I came here with my family on a Wednesday night around 8:30pm for dinner. We did not have a…read morereservation but were able to get a table since the place was not too busy. This is a super cute restaurant with an indoor seating area as well as an outdoor patio area. We opted to sit outside since we wanted a view of the street and wanted to feel the nice breeze. Our waiter was very nice and helped explain a few things in the menu. He was very appreciative of the few words we know in Turkish but thankfully was fluent in English. He helped explain several dishes on the menu and had great suggestions on what to order. We tried: - Freshly baked bread: for our starter course they brought out this delicious flat bread that was freshly baked. The texture was soft and airy with the right amount of doughiness. Not sure why, but the bread in Turkey just tastes so much better intrinsically--I honestly could have eaten 3 of these. - Aubergine: tangy and refreshing dip with eggplant and spices. Imagine baba ganoush but without tahini, meaning you get to experience the smokiness of the eggplant without creaminess or nuttiness. It's a very interesting flavor which I am not sure I like better than baba ganoush or its counterpart with tomato sauce. Probably my least favorite dish of the night but still very good with the bread. On the lighter side. - Hummus: delicious! Very nutty, not as citrus and pretty well spiced. A little bit more on the watery side but still chunky enough to satisfy my cravings for thicker hummus. I really loved the texture! It might be my favorite hummus of this style that I've had. It had a very earthy flavor and complimented the bread flavor really well. - Greek salad: generous portion! Came with fresh lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and a fresh cheese with a mildly earthy flavor that was a little bit creamier and less crumbly/salty that feta (reminds me of kashkaval). The produce was evidently very fresh and the flavors were well balanced. Really nice salad to compliment your meal. - Cheese pide: again, bread here is just delicious. Amazing doughy consistency, soft, with a nice layer of cheese. Essentially the best sauce-less cheese slice I've ever had. Great to split! - Iskender kebab: this was my first time trying Iskender in my life so I am not sure how great my gauge is on this one but it was fantastic!!! Wow.... I do not understand how people can eat döner when you can have Iskender. Super tender, juicy, thinly sliced beef, with a little spicy tomato sauce paired with a decadent creamy yogurt that was cooling and balanced out the dish well. All of this was served over some pieces of pita which soak up all the sauce, fats of the meat, and creamy yogurt. The spices are also so subtly complex, they were divine. One of my favorite bites in Turkey so far! - Grilled sea bass: this was the priciest dish but the size was so large it can easily feed 3 people. This was evidently freshly caught from the Bosporus since it was super tender and fresh tasting. The seasoning was perfect! The filets were grilled to perfection as well and had nice crispy skins and tender meat. This also came with rice, fries, and some vegetables. We then got complimentary tea and baklava which were warming and delicious. Overall, I thought the food was very amazing and the portion sizes were generous. Coming from the US the prices seemed fair for what you get! Would definitely recommend for a tourist friendly place. Probably the best meal in the Sultanahmet area so far.

Very tasty food serviced quickly with welcoming hospitality in a great location. Nice indoor and…read moreoutdoor seating - highly recommended.

GREAT SERVICE GOOD FOOD…read moreGOOD PRICING the first impression I got when I stepped out of the ferry was an island which is overcrowded, smelly and defiantly a tourist-trap. There were so many people on the road that you could barely walk, it was really hot and I only could smell horse poop. I immidietly knew that I couldn't eat at one of the local restaurant on the main roads. Unfortunately yelp isn't the best app to use for food recommendations in Turkey. I looked on trip advisor and found this restaurant. It stands for its name and it's away from crowded roads but at the same time not too far away to all main streets. This means you'll get there within 10 min when you get out of the Ferry in main Pier. The one thing that truly stands out when you go there is service. These people know the value that online reviews bring them and truly try to make sure your experience is a positive one. This is not very common in Turkey. We got the mixed Fish plate, a bunch of appetizers (definitely try the walnut, olive appetizer) and salads. They gave us a complementary eggplant based appetizer which was yummy. They also have a good selection of wine. We tried a bottle of the white wine which turned out to be really good ( sorry I don't remember the name). They finished our day with a photo that they printed and brought us toward the end as well as complementary ice-cream. We also ordered some tea and Baklava. The ice-cream was great but the Baklava was just okay. I'm not sure if I'll go back to that island again but if I do, going to this restaurant again is definitely going to be on my list.

Nice ambiance. Very friendly and helpful staff. Food was good. They gave free bread and olives as a…read morepre appetizer and tea and baklava for dessert. At the end of the meal we asked if they would call us a taxi as we had someoeni our group on crutches. They ended up giving us a ride in the restaurant van. Super sweet.

Ok, hear me out, there are a million and one restaurants here and honestly it can be overwhelming…read more I knew I wanted seafood and I knew I wanted to be by the water. Double check. Host was super nice greeting us and told us to 'go up to the 5th floor for same price'. Say less. And what a view it was!! Instant happiness in my book. We waited an uncomfortably long time for our server and begin to doubt our choices. He definitely didn't have the same charm as the Host, but we stayed. The table that was next to the window left and our server offered for us to move over to the better view. Redemption for you, Sir! Then the food began. Ordered Calamari for the table to share. It was cooked to perfection. In fact, it stole the show. So good! My linguine was a comforting experience, a bit on the bland side, but tends to be how things are served here. I did sample some other plates of those dining with me and each one was perfecto in taste. The Fish Meatballs (fish cakes) were similar to something my grandmother made years ago. Happy memory. Paid our check and was offered a complimentary tea or coffee. We chose the tea. A little bitter for all of our liking, but not dinging them for that. Then the waiter served us a complimentary dessert. Amazing! The act and the taste. I thought it tasted similar to Cream of Wheat with a cinnamon, butter note, warmed up and served with ice cream underneath. Wow! What a great way to end the night. Overall, highly recommend. Very satisfied.

This place is next to a pier. The restaurant has multi floors, but I dined indoor on the ground…read morelevel. The server was very cool and attentive. I ordered more than I could actually handle. I really loved the dessert or Irmik if I spelled it correctly. OMG, with so many places to try, I kept thinking about this places days after. And I still wanted to try their fried oyster. It's a 4.9 out of 5. Will come again when I visit istanbul!

Excellent seafood where the locals eat. Friendly service. Had whole sea bass, shrimp and excellent…read moreside dishes. Pick your own fish from the case.

Seriously overpriced restaurant ! Be aware they don't have a prices on the menu and they charge…read morefish by weight ,only they would never let you know how they weighted it. Lunch for one person for $100 dollars is more like a Manhattan prices but not Istanbul unknown restaurant.

Walking along Sultanmehmet in Istanbul, we wanted to get away from the areas with major congestion…read moreand inflated prices. We stumbled upon Mr. Cook and what a lovely surprise! In addition to a wonderful outdoor cafe atmosphere on a street not overrun with people, the staff were very kind, warm, and highly attentive. Perhaps the star of the show was a black and white cat, one of so many that call Istanbul home. Cats and the many caring people who look after them have created an entire ecosystem in Istanbul that is the subject of many books, web channels and documentaries. This insightful little gentleman caught a glance at me from across the street then made his way across, hopped into my lap, and virtually fell asleep. The staff and other customers seemed to like this nearly as much as I did. What a fantastic way to have a calming meal with a great atmosphere and terrific food to match. Thank you very much for an enjoyable time.

***** Delicious Dorada after a nice assortment of their…read moreTurkish Mezze appetizer. Attentive service and the music selection was vey enjoyable. And, they serve alcohol! My husband enjoyed his checken

We visited Babylonia restaurant the last time we were in Istanbul, 8 years ago in 2013. We liked…read morethe food so much that not only we kept visiting it then multiple times, we also decided to revisit again this time in 2021 and we are so glad that we did. The food was simply delicious and the service amazing. Highly recommended if you want to eat something super delicious.

The food in this restaurant is top quality and the service is amazing…read more The owner is very friendly and always listening. Great place.

I came here with my family for dinner during our first night in Istanbul. This place had been…read morehighly recommended to us by my in-laws who came last year and spoke positively of it. We did not have a reservation but we walked in around 7:45pm on a Tuesday and were seated right away. This is a super cute place with flowers and many glass lamps in the ceiling that give this romantic yellow glow to the restaurant. When we went, the partition to the outside was removed so we got to experience the pleasant air of the city and it made the place feel even more open. Our waiter was really kind and went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed. For food we tried: - Çorbası: our first course was a small serving of lentil soup that was on the house with some freshly baked pita. The soup was creamy, and had a rich flavor of spices that was very good. The lentils had been blended so it had a smooth texture. Went very well with the pita and was very a very warming start to the meal. - Mixed appetizer platter: we got the mixed platter of cold mezze to share as a starter. This came with four stuffed grape leaves, hummus, haydari (yogurt dip), eggplant in tomato sauce, ezme (Turkish salsa-like dip that had a little spicy kick), and plenty of veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers. They brought out extra pita for us to try all these amazing dishes. My favorites were definitely the haydari since it was thick, creamy, and refreshing, as well as the eggplant with tomato because it had a great flavor and it felt so healthy.... Highly recommend to share one with the table. - Pottery kebab: my fiancé and I ordered a pottery kebab with chicken since we had heard it was very good! We were definitely not disappointed. They bring out the clay pots in flames and do a little show with them before they serve the sizzling meat stew in a cast iron and put it at your table. They bring you a plate with rice and potatoes as sides. I was expecting a more grilled style meat but turns out this is more like a juicy, rich stew. The meat was tender, very well seasoned with what I think was thyme, sumac, +/- paprika, amongst others I could not identify but were very good. It comes mixed with abundant bell peppers and onions too to add extra flavor. The rice this came with was delicious as well as the potato that was super crispy on the outside and still moist and fluffy on the inside. - baklava and tea: our waiter brought out small glasses with hot tea to end our meal as well as 4 small cubes of baklava which were delicious (and complimentary!), very good end to the meal. Overall, I really loved my experience here at The Last Ottoman Cafe. Highly recommend it to anyone who is in Istanbul given the fantastic service, great central location, amazing food, and welcoming atmosphere. This place may or may not be touristy but, that being said, the prices are very fair so I think it's worth it. Definitely come here if you have a chance!

Yet another great meal in Istanbul. A long day, quite literally of walking had us tired and hungry…read more My son had taken point on finding places to eat for this portion of our trip and once again he made a great call. We were started with a ? chickpea soup that had incredible depth of flavor, a nice thick body and was even better when dipped into with the warm bread provided. Efes Beer: Draft served in a properly chilled glass. Nice and crisp Beef Doner Kebab: Served on a piece of lavosh (which was so tasty after it had soaked in the juices) with grilled tomatoes and peppers. The doner had a nice crispy edge to most of the pieces and was well flavored. The tomato and peppers had a nice char on them that accentuated the flavors of the meat. Onion Rings: Okay as I explained why we went into a McDonalds here I ama fiend for onion rings. These were excellent. good onion to breading ratio and nice onion taste. They came with a small salad and yogurt based dipping suace which worked. perfectly fried as well Adana Kebab (Spicy): minced beef and lamb with spices and then formed and grilled on a skewer. The meat had a nice balance of beef and lamb and was quite rich. The heat level for spicy registered but for me it was more mild. Again the bread underneath was fantastic after eating the kebab. They provided us with baclava and tea on the house which was a nice touch. Service was super friendly and on point

Always a great place to take a break for tea, coffee or one of their delicious milkshakes. They…read moremake great pastries and cookies too. Try one of the Izmir Bombasi, served warm and full of creamy chocolate. For some reason, even though it's a chain, every Espressolab in Istanbul has a great vibe. I always like the laid-back ambience and terrace.

Quick service, friendly staff, perfect for grab an go. I stopped by on my walk through the city,…read moreand the grabbed some tea on the way to enjoy. It was the perfect pick me up. They also have a huge assortment of pastries and large selection of beverages to choose from. They also have indoor dining if you prefer to have your items eat in.