Found this gem of a place on Happy Cow after spending a few days in Istanbul. Turkey is a pretty…read moremeat heavy culture, but you can seek out some good veggies places. This is one of them. It is a little hole in the wall place, but they serve up a traditional flavorful dish a bit like seitan basically. You can get it in a wrap and if you are staying somewhere can take a box home for fairly cheap. Also be sure to check out nearby Parsifal. This is a simple sit down affordable place that is 100 percent vegetarian and has many vegan options. The menu labels what is vegetarian and what is vegan making ordering easy.

Zencefil which means "ginger" in English is located Istiklal street area and it is one of the few…read morevegetarian restaurants in Istanbul. I have been going to Zencefil for years but last time I was there was about 4-5 years ago. The restaurants has been keeping its style, quality for many years. Even the menu looks like the same except for a few new dishes depending on the season. There are several kinds of vegetable quiches such as eggplant, spinach, etc. The nice think is that before the meal they serve butter mixed with herbs accompanied with bread. There were two kinds of bread; with corn flour and whole wheat. However, the bread could be better, I didn't like the whole wheat bread. I can make batter breads and I am wondering why they do not make their own bread adding different kinds of herbs and vegetables. Although it is a vegetarian restaurant, there one or two chicken dishes on the menu. Since there wasn't so much change on the menu for years, I have already tried most dishes which were OK. I mean the tastes are nice, not heavenly but you know that all of them are healthy. This time I had warm served Aegean stew made of artichokes, faba beans and black-eyed beans. It was so light and tasty, I really like it. I had homemade ginger ale for a drink but frankly saying I didn't like it maybe because I am used to Canadian dry or other brands. But I recommend its lemonade with ginger. I hope they add more experimental vegetable recipes on the menu next time. At the end of the meal they always serve coriander and some dry herb to refreshen the breath which I really like. Lastly, the ambiance is nice, bright, colorful and the place is mostly full of young people and tourists during lunch hours. The service is not bad but I wish they smile more...

Really fresh, easy falafel right in the heart of Taksim square. As a tourist, it is easy to feel a…read morelittle slowed down with the abundance of Turkish food, meat, more meat, and delicious desserts. This place is a great reprieve for the night! I forgot to take photos, but it looks exactly as the menu looks. The falafel is amazing!!!! Hummus is a little nutty for my taste, but paired with the generous (and free!) pita bread, and the veggies, it is pretty good!! Servers were all nice and helpful despite our only knowledge of Turkish being "hello" and "thank you" To sum it up: quick, easy, and fresh!

This is quite affordable and yet it's one of the best places I've been in Istanbul. The atmosphere…read moreis authentic. They give you pickled cucumbers and 2 sauces alongside a busket of bread for free as starters. Regarding the actual food, the hummus was very moist and flavorsome and falafels were crunchy and freshly made.

First established in Fatih in 1950 and moved to Nişantaşı in 2000 Hünkar Lokantası was once…read moreconsidered one of the "100 Best Restaurants Of World" by Restaurant Magazine, and although this may seem far fetched the kitchen continues to turn our excellent Turkish & Ottoman Food today. Managed by Feridun and Galip Ügümü, their open kitchen greeting guests from 12h00 to 22h30 daily, it is atop white tablecloths that menus are offered alongside warm Bread and drinks such as freshly-squeezed Pomegranate Juice to begin. Traditionally decorated with an English-fluent staff, the nearby neighborhood quiet and upscale, it was on a slow Sunday that Hünkar was found happy to make suggestions including traditional Lamb Trotter Soup packing a whole lot of Vinegar and Garlic. Still family owned in its third generation, a fourth also involved in management, Appetizers arrive temperature appropriate in the form cold stuffed Eggplant, creamy Hummus with fragrant Oil and warm Beef in Puff Pastry. Relying on the grill for entrees, both Lamb Chops and varieties of Beef nicely cooked alongside Rice, Tomatoes and Peppers, the restaurant's specialty of Hünkar Begendi translates as "admired by the Sultan" and certainly earns its accolades thanks to crispy-skinned Lamb on a bed of mashed Aubergine. Not taking any shortcuts with sweets, a baker's dozen made in-house daily, options range from milky to Fruit-based with the baked Rice Pudding and sweetened Pumpkin good but not nearly so compelling as Sutlu Kadayif or Bread Pie known as "Kaymakli Ekmek Kadayifi" served beneath Kaymak.

Had dinner at Hunkar last week...here are my thoughts:…read more Ambiance is fine. The restaurant is very casual and the interior was nice enough. Service seems friendly but nobody spoke English so our local hosts basically facilitated everything on our behalf. Food was just okay for me. The artichoke was delicious as were the grape leaves but I didn't particularly care for anything else. My dad loved his lamb dish which I didn't try. Accompanying bread was a bit stale. I'm not sure what the prices are like since I didn't pay the bill. Overall I'm glad I got to experience Ottoman fare but I don't think I'll return.

When I am in London, I frequent Pret a Manger, and this establishment appears very similar, with…read moretheir little sandwiches and yogurts. I have gone two times just to look in the afternoon and most of the time their shelves are empty so I am not aware if it is more of a morning breakfast place. But the food looks really good when it's there and I'm curious to see if anybody else has tried the other establishment and can compare the food. They have the same kind of food prepped, although they have very few if any vegan options.

This place offers good sandwiches and salads. Its located in a really nice area...The internet does…read morenot work here...too bad as its a lovely place to hang...

I can't even express how happy we were to find this place. It was recommended by our friends at…read moreOlea Pizzeria. Then we all ended up coming here together on my last day -- after trying it out with my lady. The filipino sushi chef was everything here. He was so kind, and helpful to my lady who he accommodated with vegan dishes. The toro here is better than many American sushi places I've been to! It is high quality. For the price -- we wanted to buy everything. Lol. Most of all, this place is authentic Japanese food! It is is co-Owned by Japanese as well as Turkish. The chefs in the kitchen are Japanese. No wonder why my Chicken Katsudon was on point. Brought back memories of Japan for me. I truly miss this place already. It's by far the bear in Istanbul as far as authenticity. Can't wait to come back.

Nice place in a nice area. It always delights me when restaurants put their menu outside so that…read morepasser byers can decide if they want to enter based on a type of food and prices - and this place is one of them. The food was yummy, the fish was fresh and nicely made and the miso soup tasted great. The prices are decent. The waiters were attentive and welcoming.

The food was fabulous. My favorite was the warm hummus with flavorful meat sauce over it. This…read morerestaurant is a must when in Istanbul.

Possibly the mother of all tourist traps…read more In Taksim square there are multiple locations. We went to one and they guided (felt forced) to walk into their other one of many locations there. By far the worse food and ridiculous prices I've ever seen. Where is the Istanbul police or tourist authority to Check this? Everything smell and reeks of lamb... why can't they just have beef or chicken?

Excellent service as always. Food was delicious. I had pizza made to be vegan. I asked for no oil…read moreand no cheese. They put oil on the arugula but they quickly removed it and brought me a bowl of plain arugula. Two in our party had the quinoa salad with dry figs but they said hardly any figs.

Nice hotel. Great hamam located within hotel! Friendly staff.. great service! Hotel is…read moreconveniently located by Taksim square where there is plenty of restaurants and shopping. Hotel stay includes breakfast of Turkish foods which are super fresh, light, and very tasty! Baked goods are extremely good! Rooms are clean with very nice en suite. Any issues I had with room were taken care of immediately. Standard room does not include Wi-Fi, this will run you $50 euro for the week. I had a friend join me for breakfast , the cost was about $40 U.S. Overall a great experience!

This place has a real charm to it. The ingredients are fresh and delicious ... it's basically a…read morelarge salad bar, with home grown lettuce, which made my whole body sigh and relax after searching Istanbul for healthy food. Not everything is organic, but they make an effort, which is more than can be said about most of Istanbul. If you are like me, and coming from the west coast of the US, perhaps organic food is important to you, and the idea of knowingly eating pesticides makes you cringe? I had been going to Healin Foods religiously every day, but they aren't fully organic either, and I discovered they were heating up frozen food, (possibly in a microwave?) so I decided to go searching for a good solid salad, and expand my repertoire This place is unique and I feel quite satiated eating here. They may have other things on the menu besides salad, but I couldn't tell. It isn't particularly clear as an English speaker, but I was totally content with the salad. The honey mustard dressing was great (although it was a bit bland, so I asked for extra sauce, and I pulled out my smoked sea salt that I travel with in order to enhance the flavor) There was a lovely woman who spoke English, who had amazing cheerful energy. She was super helpful, and her vibe definitely lifted the vibe of the whole place. The other employees seemed serious but she was a ball of joy, and you could feel her good energy in the food just from her presence Overall, the salad was great, and I feel very satiated and nourished after eating here. It's definitely worth a visit, and the rustic unique vibe is quite charming, especially when you consider that they are growing the lettuce themselves. So cool to see the sprouting of health consciousness here in Turkey! It makes me really appreciate how readily available it is on the west coast.

So here ist the deal. Ek Bic ye ic follows the idea of urban gardening and they are growing their…read moreown salad inside next to the tables where you sit at. The whole interior looks sustainable - starting from the wooden furniture to the cardboard lampshades. So awesome. Enjoy a nice wrap or a good herbal tea in this atmosphere or take it outside to the cut little garden in the back. They also have some nice magazines and books there in Turkish and English. Btw. I've found one of the best vegan cookbooks ever accidentally in this venue. Vegan's are very welcome! Go and give this place and the idea some love! So close to the Taksim square and perfect to calm down a litte.

Back home Burger King has a veggie impossible burger. It's pretty good, so I thought I would try…read morethis vegetarian bean burger. Strangely, I don't know if there are any beans in this at all. I think it was potato and vegetables. Although it tasted fine, it's not quite what I was looking for. Still, not bad.