Awful tourist scam. Ushered into restaurant with promises of reduced prices. Ordered kebob, fish…read moreand lamb skewer plus dessert and bread, bill was +$90 for 3 people for small plates with mid food. Manager argued and was very rude about questioning these prices. Please avoid. Just a tourist hustle.

Don't know what happened - but we LOVED it!…read more It doesn't happen often that I disagree so strongly with the majority of the reviewers online (and if so, mostly the other way around). I always plan my visits carefully by checking Online (and travel guides). This place here has a very low rating everywhere and pretty bad feedback. Nonetheless we gave it a chance. Some reasons for that: It was very close to our Hotel, the fish looked nice and fresh and the staff was friendly. So we chose to walk in and give it a try.... And what a positive suprise it was! Ok, the fish here is not cheap...if you are aware of that fact, then this place can be great! They have a really nice array of fish at the entrance, which is delivered fresh daily (we've seen the deliveries coming in in the mornings). If you choose some of these fishes (or the ones they present on the tray), then it will cost you quite some money. For European / American Standards it's actually not that much, but for a Fish Restaurant in Istandbul it is quite a hefty price-tag. But, the fish is really fresh and very well cooked. We had the Turbot, which was excellent. Also the Shrimp were nicely cooked. Rice and veggies on the side. For starters we had some Mezze and beer with that. And yes, we liked it - even loved it. So much, that we returned the next two nights! The 2nd night we had a nice selection of Mezze, beer and wine. On the third night more Mezze, fried fish, beer and wine. Mezze are really really good here and they have a big selection. So much for the food. Now for the staff: They were lovely, friendly people....perfect hosts. They fool around a bit, make some jokes...always a smile. And not just that. The 2nd night we got promised to get a discount on the beer (like some reviewers online stated), but we actually did get it (checked it on the bill). We also never got charged extra for the water or bread'n butter. The third night we got some free Baklava for dessert. When we left, everybody came to say goodbye, shaking hands....I really can only say the best things about the people here. Owner came to greet every night. There's also Live Music, which was lovely and added to the nice atmosphere. Another table ordered the fish baked in salt (and then got flambéed), looked very good! Like I said, fish is not that cheap. But then again: You can get cheap fish here too...just check the menu and don't choose a whole fish from the tray. And you not just pay for the food. You also pay for the friendly service, the nice setting, the music.... What can I say? Our experience differs so much from others, I don't know how or why. It's not the only place we've eaten at in Istanbul....but it holds up very very well compared to others. Btw, the Restaurant next door (Cozy Garden) tried to convince us to eat with them. After the third night we turned them down (in a very friendly and polite way), the owner got quite rude and downright agressive. We preferred to spend our money here at the Akbiyik Fish House, I don't need that kind of hassle. So, I would say give these guys here a chance. We went in with no (or low) expectations and ended up having three wonderful evenings here.

I visited some of the main tourist sites in Istanbul around the Sultanahmet, and wanted a nice…read moreplace to relax with dinner and choice Palmiye Cafe Restaurant. The reason I chose it was that I was accosted by a very friendly employee as I walked by who explained in great detail what they had on their menu. After he went through all that trouble, I didn't think I could walk away. It turned out to be a good choice, since I had a very relaxing, nice dinner. I sat outside and could people watch while I ate. I really liked the Turkish beer that they served and the Iskender kebab dish. It came with a large piece of pita bread. They offered me a complimentary Turkish Apple tea at the end. The total came to 49 TL. It is true as another reviewer noted, that they add tax to your bill--not sure if this is normal. I think this restaurant is a good choice for tourists visiting this area.

Friendly staff. Nice outdoor heated space. Ordered soup,…read morerolled up cheese pastry, and tea. The food was ok, but it was nice to have a comfortable, warm place to sit. This is the first restaurant where the bill had tax. Maybe taxes are just applied in this very touristy area.

I know I'm supposed to love it, but I ended up feeling like this was a good conceptual meal rather…read morethan a great-tasting meal. The dining room is very modern, with nice views of the Bosphorus below. I had asked for a table by the window, and I ended up deep in the dining room (a first red flag). Service was sometimes great and sometimes confused - I had different people try to explain some dishes to me, while other dishes were dropped off with no comment. The conceit of the place is taking traditional Turkish traditions and elevating it with modern technique and sustainable ingredients. But I wanted more "wow" to the dishes.

Yelp Review 2025 #220:…read more Neolokal is a Michelin-star restaurant and one of the World's Best Restaurants. Their focus on keeping old Turkish culinary traditions very much alive and meshing that with the current palate while promoting sustainability is what sets them apart from other high-end restaurants in Türkiye. I made a reservation to Neolokal as soon as I moved my itinerary around. I was in Istanbul when this restaurant was closed for the day so, I made some changes so I can go back on a day Neolokal was open. I was worried I won't get a table booking a week beforehand but to my luck, I got the day and time I wanted. You do have to pay a deposit which applies to your final bill. Located in SALT in Galata, the first floor is the kitchen. You'll be taken upstairs to the dining area. The view was ok - Bosphorus behind all the rooftops. I watched the sunset from my table. My server was Shaima and she was fantastic and basically matched my excitement for good food. I chose the tasting menu. She explained the menu well and with enthusiasm. SOURDOUGH BREAD AMUSE BOUCHE MARINATED ANCHOVIES: oven-baked 'dolma' stuffing cream, bottarga, sourdough crisp 'iMAMBAYILDI: eggplant slices, 'imambayildi cream, eggplant nori, eggplant powder 'ERISTE: with RED SHRIMP, shrimp sauce, red pepper skin, lemon oil. SEASONAL FISH: olive oil-braised chard and sweet green beans, 'terbiye' creamy fish sauce with lemon, parsley oil SORREL SORBET SLOW-COOKED LAMB NECK: mom's meatballs, red pepper freekeh pilaf, red pepper foam 'KESKUL: caramelised milk ice cream, almond crisps BAKLAVA: pistachio cream with 'lor' and 'kaymak', burnt sheep's milk yogurt ice-cream, candied walnut, hazelnut croquant PETITE SWEETS SOMETHING SPICY MOCTAIL: Passion Fruit, Pineapple Juice, Ginger Juice, Vanilla Chili Pepper TURKISH TEA Their food was creatively plated without sacrificing flavor. "Our goal is to preserve the flavors of our childhood memories, cultural values and culinary traditions for future generations. Our approach to sustainability places an emphasis on social and cultural aspects as we believe that those who cannot preserve their past cannot have a future. We connect with nature by engaging with the soil, observing seasonal cycles, and experimenting with seeds. With respect for the past and a hopeful vision for the future, we aim to carry these flavors forward." - Maksut Agkar

I came here w/ my friends the first night I arrived. The food was delish, the vibe was great, our…read morebill was a little on the high side for a touristy area. We tried the dish that comes on the little clay pot, we smoked shisha, the wine list was not that great but everything we ate was delicious and we had a great time.

Sura Kebab and Grill House is Sura Design Hotel and Suites' restaurant. The service here is above…read moreand beyond. Staff is always courteous and very attentive. The food is excellent...had stuffed calamari and seafood casserole, pottery kebab, lentil soup, seafood casserole, among other things...The house wines compliment the food quite nicely--great balance of dryness and sweetness. In our week-long stay here in Sura Design Hotel, we usually stop by for cocktails prior to retiring for the day. Since the waitstaff know I love green olives, I don't even need to ask, they serve it to me on the house. Love the casual ambience in their outdoor seating. It is a great spot for people watching. We come back to this restaurant each day because we know the quality of the food and the service. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Just walking by we stopped into this place. The host was super friendly and spoke great English. We…read moreordered a variety of dishes that were all tasty and well presented. The only thing I would change would be the salt content in the soup, it was a little salty for me. Would return if given the opportunity.

A variety of fish dishes , good service, and clean, nice atmosphere. Highly recommended!read more

We were looking for fish, Turkish style, and found this restaurant…read more Because we wanted to try a mixture of fish, we went with the seafood platter for 2. Some fresh fish catches including sea bass and a couple of frozen fish like tuna and salmon were on the dish. Add in the calamari and pawns, and we got what we were looking for. The restaurant has a chill vibe and we enjoyed looking out the window to people watch. It is conveniently located near the tourist sites so that is a plus. Wait staff were friendly and service was good. Worth the try and you can expect to pay about $100 US before drinks.

We dithered at the edge of this street, drawn in by the white glow of the lanterns but unable to…read moredecide between Amedros Cafe and Faros Restaurant. One of the heckling wait staff, whose job it is to get as many bodies seated as quickly as possible through any available means, tried an unusual tactic with us: "It's all the same restaurant," he said. "Same food. Same prices." We laughed, moved on and ended up at Anatolian House, next door to Amedros. Except he was actually being honest. It is one restaurant: Faros, Amedros, Anatolian House and the other two on this block where Yelp wouldn't let me check in. Yep: our food came from one kitchen; we were escorted to the same restroom; all night we watched as servers tapped out the same dramatic rhythm on clay pots to break them and set the steaming contents in front of delighted diners. So, that was a little off-putting. However, the two stars are still deserved on the basis of food and service. The food was pretty substandard for Istanbul. For appetizers we ordered hummus and shrimp with butter sauce: the hummus was grainy and instead of being properly seasoned with salt and paprika, it was drizzled with overly-sweet balsamic vinegar and nearly-clear oil. The shrimp tasted thawed and the mushrooms canned, while there was little butter to speak of. Meanwhile, my friend ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. This would have been a bold move in this part of the world, except that it was listed on the menu, the five ingredients corresponding to the ones we knew at home. They brought a Collins glass, no ice, that looked suspiciously fruity. It was. My friend pointed them back to the menu and asked for another one, made properly. This time they got it right, but after that he switched to beer. Their raki was good, too, though it's pretty hard to get wrong! For some reason we decided to stay a little longer and ordered their mixed meze plate. There was more hummus; some very nice yogurt with dill; two different preparations of eggplant, both delicious; a so-so red pepper tapenade; and a "Russian Salad" that was basically mixed vegetables in mayonnaise. It was arranged very nicely on a plate with sliced vegetables, and served with some nice bread (chewy outside, fluffy within.) The fun part came when we got the bill. My friend had ordered a double brandy and they had brought him a single (a shot glass' worth in a snifter.) He figured they didn't know what "double" meant and simply ordered another. Later we found out they had charged us for 2 doubles at a total of $76 TL. At that point we couldn't do anything but pay the tab, but we were pretty miffed. So, 2 drinks and 3 appetizers for 4 people came to . . . 275 TL. Way too high for this quality. Bottom line: you could do so much better in this city. We're kicking ourselves for getting drawn in by the bright lights!

The food was decent but the 2 star rating is definitely for service. You have to flag someone down…read morejust for water and even then if you're in a rush the waiter is weirdly passive aggressive. The deserts are delicious and they have some of the best katmer but it honestly isn't worth a second visit if you're a tourist- instead go to Amedro's where they're kind and the food is better.

We arrived to our hotel located in Sultanahmet in the evening and requested a recommendation for a…read moreplace nearby to eat. They pointed us here. It is located right around the corner from the Blue Mosque. This is a place that definitely attracts alot of tourists, thanks to Rick Steve's Istanbul guide which the restaurant proudly indicates on their front door. We did see locals coming in though and ordering food to take away. Although a magnet for tourists, the service and food was quite good. The restaurant is very open and good for large groups of people. They specialise here in a variety of Turkish kebabs and pizza. My husband and I enjoyed the Alinazik and Beyti kebab. There is a selection of fresh squeezed juices - you can see them squeezing the juice by hand. I loved the pomegranate juice. After our meals they brought the dessert platter around to view. We shared the large portion of Kadayif which was very good with the Turkish tea. I don't see how one person alone could eat the Kadayif as it is quite larger. They said that the Kadayif was the house made dessert that was a favourite. The only downside is that the restaurant gets quite loud due to it's open nature. Also, the servers are running around and often would forget who ordered what, and we would often get items we didn't ask for delivered to our table, but picked quickly up again and delivered to the correct owner. The servers are extremely friendly though and quick to fix anything in error.

This was a great lunch stop, located right around the corner from the Blue Mosque and Hippodrome…read more The menu was varied with options for meat eaters and vegetarians alike, and freshly pressed juice was available in the restaurant along with the standard ayran (yogurt drink), teas, and coffees. The restaurant was about 2/3 full at lunch, a combination of locals and tourists. The restrooms were clean and convenient. The menus were easy to read. There is even a supplemental menu that is comprised mostly of pictures to help out the confused foreigners who may not understand the printed menu. Before the meals came out we were served with unlimited bread that was poofed up straight from the oven to our table. I ordered the shish kabob, which was delicious lamb seasoned perfectly with just a slight kick alongside rice and fresh veggies. As a starter I had the yogurt salad, which I also thought went deliciously with the bread and my main course. At one point I noticed a man walking in with an armful of logs, and then realized that they were actually doing the cooking on a wood fired oven. The flavor was great. The only complaint I have about Buhara 93 was the time it took for our food to be delivered to the table. This was the slowest service I'd experienced in Turkey. If you've been walking around all day, this could be a good thing, and you can just enjoy the time off your feet. However, if you're in a rush this may pose a problem for you. Bonus: Free wifi available! Just ask your server for the password.