I'm super disappointed by the donar wrap I got. The meat itself tastes nothing like real donar. It was super dry and flavorless. Plus it is served with a white (tatsiki?) sauce on the side which I've never seen in Istanbul though I have seen in Germany but that's more of a ranch flavor and much better. Fresh bread was very nice and service was fine. read more

We ordered online and there food was amazing!! My boyfriend loved it and yesterday we dined in. The food was good and the service was excellent! read more

I ordered delivery at 7:25pm on Friday with an arrival time at 8:25pm. At 8:15pm, I noticed that the food still wasn't out for delivery, so I called the restaurant. The number was disconnected. I thought the line was busy, so I called again - disconnected. I called a total of 13 times between 8:15pm-9pm hoping that they were going to answer. Still nothing. I finally decided to order food from a different restaurant. At 9:30pm, the driver calls me to let me know that my food has arrived (over TWO HOURS later) and the food was COLD - I didn't even eat it because I had already ordered from another place. I called the next day to complain, but the manager wasn't in yet, so they took my name/number and told me that they would give me a call back. 7 hours went by and I didn't get a call, so I called them back. They said that the manager saw my name/number and that they would call me back. I never got a call. I'm sure their food is great, but service was horrible. read more

My favorite food ever in the history of eating, hands down. If I were on death row, I want Iskender to be my last meal. Thanks so much for everything you do! read more

Just picked up an awesome takeout lunch-- the Kofte, pide and boregi were all delicious! Definitely worth a visit.

Very nice to see something of quality on this cursed corner next to D&D liquors which takes all but three parking spots. I'll be back. But I'll be on foot next time. Good luck. read more

We were excited to try new restaurants while visiting Chicago. We came across this little place and decided to give it a try. The ambience inside seemed nice as we watched snow fall outside through the windows. Cocktails and first appetizer was good and then.. dun dun DUN... muscles from hell! As soon as they were brought to the table my eyes widened as I looked around searching for the strong foul odor but as the bowl landed in front of my nose there was no doubt. I really did not want to try one but I did and had to spit it in the napkin. I alerted our server who tried 2 times to tell me that there was nothing wrong and that's just how Mediterranean muscles are. Well lady, I've had my fair share off muscles and I may be a Texan but.. they are one of my favorite foods and that...just ain't right y'all! Also.. don't argue with your customer! So now you are warned.. they don't have a problem with a serving rancid food. Note to Chef: Avoid mussels that smell bad or release foul odors. Mussels should smell like the sea. If a mussel is open, tap the shell. If it does not close on its on after being 'ruffled' then that mussel is dead and you should not purchase it or attempt to cook it. read more

Crave-worthy. The vegetarian (vegan, I think, actually) eggplant dish takes simple ingredients and turns them into something so delicious that, after the first time I ate it, I craved it for a week until I got it again for takeout tonight. Is it possible to be even better? It was. And the hummus? Outstanding. Plus, my takeout order came with a little sweet surprise, a custard or rice pudding that was unexpected and also delicious. Three times I've dined here, three home runs! read more

I love this place so much!! I get the chefs mixed grill at least once a week or every two weeks! Everything is always perfectly seasoned and perfectly cooked, and that's saying a lot when the meal I normally order comes with 5 different varieties of meat. Their hot green sauce is one of my favorites and the same goes for their torture sauce. When you get take out they still provide a side salad, tons of bread, and even a little dessert with your meal! This place is amazing and really takes care of their customers. They definitely don't always have the greatest service, but now that I order take out a lot from them instead, I don't really have to deal with it. I'd highly recommend this place to anyone because the food is so exceptional that it's even worth the wait when the service isn't at its best. read more

Before when it was Turquoise we used to go there , and when we heard they moved to here, we started coming here )) love the foods they make delicious Adana kebab my favorite and the deserts are yummy. The customer service is great )) read more

I wanted to say this is the best Turkish restaurant in Chicago when I went on a Sunday afternoon. Amazing döner, and I could not have enough of the rice even beautiful inside. Then went on a Saturday night, forgot one of our dishes, ran out of döner, rice was terrible, everything tasted like pure garlic:( It was sad as that's when I took my friends hence they won't be coming back. I'll give it one more chance on another daytime. read more

Excellent food and service! I go to Istanbul very often and I must say the quality of food didn't disappoint. Fresh and delicious appetizers along with juicy and well prepared lamb entree. Beware of portion sizes - you won't go home hungry. Love it and definitely will be back for baklava. read more

...had a fabulous lunch at Cafe Istanbul, Division and Damen. My 6 year old "date" commented on the lovely decor ...very clean, white tablecloths, stemware water goblets and no chicken nuggets' cartons. (I commented on the reasonable prices). The waitress quickly brought a generous loaf of delicious bread. Not your typical Vienna bread, this warm bread had a dark, crispy poppy seed crust and a soft center. The very tasty spread was perfectly seasoned with lemon, herbs and spices. My grandson enjoyed his lentil soup and bread.. I chose the salmon...a big chunk, perfectly cooked and surrounded by an enjoyable sauce containing calamari rings and served on pearl, Israeli couscous. Wow! I cleaned the plate. This was not a meal I could replicate at home. I highly recommend Cafe Istanbul and wish for a chef's recipe site. read more

Cafe Istanbul - Turkish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food was great, don't go on the weekends couple of hours wait and servers looks confused. I went there for specific meals but by the time I got there after 7 they had ran out. Will try them again at a different time. read more

It doesn't look like much but this restaurant does not disappoint. Excellent food, great atmosphere and reasonable prices.

my soup came with animal hair all over around the meat. waiting times are too long. they add the tip in the bill. There are better turkish food available elsewhere in the city. the meat is very heavy. Be careful read more

This has turned in my family's favorite restaurant. It's very simple and the staff is so nice. Every time we've come we've been met with super tasty food and really nice service. They serve plenty of food and even include complimentary bread with "dips". When I've ordered for pick up during quarantine, they've sent plenty of food and even included complimentary desserts. Everyone and everything here is outstanding. Love this place!! read more

Best hummus in town. Customer service is always on point. Some dishes are better than other dishes. This is a nice place to have dinner.

Wow, try the lamb dish. Amazing!! I went for a quick bite, then decided to go all in. Lamb is my favorite food and they do it right. I will def be back. And the service was great, they came to see how we were doing often. Thank you read more

Such a great addition to the neighborhood! They give you delicious bread and carrot dip when you sit down, and the rest of the food was incredible too. I had the beef kebab but I had trouble choosing because everything on the menu looked amazing. Prices are super reasonable and it's BYOB. The service was great too. I'll definitely make this a regular spot. read more

The is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Rack of lamb I had tonight was marvelous and they tried to accommodate my low salt and succeeded.despite the salt less food it was still very savory I'll come back here again soon. read more

Best Turkish food in the city. It almost tasted like the food I had in Turkey. Everything is so healthy add delicious! Ok almost everything is healthy ;) they gave us complimentary dessert since we ordered a lot of food. So happy that they opened this place near my house. read more

I'm so afraid to jinx it, but I am loving Cafe Istanbul! I'm so glad they're doing well, and we are so lucky to have such a fantastic, reasonably-priced Turkish restaurant in the neighborhood. I just hope they don't get too big for the space. Took some out-of-town friends here on a Friday night. There were six of us. We were seated immediately, and service was fast and friendly. Everyone loved their meals. We had the shortrib again, lahmacun, su boregi, grilled calamari, lentil soup, mujver, and rigatoni al trasterverina ragu, and of course their delicious bread and carrot-yogurt spread to start. I recommend them all. Other diners around us were once again enjoying the skewers, including one table of six men who all got the same thing. Next time I want to try that and the seafood stew. I look forward to eating here again. read more

We love cafe Istanbul. The chicken kabob is great - and we always try to get something new to go with because everything is great. Tonight it was the zucchini fritters - delicious. And they threw in some dessert for free. Thanks - we really appreciated that! And are also now big fans of the Turkish flan. read more

Istanbul never disappoints. Had the Cag Dza Kebab on the recommendation of the waitress, and it was fantastic. Will absolutely be ordered again. Hummus is still the best I've ever had. Lahmacun and the smoked eggplant app are must orders. read more

Amazing food & service! Can't say enough wonderful things about this little Wicker Park gem.

I absolutely love this place. The food is wonderful and reminds me of the quality of Turkish food I used to get while in Europe. The salads are huge and full of fresh ingredients. The staff is very friendly as well! read more

Great place for fresh Kabab and Iskander, if you get a chance to eat in wicker park, stop by.

Fresh. Delicious, unique, I'll definitely order again and recommend it for anyone. Simply. Best Turkish food in Chicago. Period (:

Best Turkish restaurant in town. Doner and Cag kebap is spectacular. You should try every food they offer.

Amazing food, reasonable prices, friendly staff. A great addition to East Lakeview. Highly recommended: falafel, hummus, lentil soup, and their version of flan dessert. read more

A little neighborhood delight. Enjoyed amazing food and fantastic service at lunch today. The Lahmacun had a light crispy crust with slightly spicy blend of beef and vegetables that sang when mixed with fresh herbs and arugula. I plan on making this my Coronavirus takeout place and look forward to trying some other items read more

Great food, fast service and reasonable prices. I ate doner and lahmacun. I also ordered kunefe as dessert. It was my first time in Cafe Istanbul and I will definitely visit again. read more

Lahmacun was tasty. Doner was too greasy although it was cooked good. We went there without a reservation but they accepted us. I recommend to book a table because the cafe looks full on Saturdays. Service was okay. read more

We walked in looking for a late lunch and we're wonderfully surprised by the cafe. We grazed thru drinks and appetizers and everything was delicious. The appetizer portion of the menu (plus amazing lentil soup) was more than enough food for our lunch.The wait staff was friendly, knowledgeable (and adorable) and a big table of Turks sat after us so I'm assuming it was authentic Turkish cooking as well. Totally worth it and we'll go back for sure. read more

Favorite Turkish place! Food was amazing and service was great. Ordered a pide, it was huge but tasted really good. Dessert was alright. Will definitely be coming back again! read more

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Very friendly and attentive service. I've been twice and both times the food was outstanding!

We were so satisfied after visiting Cafe Instabul. The food was fresh, abundant, and delicious. The dishes we tried were full of flavor. The staff was happy and friendly, and the atmosphere was unpretentious and warm. Don't miss out! read more

The service was extremely bad and very slow. I asked the waitress to make some recommendations and she was very annoyed and not helpful. The food was below average and didn't match its high price. read more

This place is legit. Amazingly fresh and flavorful food with generous portions. Everyone is very friendly and genuinely happy to have you here. I have a feeling that this place will be very busy on weekends very soon, and they deserve to be so. Highly recommend if you are a fan of fresh, Mediterranean food. read more