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.

Kadıköy was waiting for so long to get a place like this! If you're living on the Asian side, this…read moreis the best spot to listen your favorite band live without crossing Bosphorus. The place doesn't have a dominant music genre so the band range is really broad. From Hayko Cepkin to Mabel Matiz, from Sattas to Marsis; all kinds of bands can be listened here. Although the place looks rather small, there is usually enough space to watch the concerts in peace. The sound system is good and the staff is really friendly. The bar has a huge collection of alcoholic drinks and prices are in mid range, no more than a usual pub price. The tickets for the concerts can be bought at the door and also from the internet. You can follow their Facebook or Twitter account to know who'll be on stage at that month.

I was very happy with my experience here. The volume of the band, which is something I consider to…read morebe very important -- it needs to be loud, but I hate leaving a show with that deaf feeling in my ears -- was perfect. The beer was not too expensive at 10TL/33ml, and the venue was just crowded enough to have a good time without having your personal space completely infringed upon. This was overall a great venue and live music experience. I will happily go back. :)

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 discovered this bar last time I was in Istanbul, and I think my new friends and I went there 2…read morenights in a row. I figured out what bar it was and went back last night. In warmer weather, the rooftop patio is a lot cooler. They also remodeled the bar and put the bar at the back of the room making it much more spacious. A large Efes is 10 TL which is a decent price for what I consider a cool bar. People were pouring in at midnight on a Thursday, and a live gypsy improv band played for free. Great stuff. This is definitely my choice for going out in Istanbul.

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.

I came here twice, once for cocktails, once for coffee…read more Let's start with the cocktails. I'm a fan of a really good cocktail. In every city I go to I try and find a really good cocktail place, the kind of place they is doing their own recipes and is doing them well, or the place that does classics really well. I think we should aspire to get the best cocktails we can in life, and that relies largely on the bartenders being great at what they do. I skimmed the menu for cocktails and boy was I disappointed. There wasn't anything on the menu that piqued my interest. Some classics, some semi original, but nothing too creative. Most of the drinks looked like a combination of a few liqueurs, but no syrups or other potential flavor profiles. After skimming the menu, I asked if they had mescal or could make me a mescal drink, and they didn't have it. I ended up going for a drink with whiskey and bitters and a few other ingredients. I was not expecting much, and what I got tasted like it was whiskey with some bitters for $15. My friend got a rose flavored gin drink and it was quite sweet and nothing that was good enough for me to remember the ingredients. In general the menu felt like combinations of liqueurs and not like a cocktail menu. Our one drink was up and, given that the menu didn't excite me or my guest, we departed after paying nearly 30 lira a drink. If I compare this experience to an experience I had A few weeks earlier at a cocktail bar in Copenhagen where I got a completely original mescal drink from an inspired bartender, I cannot put them in the same ballpark. The Copenhagen cocktail was miles ahead of this one. Round 2, we return during the day for coffee. A semi sunny winter day in Istanbul, my friend and I are in need of a good cappuccino to start our day off right. We decide to try the place with the slightly disappointing cocktails and see if their coffee is as good as what the reviews say. We walk in, order 2 cappuccinos and 2 croissants. The cappuccinos are served at an absurdly high temperature, much closer to 95°C than 75°C. They are hot enough to completely burn your mouth with a sip. I was rather astounded by this, as the temperature of the milk was clearly much too hot. Anyone who had served that should have known the milk had been over steamed and started over. The milk temperature being as high as it was meant the texture of the milk had been abused at this point as well, and that left a sort of buttery consistency in the mouth. All together not a pleasing cup to drink, and violating a lot of my understanding of a quality cappuccino. The espresso might have been interesting, but the cappuccino's temperature and texture completely masked that. We finished our drinks, paid more than we would have at kronotrop down the street for a better prepared cappuccino, and left. I resolved to write the review because my experiences don't match the other reviewers here. Give this place a try if you'd like but my experience was less than stellar for both cocktails and coffee, and I would not recommend it to friends.

This is one of my favorite bars in Istanbul and it is home to some of my favorite cocktails! It is…read moreamazing to watch the bartender work so meticulously on each cocktail and really take the time to make it perfect. It is a small joint, but I really enjoy the laid back atmosphere, the bartenders, and their drink menu. I have gone back multiple times and it has never failed me!

One of the best concert halls in Istanbul for classic music, jazz and such. Contemporary and…read moreclassic, a sophisticated crowd and great location near Taksim.

I went to a "Yabangee" meetup here. First off, I should mention I don't usually go to foreigners…read moreevents in Istanbul because I prefer to be among Turks for various reasons, but my co-worker told me about it and I thought why the hell not. Everything about it kinda sucks, but I give them two stars for location and a beautiful building. The music was also surprisingly interesting, not the usual crap Istanbul bars play. The things that suck are the service and the prices. These bartenders have no idea how to serve a crowd. I waited for 15+ minutes due to--get this--a lack of glasses. The dishwasher had to be run in order for my wine to be served. Uhhh...lolwut? Turned out there were other people waiting for glasses too, so when he took 'em out, I wasn't even served immediately. I ordered my friend a cocktail that didn't come, even after repeating the order three times. They didn't know how to make it or they just didn't want to I guess. So I left the bar without paying for my wine. And apparently they didn't notice that either. Also, glasses are served half full. Such a lame tactic. SOOO overpriced. Expect to pay over 35 lira for a cocktail or 14 lira for wine. A bottle of Efes, at 35 ml, is 12. I wouldn't pay that much anywhere in Istanbul. Unless it's the top of the Marmara hotel.

Just behind the Flower Passage, this 3 storey venue usually hosts creative foreign and local live…read moreacts. You can discover alternative music bands, even see African or Romanian musicians performing. Customers tend to be young artistic or upmarket crowd. The entrance fee is a bit pricey but worth of the entertainment and drinks inside.