It's hard to miss this place as it almost seems to be part of Great Portland Street tube station. I was passing and hungry and, having no better inspiration on places suitable for a non-meat eater nearby, developed a sudden craving for some hummus. I had a mixed meze to start with, which was beautifully presented and just a good size to quell my rumbling stomach; then decided on the swordfish with baby roast potatoes and garnish - a nicely-cooked piece of fish, although not terribly large, simply presented and tasty. I finished off with a slab of halva, which came on a wee chopping board, and of course a Turkish coffee; the latter item getting the prize for the best-presented dish of the evening. It came on a small platter with the cup inside an ornate metal container with lid, and a glass of lemon water and another small glass containing what appeared to be a small rose. Fantastic. The reason I'm only giving three stars is the service. Although things started well and the first two dishes arrived very promptly, the girl serving me seemed to forget about me after that and I waited a good 20 minutes before flagging another server to inquire about dessert. The place was pretty empty when I arrived - most people were sitting outside because of the hot evening - but that's no excuse. Another star comes off for the fug of smoke you have to endure when you walk through the outside tables, which seems to double as a shisha bar - another reason I opted for an inside table. read more

Istanbul Cafe Bistro - Swordfish. - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

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Hot water for £1 lol, and the food is just emmm...The only reason u should go there to eat breakfast is that it really open early.

This charming spot has amazing breakfasts, both Turkish and traditional. We discovered it our first day in London and came back the next two days. It's quiet, has beautiful decor, and a great staff. read more

We've been here six or seven times in the month we've been in London. Everything we've eaten, hot and cold Menze, Istanbul chicken with mushroom sauce (delectable) stuffed eggplant, moussaka, calamari appetizers, Turkish coffee and tea--all have been superb. Every server we've had has been gracious and accommodating. However, the place can get busy--seems to be very popular, with good reason--so food may be a little slow in coming sometimes. Always worth it. The lovely outdoor sitting area is great, too. Only drawback is that they allow smoking outside which can make sitting in that lovely area not so good sometimes. read more

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We ordered Kanab, lamb liver, lamb shish wrap, hot meze for two, and desserts. Everything was very good. My favourite for the night was grilled goat cheese with tomatoes. read more

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Favorite place to eat in London hands down. The location makes you wonder how good the food actually is, as its in the same building as the Great Portland St tube station, however don't let that sway you from stopping in- it's amazing. I was living right across the street for awhile and so I finally stopped in by myself one evening for a quick glass of wine and dinner. I had one of their soups which was so flavorful and amazing. The service was fantastic, it's a small place but it's clean and nicely decorated and seemingly even a great place to go alone (I wasn't the only one there dining by myself). Every time I went back my meals were great- I also recommend a pasta dish with mushrooms that they have. Even the olives in garlic and oil that they serve initially are incredible! All the food tastes "home cooked" and the price is completely reasonable! read more

I had a turkish breakfast at this cafe. It was a sunny day in London, and they have a really nice outdoor area. The portion wasn't too big, since their large turkish breakfast had a lot of bread but small bits of everything else, but it works. Their food is nicely presented, and the staff is friendly. Not too bad for a sunny day. :) read more

Istanbul Cafe Bistro - Large turkish breakfast - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

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When visiting London for the first time, I think the common culinary thought is fish & chips. Of course, I had to sample a few different batches to make sure my craving was satisfied. Little did I know that the best of these would come from a Turkish restaurant. My friend recommened the fish & chips here from the days when she stayed at the International Student Housing across the street. I, of course, was skeptical considering there was no newspaper wrapped fish or nostalgic looking food cart. I was pleasantly surprised. The fish was fried to perfction as were the fries/chips. It far surpassed any of the fish & chips I sampled from the touristy carts and food stalls that I passed by. While Im sure there are better places to have this English classic, I havent tasted it yet. I did sample a sampler platter of more authentic ethnic items... I forget what all was on the plate--various hummus and dips. They were ok, but nothing spectacular. Perhaps it wasnt the best choice to consume such things along with fish & chips though. Pros: Location on Great Portland street right by Regents Park, excellent fish & chips, affordable in an expensive city, friendly staff Cons: Somewhat slow service, the more authentic ethnic items I tried were average read more

Istanbul Cafe Bistro - Fish & chips! - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

The place is very cute. Went there for breakfast and was not disappointed! Very friendly staff too. read more

Istanbul Cafe Bistro - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

Not much to say about it. The restaurant portrays itself as a Turkish cafe, and they certainly have Turkish style food, but it was average food at best. Maybe the coffee and pastry are good, but I wouldn't come here for the entrees. We each had a lamb platter, and it was pretty bland and boring. The only thing exciting our tastebuds was the chili sauce. Portions were skimpy for the price. The staff were only present to take our order and bring our food. We had to chase them down for the bill. By the end of the meal I wish we had gone across the street to the pizza express because I feel it would have been a better value for the money. read more

We can here for an early dinner last night, and it was a decent meal. Since a couple people in our party wanted to sit outside, they graciously combined a table by the window with a 2-top outside to accomodate our group. We shared the meze platter, which was ok, I thought the hummus could have used a bit more zing vs. a water-down taste, but the cold pink sauce was pretty tasty, not sure what it was but it went well with pita. For dinner I ordered the Istanbul avocado and prawns salad, which was again, ok, not particuarly memorable but had nice gobs of feta despite lack of dressing and only a few prawns. Not sure it was worth the 10 pound price tag. Others in our group got the chicken and lamb kebabs and bass fish, which were decent and fresh...the lamb seemed to win over the chicken, and the bass portion (part of the set menu) was a good size. Nice, attentive service, Turkish decor and open kitchen. Cold water. Overpriced Prosecco. Best value is probably the set menu for an app and entree for 11 pounds. The best part of the meal for me was the free Turkish delight candies! Request them if they do not come with your check! Conveinent location if you're near UCL, although not quite a destination spot at the moment. read more

Cafe Meze is a wonderful example of a family (In this case Turkish) who've come to the UK to set up an eatery, serving the finest cuisine from their homeland. To woo the British public into trying something exotic and Mediterranean... only to find that a good deal of the British public are still stuck in he post war rationing mentality and don't want to eat a breakfast that hasn't been fried and have the word "bap" attached to it. So, by way of a compromise, cafe Meze do both! The atmosphere and decor of the joint are both remarkably relaxed and attractive, given that it's located on a traffic island above a tube station (now that's exotic!). So on to the litmus test; The coffee! There's no shortage of competition in the immediate vicinity (opposite a pret and the Albany pub which serves Illy) so their standards have to be high... and they are! Also when i was extremely hung over they made me a melted cheese sandwich which literally saved my life! Go cafe Meze, stick it to the man! read more

WOW.. ! Don't be confused by their signage as its a bit eclectic, or choose one of the corporate and/or franchised options that surround it. The food here is awesome, and the waitstaff attentive and patient. My only complaint is that I wish we had found it sooner. read more

This was the first place we ate upon arrival in the UK. We were tired, travel-weary, hungry, and trying to make the best of our first day of travel. We were looking for coffee and happened upon the Istanbul Cafe Bistro and it looked warm and inviting. We were greeted promptly, sat down and stared taking in the menu. I choose a breakfast sandwich with bacon and eggs (adding cheese) and my travel companion chose the bacon and tomato sandwich. Both were incredibly simple but delicious. A word for those who don't know, British bacon is a cross between what Americans are used to and Canadian bacon. It is not cooked crisp, but is thicker and has more meat to it. It's delicious. My eggs were over medium, the bread was lightly toasted and the cheese was a sharp white cheddar. We both gobbled down our meal and enjoyed a delicious white coffee as well..the rest of the menu looked interesting, with both Turkish inspired dishes and Italian. The staff was friendly and you can tell they take great pride in this greet restaurant. read more

Istanbul Cafe Bistro - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

I've run in Cafe Meze a number of times for a grab and go dinner while in town for business. The staff has always been friendly, the food is pretty good. Being a New Yorker I think I have an unrealistic expectation of speed, so even though I would normally say the service is slow, I'm going to chalk it up to me being picky. Overall, it's a nice little cafe with decent food and decent prices. It's worth a shot if you just want to get something and go. read more

Cafe Mezo was awesome place to pick up breakfast or lunch. It's right next to the Tube station, and service was fast and friendly. Food was fresh and good portion, I usually had ssandwitch and always had good experience. They also have outdoor seating which was perfect. It's accross from the big pub, but I think this place has more class and better place to chill. read more

I always buy my breakfast & lunch. Tasty food and very busy place. Love the Chicken Burger & the Chicken wrap its beautiful, fresh salad and worth. Always good site out on Friday or a Saturday Nights looking at Outdoor Experience of the Pubs "The Albany" . . LOL :D read more

A friend and I visited this amazing cafe three times while in London. Every time our food was prepared correctly, quickly and deliciously! The vegetarian burger is the best I have ever had. The Turkish breakfast plate of sausage and fried eggs was amazing and easy to eat with toast. The atmosphere is great and easy going with a quiet and kind staff. I will come back again if I return to London! read more

Istanbul Cafe Bistro - Sausage and fried egg with toast! The Turkish chorizo and eggs apparently. Amazing! - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

Very kind staff. Gave me a fist pump after my meal because I finished it off. They like to interact with their guests. Food was also delicious and great portion. Had the sea bass and cold mix meze plate. read more

Wandering around the corner from the flat of a summer's evening we stumbled on this little restaurant. We couldn't get one of the two outside tables, but the big windows were open, and the sounds of the city ambled in as the world rushed by. The atmosphere here is lovely - relatively few people in the early evening, and well worth checking out, there's also a downstairs bar/party area. Also under atmosphere comes *having a proper carafe of iced water*. Seriously, I don't know how many restaurants I've been to that don't take table water seriously when it comes to table aesthetics. There were two specials available - £10 pp for 2, or the £11.90 set menu, the latter being what we went for. The starter was a mixed meze, but, while tasty, didn't look nearly as good, nor was it in such huge quantities as say Tas. The main course, and after meal hand-made turkish delight however, more than made up for it. My lamb was juicy, spicy, and the chilli sauce is full of flavour as well as being hot. The other dish - well lets just say it's the first time in a long while I've voluntarily eaten chicken. £30 for two, including our drinks and some extra bread makes this a really excellent deal, and well worth a visit. read more

I came here because I was in the area and had read the few yelp reviews for the incorrectly named "Cafe Mezo". It was busy outside, but mist people (maybe it was just that time of day) were just having various coffee drinks. I was not able to test their coffee though; I just had a (mozeralla and roasted vegetable) panini served with chips and salad. I was surprised that their "eat-in" menu was a bit pricey for what it was (hence i ordered a sandwich, despite hate having to do so). My panini was dry, the chips weren't very hot, and the salad was more like garnish you're not supposed to eat. Disappointed. That said though, I'd still choose here over Pret a Manger directly across the street. I'd give two stars but I'm leaving a third for the potential that this place has really good coffee. read more

I came here looking for a kebab. Simple right? Nope. Got an under seasoned plate of meat. Fail. Edit: and they dont take Amex...save yourself the time and hit the tesco across the street. read more

Love this place. Especially the kebabs on a bed of eggplant

My mouth is so happy right now. Everything is super delicious! I love the decor, reminds me of my time in Turkey. read more

Istanbul Cafe Bistro - Turkish XL Breakfast - Turkish Near Me - London, XGL

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One of the best restaurants I've tried in London so far. The food was extremely delicious, the staff were very nice, and the place had a really nice decor. The restaurant is also located very close to reagent's park and the zsl London zoo, so you can have a day full of fun and great food. read more

Good value for fun fun and different breakfast place! Got the Turkish egg and sausage dish while my sister for the full english. Good service and very convenient! read more

Visited several times in one week! Friendly staff, fantastic food. Will go again when we visit London.

Great staff!! Everyone who worked here was so nice and helpful! Very fast service and very delicious food! I treated myself to a lamb kabob and was delighted with everything! If you come here you have to get the baklava! So amazing. Would definitely recommend to all. read more

Service was prompt, food good. I had the chicken shish plate and my partner had the köfte plate. Baklava is good and so was Turkish coffee, ayran and çay. Late hours a bonus! read more

I love this place. Staff are very friendly and the prices are reasonable, the food is always on point

I didn't realise I was looking at the takeaway menu, but what I wanted was not on the dine-in menu but the waiter said he would get it for me regardless. I was alone and shown a table by a rude waitress. I was given olives and bread. Then overcharged for a pasta dish that was very average. As it was not on the dine-in menu and only on takeaway menu I was still charged more than the set price for takeaway. Don't say I can have it and still expect me to pay extra for it. That's not honouring your word. Also, a very uncomfortable, unrelaxed vibe that made me feel that I had to eat quickly and leave. Will not return. read more