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    Cafe Istanbul

    3.7 (575 reviews)
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order Cafe Istanbul Takeout or Delivery

    Cafe Istanbul Cafes Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    CAFE ISTANBUL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Cafe Istanbul

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    At the café
    Zahra S.

    This was my first time trying this place. We sat outside on the sidewalk seating in the evening, which was nice. I had the Cofta beef kebab plate, baba ghanoush, as an appetizer, doogh for a drink and kanafah as a dessert. I did really enjoy the food, I like how the plate came on a square type of plate, I've just always liked those kind of plates. I was a bit surprised that the plate did not come with rice as well as the lavash bread, along with the salad. In my experience, it's usually both. The kebabs were very well seasoned, nice and juicy, very enjoyable. The bread had a good flavor, slightly grilled. There was also some sliced onion and jalapeño on the plate, the jalapeño was way too spicy for me to eat straight like that, but I think it could be good for some people. I have a sensitive throat/tonsils so I cannot do super super spicy like that. The drink is that yogurt drink, I liked that it was served in a more goblet style of glass rather than a Tumblr, which was nice. This was just a simple version of the drink, it did not have mint or cucumber or any of the additions that are sometimes in that type of drink. It was not a carbonated version, just a nice refreshing, simple drink. The dessert was enjoyable, just wish it was bigger, but I'm the type who's always wishing the desserts were bigger. That type of dessert would be considered quite sweet/rich to a lot of people who are not into a lot of sweets. I had it with some hot tea, which was excellent. We arrived close to closing time and the staff very generously accommodated staying open an extra hour in order to serve us. That was very, very nice, there are a lot of places that would not do that. This is a completely Halal restaurant. I do not know if it is fully Muslim owned and operated; but I do know that they definitely say that they use completely Halal meat. I did use the restroom, it is a single stall restroom that was reasonably clean. I think it would be good for Halal food places to have a bidet or flushable wipes or something like that in the restrooms available for the Muslim customers or for just anyone who wants to be nice and fresh. Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant, I think this is a good option for any kind of casual lunch meeting. I am glad I was able to try this place.

    Lentil Soup
    Suri M.

    The food is excellent! Lots of vegetarian options, including a good hearty lentil soup. Save some room for a dessert of kunefe! The Turkish coffee is really good and I like the traditional fancy serving style. In general I felt like they really care about aesthetics here, except when it came to music. They had a playlist of pop music from 20 years ago, which was fun, but it would have been so much cooler to hear Turkish music. Why not lean in to the vibe? Ignore the yelp offer of $10 off, it's not real (the employees here don't accept it). Restrooms are clean.

    Gozleme $20 !!!!
    Sharareh R.

    The service was commendable, but the portions were disappointingly small and did not justify the high price. We spent over $100 on breakfast, which seemed excessive. Regrettably, we won't be returning. The owner should be ashamed of himself/herself for charging costumers this much for low quality food

    Vegetarian Grape Leaves
    Aslı P.

    If you're looking for solid Turkish food (which is very hard to come by in LA), this restaurant is a very good option! FOOD: MANTI (5/5): DEFINITELY order this!!! (they are mini Turkish "dumplings" filled with ground beef and topped with yogurt and tomato sauce). I'm Turkish and this manti tastes just like my grandma's :') the dough was the perfect texture (not too soft), the filling had great flavor, and the tomato sauce on top was DELICIOUS. I could've eaten a tub of it alone. Iskender kebab (4.5/5): very good! This is a very difficult dish to perfect because the original in Turkey is indescribably amazing. At Cafe Istanbul, the flavor alone was really good and captured the classic buttery, tomato-y aromas that make iskender kebab so special. My only complaints are that the meat could've been more thinly sliced to be more like the original iskender. And the pide bread was already very soft/mushy from all the juices when usually it should have some structure at the beginning and slowly soak up all the sauce. It still tasted amazing!! And satisfies the craving. Adana kebab (4/5): amazing flavor but the meat was kind of dry. The pilaf was really good! Choban salad (3.5/5): very good, fresh vegetables with nice crunch. It really needed extra salt though! Dolma/grape leaves (2/5): sadly these were so disappointing. Really flavorless and the filling was mushy. The service was excellent, and the place is very quaint with a peaceful ambiance! Overall, I don't really understand why this restaurant doesn't have the best reviews. I think the food is decent (some definite standouts!) and it's great to know there's a Turkish restaurant I can go to in LA. I will be back to try other menu items!

    Both food and service can be improved, had Istanbul coffee and kebab, the coffee was interesting in a good way, first time to try it, the small bite comes with coffee was good. Kebab was a bit oily and nothing special. The server didn't come back to check on us till almost the end.

    Mmmm! Lamb chop plate, lentil soup & the chicken shawarma plate!
    Esther JC S.

    So my friend was craving some Turkish coffee and after going to Mosaic church in Hollywood, we looked for a place and found this on yelp. The food looked good on the pics! (Check mine out too! ) We parked on the street and came in. We were seated immediately and they came and took our orders. Great service! Friendly smiles. My friend ordered the chicken shawarma plate and I got the lamb chop plate. (It was flavored so well and I have to take half home.) The lentil soup is free for January! We finished that first and let me tell you... I want more! I want to learn to make it and eat that everyday! You can squeeze lemon in it or eat it without the lemon juice. (Turkish people love lemon juice! I dated one. ) Anyway, we got so full but had to finish it off with some Turkish coffee. (Yay!) Thank you, Eric, for treating me out! Thank you, ladies, for the great service! Will be back for sure!

    Shawarma Beyti (Doner)
    Tricia K.

    Great authentic Turkish food!! We had the fried chicken, the combo kebab late and the shawarma. Also had the mint lemonade. Service was quick too.

    Always fresh cut flowers and candlelight at night.
    Elaina E.

    Ordered the vegetarian plate. Delicious! Great dolmas, tabbouleh, baba ganoush and hummus. They always treat me like family here.

    Chicken kebab wrap
    Guillermo S.

    We have come here twice and both times, the food was excellent and service superb. We had the fatoush salad both times, it's one of the best fatoush salads I've tried. The first time I had the gyro wrap and this evening I had the beef doner bowl. I liked both , but the beef bowl was much tastier. Service provided by (Hanna) was top notch. Entire staff was friendly and attentive!!

    Aysun O.

    Very small portions yet extremely overpriced. The food had chemical taste and served cold. Don't make me start talking about the waitresses. As long as this place has the rude and disrespectful waitresses with ugly attitude this place will get worse reviews. Just a disgrace to Istanbul and Turkish food.

    Eser E.

    I wish I had read some of the reviews before I went to this place. First of all the employees were extremely rude and disrespectful with terrible customer service. The food had no taste at all and absolutely not a Turkish food. Overpriced, and make sure check your recipe because they charge you extra for nothing. Stay away from this place. I would not recommend this place.

    Bread
    Levent A.

    Visited LA quickly to handle some errands and we thought, Why not try some Turkish food nearby? Cafe Istanbul came up and we showed up at 10:00 am. I was impressed with the menu as it had a decorated selection and many authentic choices from Turkey. Let me tell you that the breakfast sucuk was absolutely delicious, flavorful at every bite. It was as if you were eating the sucuk in Izmir, Turkey. My Turkish father was impressed and so was I. We also ordered the traditional breakfast platter and the Turkish Wrap with Adana kebab. It really took me back to my traveling days visiting my family. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who would like to eat authentic Turkish cuisine. Special mention to the waitress who was super nice to my father and I and provided excellent customer service. I will 1000% return to Cafe Istanbul during my next trip to Los Angeles, CA.

    Nick G.

    Parking is metered and very scarce. Especially on weekday work hours. Also you got to read the parking signs for the hours. Staff is very friendly. I ended up ordering the manti. This is raviolis Turkish style. This includes minced meat, with a heaping full of yogurt on top with paprika butter sauce. Absolutely delicious meal. Highly recommend.

    Turkish tea & Cigar Borek

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    2 years ago

    Please make the soup daily. We can tell when it's a week old. That's basically all that needs to be improved.

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    1 year ago

    It is overpriced but quite good. I love their brunches with Gozleme, the Kunefe, their lentil soup, cheese pie and Karniyarik ( eggplant)

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    1 year ago

    This place was amazing, cozy restaurant, perfect for a date night. The food was delicious and the service was top-notch.

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    2 years ago

    I was with my family today .The service was absolutely terrible.I don't recommend this restaurant !!!

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    2 years ago

    What a great find! Just had a fantastic dinner-relaxed atmosphere, delicious food, perfect service. Our new favorite place!!!

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    Page 1 of 15

    Cafe Istanbul Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Cafe Istanbul

    Is this place open now?

    Yes. It's open for take-out. Hopefully, after Tuesday, December 8, 2020, it'll be open for outdoor seating.

    View All 5 Questions

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    The Maybourne Cafe

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    Cafe Istanbul - cafes - Updated June 2026

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