Been ordering gyro plates from here for at least 18 years now and it has always consistently remained the best Turkish food we have ever had. My mom and I always get a couple of gyro doner kebab plates, the liver cubes and we grab my dad a chicken kebab plate. Their rice is by far the best rice I've ever eaten in my life. I miss when they used to add a lot of chickpeas/garbanzo beans to their rice though, that was even better. Wish they gave 2 cups of each sauce per each gyro plate that you order though because 1 sauce cup is not enough at all. Haven't had a gyro plate in over a year now and now that I have eaten some of Istanbul Bays gyro meat and rice, it feels so good to be back home. read more

Istanbul Bay - Lamb Gyro plate - Specialty Food Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Ordered 1 simple dish was told it'll be 15 minutes but took 1 hour and 30. I would not recommend coming here if you don't have 2 hours to eat read more

Istanbul Bay is one of my go-to places for all things Turkish although I sometimes have no idea what I'm ordering. Portions are absolutely massive and the food is always super fresh. They offer both small and large portions that usually come with a side of rice and a salad but do come hungry as the portions are generous. The service is super friendly and food is served made to order quickly. Lamb gyro: 10/10 Adana kebab: 10/10 Kofte sandwich: 8/10 (maybe get this on a platter instead) Yogurt sauce is delicious. Order extra! read more

Istanbul Bay - Lamb Adana Kebab - Specialty Food Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Order takeout as we were thinking more Middle Eastern / Mediterranean vibe for dinner. We had Instanbul once many years ago (when we first moved to the area) but wasn't experience or knowledge about the cuisine and didn't know what to order and probably didn't like it as much. Hence haven't been back since but decided to give them a try this time. We ordered for pickup and came within the time but it wasn't ready so I took a seat to wait. It looks like majority of the food is already there to scoop into boxes and only the protein is cooked to order. They were still grilling lamb chops and it was a smaller portion size than expected at that price. We ordered grilled lamb (small) and chicken rice. Came with side salad and bread. Bread was not wrapped and just toss into the bag. Would love it if they warm up the bread as that would make a difference. Chicken was abit dry. read more

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Very fresh ingredients, & very courteous staff / service. They are pretty pricey, though, although pretty much all places w/ similar dishes have gone up significantly. There is also no table service - you have to order at the counter, & then pick up your food at the counter when it's ready. It's also not so clean inside. One of the staff people sat at the (close) table right next to mine & listened to very loud videos on his phone during the meal. It's pretty busy inside, & one of the only non-Asian places on any of the surrounding blocks to eat at lunch. For the prices, I would have liked table service, & for the interior to be a little cleaner, & for the bathroom to be a little nicer. They do make a mean Adana kebab though. read more

Totally upset that one of my favorite staple places for Turkish food has flopped!! Big time!! Ordered several dorma sandwiches , shepherd salad, French fries... Sandwiches were cold, fries cold! WTH!! Before they would slice then quick grill to make sandwiches!! Not anymore.. Told manager.. who first try to say it was the lettuce in the sandwich that made it cold.. and then the French fries were sitting on our table that got cold!! I don't think so !! Cause we were starving and happy to eat!! At $65!! I think food should come hot!! Anyway salad was delish.. manager agreed to heat sandwich and redo fries.. which by the time they came out.. we couldn't really enjoy cause we already waited soo long. Very disappointed!! Maybe new management .. We won't risk the chance of this happening at these prices.. going to seek out another Turkish fare. read more

They give a lot of meat for the doner gyro (lamb) and the chicken gyro. Pretty tasty especially with the white sauce. One container of the sauce isn't enough though, I usually need a 2nd one. read more

Istanbul Bay - Doner gyro (lamb) - Specialty Food Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

We ordered catering for a group of 20 women. Ismael was amazing. He took our order, customized it based on our needs, and delivered the food on time and warm. There was food for at least 30-35 people. Everyone took leftovers home. The women raved about the food. Thank you Istanbul Bay and Ismael! read more

Very slow delivery service, we waited more than an hour last night for 5 item orders on the top of that the food was almost inedible because it was cold and dry, the salad was super oily and sour. How am i supposed to come back and give you guys more money for this service. mind you we are like 8 minutes away from the spot driving. read more

I found this restaurant about a year ago we had a fantastic meal. I have gone here countless times since every time we go there it gets better. The food is remarkable, the service is top notch. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The restaurant is family friendly and many time whe we go there many families are enjoying their meals. Not being accustomed to Turkish food experimenting with new cuisine makes it more interesting. I've never had a bad meal at Istanbul Bay never had a mediocre meal at Istanbul Bay. The food is delicious. I highly recommend Istanbul Bay. read more

I dropped by on a weekend night and it was pretty empty. This is a counter service restaurant, not sit down. I came by because I always see its full of people during the summer. We ordered a couple things to share: Falafel appetizer (9/10): super crispy and fresh, the falafel tasted great Mixed appetizer plate (8/10): the baba ghanoush was my favorite of the appetizer plate. I'd probably just get an order of that next time, it was smokey and delicious! Lahmacun (8/10): I've never tried lahmacun and it was a flatbread with meat (lamb?) Combo plate (7/10): the meats were good but there wasnt much for such a pricey dish. There was also only 1 lambchop. Baklava: very sweet but thats to be expected The appetizer plate and the combo plate both came with bread, it was cold and hard, nothing special. Overall, we had to wait a pretty long time and the food came out separately so we had to keep checking the counter to see if our food had come out yet. I found it to be pretty pricey for a counter service restaurant, I'd go elsewhere for turkish food next time. read more

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update: we love the food here whether it is from the take out section on 86st or the beautiful dining room on the bay parkway side. Today 5 of us sat in the dining room. we had the mixed grill which was huge! The salmon kabob, Adana shish, lamb chops, calamari, sigara borek, calf liver, and Coban salad... everything was perfect and delicious! Thank you Ismail & the great staff at Istanbul Bay on 86th street & bay parkway. We have been eating at Istanbul Bay for the past 10 years so can honestly say the bad reviews do not make any sense. If there is ever a problem they always show the utmost Professionalism in customer service, correct it & are polite about it. The food is always perfectly cooked & delicious. Staff is always very attentive and beautifully represented of Mediterranean restaurant hospitality & service in high standards. They are very clean and having checked the kitchen to say hello ourselves (because we've been coming for years) can tell you they are clean. Perhaps if it's very busy & they're dealing with a crazy amount of Uber eats orders yes any restaurant could get overwhelmed. But we have never witnessed this ourselves. Food is always delicious & staff is always accommodating, helpful & pleasant. Our experience with Istanbul Bay leads us to believe the negative reviews are written by their competition... which are many. Or unscrupulous people with devious intent..... Give Istanbul Bay a try & you'll love not only the food but their welcoming hospitality...We love Istanbul Bay!.... read more

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The food, decor, ambiance, and service are all so great. Undoubtedly a neighborhood staple. I have no idea what these other reviews are talking about I've been coming here for years and will continue to. read more

Empty restaurant and they wanted reservations or to seat my family outside in the cold

I'm writing this review after over a month of waiting and struggling to get a resolution from Istanbul Bay. We placed an order for an important event: two mixed grills and one large appetizer platter that includes seven individual appetizers, each of which was supposed to come in separate containers. When we got to our destination and opened the bag, we discovered that one of the mixed grill platters was completely missing. On top of that, the seven appetizers were all thrown into one leaking container, placed upside down in the bag, and arrived completely mushed together. The food was unrecognizable, unservable, and a health risk--guests with potential allergies or dietary needs had no way of knowing what they were eating. This was an embarrassing and unacceptable experience. We immediately contacted the restaurant and spoke with the owner/manager, who admitted it was their fault and apologized. However, instead of handling it professionally, he asked us to call him privately on his personal number so other customers wouldn't overhear the conversation. From there, he played games to buy time, giving excuse after excuse, all while stalling so that the window for offering a refund or compensation would quietly close. Every time we followed up, they said "we'll call you back"--and never did. The way this situation was handled was dishonest and manipulative, and I have proof of all the text messages to back it up. We gave them more than enough time and patience, and they chose to ignore us. If you value customer service, food safety, and integrity--do not order from Istanbul Bay. read more

Been coming here for years, and this place has gotten really bad. Bought hummus yesterday, tried it today, and it looked and tasted obviously spoiled. I came in for an exchange, and the manager rudely refused to do anything, and said "you should've eaten it yesterday." Do you think it spoiled overnight?? You shouldn't sell hummus that's about to go bad! My last order, the meat tasted off, cheaper, greasier. What a shame; I used to love this place. read more

Great food. Ordered Branzini and tabouli. Amazing bread. Courteous service. Not a long wait for the food.

The food is delicious and the restaurant provides an authentic Turkish dining experience. I enjoy coming here with my family time and time again, the staff is friendly. I would recommend Istanbul Bay for anyone looking to try Turkish food, or to whomever already likes it! My favorites are the Kofte and Adana kebabs read more

Foods are delicious!! The Lamps are super juice!!! Highly recommended! Will definitely come back!!! read more

Wonderful food, great atmosphere and friendly staff. The desserts were amazing. Get the creme brulee.

The food was amazing and the service was even better!! They helped us with everything and made sure we felt comfortable. 10/10 recommend coming here if you love Turkish food read more

Deceptive pricing displayed. The cafe by the entrance has incorrect pricing written on the signs. I was charged %50 more at the register. Every business is entitled to raise prices, but the hand written price signs have to reflect the same. Also, the cashier dispenses change and touches your food with the same gloves. read more

The Gentleman taking the order was . extremely pleasant . However, got the order wrong. it wasn't close to what was ordered. He seemed very confused or as if he wasn't paying attention. The food came out in a timely fashion. There wasn't a long wait time. It wasn't warm . I ordered a chicken gyro. The meat was fatty. The eating area was clean . The restroom was not clean . There was non customers off the street using the restroom room.. There wasn't any soap in the bathroom. Which lead me to think ho are the employees washing their hands? Urine was all over the floor and toilet. Shortly afterwards my friend and I became extremely sick from the high fat and high salt content in the food. It didn't taste like fresh meat . This is second time this had happened to me from eating in this establishment. Stay clear of this place if you value your health. Upon leaving I noticed they have a B rating . A B rating isn't good as people may think. I am familiar with what goes on in restaurants and their kitchen ratings B isn't good please trust me . read more

Amazing place to eat with friends and family. Food and ambiance is on point. Service is also very attentive and professional.

Food is good but Management sucks. Waited 45 minutes for a Gyro lamp on a Turkish bread very upset.

Authentic Mediterranean and Turkish food. Quality ingredients and nice service. I really like this place.

What can I say about the food except "terrible ". From the globs of over fried balls they call falafel, the bland hummus and tasteless meats ( Adana / lamb gyro ). The best thing there were the obviously frozen fries. read more

The service was bad the food was bad the meat was said to be young but tasted very old and was so chewy like you literally had to fight the meat in order to chew it and super overpriced for bad food read more

This is for a delivery order. One of the better babaghanoush available. The rice was a bit salty and oily. The meat was tender and juicy. Portions are smaller than they used to be. Definitely fills you up. read more

Food was good, but the service was garbage. I would never eat here unless I wanted to wait 48 minutes for an order of bread! If you don't ask they would not even come to your table and ask if everything was okay. Don't waste your time and money here! Also the ambiance is tacky. read more

I scheduled for delivery at 4:30pm a few hours in advance and when the food wasn't delivered by 4:40pm I called the restaurant. The restaurant said there was a problem with their system, they didn't see the order and they would deliver ASAP. Food finally arrived at 5:10pm we were starving so we just started eating but quickly realized the food didn't taste right. Fast forward to the next morning and a couple of us got food poisoning. Thinking back there's no way the restaurant could have cooked and delivered the food properly less than 30 minutes. I'm never ordering from Istanbul again... read more

I've never been disappointed when ordering from Istanbul for delivery. The phone staff are courteous, efficient and friendly. They've always gotten my order correct and the food is hot and delicious. The Hummus is great, and my order of lamb chops is always cooked to perfection. The Shepherds salad is also delicious and the feta cheese on the side just makes it perfect. I can recommend very highly. read more

That's the only restaurant I ever been too who charge you extra money when you pay by credit card, totally disappointed

I went to Istanbul Bay around 345 yesterday,there were 2 India. Hitsguys The cashier is a real thief if you pay with cash he doesn't ring it up not gi:as you an estimate d bill I ordered fa)afel 7.40 and a snapple 250.When i requested areceipt he gave me someone else receipt and wrote on the back 1267.He gave me 4 falafel instead of 5 and about half the amount of saladSo who is he cheating his noss,the customers,New yorkcityAbout an hour after eating I developed diarrhea,certainproducts ha e to be refrigerated otherwise that happenss.Eat at your own peril the nice guys are no onger there.sotting a the window.and 2 Tirkiskish hits at the table,when they left no ony sanitized the tanle.The nails cook was behind the counter eating and drinking with his hlo as on read more