I've fallen in love with the Turkish cuisine all over again! I've come here with a bunch of folks on a weekday evening and I had the most amazing dinner - seriously! So here's what I recommend (in fact, pretty much in line with what Dilara E already pointed out): - I really though the Aegean Greens were lovely (an assortment pf various spinach-like greens doused in olive oil)...Popeye would approve! - the pistachio & cheese meze dish is delightful - so is the aubergine meze - last but not least, I loved the grilled octopus! - order lots of raki... I do recommend making a reservation as even on a weekday night this place was packed. By the way, this place does do seafood very well, so when I expressed an interest in köfte (meatballs), I got very strange looks ;-) Last but not least, I heard many good stories about the owner and how she opened this place having trained in something completely different. Alas, on my visit I didn't get to meet her, but I envy her for being so entrepreneurial and would like to express my highest regards! Well done! read more

Really nice local restaurant. Had the "Sidka for beginners" dinner. The sea bass in grape leaves is great. The staff tried very hard to help us communicate and saved us from over ordering raki. Note:The location shown on the yelp map is incorrect by about 1 block. It's uphill from where shown on the map. read more

OK so I got lost in Detroit Airport and next thing I knew.... Here I was in Istanbul. This is a fascinating, beautiful city. And the greatest food! At Sidika, we had seabass wrapped in grape leaves, as part of the Sidika introduction menu. I strongly advise you get this menu. Bonus-- this place is actually cheap by U S standards and the fish is extra fresh! read more

It was such a relief to find this place. At the risk of being crucified for saying this, I am not particularly impressed with Turkish food. I find it pretty average (in terms of taste). The food at Sidika was good, fresh, the atmosphere comfortable, service was good. I recommend the Seabass wrapped in grape leaves. Wish I spoke enough Turkish to request it be served with a side salad but oh well. I was satisfied enough to write this review. read more

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Our favourite place to gather w/girl friends:) Sea foods, fresh and daily mezes are wonderful. Especially grilled Octopus! You can order Aegean Greens w/olive oil if u like to try different kinds of greens suits with Turkish Raki:) Sıdıka is a small, cozy and isolated place to be. Owner, she is a METU graduate like me. You like her too. Music is not loud and atmosphere is worth to give a try. * Sıdıka, sahibi de benim gibi ODTÜ mezunu, şeker bir hanıma ait. Akaretler'in izole bir köşesinde küçük ve çok özel bir işletme. Kız arkadaşlarımla burada toplanmayı ve rakı ile taze deniz ürünleri ve mezeleriyle keyif yapmayı çok seviyoruz. Özellikle ızgara ahtapotunu, şam fıstıkli peynir mezesini ve Ege Otları tabağını öneririm. read more

Hey, you guys are totally right about Sidika. She's awesome! This place is really quite wonderful. I was here before the riots in Taksim started and I haven't been back since after, so I'm not sure whether anything has been affected. But, it's hidden away in the Akaretler neighborhood which is more residential and I'm sure extremely friendly, so, I hope and am confident that nothing has changed. This place is endearing. It feels homely. At the same time irrepressibly stylish. Large groups or small groups of neighborhood folks, students, young professionals come here to have some Okuzgozu wine, fresh specials, dishes to share, and delicious fish. It goes without saying that you could absolutely lean on Sidika's advice, even in broken Turkish or entirely in English--an absolute reprieve for the linguistically challenged such as myself. Conversation meanders throughout the long, narrow space. Sidika invariably is taking orders or barking them back to the chefs in the back. If you've been to an American family-style restaurant this is what I imagine the equivalent could be, but I haven't seen anything executed in such an unpretentious and seamless way. read more

I came here as it was recommended to me by a trusted gourmet friend, however i left the restaurant utterly disappointed. I ordered 'hellim peynirli salata' and it was soaking olive oil, they made me a new one with far less ingredients (it was half sized of the previous one) plus they reused the hellim(the cheese) that i had on the previous salad. Even the one that i took a bite from. They didn't even bother warming it up. Plus, i was asked to leave whilst i was sipping my coffee. Money back pls read more

First time in Istanbul and the Yelp comments on this small bistro style restaurant were spot on. The Smoked Eggplant starter is excellent, and the recommended Grilled Octopus and the very unique Sea Bass wrapped in Grape Leaves are so good. Thanks for the heads up Yelpers. I will come back here again. Nice flavors here for "foodies". read more

All this time I was sitting in front of my computer with Yelp in the background, thinking to myself I had written a review for Sidika. Most would have thought, because of the high praise I give it, that my 5 star review was sitting in the back drawer. Well as you could have guessed by now, Sidika is an easy 5 star review. Not only is it hard to get a reservation here, but it is affordable and worth the wait. Sidika, as I boast as if I made it, has the best stand alone Octopus in Istanbul. The service, flavors, quality of food and atmosphere are all great. Vegetarian friendly, Sidika is great for medium sized groups. Though I have only been once, I cannot wait to go again. Frankly, I dont know what is stopping me. read more

I recently came back with friends from out of town. The owner, I think was our server and she was kind of snobby. We had eggplant salad, marinated sea bass, shakshuka, walnut stuffed olives, and ground pistachios with cheese. We drank wine. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special. I like to have a spot in Besiktas, but I'm not sure I'll be back. read more

Sidika appears to be a small family or friends affair. A cozy ambience and excellent local wine list complement tasty appetizers and excellent mains. It's a fish restaurant so go there looking to eat fish. You won't be disappointed. Slightly off the beaten track in Besiktas but worth the visit. A taxi will drop you at the entrance. It's full most nights and hard to do a walk in. So ring and book ahead. They speak English. Slightly pricey but worth it. Good for a business dinner, a night out with friends or simply a romantic night out. read more

Great service, wine and food. Only downfall is no outdoor seating. They have cold and hot small plates as well as a few main dishes. Bottle of wine and 2apps and 2 mains were $65. (US dollars) read more

We had dinner there tonight and it was quite good. We ordered the black-eyed peas, mediterranean salad, and grilled octopus for appetizers. For entrees we had the grilled whole fish, spaghetti in red sauce, penne in white sauce, shrimp in phylllo and stuffed grapes leaves. Aside from the food being good, the music was perfect, (not too loud, and Pandora's French Cafe). A nice, inexpensive neighborhood restaurant. read more

Iste ortam ve mekan ve mezeler ve raki, yalniz kapi onu masasina oturma soguk havada bayagi problem oluyor giren cikandan dolayi , ama ahtapot izgara super mutlaka siparis et, mekan sahipleri super ilgililer , afiyet olsun :)) read more

Sidika is a very charming bistro with good seafood and meze. The owner is very friendly and speaks English. Highly recommend the meze sample that is suggested for "first timers" to the restaurant. For a main, the trout wrapped in grape leaves is delicious. The atmosphere of the restaurant is nice, with twinkly lights and a warm ambiance. A reservation is recommended. read more

I just finished my second meal at this place. I couldn't order a main course because this time I was determined to try as many hot appetizers as possible. I managed three and each was delicious. The grilled octopus, the fried whole calamari, the shellfish in cream sauce.... Everything is amazing! read more