Love this place. A haven of quiet and class amid the sea of people i=in the nearby market. Great food. read more

This was my third visit to Hamdi, and I was hesitating to go there since my second time wasn't impressive at all. I went there at early evening with my mother, and when we went up to the second floor, the waiter (with the suite) received us with unwelcoming look, like "what do you want?" instead of finding us a table for two. it was crowded somehow except three or four tables. My mother asked him (in Turkish) what's in the upper floor and he rolled his eyes in a very impolite way saying "It's full". Honestly, if wasn't for my mother, I would have left the place immediately. Nevertheless, we ordered and the food wasn't as good as it used to be. The Eskandar is horrible. The desert was a big failure.. the Kenafe was old and barely can be eaten. That was my third and last time to come close by this over-rated restaurant, and I would never recommend it to any one at all, not even my enemies. read more

Best meal I had in Istanbul; I had the kebab roasted inside eggplant....Very very good! The appetizers were delicious...Your choice from a large tray they bring to your table.... Service was great....Call ahead and make reservations and ask for the 3rd floor table looking out over the Bosphorus. This place is busy during tourist season. read more

We were thrown out after being seated when the manager noticed our little dog and promptly ordered several waiters to escort us out claiming no dogs are allowed. We were welcomed by the staff and seated as everyone could see our dog on leash and there were no signs stating no dogs allowed. They were rude and unprofessional. Urge all pet owners to forget patronizing this tourist trap. read more

We came here for a late afternoon lunch after the 90 minute Bosphorus cruise. We were hot and starving and definitely did not want to be slogging through town to find something to eat. Thankfully Yelp! came to the rescue. I typically steer clear of places located in such close proximity to super touristy spots (Ferry docks, spice market), but we decided to trust the Yelp reviews and I'm so glad we did. It turns out we later saw this restaurant in one of our tour books as well. We were lucky enough to sit on the top floor patio and enjoy phenomenal views. I took a great panoramic shot of the Karakoy, Kadakoy areas with the water. This is a white tablecloth restaurant with excellent service. One of the fancier places we saw on the trip. I get the sense that even (well to do) Turks eat here, that made me feel better. I was super bummed that they don't serve the iskender kebop after 3pm, so I followed the servers recommendation for another kebop. I think it was maybe lamb and veal? anyway, the food was excellent. Their bread was some of the best we enjoyed on the trip. If you have a pickier eater in the bunch, they also have several chicken dishes. I thought prices were fairly reasonable given the location and atmosphere. It won't be a cheap meal by Turkish standards but it felt like a steal by American standards. read more

The best meal we had in Istanbul. This place came recommended by two different people as an Istanbul standard for kebabs. We shared three appetizers. They will bring a platter full of apps for you to select from. We shared a kebab plate. Lamb with pistachio. Moist and wonderfully tender. Pistachios gave it that extra crunch. Try to get an outside table on the terrace for best views at dinner. Can see the Bosporus from up there! read more

Fantastic does not begin to describe the overwhelming feeling of satisfaction from experiencing what is the Hamdi Restaurant. If you or anyone you know will be in Istanbul, they must come here. The Terrace floor is stunning rivaled only by the food. My strong recommendation would be to make reservations well in advance and ask to be by the window. There you will capture the best views while you feast on one of if not the best meals prepared in the European and Asian continents. The service is excellent the food is outstanding and the views are exceptional. I think the location in Yelp is off so just trust your taxi driver or your indicts if you drive to the old city and you see the restaurant, that's it. Thanks Hamdi! May you prosper and grow beyond your capacity. read more

Great service and a very quiet considering its a street away from the grand bazaar madness. read more

Hamdi Restaurant - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

Saw the sun set over the Bosporus while enjoying delicious tea and Iskender. Amazing experience. Great service and great location. Can get busy- I would suggest getting there early for dinner read more

I really liked this place. The pistachio kebab was excellent! The service was very attentive but not stifling. Great view out over the waterfront. read more

Hamdi Restaurant - The chicken kebab and pistachio kebab. - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

Honestly good kebabs. The taste of the kebab with pistachios is incredible. The appearance of the place could use some upgrading, but fantastic price to quality ratio. read more

Amazing views from the terrace of the Bosphorus, delicious authentic Turkish fare. read more

Hamdi Restaurant - View from the Terrace - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

This place is extremely overpriced for its quality. Dinner was ok , but it was unbelievably expensive for its tiny little portions. If people make that much money from this kind of service you would imagine the place would be perfect but it was poorly decorated and unpleasant to be in. The staff lied us about the top floor being unable to dine before the iftar hour , but when we went there saw lots of people already eating there. I would never ever consider coming here again. Ever. read more

Views: 5 stars Food: 3 stars Service: 2 stars Overall: 3 stars (not good value for money) We had high expectations from Hamdi based on the numerous glowing reviews on various online platforms. The fact that their terrace offers spectacular views of Galata bridge where the golden horn meets the Bosphorus is indeed true. But food and service did not match said views, sadly. During Ramazan, they are doing iftar on the terrace instead of standard dinner, so we made a reservation for the fixed price, set menu iftar, excited to share this special experience with locals. Except for the view from the terrace at sunset, unfortunately our experience left a lot to be desired, especially given the 95 TL (approx. 30 USD) price pp. The mezzes were not well seasoned. Dessert did not even include the Ramazan special, Güllaç. None of the fruit was edible. Baklava tasted less than fresh. But the biggest blow was that when it came to kebaps - their apparent specialty - each diner received eight 1 inch cubes (assorted kinds). Really? For 30 USD pp? A single 7 TL durum has more meat than that! So during Ramazan, unfortunately we cannot recommend the terrace dinner at Hamdi. Not in Istanbul where good food is everywhere. We also felt that service blatantly favored native diners over visitors. For several of the courses, our table was served after all of the locals' tables even though we were in the middle of the room. Very strange. read more

Right past the busy spice market, what a convenient location for one of the most known restaurants in town (at least around tourists). So off we go. We had our hotel call in to make reservations and quickly found out that this place is in deed very popular. Instead of getting a table on that terrace as we hoped, we had to settle for a table on the first floor, as far away from the window as possible. So no view for us. The waiters came promptly and served us water and after a short while presented us with their selection of mezze. We chose the humus and the spicy tomato paste, which had nuts (or something with "bite" in it) - very tasty! The size of our side dishes was no the largest we have had in Istanbul, but was ok for being sides/starters. On the downside, we only got 2 pieces of bread with our sides so we had to order more bread midway through our meal. Much to our surprise, the second order of bread arrived at our table simultaneously with our main courses, kebab with tomato and yogurt sauce and lamb kebabs with bulgur. The lamb was absolutely fantastic, with nice charred flavors and perfect seasoning. The meat was super tender as well. Only downside (if any) was the portion-size. Maybe 8 chunks of lamb may not be enough for you if you are a good eater. The kebab with tomato/yogurt sauce tasted flavorful as well, although the lamb kebab was definitely the winner here. All in all we were finished with our meal in under 45 mins - unusual for Turkey (at least for my standards) and the dinner felt a bit rushed. The noise level was also higher than in the other restaurants where we had dined before. A 6 Lyra pP charge on our check was explained after we asked. We payed with credit card and left a small cash tip. The food did not break the bank and was of good quality. I would therefore suggest Hamdi - but make reservations early enough so you get to sit on the terrace. This should definitely provide a nicer atmosphere than the crowded, noisy first floor. read more

Went a little to late but the view is nice not fancy at all. Appetizers were delicious and unfortunately to late to try the kunefe as it was sold out. read more

Beautiful restaurant with an absolutely stunning view of Istanbul! Whenever we travel from Canada to Turkey we always make sure to visit this restaurant! The food is absolutely fresh, delicious and warm while the view and service are more than impressive. Definitely a place to eat if you want to relax and watch the busy streets of Istanbul from a stunning bird's eye view! Love! read more

A spectacular panoramic view overlooking the Golden Horn and Galata Tower at the historical peninsula, with a lot of tasty kebab specialties in a well-reputed tourist-friendly place. With a wide range of assorted delicious kebab specialities, you'll experience the best grilled Kebabs in town! read more

We were there for lunch about two weeks ago with a group of about 20. They knew we were coming. great but very busy location. View was great as noted. Food was just OK. Service was also just OK, but seemed to be just going through the motions. Can't speak to cost since I didn't have to pay. Worth going to once. read more

I am tour guide in istanbul .My name is cezmi akar.Hamdi restoran one of the best turkish restoran in the city .Cause they have real turkish ottaman food. read more

Too busy and no one responses to our requests. Totally ignored. Has never been treated like that in turkey.

We stopped here for the kebabs and were very glad we did. We wanted to sit on the roof deck but apparently you must make a reservation so we settled for the 2nd floor which has big views also, just not the dining al fresco like upstairs. The food was delicious and the service was perfect. There was a mix of locals and tourists as this place is right near the spice market and across the street from the Bosphorous tours. read more

It s around the corner from the spice bazar which but you kind of have to know where it is to find it. We found it in a lonely planet guide, went right up to the roof terrace (dont settle for anything less!). The view is stunning, a nice fresh wind blows and the food is real nice, mostly kebap (grilled meat on a stick), prices are around 20 TL for a meal so definately more than average elsewhere but perfectly normal for touristic places. Service was nice, place clean cant complain :) read more

The location and the view is a great selling point. But ultimately the food and service here is what made this place so special. Highly recommended. read more

this place was my favorite for Kebabs in Turkey, the Pistachio and Yogurt were specially good. The selection of side dishes and dips were amazing, try as many as your stomach allows you too. also the people and ambience is great. read more

Must try when in Istanbul. Located in the roof top of the Radisson hotel. Breathtaking views and great authentic Turkish food. Could not agree with the waiter though on whether the origin of lavash bread was Turkish or Armenian they also offered very good Home made bread. read more

I g ive 2 Stars based on food and price, I ordered 6 lamb pieces with raw turnip . parselysprigs, 3 Spoonful of COUCUS. 1 grilled small pepper , 3 spoonful of salad , 2 hand palm sized pieces of bread. It was 32. They brought me one small piece of bread and few pieces of black olives and few pieces of chopped peppers without asking if I wanted any, so I assumed it was free. They werent... so I ended up with bill of 43...... I am not going to talk about the views. I regret going to this place... I would get some local street food and enjoy the view. Do not go there unless you do have a tree that grows money.... so I walked down the street, getting chicken sharwerma because I was still hungry.. yes, it was that bad.... do not go there..... read more

Perfect setting, rooftop with incredible view. Loved everything. Favorite restaurant during our stay.

Ate here twice in 2009 and - on long, dark nights - still crave the kebabs. Very special view and ambiance. Dark, rich coffee that warms the soul. Looks like it could be a touristy place, but lots of locals eat there as well. read more

A great way to interact with local food and mezzes. Plenty of dishes come to the table and a wide variety of flavors. Very interesting to engage with local food. Tastes are great and quality as well, but excitement is not from the place`s chef or kitchen, it is really about the variety and local tradition and foods. read more

1 star for the view, and 1 star for the cog kofte (raw kibbe for those who know the middle eastern name.) we went there at 8 on a Wednesday evening. The waiter poured a little less than a half glass of water for each of us (so like 2 sips?) and we ordered the normal lahmacun and cig kofte and were planning on ordering kebabs, but the servixe was terrible so we left after paying. The cog kofte was old and dry and had an overpowering taste of garlic. The lahmacun had lamb meat (I believe) but there really wasn't much flavor to it at all. We asked the water for olive oil and waree refills and 15 minutes later when we still had empty glasses and no oil, we asked for the check. Wouldn't recommend. read more

Hamdi Restaurant - Cig kofte - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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My mouth is still watering thinking about the food at this restaurant. The kabob was the best I have ever had. The service was very attentive and the restaurant was very well staffed. The restaurant is on the third floor of a building near the spice market. We were able to snag a spot on the small balcony and the views were incredible. The balcony has the best view, although it seemed that most of the indoor tables had good views too. You can eat and watch the ferries on the Golden Horn and the tourists walking across the Galata bridge and in the plaza near the spice market. I imagine it would be a wonderful place to eat lunch or dinner. read more

I got everything with pistachio that they serve and it was all very good -- especially the baklava! Attentive service.

Excellent choice for both a casual dinner with friends or a more formal one. The food is really good. We got a cold eggplant plate with some kind of white sauce that was fantastic! In addition to that we order the mandatory "kebap" with pistachio. Another excellent choice. For dessert we got the traditional Tavuk Göğsü... although some turks said us it is a must in this place, we found it just ok. The views to the city are stunning. Having said that, BEWARE of a few things: the wine is crazy expensive (I mean, in comparison to restaurants in other countries... I don't know the average price of a glass of wine in Turkey). There is a guy offering "mirrah coffee" for free: it is disgusting and it is NOT FREE... he asks for a substantial tip. The waiters are rude (another thing I think is customary in Turkish sophisticated restaurants). The place is great, the food is really good, but, as I said, there are a few cons. Prices are reasonable (not cheap, but not expensive) for western standards. read more

The kebabs are delicious and the view is great. Prices are reasonable. Service is attentive but there are some issues. The waiter accidentally dumped some grease from the bottom of the plate all over my shoulder and my leg while serving. I wasn't all that upset with that, but then without asking he came over and sprayed stain remover all over my shoulder, while I was eating my Kabab, like 8 inches from my mouth. It soaked all the way through to my skin and started burning, so I took the shirt off. They were noxious chemical fumes, it basically smelled like a solvent or something. All that made it somewhat difficult to enjoy the kebab. Then at the end not only did they charge me the full price for the meal, but a different waiter actually yelled at me for not tipping. Apparently since we got coffee and baklava, that obligated tip even though they ruined a shirt that cost more than the actual meal. read more

The view was fantastic, the service was on par, and the hummus, chicken kebab, walnut baklava, and pistachio baklava (yes, we got two kinds of baklava) hit the spot. We were surrounded by tourists (by Russian, South Asian, East Asian, Greek folks), but it's not a conventional tourist trap. The food was actually good. The only reason I opted for four, instead of five, stars is because I thought it was a bit pricey. I think they build the amazing view into their prices. We went here for dinner, so we had a lit up view of the Istanbul skyline and Bosporus river. Admittedly, it was a beautiful backdrop to enjoy a meal! read more

My wife and I booked a view table for 7 pm. We were seated and ordered. The first appetizer which was a small pizza came stone cold. The waiters reaction was to simply heat it up. We declined. The main course was a pistachio kebab which was the favourite we were told by the waiter. It eventually came .The meat was sort of warm and the rice was stone cold. We sent it back. It reappeared a bit warmer and the meat ,well,not so much. Waiter tried to charge us for the cold pizza. We were very dissatisfied and would recommend it as a place to avoid. If you want the view at night just whip in with your camera If you want good food. Try the little restaurants on the way up to the Blue Mosque read more

so so in love with this place. the food bound amazing. my favorite dolma in turkey. not forget to sake for a table with view. The staff are very friendly and cooperative. I spent 10 days in turkey and i want to this restaurant twice. they have other location in sisli that are more of fine dining restaurant ( i loved it but the food here are butter). read more