Loved this place! Concept that I always dreamt of did not know exists…read more There is no menu! Every day is a surprise! Just like how your mom surprised you at every dinner. The food served is fresh, homemade and it is mostly vegetarian food. The owner mentioned the food they serve is what Turkish women cook daily at home. I tried 4-5 starters and 2 mains. Everything was totally awesome. So light n delicious. Had a satisfactory dinner while travelling. The service was very good. It is a family owned and run restaurant. The most amazing thing that impressed me the most was , the family of four who own and also work at the restaurant set their dinner table ate the same food they served to customers, which means the food is totally perfect, and free of harmful chemicals, stale or synthetic food or processed material. If you are vegetarian and looking for great food near Istiklal, this is your place to go.

Nice restaurant, very nice views. The main dishes were very tasty. The hummus lack a lot, but it…read morewas still pretty good.

This was my first night in Istanbul and I eased tired from traveling from cappadocia earlier in the…read moreday. This restaurant was close to my hotel and had great reviews on Yelp. When I arrived there was only one other customer inside. The restaurant decor was cute and I very comfortable. The staff were friendly and welcoming. This spot was a bit pricey just like most of the restaurants in this touristy area. I had certain Turkish entrees i wanted to try during my vacation. I ordered the Iskender kebab which is beef and pita bread covered with tomato sauce with yogurt on the side. I ordered a side salad to go with it. The dish was very delicious as you can tell in one of my pics. I chatted with some of the staff about life in Istanbul. I was offered some complimentary pomegranate tea before I left and it hit the spot. This is definitely a place to check out when you're in the area.

A MUST TRY. As an American, I have been SO impressed with food here in Turkey and if you are in the…read morearea, this restaurant is an absolute MUST-TRY if you're looking for great food. I had some of THEE BEST chicken kebab I've ever had in this country here. The beef kebab was also tender and flavorful. You cannot go wrong with any of these! The service was quick and prompt, and the servers were great at making recommendations. I came here in the winter so we sat indoors which felt a bit cramped however, there is also outdoor seating during the nicer weather months. If I'm ever back here in Istanbul, I would definitely come back. And if you're reading this, you NEED to try the Old Ottoman!

Everything I ate here was utterly delicious and unique. The staff was lovely and so helpful. Their…read morerecommendation of what to order was spot on. I'm already craving a second visit.

Galata Kitchen is not a doner grill and it doesn't open onto a busy street with a big outdoor…read morepatio. After two days having some great meals in Istanbul of that type, we looked for something different. Not far from Galata Tower, GK is on a side street with little foot traffic. It has a big modern sign back off the street and one of the operators saw us hesitating where to enter and waved us in from the front entrance. Inside it has whimsical and funny decorations and serious books mounted on the wall, but is not atmospheric, more like a diner. BUT the food is displayed in a case, hot and cold entrees separated, so you can see what you are ordering. You pick what you want and they assemble your choices on a plate and bring it to the table. Hot entrees included chicken bites in a tomato sauce and chicken with onions, lamb stew and beef and plenty of salad and vegetable choices in the cold display case. The group of men running the place that night were low key but personable, answering our questions about food items and Turkish literature. Service was prompt but understated and helpful. Our group of four had a great time and the menu is diverse enough that everyone found choices that pleased them. But remember, we came in expecting something very good other than doner kebap and were not disappointed!

Istanbul was love not just because of the history and architecture but most importantly for its…read morefood. The sweets and savory both are on point. You can actually go to a hole in the wall and get the best kababs or baklava or halwas every eatery is a sheer joy. So this is one of the best places for a kababfest all over Yelp, YouTube influencers backing that and also the most recommended place on internet based reviews. We chose a non busy time it wasn't that packed. This restaurant is not compact but definitely crowded in the sense that tables are very close to one another. The staff is extremely polite, helpful and friendly. We ordered a little bit of everything including liver. Each item was bursting of flavor and the meat used was top notch quality. Price point isn't bad. Do google the menu with pricing and these change quite often in places like Turkey which is a tourist hub. We paid with credit card no issues. The food came out piping hot and within reasonable grilling time. Definitely recommend this place it's a haven for meat lovers I can't wait to go back this is a solid 5 on 5 for me.

In Istanbul, Turkey on a food tour with Culinary Backstreet. It was a fabulous trip. Our next to…read morefinal night, we were treated to an interactive dining feast at Zubeyir Ocakbasi. This place is preformance art. We were seating at the pit master's table side. The chef is an amazing cog that makes this restaurant thrive with delicious meats. Tonight, we did not order food but were served by the pit master and his favorite creations. We dined on liver skewers with lamb tail fat, grilled garlic, lamb chops, kebobs, grilled onions, spicy breads, grilled peppers, and grilled tomatoes. It was entertaining, warm and completely interactive. The mezzes were also delicious but one has to be cautious not to load up on the salads. I cannot convey just how much fun it was to sit table side tonight. As engaging as the pit master was, his cooking skills are second to none with respect to his grill. If you are headed to Istanbul and looking for a new adventure with scrumptious grilled food, get reservations at Zubeyir Ocakbasi. The environment is engaging, light and just plain fun. I tip my hat to the restaurant, the pit master and to our tour guide for making this evening memorable.

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.

Food: We took Bryani it tastes good but Lamb and vegetables curry are lot of mixed yogurt . I don't…read moreknow why are Indian mixed yogurt all foods. Service: Service is very bad . They charged for salad in turkey all restaurants serve free salad , source , tea and baklava. But they always charge for it . Ambiance: It's bad too cool

Really delicious Indian food near Taksim Square…read more Started with the vegetarian Samosas. Came out piping hot and crispy. So delicious served with four sweet and savory dipping sauces. Main vegetarian entrees included palak paneer (spinach with Indian paneer cheese) and chana masala (a chickpea dish). The lamb in the lamb palak was so tender and perfectly cooked in spinach. Nice to mix with the yogurt dipping sauces. The sesame naan and biryani were perfect to soak up the delicious palak entrees. Service was so attentive and a great value at 180 Turkish lira (about $30) for dinner.

One of the absolute best we had it Istanbul. My husband and I did a couple Michelin restaurants in…read moreIstanbul including Turk Fatih Tutak and Sankai but I must say Pera Antakya was certainly our top pick in its category even next to our Michelin experiences. It was our most memorable experience given the food was just so authentic and good. We were pleasantly surprised because I had found Pera Antakya in my research when planning our trip and it was first on our list to try, we then discovered when we arrived at our hotel (The Westist) on our first night that Pera Antakya was right next door. We were shocked/surprised/thrilled all at the same time. As such, we had dinner here the first night we arrived in Istanbul and was blown away. We did the meze, the wrap, farmer's cheese, and the mixed grill plate all based on recommendations from who we believe was the owner. The hospitality was lovely, welcoming, but more so the food was incredibly memorable and we found ourselves wishing we had more time in Istanbul so we could come back and eat at Pera Antakya. We did a couple other highly rated restaurants in similar concept to Pera Antakya over the week we stayed in Istanbul and ultimately though food in Istanbul is generally good, we found Pera was still the best we had out of all them in the same category. In fact, if it was only one restaurant we could go back to and have another meal at or if I could only recommend one restaurant to eat at while you're in Istanbul--- it would be Pera Antakya. We were that impressed with this place. Do not miss it if you're in Istanbul!

This was my favorite meal I had during my visit to Istanbul. Excellent food, friendly staff and…read morereasonable prices. I asked them to make mine spicy and they did not disappoint. Don't skip the garlic cheese, sautéed, charred and melty.

Great food!! Super tasty and the service was great! All fresh .. the owner Haydan was super…read moretentative ..

Great vegan food in a relaxed atmosphere - I heard from someone at my hostel that this place was…read morethe bees knees, and that the "vibe" of this place was quite unique, so obviously I had to check it out. You enter into this sort of living room, cats chilling out on cushions in the room, and find a place to sit - the owner and master chef Oya will soon be catering you delicious vegan foods to sate your hunger (she also makes vegan sausage, seitan, and more for people that order via WhatsApp in advance, people love her food).

This is for ever vegan looking for a place to eat in Istanbul. It's hard to tell from yelp if it's…read morestill open. It is OPEN. I tried every vegan option in Istanbul and I've come to the conclusion of this is the BEST vegan food you can get. Don't waist your time getting lost to find some over priced dish at a tOuriSt trap. This is the spot. It's cheap, cute and the food is so good! The lady who runs it is a sweetheart. It's also in a really cool area. No one's harassing you to ear in their restaurant. It's somewhat quiet. I walked all the way from old city and I'll do the same. Don't sleep on this place. It's so cheap you can order everything they have. Support this place. It's so worth it! Favorite vegan place over seas. :)

A very basic establishment but very good food and vegan food is hard to find Istanbul. Seems like…read moresome very honorable people working very hard. I took home chocolate cake, which was delicious.

On our final night in Istanbul wanted a special meal. This place is incredible. Classy and elegant…read morebut no need to dress up. Gorgeous view. Excellent service from everyone. Was given complimentary baba ganoush and stuffed grape leaves with sour cherries, lavash bread, and pomegranate juice. The appetizers were to die for. I really could have just eaten them. Artichoke hearts, warm roasted eggplant, shepherd's salad all so fresh and beautifully seasoned. Our entrees were minced beef and lamb wrapped in phyllo dough and fried chicken on eggplant. For dessert, baked rice pudding and ice cream. Extensive wine list. Really can't say enough about how interesting and atypical the menu was.

Got the sailor honey roll which is several Turkish cheeses in phyllo dough served with juniper…read morehoney. Tasted great! Also it came with a shot of pomegranate ginger juice and house made baba ganoush. The waiters kept coming to me after eating in hopes I would order a main but I was so stuffed after the Sailor honey roll. Ambience was nice. Just wish I didn't feel pressured to buy more stuff as I was finishing up the Evian water I had to pay for.