This place has been one of my favorite places to eat since 2010. Everything has always tasted fresh and delicious. The family/ workers are always friendly and wonderful. Not to mention, the store alone is amazing with so much variety. Sometimes if I have a sweet tooth I'll stop in for baklava, and Turkish Delights. read more

Cafe Istanbul - Chicken Shawarma Platter - International Grocery Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Excellent service and very helpful staff. I only shop for a Turkish/Arabic groceries, of which they have a very good variety. Prices are quite reasonable. read more

I can't believe I've never reviewed them before! The family that owns this grocery are delightful and very personable. This is a great place to buy ingredients I can't find anywhere else, as well as to stock up on spices and oils. They make their own feta cheese as well, and have someone who does their pastries. The pastries are delicious, and I try to stock up on their baklava whenever I'm having company. read more

Cafe Istanbul deserves 5,000 stars. All the stars in the sky. I have never in my life had such a delicious, invigorating meal. Every single bite tasted like heaven. The waitress was so friendly and sweet, as was the entire the staff. The feta cheese was so fresh, the pita was delightful and perfect, the hummus and baba ganoush was a taste of paradise. The walnut baklava-- I'm going to have dreams about it. Not to mention the flawless falafel, tabbouleh that was perfectly made. It's all perfect. You MUST eat here. read more

Cafe Istanbul - International Grocery Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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I love perusing the aisles, I always find familiar Arab spices, pastas, Turkish candies, fresh desserts.. lovely owners who are always there. read more

Any time I travel I try shawarma, and yet nowhere compares to my home town, mom and pop place; Cafe Instanbul! And then there's there hummus-nothing compares to you! The shawarma platter is a great bang for your buck and a wonderful combo of flavors and textures. Perfect balance of tang, salty, creamy, crunchy goodness !!!And, on top of it all they are super nice people! (Just open for lunch and takeout until the full cafe is open so keep up with their fb page for updates) read more

Cafe Istanbul - Chic shawarma platter - International Grocery Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Very friendly and helpful. Huge selection of food to shop from. Real Baklava made with pistachios! Gyros are good.

So fresh so delicious: falafel and tzatziki, dolmas, yum. So fun to stop and get a quick lunch.

This place is great! I've only eaten here once, but I love it. The wife has been here a couple of times and suggested we meet here for lunch. I'm so glad she did! The wife enjoyed a very filling and incredibly tasty falafel sandwich and I enjoyed the shawarma sandwich lunch combo. Both sandwiches were stuffed with their respective fillings plus some. My plate came with some hummus, a pickle, a salad and a baklava. All were perfect. I also enjoyed my first Turkish coffee...it being my first I can't compare it to any others, but I rather enjoyed it. The service was friendly and prompt. I look forward to many future meals at Cafe Istanbul. I also look forward to shopping for some less than mainstream grocery items from their attached grocery store. Some of the items looked so good, plus they have goat meat! I am looking forward to making the wife a hearty goat stew one of these days! Plus you can purchase a tray of their incredible baklava - which I will have at the ready for my next party! I can't wait to return! read more

Cafe Istanbul - Seating area - International Grocery Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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5 for the grocery store! Brought home some great goodies. The gyro was 3 so I'll settle for 4 stars. I asked for everything on my gyro and it came with meat (plenty to share, so that's good) and onions (too big for this size of gyro.) The sauce was thin, runny and flavorless. The pita was too small for the amount of meat. Pickles on the side (??) and nothing else. Very disappointed. I love Turkish and Mediterranean food. Even spent a month in istanbul as a single womyn sampling the best of the best foods. Café Istanbul disappointed me, but I will try again in the future., read more

After trying a different middle eastern place the other day, my mother, niece and I decided to give this place a try. The parking lot was absolutely packed, when we pulled in. Luckily, someone who ordered takeout was coming out, so we were able to get parking right in front of the door. The dine-in portion of the location is on the left, separated by a wall that doesn't quiet reach the ceiling. There are multiple booths. A kitchen is in the rear. People were lined up for takeaway orders. A waitress came and cleaned our table. (I was impressed that they actually used a soapy sponge and then wiped the table with a clean rag. It made me feel that the table was actually clean. She took our drink orders and dropped off some menus. The water glasses were bigger than my iced tea glass. You don't normally see that. I ended up choosing the vegetarian platter. It has dolmas, baba ghanoush, hummus, spinach pie, falafel, Greek salad and rice. I didn't try the rice. The rest was good. The spinach pie was different than what I had anticipated, but I enjoyed the flavor. The hummus and baba ghanoush were excellent. The falafel were a little drier than I prefer, but I dunked them in tahini and that made up for it. Not knowing the size of the portions, I also added a small tabbouleh salad. It was bright green and not as lemony as I'm used to, but still delicious. The plates were decorated with sliced tomatoes and pickles. The tabbouleh had some delicious salty olives. There was a nice yogurt condiment, reminiscent of Persian maust o'kheyar, but not as minty. My niece ordered one of the specials, a gyro sandwich, a piece of baklava, hummus and a pickle. She ate the sandwich in seconds flat. I tried the gyro meat and it was moist and flavorful. She brought home the backlava, but said that it wasn't as sweet as she's used to. My mother ordered the beef shawerma platter. it had rice, hummus, Greek salad, marinated meat and pita. The pita were thick and fluffy and served hot. The shawerma meat was very flavorful. I could taste cumin, but I wasn't sure of the other spices used. A little lemon juice on it would have taken it to a whole 'nother level. Our server was helpful. Poor thing, she was run ragged. Prices were cheap for the amount of food that you get. I took off a star because I saw some fresh food rotting on the store side of the business. Parking is also a challenge, when they are busy. Perhaps we just went at the worst possible time. I do want to go back and try more dishes. read more

Another one of my favorite sandwich shops in town. IMHO, the *best* falafel sandwich and shawerma (chicken or lamb) sandwich in town. They also have the best humus in town! For a change, get some tabuleh and mix it in with the hummus. Great on pita! That said, I'll add that I'm not fond of the gyro. Oh! And good baklava! This place is actually inside of a well stocked Turkish / Middle Eastern grocery store. At the back of the store is a deli counter where you can order sandwiches, hummus, tabuleh, and baklava (and other stuff I'm not that familiar with) to go. In the front (just to the right as you walk in, by the front window) is a seating area if you'd like wait service at a table. Simple surroundings. Often with some Turkish television playing. Pleasant but not fancy surroundings. I'll also add that the owner and his family are very nice people. They might seem a little reserved by American standards (a bit a relief, actually), but always with a pleasant greeting and a smile. One last note, the restaurant closes at 5PM on weekdays (not sure about the weekends), but the grocery store has longer hours. read more

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We had high hopes for this place based on the amount of positive reviews, unfortunately, this place ranks as the worst Turkish restaurant we've ever been to. Here are the reasons: We ordered kafta/chicken kabob platter and beef kabob platter. Both platters came with a side of rice, hummus, and bread. 1. Our pita bread was not fresh. It smelled funny, almost sour and you can tell it was sitting out for a while then they microwaved it. That pita bread was not soft or fluffy. It had a doughy texture in the center. 2. The hummus did not taste fresh. It was too sour. Hummus from walmart tastes better. 3. The beef kabob was tough and rubbery. The texture made it difficult to cut. 4. The kafta..... My goodness, the kafta. It's my favorite dish but this particular kafta was so bad. I gave half to my boyfriend to share, took two bites of my half and I couldn't eat anymore of it. I always order kafta any time it's in the menu but this is the worst kafta I've ever tasted... It was dry and the meat had an off flavor I can't point out. It was not appetizing. I've eaten kafta and kabobs from many different restaurants and the food we tasted here can't compare. We can tell the meat was old because of the texture. Kafta and kabobs shouldn't have been served the way it was served to us. The only thing that tasted good was the chicken kabob which seemed fresh and the rice. I'm sorry Cafe Istanbul but we will not be returning. We will try other places. read more

Cafe Istanbul - None of the food items tasted fresh except for the chicken and rice. - International Grocery Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

I LOVE this market!! They have spices and things you can't find in your regular grocer. And their fresh pita bread and falafel sandwiches are amazing!! They are super friendly and are happy to answer any questions! The baklava is fresh daily and soooo delicious!! read more

Great market and even better selection of traditional Arabic foods at affordable prices. I've been here on several occasions looking for some more obscure food items from Syria and have never been dissapointed. For people whole are in the mood for some Arabic bites to go I would highly recommend the meat kibbeh and the spinach sfiheh. read more

This review is long overdue. I usually eat my treasures waaay too quickly to stop and consider taking photos to capture the moment. I have visited this place for years, and for me, quality and consistency goes a long way. Cafe Istanbul fits the bill, if you are looking to be satiated and contented in your buying power. Always, and I mean always, get the falafel and hummus - you will never be disappointed. However, don't be upset if they're out- just try again the next day. The falafel never leaves you longing, crispy brown on the outside, while still soft, delicate, and moist on the inside. A perfect consistency and texture that will make you a repeat customer guaranteed. Same for the hummus, smooth, creamy with the perfect amount of acidity/lemon. Don't be surprised if you get more than a 'small' size when ordering- this always seems to happen to me, attempting to show restraint, but somehow they know what I'm really thinking, and I have purchased a larger container without question... The tabouli is also always fresh and satisfying, house made pita available as well. Their grocery shop has a wonderful variety of speciality and ethnic items. I Recently picked up a bottle of date molasses that is rich and unique in its flavor profile. Go support this lovely spot, it is authentic and worth what you pay every time. read more

Cafe Istanbul - Hummus and falafel from the deli case - International Grocery Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Tasty, fresh food for a good price. Appeared to be family run and had a good community feel. After several days of interstate fare, my partner and I felt it was time to find something fresh as our bodies were feeling nutritionally unbalanced. Without much deliberation we decided to pop in to Cafe Istanbul. It was close, highly rated and we both love Mediterranean flavors. We started off with a kalamata and feta plate. I could have sworn the menu said "stuffed" olives so I was a little surprised to see the them come out separately but I certainly wasn't offended by it. I'm probably in the minority for saying this but I thought there was too much cheese. Regardless it tasted like it was of decent quality and my boyfriend was happy to pick up the slack. The real highlight for me was the pita bread. It was served hot but not oily as is sometimes the case. I'm not sure if it was the result of regional fusion or just an old family recipe but it was doughier and thicker then typical pita, very similar to Navajo flat breads I've had in the past. It was fantastic. For my main I ordered the Vegetarian Extravaganza. Basically just a sampler platter of regional standards. The hummus was great but the baba ghanoush really shined. It was obvious they roasted the eggplant because it had a delicious smokey flavor and great consistency. The falafel and saffron rice were average but still very nice. Dolmas have never been my favorite but even they had a surprisingly delightful spice. The only thing that really fell flat was the spinach pie, which, despite a nice bready crust tasted as if it were heated up in the microwave before serving. This resulted in a soggy, limp little pastry that I would have rather eaten cold. Overall, the food and atmosphere were good and I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Albuquerque in need of a fresh, quick, and inexpensive lunch. read more

Cafe Istanbul - Vegetarian extravaganza - International Grocery Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Delicious food & pita bread all homemade and fresh.will be coming back. Hummus and tzatziki sauce so yummy. read more

Great gyro!!! Wonderful sauce. Really fun grocery store with all kinds of interesting items. Very very helpful staff. Their Bulgarian Feta cheese was outstanding. Great supply if basmati rice. Put a togo order in then have fun shopping while you wait. read more

Great middle eastern food, fast and affordable. Had great little store inside next to the tables where you can find great international food to purchase. I really love the baklava they have and the gyro sandwiches. Great service and helpful in finding different items in the store area. Enjoy coming here when I have trained at Kaseman and needed some good food! read more

Amazing delicious cuisine! I hosted a birthday party and I had Cafe Istabul cater, it was wonderful! They were generous with the dips and sauces, added extra pita they added extra everything! We ordered the gyros, chicken and rice, hummus, falafel, dolmades and so much more! Served 30 guest and the price was fantastic, the service was amazing! They delivered with no added charge! Always remember to tip! Everyone at the party just raved about the food! Thank you, Cafe Istanbul! Rebecca Cruz read more

Perfect place for a Vegetarian. Their owners are so nice and always checking on you. Food wonderful and healthy, please make sure to try the spinach pies... Everything in here was soooo delicious. We topped with their warm desserts and they were amazing as well. We will keep going. Love them!!!! read more

THEY'RE BACK!!! I was so heartbroken when the restaurant closed!! I got a beef shawarma plate with a side of falafel and lemme tell you. I was a happy camper. The food is amazing! The cashier lady is so sweet! I love love love this place!! So happy they're back!!! read more

Good food at good prices, nice store. Family owned and operated. It used to be across the street, for a long time but the grill was closed for a few years. New location has a better menu and is a nicer place. So glad they brought the grill back! read more

I went on 5/18/2020 as my first visit to a grocery in the past two months. I was thinking that they advertise on the web having masks for sale and there is a sign on the front door offering hand sanitizer for sale. However, a customer and employee not wearing a mask and when I ask why, the employee commented "We are Arabs and aren't afraid of any viruses." I left my basket with food unpurchased and left immediately. read more

I ordered the falafel platter and it was delicious. The whole store smelled fantastic and the owners were very nice. I will definitely be back! read more

For decades I drove from Taos and Los Alamos to find foods and ingredients from the Middle East and beyond. Now I am in the city and pop in as I need things. This is a family run store with one register. Don't be in a hurry, take your time and take in all the different foods they have. If you can't find what you want they will help and get it for you. And while your there you can order some ready made things like felafel. read more

Haven't eaten here since the pandemic, and I can't remember how many times I said Yumm during my dinner tonight. The gyro was delicious, chicken shwerma great, and the falafels were fabulous. Glad they're open for dinner now and will definitely be putting them into the rotation. read more

The food here is good. That part is simple. They have really good falafel, which (as anyone who is familiar with middle eastern food at all knows) varies widely from one place to another (and from one nation of origin to another.) They also have fantastic hummus and delicious rice that I think is made yellow by saffron - I have only actually ever seen something similar in Armenian restaurants. There are couple of drawbacks, which while not deal breakers for me, are definitely things to be aware of. It is FREEZING in Cafe Istanbul. Maybe we were sitting right underneath an air conditioning vent or something; I don't know. But no matter what, my food got cold exceedingly quickly, which made it far less enjoyable to me. I probably would have been better off getting it as carry out. Also, the service was ridiculously slow. I don't know if it was just something about the day I was there or what, but we waited well over ten minutes to even have someone take our order. Despite those negative qualities, I would go back. The people are great - very courteous and welcoming. And as I said, the food was really good. Make no mistake, this is NOT fine dining. It is all cafeteria style seating, disposable plastic plates and utensils, etc. Not a great place if you are looking for something fancy, or if ambiance is particularly important to you in dining. It is well worth a visit though. It is my favorite middle eastern place of all those that I have tried in Albuquerque so far. read more

I was very pleasantly surprised by this place. It is fairly innocuous from the outside; bright yellow and painted in generic "Middle Eastern" font that announces the name to all passers-by. It practically begs you to enter its exotic realm and see what's inside. When you do walk in, it's not that impressive. It's a very run-of-the-mill little market with a distinctly Middle Eastern/Arabic flavor to it. You'll find lots of teas, various weird candies, and a bunch of beverages you've never heard of, all spelled out in Arabic and/or Cyrillic. I can understand that for the folks from that region of the world, this must be very familiar and comforting. It is interesting that you could find such a place in Albuquerque. If you're not there for the Arabic market experience, you're in luck because they have a cafe on the south end of the building. This is where the magic happens, in my opinion. Honestly, some of the best hummus I've ever had. Their shawarma was fantastic. This place is doing Middle Eastern food right. Also, reasonably priced, and not ostentatious. I can tell that the ex-pat community in the ABQ comes here, which is always a good sign. read more

I LOVE this place! Everything is good. The service, the food, the merchandise. Get a lamb kabob sandwich special for lunch, or try the chicken shawerma if you aren't sure! Then shop around! You're certain to find at least one thing you HAVE to have. I have been coming here for years. Excuse me while I forget to Check In. I am easily distracted. I love buying my oils from here. You won't get ripped off. You can get huge bottles of grape seed oil and olive oil for less than ten dollars each, and they have different varieties. I also prefer to buy my Twinning Earl Grey here. It's loose leaf in a large tin. I like that. Grab a bag of Jordan Almonds to add to your purchase. You won't regret it. The almonds are huge and soft. I want to say juicy, but in a good way. The way you know the almond isn't old and dried up. Pay for your lunch and groceries at front counter. **Here is a tip on tipping: If you pay using credit or debit, be sure to verbally tell them to add a dollar amount for tip before they run your card. The receipt has no line to add one.** Cafe has been remodeled and is very pleasant. Parking in front can get crowded. Drive around behind the Circle K for lots of parking behind Labcore. Enjoy!! read more

This grocery store has a great selection of food and supplies for making all kinds of middle eastern food. Also, this is run by such a kind and helpful family! They called "The Mom" for recipe details so I would know what I needed to make a dish my brother-in-law used to make. She was wonderfully helpful over the phone. I highly recommend Istanbul. I will stop in whenever I'm in Albuquerque. Check out the store and try a new recipe. read more

I love coming here! It's right down the street from my work, so I pop in often. I like treating myself to the European candy bars here (aero, smarties, kinder bueno!) as well as many of the other treats! We come here often to pick up fresh pita and hummus. One thing I love about their hummus is that it's always fresh and house made, with no preservatives. Best hummus in town, we put it on everything at home! Also, the store owner is so kind and nice! As the other reviews have stated, the restaurant/deli is awesome too. read more

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My husband and I were treated to lunch, Fri, Aug 23, ...Cafe Istanbul rates TEN STARS for cleanliness ~.We've eaten literally all over the world and of course all over our beautiful America and NEVER eaten in a restaurant that has such a high standard of detail to cleanlnessis from the kithcen to the cleaning of the dining tables ~ which says alot coming from ME 'cause when it comes to restaurnats; I'm a clean FREAK!!!! the food and ambiance is OUTSTANDING in every way - plate presentation, friendly and efficient attention to detail from servers, with amazing mix of delicious plates and aromas. I enjoyed the Vegitarian Plate ~ 2 fresh hot falafels, saffron rice, mixed salad, babaganoush, and hummus with a fresh hot fluffy pita. ahhh, cant' wait to return.... Cafe Istanbul is an oasis in the desert. read more

I've been there twice and both times had a tasty lunch. The shawerma is great, the hummus is pretty good, and the service is friendly. As long as you don't mind dining in a grocery store (OK, there's a wall between the seats and the shelves) this is one of the best places for simple but delicious middle eastern food in Albuquerque. read more

Cafe Istanbul - Shawerma sandwich lunch special (with hummus, pita, cookie, and drink for $7.99) - International Grocery Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

I have been going to cafe Istanbul for years, and I love it! The falafel sandwich, falafel platter, and vegetarian extravaganza are all absolutely amazing! It is unassuming and small - a small portion of the already small Turkish store. And it wasn't too long ago that the food was served on paper plates with plastic ware. I suspect some prefer ambience to delectable food BUT if you are after a delicious meal - go to cafe Istanbul! read more

This places food sucks eggs!! Nothing had taste, not even their own dressing ... I dunno what all you Yelpers are raving about. The 2 stars is for their store which is well stocked with hard to find Mediterranean stuff :). This place is dirty and the food not so good. read more

Hubby and I were on this side of town for a change. Decided to drop in for a quick lunch after my mom raved about them. I had the vegetarian plate ($7.50?). 2 fresh hot falafels, saffron rice, mixed salad, babaganoush, and hummus with a fresh hot fluffy pita. The falafels where a bit dense, flavorful but not greasy. Hummus was creamy perfection. But the babaganoush was a creamy, smokey dish from heaven. A serious wow. Hubby had the shwarma plate. He said it was very tasted although everything in his plate was dusted with sumac. All in all we enjoyed. The plus was the shopping after. I found some yummy salad toppers from India that I have not found anywhere else. I'll be back read more

I really do enjoy the ambiance of cafe Istanbul. It has a small town family grocer and diner combined into the same establishment. The servers here are known to be a bit saucy and I really do appreciate their friendly yet zero crap slant on service. The prices are great, the service is timely and the portions are absolutely enough to fill up on. In fact, the only interesting thing I can say about it is that if you choose to pay with a credit card the cashiers sometimes forget to offer you the opportunity to tip out your server. Feel free to try any of the awesome middle eastern sodas that are in the drink coolers along with your meal. This really is a great store and I hope they continue to do well. read more

Love this place. The biggest problem I have is resisting the urge to order too much food. Falafel, dolmas, hummus, and just about everything here is perfect, just like grandma used to make. Though it isn't how grandma made it, the kibbe's great, too. They have a great assortment of imported foods in their grocery. Try the zatar bread and some lebni for a delicious snack. The family that runs this place is very pleasant. Take home a package of the FRESH pita if you can get it. If they have it, it'll be up by the register. read more