What an assortment of Turkish desserts! Definitely a good spot to stop and try a dessert mid day…read more Can't go wrong!! Pricing is strange, slightly expensive and confusing to order.

Most people go to Mado for ice cream...and their ice cream is on point...but we were feeling a bit…read morehungry. I had a delicious pasta dish and I was very satisfied. The service was as good as the food! Try it out if you want a nice meal and a touch of ice cream to finish it off ;) This is on the Asian side of Istanbul...Kadiköy to be exact. Perfect view of the main ferry point from the European side to the Asian side. Good times!

First of all I want to thank Arif, Vittorio, and Aziz for making myself and my fiancé feel so…read morewelcomed and for being the greatest Turks we have met on our trip. The food at dafne was outstanding. When Arif came up to us when we were walking down the street, he had told us if it was great but not very great, it would be free. Well it was VERY GREAT. From the lentil to the kofte. Everything had such an amazing flavor. I never have tasted such tender and flavorful chicken kabob before. There was not one thing we had that wasn't good. We went there 6 times in 3 days. The service was top notch. When we were just walking by after a long day of site seeing, we would stop by and say hello, and they would always invite us in for tea. Just an amazing experience. Would recommend to anyone traveling to this part of Istanbul. Well sure be back next year. Defne Herkese çok teşekkür ederim!

After telling the owner about my recent engagement to my fiance, he promised us great food and…read moresurprises. Well we met halfway. The Turkish cuisine was tender and savory, but we couldn't have been more ignored than a pair of lepers on the street. Only until the end of the meal were we first asked by the server how it tasted. And the owner made rounds and grand gestures to everyone around-- but not us. At one point the restaurant invited a trio of musicians to entertain all customers, but it was so tacky when they went around asking for tips upon leaving. After we coyly asked the owner where these mysterious 'surprises' were did he have two drinks delivered to us on the house. This place would have gotten a higher rating without the empty promises; so would I come again? Defne-tly not!

Menemen - 4 stars More flavourful than a lot of other places…read morewe've tried. Bit too salty though. Whole wheat bread rolls - 4.5 stars These came with the menemen. Good chewy crust and soft but substantial on the inside. My favourite bread on this trip aside from the pita at Karadeniz Doner in Besiktas. Wifi available and the ambience was really nice! They have comfortable couches, good lighting, and power outlets.

Came here a few times with family during our stay in Istanbul…read more People there are friendly and nice. English sometimes was a problem, but they always helped and did their best. Delicious healthy Mediterranean food. Love it!

I came with a tour group and the menu was set for us, so that may have made it different from the…read moreregular experience. But wow, was it wonderful! Everything was so flavorful and satisfying. High marks for the lentil soup and the lamb and chicken kebab. And the baklava was just dreamy. Just fantastic!

This place it's a little hard to find but trust me it's worth it. It's truly a hidden gem. It's…read morelocated at the on of the ends of the Artesanal Market outside the Blue Mosque. Staff is very attentive and helpful with recommendations. The food it's truly the most authentic I was able to find in a touristy place. it's really tasty and fresh. They have outdoor sitting area is nice. Their desserts are amazing. At first looks like a small place but it quite big.

In Istanbul, Turkey on an amazing food tour with Culinary Backstreets (Gonca, our guide) and Milk…read moreStreet. On our first night in town, we ascend a walking historical tour through the streets of Upper Beyoglu. We are walking uphill for our meal, meaning our meal will taste even better. In a quiet neighborhood, we arrived at an unassuming building with no sign, named Cuma. This old house is separated into individual dining rooms with exposed concrete walls, small hallways, creaky wood floors and floor to ceiling heavy drapes. The feeling is that this is going to be an amazing night. I under estimated just how great it could be. Ten worldly travels are joining us this culinary adventure. As we are seated for a fixed service, the dishes, start coming out of the kitchen. The description of what we are having is causing me the salivate. The first dish was lightly steamed snow peas with a dusting of hazelnut taratore. Simple and amazing! Our next dish was Turkish pastrami with roasted eggplant, tahini yogurt and crispy onions. I don't like eggplant but there is nothing left on my plate and my senses are on high alert. Simply delicious! Our next dish is minced kibbeh, tahani and fresh herbs. A new dish for me and over the top, again. Georgian dumplings with salted antakya yogurt and porcini mushrooms are up next. What a beautiful dish and packed with a smooth creamy flavor. We finish off the night with baklava, quince paste, pistachios and kaymak. It was light, savory, crispy and delightful. Hands down, one of the best evenings of dining I have experienced. The presentation, flavors, portions and experience were INCREDIBLE. If you are in Istanbul or planning a trip, please place Cuma on your list. To the staff and chefs, thanks for making our first night in Istanbul and great memory.

TLDR: Cuma offers great bistro-style food with Turkish flavors in an intimate indoor/outdoor…read moresetting alongside a quiet alleyway. Recommend the signature cocktails, ceviche, friend oysters, and chicken. They accept credit card and speak English. I'd highly recommend Cuma. We booked a reservation via phone for 8pm on a weekday. The restaurant was about half full. Most of the seating is outdoors in their cute garden courtyard. You can smoke out there. If you wanna avoid the smoke, sit indoors which has roughly 6 tables with 2-4 seats per table. The food is best described as French bistro meets Turkish flavors. We had the fried mussels, ceviche, duck, and chicken. All were cooked perfectly. Lots of citrus flavors. We didn't have dessert. You won't find traditional Turkish desserts here if that's your thing. However they have the standards you'd expect from a bistro like apple crumble and carrot cake.

A slightly strange experience - coming all the way to Turkey, yet eating in a Swiss restaurant…read more The decor of the restaurant and hotel is modern European (dark wood and subdued lighting) and the location is next to a main highway in a business / residential area, so you could be anywhere in the developing world. All that said, the food is good as is the local Turkish wine, but I really wished we had got a taxi and gone somewhere a bit more authentically local.

Fun spot to unwind after a long afternoon at the Grand Bazaar!…read more It's totally hidden - I love that you walk through a small cemetery to get here. The Wi-Fi is very spotty. Go to the server's stand near the front for best coverage. It was plenty crowded around 6 pm on a Saturday, but there's high turnover and there were a couple seat options for two when we got in. The staff is always walking around so it's easy to get coals for your hookah. Our tea took a while and we had to remind the staff we'd ordered it. The mint hookah's nice and cooling, but it reminds you a little of just having brushed your teeth. The washroom is separate and a little outside, costs 1 TL to use it. It was 22 TL before tip for a mint hookah and 3 teas. You can also shop for lights and hookahs, similar to what's in the bazaar.

This traditional Café is well hidden in a former Islam Koran school, which gives it a really nice…read moreand original atmosphere. There are old paintings on the walls and arabic lamps hanging from the ceiling. We went there in the evening, but even though we were the only tourists in the place full of locals, and the only surrounded by men, we felt welcome and comfortable. The Shisha was good and very strong, at a good price. There was someone to change the guests' coal from time to time without having to ask, as well as bringing fresh tea. It was a very nice experience for us being here and it felt like an authentic Istanbul night.

Thank you, Yelp, for steering two jet-lagged tourists to House of Medusa for dinner after a long…read moreday of travel. Our hotel was near the Basilica Cistern, so this restaurant was close as well, and easy to find. Yelpers had raved about the Stewed Chicken with Almonds and Cream and they were NOT incorrect -- it is DELICIOUS! Finally had to stop eating because I was full -- but that sauce makes you want to just keep eating and eating! We also got the Meatballs Stuffed with Bulgur, and a Shepherd's Salad dressed with pomegranite juice. Service was friendly, and the ambience cozy. Hope you'll give it a try when visiting Istanbul!

Outdoor patio with soft bossa nova playing in the background. Spotty wifi, which would kill it for…read moreme if i were doing some heavy duty tourist research. I ordered a beer (of course), and an open faced sandwich which came with fries. I was pleasantly surprised with that addition. Eat quickly before the cold air cools your food down. I was full, but left feeling that the meal was overpriced. Of course it's so close to all the attractions, but so was the cafe I went to down the street last night and I felt like I got some legit Turkish food there for a great deal. The service here doesn't compel me to come back either...if you do find yourself at Medusa, it's not so bad. But it's not great either.