Take your Fener Balat Tour to see the beautiful streets, houses and spirit of Old Istanbul! Then,…read moregive a break and take rest at the beautiful Dervis Baba Kahvehanesi! This place has very unique and authentic decoration. The music is great, soft and relaxing! They have indoor and outdoor seating as well. People who serve you are absolutely amazing! They make you feel like home with their good attitude and warm welcoming! Go there, have your Turkish coffee or tea. Or just let the host to mix you a good herbal tea!

This restaurant is in the beautiful and posh neighborhood of Karaköy. The moment you walk in, you…read moreunderstand why they are Michelin recognized. The decor is simple, modern, sleek, and very clean, and I love the light blues and the greys, which are very calming. We were immediately seated and made to feel very welcome. The menu looks like it changes very often. The prices were very reasonable, and so much better than the prices for just mediocre, average food in the tourist area of Sultanahmet, so this was a nice break for us. I ordered the meat stew, which was beef and vegetables that were absolutely delicious. The food was very fresh. I had the mantı as well, a traditional dish. It was very delicate and flavorful. What I loved was that the flavors were very balanced, nothing was too overly salty or too sweet. And the wine selection, they have a really nice selection of Turkish wines. It was very delicious, and I would absolutely go back.

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!

This Starbucks is located in the heart of Taksim. We stopped at this location for a frap and mocha…read moresince we needed some caffeine after a short night, the coffee menu was familiar to us and we didn't really know our way around in the area. It is a smaller Starbucks but offers ample seating - inside and outside. Despite being super busy the barista took our order with a smile, and prepared our drinks on no time and left super happy!

merhabalar dün taksimdeki şubenizdeydik, mağazadaki personel ve yönetici arkadaşın bizimle olan…read moreiletişiminden tutun aldığımız kahve ve tatlıya kadar herşey o kadar güzeldi ki çok memnun kaldık, böyle personeller görmek çok güzel kesinlikle her taksime yolum düştüğünde uğrayacağım bir mekan olacak herşey için teşekkürler:)

A good friend of mine brought us here when we asked for a "typical night out". What to say: the…read morereviews here are all in point! The service is extremely nice, the guys there are very friendly and courteous. They bring fresh coal and tea and watermelon almost all the time (until you don't want more of course). There are TVs (important bc Euro2016). The ambience is impressive as can be seen in the videos. Outside was very full, with locals and tourists the same and lots and lots of pipes. Inside was similarly full, with small rooms and here people squeezed together which created an amicable bond as we were forced to talk to each other. We met some nice guys who worked in the Grand bazaar and spoke around 6 languages fluently! The important thing, the nargile (water pipe in Turkish) was the best I've had so far (though until now I've only had those in Vienna and that's no comparison). Our apple flavour was not too strong and came with a sweet aftertaste. Also, our friendly neighbours explained to us what to beware of with the pipe, the café seemed to be their second home. All in all, I was amazed to find such an atmospheric café, behind the ruined walls and the not-so-trustworthy entrance. But my Turkish friend shooed us in and what a gem we found. Hence, a perfect recommendation. Bring a lot of time and relaxed mood, go in, be amazed and find new friends.

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.

Staff here speak English. If they don't, they know how to gesture to communicate effectively. I…read moreassume because a lot of foreign tourists pass through this neighborhood due to its proximity to the cruise port. They serve breakfast all day and it is one of the best meals I've ever had. Order from the deli counter first, then they bring everything to your table. When you are done, pay at the register. The fried eggplant here is absolutely delicious. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside with a some kind of savory marinade. Every meal comes with bread rolls, but you can order pastries too. They have a fantastic meat filled pastry that goes really well with the mushy eggplant and menemen (mushy scrambled eggs). We capped our meal off with a cup of Turkish coffee. Altogether, the meal for 4 people cost ~800 Lira (under $30 USD) which is a fantastic value compared to the breakfast at the Marriott where we were staying.

Love the cafeteria in a gourmet store. All kinds of items to purchase and you can walk in and see…read moreyour lunch and decide for yourself what looks good today.

The mezze spread was so delicious and a great variety of really flavorful spreads. We also tried…read moresome of the meat pastries, which were delicious. The rice and meat entrees were also delicious. The plating is gorgeous and highlights the colorful food really well. The surrounding area is full of cute little shops for shopping before or after. Seated easily Monday afternoon. Their outdoor area overlooks a nice garden, but some other diners started smoking there, so we had to move to the indoors area.

We loved the street that this cafe was on! We spontaneously decided to check it out because we saw…read morethe breakfast set that some of the locals were feasting on. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that 1) we could only order the breakfast set since it was before 2pm and 2) how pricey it ended up being since each of us had to order it ~$30pp I believe. The overall selection didn't feel worth how much we were paying since most of it was cheese, spreads, and bread... Regardless, the presentation was stunning and the quality was overall great.