Neolokal was a great experience all along! I can say it was the best dining experience I have had…read morein Istanbul, and I lived there for 17 years. This is not a comparison to any traditional Turkish restaurants or kebab places because it is a totally different setting. I went to Neolokal with my sister in law for her birthday, this was her second birthday dinner since the first one at Sunset Restaurant was a disaster. We were greeted by the sweetest waiter that's alive who represented the true Turkish hospitality. He introduced himself as Ziya and he was extremely helpful in terms of the selections. At a restaurant like this where creative bites are served, as a first timer you NEED that help. From the cocktails to the dinner to the service and the environment the view, god everything was amazing. Even though we did not ask; we were moved to the table with a view as soon as the people who dined there left, my sister in law got a surprise dessert with candles, and all the other small touches Ziya provided made our experience incredible. So 1000 out of 100 on service! The food was incredibly delicious and had amazing textures. You can tell there is so much work put into creating such dishes. The food served might seem small but i could not finish last few dishes of our prix fixe due to being full already. I love food and trying new places. As a New Yorker I have access to some of the best restaurants in the world some having Michelin Star and all. I could tell with confidence that Neolokal is at the same level if not more when I compare to these restaurants. ( if youve been to Contra in Lower Manhattan, I found the two to be similar in terms of the incredible and creative tasting dishes, Ofcourse Neolokal is very Turkish cuisine inspired but still)

I know I'm supposed to love it, but I ended up feeling like this was a good conceptual meal rather…read morethan a great-tasting meal. The dining room is very modern, with nice views of the Bosphorus below. I had asked for a table by the window, and I ended up deep in the dining room (a first red flag). Service was sometimes great and sometimes confused - I had different people try to explain some dishes to me, while other dishes were dropped off with no comment. The conceit of the place is taking traditional Turkish traditions and elevating it with modern technique and sustainable ingredients. But I wanted more "wow" to the dishes.

This place was a little tough to find. We wandered around the bazaar until we realized the entrance…read moreis tucked away to the left right after security at one of the entrances. We stopped by on a Saturday morning and were seated immediately. The food was pretty good. Expensive by Turkish standards but very reasonable by American standards. The bread basket they gave us was huge. Atmosphere was classy and more upscale but it is a Michelin bib gourmand restaurant after all.

Adventure myself day, I decided to have lunch here because before coming to Istanbul, I did lots of…read moreresearch (majority of that "eating place"!) and found out this place. According to the menu,this place has been 122 years historical restaurant and Queen Elizabeth II, Audrey Hepburn, and more celebrities and artists visited this place and enjoyed the view from here. This place is hidden gem, located second floor of the Egyptian bazar (spice bazar) little hard to find it. You can find the stairs to the restaurant next to the gate 1. Go walk upstairs (on the wall blue nice mozique tiles, it's so beautiful and feels like going to a different world or dimension.) When I got the restaurant almost lunch time and a waiter led me to the back room long table where is without window, to share the table with the guy who had his meal. I felt uncomfortable because other side the area wasn't full. Shortly, the guy(looks like manager) came to me and guide me to new table. My new table is very nice and I felt much better. I ordered Geleneksel kuzu etli Hünkâr begendi (Sultan's delight, lamb stew served on mashed roasted eggplant), Water(33cl), Kazandibi (Caramelized bottom milk pudding of chicken breast), and Çay (Turkish tea). Got a complementary breads, they are lots of variety and plenty for only one person. My main dish is very flavorful and delicious. My dessert, I was little bit worried about it because chicken meat in a sweets dessert. But I had a new experience and it wasn't bad. Çhay tea, anywhere I go in Istanbul I love their traditional style "drinking Çhay", so no need words, just good! Overall, my lunch time was very satisfied and if I have a chance to visit Istanbul again, for sure I'll be back here and try another their meal.

I was walking along this stretch of street looking for a nice place to eat and noticed this place…read morebecause of the open atmosphere and cool decor on the inside. The ambiance of this place was top notch. Perfect place to take a date. I had some tasty hummus, a pot of seafood and a bottle of red wine. I was able to negotiate a small discount on the red wine which made me happy, and I was seated facing toward the street so got some great people watching in. The food was pretty good, particularly the hummus, and the wine was delicious though it was not cheap even with the slight discount. I do think they need to have a talk with their waitstaff about appropriate etiquette dealing with customers. At first my waiter came across as very friendly and nice but then started getting a little overly flirtatious and obnoxious to a point where it was uncomfortable. And then he gave me his information and pleaded with me to write a 5-star review on trip advisor and make sure to mention him BY NAME and say he was the best waiter ever. He reminded me of this at least 3 times and I found that to be a little obnoxious as well. Of course I didn't put a review up on tripadvisor and I don't remember the guys name. Anyway, this would be a 4 star but the waiter's behavior knocks it down to a 3-star for me. Still the ambiance was great, there were plenty of choices on the menu and my meal was pretty good.

I really wanted to love this place just based on its name alone! Sadly, you could do a lot better…read moreelsewhere. The Husband and I picked this place based off Trip Advisor reviews but left kind of thinking, "Meh, that's a letdown." First, the service was not great. Our waiter was slightly rude and gave us the cold shoulder. Not sure why, maybe he didn't want to work that night? We asked to be moved to a table closer to the fireplace because we were seated right next to the entrance door, which was open almost the entire time in February. But our waiter either didn't hear us or didn't care. The food was okay. Nothing different from the restaurant next door or the one up the street. It was the standard tourist fare of simple kebabs. The Husband ordered the lamb but it was way overcooked. I thought the chicken curry sounded good (because I love love LOVE curry) but the curry was so slight that it was mainly chicken in a bland sauce. Let down. We passed on dessert because, well, why bother? Looking around, the place only had tourists eating there. No locals. So keep in mind that if you're looking for really traditional Turkish fare, venture out of the Sultanahmet.

We arrived to our hotel located in Sultanahmet in the evening and requested a recommendation for a…read moreplace nearby to eat. They pointed us here. It is located right around the corner from the Blue Mosque. This is a place that definitely attracts alot of tourists, thanks to Rick Steve's Istanbul guide which the restaurant proudly indicates on their front door. We did see locals coming in though and ordering food to take away. Although a magnet for tourists, the service and food was quite good. The restaurant is very open and good for large groups of people. They specialise here in a variety of Turkish kebabs and pizza. My husband and I enjoyed the Alinazik and Beyti kebab. There is a selection of fresh squeezed juices - you can see them squeezing the juice by hand. I loved the pomegranate juice. After our meals they brought the dessert platter around to view. We shared the large portion of Kadayif which was very good with the Turkish tea. I don't see how one person alone could eat the Kadayif as it is quite larger. They said that the Kadayif was the house made dessert that was a favourite. The only downside is that the restaurant gets quite loud due to it's open nature. Also, the servers are running around and often would forget who ordered what, and we would often get items we didn't ask for delivered to our table, but picked quickly up again and delivered to the correct owner. The servers are extremely friendly though and quick to fix anything in error.

This was a great lunch stop, located right around the corner from the Blue Mosque and Hippodrome…read more The menu was varied with options for meat eaters and vegetarians alike, and freshly pressed juice was available in the restaurant along with the standard ayran (yogurt drink), teas, and coffees. The restaurant was about 2/3 full at lunch, a combination of locals and tourists. The restrooms were clean and convenient. The menus were easy to read. There is even a supplemental menu that is comprised mostly of pictures to help out the confused foreigners who may not understand the printed menu. Before the meals came out we were served with unlimited bread that was poofed up straight from the oven to our table. I ordered the shish kabob, which was delicious lamb seasoned perfectly with just a slight kick alongside rice and fresh veggies. As a starter I had the yogurt salad, which I also thought went deliciously with the bread and my main course. At one point I noticed a man walking in with an armful of logs, and then realized that they were actually doing the cooking on a wood fired oven. The flavor was great. The only complaint I have about Buhara 93 was the time it took for our food to be delivered to the table. This was the slowest service I'd experienced in Turkey. If you've been walking around all day, this could be a good thing, and you can just enjoy the time off your feet. However, if you're in a rush this may pose a problem for you. Bonus: Free wifi available! Just ask your server for the password.

Upon walking into the restaurant, you immediately embark upon a open-fire grill. The smoke coming…read morefrom it made me crave the not-yet-ordered grilled meats. For appetizer, my friend and I shared the mezze platter consisting of eight different spreads. It was a great choice because it let us try several different spreads. My favorites are the eggplant spread and the hummus. For grilled meats, we loved both the grilled filet mignon and the grilled chicken skewers. The meats have been aged and seasoned to perfection. It was the best meat we have had in Istanbul. You really can taste the difference between other inferiorly prepared meats. The meats come with grilled flatbread, which was delicious as well. For dessert, I had the best kunefe ever! I was so full at the end of the meal that I almost could not drink their sweet complimentary tea...almost. P.S. Warning: The long pepper that comes with the meats is extremely spicy. Don't say that nobody warned you.

Highly recommend for a traditional Turkish meal that is fresh and clean…read more We started with the mezze platter for two which had an array of different cold dips. Accompanied by fresh baked bread which was mildly crunchy on the outside but light and fluffy inside. Every item was full of wonderful flavors. For the main course we had the Tenderloin which was so soft and tasty.

If you are staying at the Park Hyatt or St Regis, this should be on your list. Gracious and…read moreprofessional service, tasty food, just baked Lavash AND reasonable prices. Sure, little English is spoken, so don't try to order an exotic drink. Just go with it. We went at 8 pm and had inside to ourselves. I even did takeout Hummus for less than $4US! I would go back again, but my stay in Istanbul is ending. But you should plan on it!

A very nice restaurant in a calm and quiet part of the city. The waiter presents you with all of…read morethe mezze options on a large platter so that you can see the food and make your decisions! Every mezze we ordered was so fresh and flavorful. Do not skip the baba ghanoush, lamb skewer, amd chicken kebab. We highly recommend the fresh picked fruit platter for dessert

Awesome views and delicious food. I tried the lahmacun and the muhammara and baklava and all were…read moredelicious. Service was quick and friendly. Great place for a family dinner or hangout with friends.

Ate upstairs and had an incredible view of the city. Service was very good. The mezze were all…read morevery good with the puffed bread. Entrees were good but the meats were a little dry. Loved the raki.

A must-try for tourists!…read more The food is absolutely delicious, with a menu offering traditional Turkish dishes. The ambiance is modern yet maintains a relaxed, upscale vibe, making it perfect for both casual outings and special occasions. They are famous for their mezes, and I highly recommend the levrek marin and fava. For mains, the hunkar begendi is amazing! The service is fast, friendly, and attentive, adding to the overall great experience. It's a classic if you're in Istanbul. Also, it's in of the best area to hang, tons to see around. Highly recommended!

I was excited to try this place but found the food to be just okay. Maybe I picked the wrong items?…read moreI am not sure. We ordered the grilled artichokes, pickles, potato croquettes, and beef tenderloin. The artichokes were my favourite - so delicious! Everything else was alright. It was all cooked well and seemed fresh but I found the price to be a bit expensive for what it was. I've had better meals for much cheaper in Istanbul. One thing I didn't like was a 50 lira charge per person for cover? And our water was not free. On top of that, a 10% service charge. Not really happy about being charged cover and a service charge but it is what it is. Service was good and our food came very quickly.