surprise! Just like how your mom surprised you at every dinner. The food served is fresh, homemade and it is mostly vegetarian food. The owner mentioned the food they serve is what Turkish women cook daily at home. I tried 4-5 starters and 2 mains. Everything was totally awesome. So light n delicious. Had a satisfactory dinner while travelling. The service was very good. It is a family owned and run restaurant. The most amazing thing that impressed me the most was , the family of four who own and also work at the restaurant set their dinner table ate the same food they served to customers, which means the food is totally perfect, and free of harmful chemicals, stale or synthetic food or processed material. If you are vegetarian and looking for great food near Istiklal, this is your place to go.

Nice restaurant, very nice views. The main dishes were very tasty. The hummus lack a lot, but it…read morewas still pretty good.

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!

Recommended on an Istanbul guide from The Washington Post, Basta Street Food Bar is a small…read morerestaurant in the charming neighborhood of Kadikoy. With a few tables on the sidewalk outside and a few inside, most people sit at the bar. The menu is very small so that they can concentrate on perfecting their food. We ordered the hummus to start, which comes with a pile of thin tortilla strips for dipping. Delicious! My wife really enjoyed her lamb wrap full of flavor! My beef wrap tasted great, but the beef chunks are thick and often fatty. Being a vegetarian most of my life, I found it hard to eat. Service was attentive and the server even gave our five-year-old daughter a free iced tea.

Istanbul in 2025 is a city steeped in deception, greed, and betrayal. And as for the…read moreburger--despite Turkey's global reputation for its meat--the experience is painfully overrated. As a Turk who's traveled extensively across the United States and tasted burgers crafted with mastery--especially those with two juicy patties--I can confidently say: what's being served here is the work of amateurs. Sorry

This is for ever vegan looking for a place to eat in Istanbul. It's hard to tell from yelp if it's…read morestill open. It is OPEN. I tried every vegan option in Istanbul and I've come to the conclusion of this is the BEST vegan food you can get. Don't waist your time getting lost to find some over priced dish at a tOuriSt trap. This is the spot. It's cheap, cute and the food is so good! The lady who runs it is a sweetheart. It's also in a really cool area. No one's harassing you to ear in their restaurant. It's somewhat quiet. I walked all the way from old city and I'll do the same. Don't sleep on this place. It's so cheap you can order everything they have. Support this place. It's so worth it! Favorite vegan place over seas. :)

A very basic establishment but very good food and vegan food is hard to find Istanbul. Seems like…read moresome very honorable people working very hard. I took home chocolate cake, which was delicious.

You really need to dine here if you're in the old city. It is very small; so make a reservation…read more It is a family owned restaurant with the dining room on the middle floor of their house. All the food is home cooked by the owner, who is an artist. She has decorated the room with her art and even made the furniture. The food is amazing! You'd better love cats and dogs because they are part of the experience. Our best dining experience so far in Istanbul.

This was the highlight of my trip to Istanbul. Being served homemade food by the amazing chef and…read morecafe owner off a handwritten menu--whatever she made that day--surrounded by art and rescue animals....do not miss out!!