Mezzaluna like so many others is a franchise Italian restaurant, where one would expect above…read moremediocrity due to it being a franchise. However if you know what to get, this place is worthy of a visit.
It's expensive (80TL per person at cheapest) so you have to be absolutely certain of what you order, for example the Fritti di Mare (42TL) is expensive but delicious enough that split between two people it kinda makes sense. However the salmon, which seems to be the go to fish for every single restaurant in Istanbul, again at 42TL is too overpriced and bland.
But the story changes when it comes to pizza. The pizza rossa (34TL) was wonderful, even cheap considering that the medium size pizza you order from Dominos costs about the same, if not more. It was a very pleasant surprise to be honest, I didn't expect the pizza to be this competitively priced and executed this well.
And on to the tiramisu, it's a complete and utter rip off for it is preposterously expensive at 26TL, there is absolutely no way to justify that price for a dessert which only has 5 ingredients in it and is so easy to make. However, it was also perfect, I couldn't have done it better myself. There was no alcohol in it, neither grappa nor ameretto, but I can't find any other fault in it. Yes you could find the same tiramisu for 3€ in Italy but it looks like in Istanbul, you have to pony up a lot for a good ol' tiramisu.
There is a back garden, which looks lovely but is also inhabited by smokers. So while you can escape the mall atmosphere, you also have to endure second hand smoking. And lastly the service, while you have to get their attention, the staff was very helpful. They took my phone to charge up even though I didn't have my charger with me, CookShop for example refused to charge it even when I had my charger with me. When I messed up my pants, they even had a stain-remover handy to remove the stain.
So overall I'll recommend Mezzaluna for the pizza, the tiramisu and the service. Know what to order, and you'll have a nice time.
