I have been ordering from Zeraf Et for the past 5 years. My orders come on days where im either to…read morelazy to cook or want something nicely cooked and very tasty. Despite the high prices, Zeraf Et has awesome lamb and kebabs, as well as a greaty hummus starter (the kinds of things you dont find in many turkish places.) I didn't think my opinion could change about this place.... until I went for the first time. Very close to my house, it is hidden down a few steps, away from passerbys. Well to my surprise, the food was even better when I went there! The service is good in this large and busy (on football match days) reasturant. I could not have been more delighted to know that such a gem was so close to my house!

Fantastic atmosphere, food, service, and location!! Adana kebap was extraordinary!read more

Excellent food! Incredible view! Good service. It's right next to bosphorus so there is nothing…read morebetween you and one of the best scenes of istanbul. It's a real elegant place. No hairy rich contractor bellies, dipped in raki (Rakıya bandırılmış kıllı müteahhit göbeği) . Places by the bosphorus are filled with them, not here. So it's the ideal place for a romantic evening They have awesome fresh tapas. But usually turkish dishes, and tapas' derived from mezes.

This is fabulous!! The view is spectacular and the food and service delightful! I highly recommend.read more

The food and service were very good and the place was nice and quiet , I recommend itread more

The food is great delicious and very tasty I stayed there for a week found this place very good…read moreclean staff are respectful and honest.

This is one of the best meals I had in turkey. It's a funky character-filled locals spot…read more Apparently some reality show is based here. The mezze selection and taste are amazing. Also loved the spit in the middle of the restaurant. The chicken rocked my world. As did the traditional live Turkish music. Go!!! Worth going out of the way for.

This was a good restaurant and I was not disappointed with my experience here…read more The food was very good and the service was friendly and attentive. They were very flexible since they allowed all 7 of us to use 7 different credit cards to pay for the group meal, which was very helpful. We ordered a couple of bottles of red wine and they arrived slightly chilled, which was perfect for those hot evenings in the summer. I'd recommend this restaurant if you're in the area.

We ended up in Bej after planning to stop by Lokanta Maya for dinner without a reservation (on a…read moreMonday night) and learning there were no tables available. Desperate to avoid the row of tourist traps along the water, we asked the staff at Lokanta Maya if they could point us in the direction of another good restaurant in the area, and that's how we found Bej. The ambiance here is upscale/ classy/ trendy, but not stuffy. There was a huge display of gorgeous fresh flowers greeting us when we walked in, and we managed to snag the only unreserved table in the place. The menu offered a good selection of food, all slightly interesting twists on classic meals. The three of us split a bottle of wine from a moderate sized wine list, and started off with a couple of appetizers. There was a slightly spicy chicken dish we ordered that was delicious. For a main course I ordered the baked goat cheese, which was described as being served with beets and arugula. Perhaps the description in Turkish was more accurate, but I was depending on the English version of the menu, being a foreigner and all. When my meal arrived it was actually mostly a large bowl or salad, with a largish sized baked goat cheese on top. The flavor was great, and it was warm and creamy. The beets were difficult to find, but were eventually discovered hiding at the bottom of my bowl. While it wasn't the most delicious flavor combination, it was still really good, and I enjoyed the meal. We finished things off with a selection of ice creams: Rose, lavender, and chocolate. This was the perfect ending to a meal, and the unique flavors were a definite treat for the taste buds. Don't skip the chocolate because it is typical though- it paired wonderfully with the other flavors and really made them even more enjoyable. Another cool discovery at this place is back behind the bar area, there is actually a little shop which is open during the day. It is filled with cool items (from paper, prints, home decor items) that all have a unique and slightly funky flair. Much better for potential souvenir shopping than your typical tourist traps.

Peymane is a good place to go to for some appetizers and meat dishes. It's a bit hard to find…read more(signage could definitely be better but you have to take an elevator from the lobby of a hotel to the top floor). There are very limited vegetarian options, and the place doesn't have any seafood on their menu. Humus is pretty good, meat was good but there are better and cheaper places in Istanbul. It's convenient if you are staying nearby but I wouldn't be making a special trip to come here. Staff is very friendly and accommodating.

- 5 stars for the atmosphere - So much food…read more- skip the hummus, try the haydari or ezme - A+ service

Lovely late-afternoon lunch. Recommend!…read more First, the menu is in both Turkish and English, which is helpful for tourists like me. Second, free WiFi with the password in the menu. Third, the space is quiet, with soft music, and tastefully decorated. Fourth, and most important, the food was very good. We shared the 4-piece Bruschetta, the cheese platter, and a soup of the day (yogurt and wheat). All were tasty. If you like *really* strong, motor oil-grade coffee, get the Turkish; otherwise, the filtered will be more typical to American tastes. They were so busy during the day that they ran out of desserts by the time we arrived, which is too bad - I bet were great too.

A nice relaxing pit stop after visiting the Modern Art museum and walking under the rain…read more Cute eclectic little café where I ordered a "soupe du jour" with lentils and a nice chunk of bread. Ended with a warm cup of winter tea, reading a French manga found in the little library of the café. Definitely recommend!