Best kebabs, Naan were fresh, falafel was good We walked in and were told you have only ten minutes to order. But the manager was very humble and friendly. I'm read more

excellent authentic Turkish cuisine, excellent service and the meat is real not processed like other turki restaurants are servin. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are wanting to eat Turkish food as if you were in Istanbul. feyza. read more

I always thought it would be tough to knock the pedestal out from under my favorite restaurant in Cary, but Istanbul might (at least so far) present a fair challenge. I've been twice and both times with a slightly different experience. The decor, as with its predecessor restaurants in this location, is nothing special; but I'd rather a restaurant spend their resources on the food instead of the decor. They did. The chef, from Turkey via Canada, has a creative spin on some traditional Turkish/Mediterranean food. Not everything is successful, but that success is only in the eye (or taste buds) of the beholder. Before my first visit, a couple of friends made recommendations, but I tried to go a different direction: First with the eggplant salad and then the Adana kabob. As I was ordering, the owner/manager recommended the Lahmacun for my next visit. Well, since I wasn't yet sure there'd be a next visit, I went with his recommendation, which also happened to be a less expensive choice. Interesting. The eggplant salad was good, the smokiness of the eggplant came through wonderfully. The Lahmacun, with its spicy beef was also good, but I thought the crust was too soft. It was a very thin crust, which I personally prefer. There was no way to pick it up cleanly and the toppings slid off easily. Using a fork is okay and civilized even, I suppose. On the second visit, they got it just right. The lentil ball (mercimek koftesi) was good, obviously handmade, and the cumin flavor balanced the plainness of the lentils. The stuffed bulger ball (icli kofta) is probably my favorite thing so far on the menu. It isn't often found as a menu offering because it is very difficult to make, so I've been told. The salmon with fennel was excellent and a different presentation for fish. Marinated with various spices, including fennel and glasswort (I had to google that), then lightly breaded, it's served on eggplant that also has been mixed with spices and tasted a lot like the eggplant salad from my first visit, only this was warm. It didn't seem to fit into the menu, except for the eggplant part, but it was good. If this is a creation of the chef: well done. The Turkish tea is complementary with the meal so I won't really complain, but I may skip it next time. The Ayran was okay. Istanbul makes its own yogurt for this drink, and I might need to try it again, as I only had one sip and thought it was heavy on the mineral water. Not everyone in the group agreed, though. The Trilece dessert was light, not overly sweet, and another good recommendation from friends and the owner/manager. The Sultan Sherbet? Oh gawd -- give me more. Right now, it's the Yelp check-in reward. Get it. Cinnamon, clove, honey, hibiscus -- it's light, refreshing, and a perfect dessert-kind of drink, although it isn't promoted as that. The service is fine, albeit spotty. Sometimes you'll wait for a refill on your drink. The food arrives quickly, but pacing can be problematic. If you don't want your appetizer and main course arriving within minutes of each other, tell them. They've only been open a short while, so I expect things will smooth out. read more

See all

Great fast service. Bread and dipping oil was spot on. Lamb pide needed more flavor, and more lamb. Cigars and dill sauce yummy. Chicken beautiful charred flavor and succulent. Giro. So disappointed. Was looking forward to a shaved meat lamb giro. But it was a pretty tasteless wrap. Fries were ok needed to be cooked more. Does anyone know of a good shwarma or giro place with shaved meat. Will be back to Istanbul to try more. Very fresh and not salty at all. Except for the giro read more

See all

Great atmosphere, so clean smells great. Appetizer; bread was really fresh and tasty. Food was delicious good portion size, just the right amount of spice. The waiter was also very quick and nice/ accommodating. read more

Got the iskender Kabab with grubhub. It is doner kebab coated in a tomato gravy. It comes with salad, basmati rice and yogurt sauce. The doner was placed on top of bite sized bread pieces and that allowed the bread to be coated with all of the juices and gravy from the doner. The doner meat was tender and delicious. The yogurt sauce was average and I personally would have preferred a dressing for the salad, which was pretty bland. Although the basmati rice was aromatic and flavorful, the portion size was a bit too small for my liking. Overall, it is fulfilling meal and a must have for any mediterranean food lovers here in the triangle. read more

Istanbul Restaurant - Doner Kabab with bread (underneath) in tomato sauce with salad, rice and yogurt sauce - Mediterranean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Wonderful family-owned and run restaurant. Friendly, helpful staff, delicious Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine, just delightful in every way! We live close by and are so happy they are here! Can't recommend highly enough! read more

Enjoyed a late lunch with the better half 2 days ago... arriving mid-afternoon we were the only ones in the restaurant, so we were seated immediately. AMBIENCE - quiet ambient Turkish music played in the background. Basic, but tasteful decor. PARKING - ample free parking in and around the restaurant. FOOD - tasty, fresh and made with love. Each dish was bursting with flavor. Unfortunately the cutlery we received wasn't as clean as it should have been, but our server was quick to replace it. We ended up ordering 2 lamb pizza's to go. Would happily recommend this restaurant to others and we will be back. read more

See all

Possibly the worst rack of lamb chops I've ever had. No seasoning, charred, and tiny portion. Sorely disappointed as this place was highly rated; waste of $30. read more

Very good food! Meats are fresh and well seasoned. Prices are more on the expensive side for the small portion. Bread is amazing. Bottled water is charged due to Covid. The lahmacun was too thin. read more

Istanbul Restaurant - 22. LAMB SHISH 38. LAHMAJUN/TURKISH PIZZA - Mediterranean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

See all

Free, delicious bread with olive oil. Good coffee. Great food. Go here. Falafel good. read more

Istanbul Restaurant - Turkish Coffee - Mediterranean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

See all

Quality and fresh! It doesn't get better than this. I'm pretty sure it is in a former Pizza Hut which is kind of cool.

Our last visit here was extremely disappointing. We took my mom here from out of town as she loves Turkish food and bosphorus was closed. Never again will we come here. The food was fantastic but the service was absolutely awful. We were seated in the empty restaurant and it took 15 minutes for the clueless waiter to take our drink order. By take our drink order I mean they asked "water ok, right?" We also ordered apps at that time since might as well with slow service. He never returned to take our entree orders. After finishing our appetizers he ignored us for another 15-20 minutes messing around in the back before we called him over to order. After our meals I was planning on ordering dessert but another party had come into the restaurant so we were ignored more than we had been somehow. It was like he was purposefully avoiding us, never making eye contact. When we finally wrangled the check from them they asked us if we wanted tea and we declined since we had been waiting around long enough and just wanted to go get ice cream elsewhere. Ignoring our refusal, he brought us tea with the bill anyway. So rude completely ignoring our wishes! Great food but absolutely awful service it was so ridiculous. Go to Bosphorus instead, it's better, cheaper, and has proper service read more

Istanbul Restaurant - Baklava dessert - Mediterranean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Low four stars. The service was quite slow at times. It doesn't look like much from the outside at this low ceiling stand alone restaurant building. But there is a nice ambiance inside. I like the instrumental background music. There is a patio facing Kildaire Farm road. I requested for the Adana kebab to be made with only lamb meat and no beef as that's how I prefer it, but that was not possible. If anyone reading this is from Turkey they can correct me, but I think the authentic original recipe is for Adana kebab to be made out of lamb only and mixing it with beef is just for the American customer. Instead I had the ground chicken kebab, I liked it. Most importantly it was neither overcooked nor dry. The dish comes with bulgur, lettuce, red cabbage, onion, tomato. The tomato could have been grilled/charred as opposed to just being served raw on the side. Also I would have preferred more cabbage, most Turkish restaurants would serve a larger quantity of cabbage and it should have more seasoning. The bulgur had a slightly soggy texture. By no means bad food, but there is potential for improvement. The complimentary bread and red pepper oil was no where near as good as at the nearby Turkish competitor Bosporus (their stuff is addictive!). Generally, the quality of food at Bosporus and Istanbul is very similar. But why is there no mucver/zucchini pancakes on the menu at either place??! The meal ended with a nice cup of complimentary Turkish tea. read more

See all

Absolutely delicious. Literally everything we ate, which was a lot! Fresh, well prepared and tasty!

We decided to try Istanbul restaurant after driving by for many years. The food was delicious! It has great taste, seasoning and the service was wonderful. We were greeted with a warm welcome and the staff had a smile. They make you feel confortable. The ambient in the restaurant is very relaxing. After our first visit, we went back again within the same week. The lamb chops are delicious! Definitely recommend read more

I have so many good things to say about this restaurant. Let me start off by saying, I'm from out of town and had initially tried to take my family to a neighboring Turkish restaurant, which was too busy to accommodate us for the rest of the night. We called Istanbul and they kindly welcomed us. The restaurant is very clearly family owned, as every member of the staff was welcoming and efficient, even though it was a busy Saturday night. I ate the Turkish pizza and it was amazing. It came with a salad which was vibrant and flavorful. The ambiance is lovely, string lights outside which are visible when sitting inside, studio-esque lightning inside and a very pleasant atmosphere. The service was excellent, even though one member of our party's food came a little late. For a family member's birthday we had brought a cake with us. When we were finished with dinner, they brought it out with candles, small plates and silverware and they played a Turkish version of happy birthday (sung in English) on the speakers. To top it all off, Yelp had a 10% off check in offer, in which I thought, eh I'll give it a try and if they hassle me I'll let it be. No hassle whatsoever! I didn't even have to show him my phone! Overall, this is a great local business to support, great food, service and ambiance! If I ever catch myself in Cary, I'll definitely be stopping here for a bite! read more

Stopped by for takeout. Service was quick, despite the food being made to order. If you want great Mediterranean or Turkish food in Cary, would highly recommend. read more

My second time here, I came with 2 friends for dinner. The place was pretty empty for dinner service as I remember it being the first time, though from what I gather, Istanbul seems to be more popular for delivery. Service: Our waitress seemed to be the only one on duty for the tables and though the place was not very busy, she was also taking care of delivery orders so getting her attention was sometimes difficult. As a result she seemed a bit frazzled and forgot one of my friend's tea order and also mistook our questions about items on the menu as our orders. However she was helpful in giving recommendations for all three courses of my meals and the place offered 15% discount for students. Additionally they provide unlimited bread for all tables. Atmosphere: Low ceilings but spacious, has a friendly family vibe. Food: Loved the lentil balls which were not crunchy as I thought they would be but like my ground chicken kebabs were well seasoned and tasty. My caramelized milk pudding dessert was amazing with a slightly burned, bitter taste that was like coffee and brought out the sweetness which was just the right amount. read more

See all

Authentic food. Service was great. Nice restaurant. Overall the vibe was nice. Adana KebabTurkish Pizza read more

Food, service and ambience all very good. First Mediterranean restaurant with low or normal salt food. All others in the area are too heavy on salt. Turkish coffee was great too!! read more

I have driven by this restaurant for years and finally stopped in for dinner a couple of weeks ago. I am glad I did. The food was fantastic! Great flavor. Well seasoned. The service was good. The restaurant was clean. I will definitely be back. read more

I love kabobs so when I found Istanbul does delivery I started ordering from them. I generally get Grilled Meatball or Adana Kebabs (beef & lamb). They come with pilaf and pide. The kebabs are always amazing and pilaf as well. My friends and I came to the restaurant on a weekday night for dinner. It was a bit early, the restaurant was pretty empty. Service was really good. We got 15% discount because one of us was an NC State alum. I got grilled meatball as usual and it certainly did not disappoint. I've also had their dessert platter, which includes baklava, caramelized milk pudding, tulumba and trilece. All very good! One thing kind of weird though, is that the recent times when I order delivery, they no longer include the pide bread anymore. read more

Exceeded my expectations! Doesn't look like much from the outside, but the food was on point. Excellent service & nice atmosphere. Good for groups or dates. We had the lamb chops and the ali nasik, both were great and nice portions. The tea is also surprisingly fantastic here! Would recommend a try. read more

See all

The owner is very friendly so do other employees. All the food was great! I went there with 6 of my church members and 2 guests all of us was satisfied and spent a good time. I will be back again soon with my family and friends soon. read more

Istanbul Restaurant - Mediterranean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

We loved this place. The food is amazing and the place is very neat and clean and the people are very friendly. We will be going there again soon. We also ordered the mix grill plate but it was so good that we started eating it immediately and forgot to take a picture of read more

Amazing service Amazing family run business. Recipe's from home and service like a 5 star. read more

See all

Istanbul is an authentic Turkish restaurant in Cary in the space that was formerly a pizza restaurant and then an Afghan restaurant. As we entered, we were greeted and ushered to a booth. All the tables and booths are painted a light blue and it is a nice contrast to the dark surroundings. There is a tv showing menu options and Turkish instrumental music playing on the speakers. The menu has a beautiful blue and white outline of the Galata Tower and as I opened the menu, I was transported back to Turkey and all the wonderful flavors of this bustling city. The waiter brought us a pide bread to start with an olive tapenade dip. I started with the lentil soup (mercimek corbasi) and it was served in a beautiful copper bowl and a lemon wedge. I highly recommend this soup. For my entree, I selected the Saturday doener plate with lamb. They do a doener dish and then also a doener wrap on Saturdays. Since Greg Coxx had such a great review in the N&O, I had to try the Saturday special. The presentation of the food was very colorful with a mixture of vegetables to compliment the meat. The lamb I had was some of the best lamb I have ever had. Everything was served with pride and our waiter did not rush us as all. In fact, it took time for the courses to come out and we had time to sit and talk and enjoy the food. There was a larger party that came in and then I heard a few tables with guests speaking Turkish so I knew we made the right decision to experience Turkish cuisine in Cary on a Saturday afternoon. We really did not have room for dessert yet we still ordered one rice pudding (sutlac) to split and were given Turkish tea before our dessert. The cay was served in a Victorian style glass and was the perfect temperature. I remember drinking the cay in Turkey out of the small cups with mini spoons and sugar cubes and this glass was just as good. The rice pudding was creamy underneath with a baked layer on top. I loved my meal and am happy to see a second Turkish restaurant after Bosphorus in Cary. Tesekuerler and I will be back! read more

See all

Enjoyed the food here and look forward to trying some other menu items someday.

We came here for dinner on a weeknight and it was relatively empty. We got pide and olive oil as soon as we sat down. I ordered the Izgara Köfte (six pieces of lamb and beef meatballs mixed with chopped onions, parsley, garlic, and spices, served with pilaf and pide). The food was good but my favorite thing about Istanbul was the customer service. Because one member of our party was an NC State alumni, our server (maybe he was the manager?) gave us all a 15% discount! read more

Istanbul Restaurant - Izgara Köfte - Mediterranean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

See all

Delicious food! The Ali Nazik was so tasty and the fresh-made bread that they give each table is tasty and heartwarming. Friendly service and clean. We are definitely going back!! read more

I have huge respect for Mediterranean cuisine especially their chicken kabobs/shawarma never disappointed me so I decided to give this place a try. This is the first time I am trying out Turkish food so I expected a lot and it's good but not great. The quantity is enough and the price is okay for the quality.The service is good. Turkish coffee was bitter. Tea is good. My pick : Chicken on the rice. read more

I had a great experience at Istanbul. My friend took me on a food tour around the area and this was our first stop of many planned for the day. However, the food was so filling, it was pretty much an unintentional meal. They start you off with complimentary bread with olive tapenade in olive oil. I'm a big fan of both olives and bread so it was delicious! We made sure to only have a taste to not spoil the day ahead. We ordered a lamb pide and trileçe (Turkish tres leches cake) to share. The lamb pide was so good! It was hot and fresh, and the meat was well-spiced. My friend said it's the best pide he's ever had, including pides in Turkey. It came with a yummy tomato-based sauce on the side with lemony lettuce, carrots, and pickled cabbage. The trileçe was also unexpectedly tasty. It kind of looks like a normal cake, but it's soaked in milk, making each bite soft, moist, and refreshing. I was a big fan of it, and it paired well with the strong Turkish tea. Service was wonderful! Our waiter was extremely friendly and kind! read more

Istanbul Restaurant - Lamb pide - Mediterranean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

See all

Phenomenal service, with extremely kind service, a balloon and a toy for the rowdy child, and excellent explanations of the food, and even of the culture behind it. Every dish was absolutely incredible, from the mixed grill platter with the amazing kebab, to great Turkish pizza, to a beautifully designed desert platter. Espescislly reccomend the Ali Yazgin dish, with delicately cooked meats surrounding an eggplant and yogurt sauce. An incredible Sorbet as well! Only the highest praise for this wonderful place. read more

See all

Came here on a Wednesday evening and seated right away. Staff is very attentive and friendly. They definitely take pride in their food. The restaurant is very clean with some authentic decor. Free Turkish tea is served to everyone. I checked in and received a free Sultan sherbert drink, a flavorful array of cinnamon, cloves, hibiscus and honey. Yum! I order the Turkish tabouli and it was so moist and well seasoned, very fresh tasting. It was garnished with fresh crispy pickle and cucumber slices. I took a bite of my husband's chicken kabob and it was very flavorful and tender. The meal began with warm bread and a delicious olive oil blend of seasonings and diced veggies. Sooo good!! The baklava was beautifully presented and the cherry flavored sauce on the plate was packed with flavor. The baklava was moist and not too syrupy sweet. Will definitely be back for more fresh food! read more

See all

Great authentic Turkish restaurant. My wife had the kifta platter, and I enjoyed the mixed grilled platter. The food was great and the atmosphere is good for casual family dining. I highly recommend read more

We'd heard about Istanbul and decided to try it out - we weren't disappointed! The service was friendly and attentive and the food was excellent. The server brought some fresh baked bread and an olive dip that I could have made a meal of, the bread was delicious. For dinner my wife tried the Spinach Pide, which was very very good and tasted as if it was made with fresh spinach (I tried a piece when she wasn't looking). I had the Chicken Kabob and found it to be very good as well. The seasoning was very flavorful and the bulgar pilaf was outstanding. The price was very reasonable and the serving size adequate. We brought the leftovers home and had them for lunch the following day - yum. See you there! read more

Istanbul Restaurant - Chicken Kabob - Mediterranean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Amazing place! Great food, good service. I normally don't write reviews out of laziness, bad karma, I know. But this place needs a lot of them. Why - because they have just taken over from the old business and only a month old. And they deserve all five starts and even more. Not because my stars are not worth Michelin Stars, but because I really felt like they do deserve it. The Eggplant Salad and Bulgar Ball were out of the world, the Sheesh Kebab was phenomenal and you won't regret the Baklava in desert. You just cannot go wrong with this place. Please keep in mind that the normal foodie equation of 'no of people = how good the resturant is' doesn't really apply to this joint yet, and that why we need more gracious yelp reviewers to chime in. Happy yelping! read more

Istanbul Restaurant - Baklava with Turkish tea. - Mediterranean Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

So glad we stumbled onto this place. We were turning around to go to another restaurant and saw this one by accident and decided to give it a try. Food was so delicious, authentic and fresh. I have lived here for 6 years now and wish I knew about this restaurant earlier. We will definitely be back and will be sure to bring more people and spread the word. read more

Where is everybody? This place should have been at max capacity with deference to social distance guidelines. I'll tell you why, service was prompt and attentive which is a result of new ownership foe the last two months. Ordered a mixed grill, Tibouli and eskender kebab. This mixed grill was meat was tender and juicy. This is important because the meat can easily be over cooked and rubbery but this was not the case. The eskender kebab was delicious, sauce was not overly thick but not thin like water. Sauce was just right. I suggest the Tabouli app was delicious and looks just like the pictures. Having been to Turkey, I will vouch for their attempt at getting as close to authentic Turkish cuisine as possible. Give this spot a try, it was delicious. I admit they may give Bosphorus Restaurant a run for their money. Four stars for service, food and cleanliness. read more