One of our favorite meals in Istanbul. The meat was so juicy and flavorful in both the spicy adana…read moreand the chicken. And mixed perfectly with the onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. A wrap is not too large; most of us ordered seconds. Prices were als9 fantastic. Limited indoor and outdoor seating, but we were able to be seated easily Wednesday evening.

Mega hyped because of the Anthony Bourdain connection. I've been in Istanbul for over a month, and…read moreevery time I have visited the place has been completely packed with tourists. Many of the reviews mention the good service, but my experience has been a little different. The main guy who greets and helps everyone when they arrive seems completely over the whole thing. I can understand why, though. They still have an enormous amount of tourist business because of the Bourdain connection, and people seem to come here almost as a pilgrimage. I'm staying nearby and have visited several times because of all the hype, and the experience has been pretty much the same every time. The person in charge does not seem particularly concerned about whether you wait to order or not. If it is the afternoon, he will sometimes toss you a menu, walk away, and mumble something about waiting for a table. One time, I arrived about 15 minutes before closing and noticed that there was a table available. I was told they were closing soon and that the last orders, with about 10 kebabs already cooking on the grill, were for someone else. That was basically it. No option was offered to take anything to go either. There is certainly nothing wrong with closing when you are ready to close, but after becoming accustomed to the incredibly friendly and welcoming service at so many local kebab restaurants in Istanbul, the lack of enthusiasm here was surprising. In a strange way, it is almost refreshing. They seem to have so much business that they really could not care less whether you eat there or not. The food itself is very good, but honestly, it isn't significantly better than some of the other places nearby. There are several restaurants in the area serving fantastic Adana kebab, with more seating and much warmer service. Overall, glad I tried it because of the Bourdain connection, but for me, the hype is much bigger than the experience.

This was our first restaurant in Istanbul. The restaurant personnel did not speak English, so we…read morejust pointed to what looked good. We were blown away with the quality of the meat. It was kind of smoky and hot from the grill. When mixed with the fresh onions and bread, it was one of the Best if not the best kebabs I've ever had.

Of course we visited because it's the birthplace of Iskender Kebap, and of course I had to order…read morethat. It was fantastic. The meat was so flavorful and tender that I'm not sure the molten butter poured over the top was necessary, but when in Istanbul.... Loved it.

My husband and I came here upon the recommendation of our hotel for an authentic Iskender kebab…read more What I didn't realize is that this is the restaurant that invented this dish. I had never had Iskender kebab before so I did not know what to expect. It's basically kebab meat and pita in a tomato and yogurt sauce with butter poured on top of it. This was ok.. but I don't need to eat this again and I would not recommend coming here unless you are a fan of this dish.

The pide and kebabs were very flavorful and good, and I loved the rice and tomatoes that came with…read morethe kebab. (Warning: the green pepper it came with was crazy spicy). The kunefes were also delicious. Waited ~10 minutes to get seated and it was quite busy Thursday evening, but we were served very quickly.

One of the best meals I've had in Istanbul. Great service and a home like ambience. 10/10read more

Not sure why I felt ripped off by the end of the meal, but it cost more than I expected and I ended…read moreup with more food than I'd wanted. The meat itself was pretty solid, but there were no lines when I arrived (just as they opened). Bread was solid, meat was great, but I felt upsold.

I don't speak the language but when I saw a line to order from this spot I figured it must be good!…read moreWe communicated through pointing and all the staff was very helpful! I loved the wrap I had, included tomatoes and onions! I'd go back!

Ok we actually loved this place! There were so many good options for my friend who is vegan and…read moreeverything was absolutely delicious. I left so stuffed and happy. Yes it was a bit pricey, but that's kind of the theme in Istanbul I've found, but the quality of everything made it very worth it. I've been thinking about the marinated garlic and onions for weeks!!

There are two turkish restaurants with nearly identical menus one block apart (around a corner)…read more This is not the good one! This is a factory, and the diner is riding on the assembly line. Service was unfriendly - three different servers and none greeted us, none made eye contact. Within the hour, three glasses fell from a waiter's tray near us, one of them shattering and bouncing up onto a table where people were eating, but no one offered to replace their meals. The food here is mediocre. Nothing memorable. We ordered rice (twice) and the second time were told they were out. Meat had little flavor. They made a drink that was good, and we ordered a second one that was terrible. Bartender shift change, and the second one just made things up (wrong liquor, wrong flavoring). We left it on the table after a sip and instead of taking the charge off the menu, the waiter replaced it with a drink that was marginally better (still the wrong liquor). Go around the corner to Nisantasi Baskose, where the menu is pretty much the same, the food is 3x better, the service 5x better and it's a quieter atmosphere, at the same price.

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.

A very nice restaurant in a calm and quiet part of the city. The waiter presents you with all of…read morethe mezze options on a large platter so that you can see the food and make your decisions! Every mezze we ordered was so fresh and flavorful. Do not skip the baba ghanoush, lamb skewer, amd chicken kebab. We highly recommend the fresh picked fruit platter for dessert

Nisantasi Baskose is right across the street from the Park Hyatt but hardly anyone speaks English…read morehere and the menu is all in Turkish so prepare in advance - especially if ordering take out. Mevsim Salata - mixed greens, cabbage, cucumber, green onion, tomato, parsley (weird) and lemon. Like most Turkish outfits I learned, salad dressing is persona non grata but least there were some lemon slices. Effort is there for a well thought out seasonal salad. Patlican Kebap (Eggplant + meat) Mixed kabab with eggplant blocks and beef chunks. Tavuk Kanat (chicken wings) Probably the most "yummy" on the list here. It's got a different charred flavor - might be a little tumeric involved not totally sure but it's unique, and better than you're regular chicken wings. Karisik Kebap (combo mixed meat kebab) Packed with a lot of goodies here - gyro slices are on the dry and over salted side. There's more solid chicken wings and chicken kabab which is also very flavorful and tender. There's also a spiced sausage type of meat that is more crumbly but pretty good. All supported by orange couscous and two large peppers (not spicy) All the dishes come with a small fortune of lavash and they packed in a separate bag of more layers as well. Overall nice experience... that's all.

This place features traditional roasted Turkish meats and meze which were excellent. The service…read morewas excellent the ambiance was such that you can have a conversation with other diners. Recommend

Overpriced place , the kebab was good ,but I could have eaten 4 places in a cost of one time eating…read morehere and the place is too small people literally hitting ur table every time walking next to you .

Overall a great restaurant with friendly staff if you're in a rush in Istanbul and want a quick…read morebite. This street is also lined with multiple bakeries, bars, and places to eat so you won't have an issue here. The lamb shish hit the spot. The meat was well marinated, the pepper was spicy, the rice was fragrant, and the fries were crispy. Before all that, the server brought out some bread and ezme (classic sauce made of tomatoes, peppers, and herbs). Honestly this would've been a hovering 5 stars if the Turkish coffee came out hot, but it was cold so kind of ruined the perfect rating for me. Either way, stop by it won't disappoint!

I was there at 18:00, friendly service, delicious food, good for family and group of friends. The…read morefood was serviced really fast. they accept credit cards.