Definitely a place i would recommend. View is amazing, food and drinks also…read more Later in the evening there is live band performing mostly older Turkish and International songs. Group and singer also quite nice to listen and fun could inspire people to dance even. Will go again for sure..

The food was good. The other patrons are fun and pretty. I think our experience would have been…read morebetter if we had stayed for the live music portion of the meal. The final bill was expensive, but nothing too crazy.

Located at the borderline of an industrial district, one would think Markus Prime Ribs Society…read morewould make a poor date spot. One would be terribly wrong. Indeed maslak industrial district is becoming home to many new and chic restaurants. Markus is one of the first to open up shop there. We went there for Valentines day (I know, sounds odd right?). The restaurant has large shared tables and bistros. We were only able to make reservations for the shared table and despite our doubts it didn't not feel crammed. Quite the contrary, it was both romantic and convivial thanks to the people around us. Our experience with the service was exceptional from the first phone call to the last plate served. Attentive with genuine smiles and great recommendations. We ordered celery and fries (which were strongly recommended) and they did not disappoint. Especially the fries. We didn't not try the poutine as we thought it would be too hearty, but we were told it's their house special. For mains we had short lamb and beef ribs and unless you don't like lamb, you should absolutely try both! They were exceptional. Same if not better than the ones we had in the US. My only note is that the purée that comes with the beef ribs was a bit too heavy. Markus offers a very warm ambiance. There was live music that was in good harmony with the restaurant's decor. All in all it was a surprisingly pleasant experience. The price is reasonable. We paid about 350-400 TL for two (including 1 beer). Do make sure to make reservations. You can take a taxi to go there if you don't want to walk from the the itu-ayazaga metro station. We can't wait to return for more ribs!

Reminded me of Soho, cool little area, nice bars, real people. We dropped and the the power had…read moregone down on the whole street. Candles everywhere and a large glass of red went down a treat. Hidden Gem

Being from Chicago, good blues music is pretty easy to find. In Istanbul, it's perhaps a little…read moreharder to find. Near where we were staying, we found out about this place and figured we would see what was up. The place wasn't easy for us to find for some reason (if you've been to Istanbul and have tried to find small places, then you know why). The place is pretty small but nonetheless interesting. The owner was cool and knew all about blues and even Chicago. The band that played wasn't amazing but nonetheless they didn't suck and it made for an enjoyable evening. Not bad at all and if you're in the area and are in need of some live music, then check the place out.

Nice n friendly atmosphere, the food is OK to good... Prices…read moredefinitely OK The band was very nice, enthusisastic, but jazzz??? Hmmm not really... Overall: definitely would come back...

I am not sure why I have never come in here before. I walk by it every day. My husband and I had…read moredinner here tonight and it was a great experience. Good service. The food is within reason price wise compared to similar restaurants. But the food was definitely above average. I had an excellent mushroom tagliatelle in creme in a light pesto cream sauce. Really tasty. We had beef carpaccio to start and my husband ordered a steak, it was in a red wine sauce, kind of sweet due to pearl onions and raisins in the sauce. They start you with a little olive oil, some nice green olives and a grainy raisin bread. The interior is very nice, cool lighting and a long beautiful wooden table highlight the room. It's small but very chic and warm. To our surprise there is a small "club" in the basement which on the weekends hosts jazz musicians. On this night they had a magician! It was interesting and much to my surprise the little club was completely full. I will also add that the owner came to our table to ask if we enjoyed our meal. He was very charming and nice. In fact I would sum up the entire experience as a charming one. Will definitely be back. It's a few blocks from Tesvikiye but honestly it's worth the extra walk. And a really decent group of people. There is also out door seating which is standout.

Well, much as there might be tonnes of cool things to say about this lovely place, the fact that we…read morewere simple unable to move during the latest gig I saw has slightly criplled my positive point of view on it. I am completely aware that it is one of the best places in Taksim, but the relentless crowd of people trying to move formard, make their way to the front place, as if the area were a stadium, got on my nerves. I honestly don't know whether this is a resolvable problem, but something must be done as this "predicament" seemed to put me off since it directly and adversely affected my concentreation on the "beautiful music" playing on the stage.

Hayal Kahvesi is one of those remarkable places that makes important contributions to the musical…read morelife of the city. Not only in Istanbul but also in several other cities, too. It's a well-known concert hall (also a bistro during the day time) where one can watch successful musicians at any night. I have watched some really good bands, too. But enjoying a concert to the fullest was always a bit a of a challenge here. I think it happens because the place is a bit small. You know how it gets crowded in front of the stage when there's a concert of a famous band? Think that you're stuck somewhere in that crowd and you need to go to the toilet because you drank lots of mid-priced beers. Well, good luck my friend because you're going to need it! You should break through that packed crowd till you reach the left end of the stage because that's where the stairs (that will take you to the toilet downstairs) are! You'll make a lot of people angry, face with some dangerous situations where you might have just get crashed down and possibly miss a big part of the show in the process. (Same applies for coming back.) I never had the courage to do that so far, but I'm so ready to hear your stories about this adventure. The other thing is that there are some waiters who try to break through that crowd for selling drinks, too. It kinda wrecks the mood for a minute or two and that happens at least 5-6 times. But anyway, I'm really glad that this place exists. It's getting harder and harder to find a good place to listen live music in this city. Some tips: *The tickets are always on sale on Biletix but it's also possible to buy them at the entrance. *You can check their website (www.hayalkahvesibeyoglu.com) to learn who's going to play when. *At downstairs you will find Hayal Perdesi to watch theater plays.

I recommend Zorlu Center PSM in Istanbul, Turkey because they have pretty cool acts and it is a…read moreunique center of arts. Additionally, it is very engaging and affordable when you would like to see a show or a theatre. Therefore, I would recommend it to everybody visiting Turkey or living in Turkey.

Dude I don't know why this venue would have anything less than a five-star review. It's trendy,…read moremodern, and cosmopolitan; they always have pretty cool acts. If you want to see any kind of foreign performing arts show, this is the place. I have been to Phantom of the Opera and the Lord of the Rings in concert here and thoroughly enjoyed it both times; I usually can't get any seats better than "1. Balkon (Tek)" but they are still great seats. I guess I would advise not to get floor seats, as you will feel quite far from the show and possibly even below it. The first balcony is great, and middle would be best (although those tickets get snatched up super fast). One of the interesting this about the PSM is that they serve alcohol, wine, and even a couple of cocktails as far as I know. Prices are exorbitant, but then again, you probably paid 200 lira for your concert tickets anyway :) Getting out of the PSM is also not bad. Easy to get to the metro to go home, or if it's after midnight, just head to the metro and walk a bit to the exit near the metrobus station; plenty of taxis or metrobus itself if that's your style. I was really pleased leaving last night at 12:30 without any trouble or crowd. (Just avoid the main taxi line... it was horrific looking). Overall I'd say this is the "best" arts venue in Istanbul. I love it when there is show here so I can stop in H&M right before, too... lol.

The newly opened Babylon Bomonti is a great venue to grab a drink, and a show, and from what I hear…read morea bite to eat (not sure when the reasturant opens!?). Like their first location in Asmali, Babylon is not to big and not to small. Despite a packed crowd for Lee Field and the Expressions and only one bar, I didn't find it impossible to get a drink. Babylon is a great suggestion for guests visiting Istanbul wanting to have a fun night out! Easily a 5 star venue.

In a refurbished brewery. Off the beaten track in Şişli. About a 20 minute walk northwest of…read moreOsmanbey Metro. Easily accessible otherwise by taxi. Babylon Bomonti is an excellent music venue with great acoustics and sound and lighting that serves up quality international jazz and the best of the local scene. On April 30, we saw on the main bill the world-class Alfredo Rodríguez Trio playing to an almost full house, followed by crowd favourites Korhan Futacı & Kara Orchestra who played to a packed house. Tickets to the headline act were 45 TRY, but that allowed us to stay for the second band. Drinks inside the venue were pricey at 35 TRY for a glass of sauvignon blanc and 15 TRY for a regular bottle of EFES Pilsen. But the show was worth every lira. A brilliant night's entertainment that had the crowd calling for more from the Alredo Rodriguez Trio then really getting into the local band. Our first visit, but for sure not our last. The venue itself was a delight, with a couple of bars inside the former brewery that looked good and Delimonti, which appeared to be a high-end cheese and wine bar that we definitely want to try. The acts started about 30 minutes after the advertised time. So next time we go, we'll start with Delimonti about 21:00 then catch a band scheduled for 22:00 most likely at 22:30. Tonight we left about 01:30 before Korhan Futacı and friends finished. Taxis were queuing up to take us home. A great night out and a solid 5 stars.

Thanks to one of my friends I finally had chance to come to Agac Ev! It's a great Rock Bar in…read moreTaksim. Prices are good and they have a big platform for the bands. Also the sound system is really well made in the bar. Inside is designed like an old English rock bar and the wooden bar is actually giving a sensation of 80's to the place. I really enjoyed the nice music inside.

This is at the pera palace hotel where Agatha Christie stayed and wrote some stories. It's where…read moreshe wrote some of the murder on the orient express. I went in for a drink the inside is lovely. Top notch service.

What a wonderful venue for sunset cocktails. Beautiful venue, especially the terrace that offers…read morespectacular views of the water. Finally found a Manhattan in this bourbon forsaken city, but I would pass on the traditional drinks and opt instead for their specialties. Also sampled the Greta Garbo drink in the turn of the century sterling silver teapot. Would have loved to take that home with me. So I would skip food here or at least the pizza. We weren't super hungry but wanted to nibble on a few things while we were there. Ordered the Pizza Margherita and I'm almost embarrassed for the hotel after seeing what they served. Pictures attached but it's pretty pathetic that a 5 star hotel can only afford to serve 2 cherry tomatoes on a pizza that is supposed to be garnished with them. It had taken awhile and my appetite got the best of me so we ate it. I should have stood my ground and refused it. We brought it to 2 of the staffs attention and they were indifferent. I would definitely recommend for cocktails but skip the food.