Went here twice during my week in Istanbul - once with a huge group (50+) that had the first floor…read morereserved, and the second time with a smaller group of about 8 people. Having the word 'tapas' in the name is slightly misleading. Menu is limited and not very dynamic. The only thing I can really remember for small bites were patatas bravas. The main courses were "pasta of the day" (just penne with tomato sauce and that's it), a chicken dish, paella and a couple of other things. Nothing enticed me so I had the bravas both times and they were ok, not bad or good, just something to eat. The group who shared the paella all seemed to like it quite a bit. Service during the big party was alright. Everybody ordered food at different times so it all came out at different times. We were able to order drinks up until a certain point in the evening, and then had to go down to the bar later on. We had the same waitress on the second evening. A very nice person for sure, but not a very good waitress. There's North American service, there's European service, and then there's Turkish service. And then there's this waitress. Absolutely no sense of time or thought about the table/customers. I have been to Europe many times and I appreciate not being checked on and being able to linger, but there's a point when service is non-existent. Not only did it take too long to take our orders after we got the menu (10-15 min), it took forever to bring the bill AFTER we asked for it. This is a very small restaurant. We asked for the cheque and proceeded to watch her hang out at the bar, walk outside, come back in, and stand around at the bar more. Over 15 minutes passed and she was no more than 10 feet from our table. I was tired so I eventually just figured out how much I owed and left it with the rest of the party so I have no idea how long it ended up taking for her to actually bring it. Location on a side street just off of Istikal. There are so many other restaurants in the area that the uninspiring menu combined with the poor service make me give a pass to any future visits.

This bar was in stumbling distance from our apartment rental in Istanbul. In the area bustling…read morearound the Galata Tower, this bar is just off the main area. We found this bar to be a worthy stop on several nights during a week-long stay. I never ate at the establishment, it was normally the first stop as we headed out on our merry way for the evening. One of my favorite memories of this establishment was sitting upstairs on the rooftop deck, drinking an Efes beer, and enjoying the company of my four travel companions. The servers were exceptionally friendly, and the guys enjoyed practicing their English with us. This neighborhood was full of activity in the early evening both locals and tourists. If you are in the neighborhood, this is a worthwhile stop for a drink, particularly if you venture upstairs to the rooftop deck. You will be rewarded with a lovely view of the Galata Tower.

We were treated to lunch here after purchasing a beautiful silk rug. The spicy tomato sauce and…read morekebab were delicious. The man partook of a local Turkish beer - highly recommended. Service was very friendly and lunch was leisurely enjoyed.

Amazing restaurant with an amazing chef. I went with a…read moregroup of 5 people. We had a dietary restriction and chef Ismet was very accommodating. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great. Thank you Ismet for a wonderful experience. I will always remember this night!

Visited Istanbul last month for a brief business visit and knowing Chef Ismet's reputation, we…read moredecided to book at both his restaurants. We could not be more satisfied in the food and service. Would recommend to everyone. The restaurant is inside a very modern shopping center that really creates a beautiful and welcoming atmosphere! The food totally worths the visit if you happen to be in Istanbul.

Don't be fooled by the entrance or the dark steep stairwell! The food is fresh, authentic, and…read moreamazing and the owner is incredibly friendly. I suggest sitting at the very top of the building and enjoying the views!! Oh and the cats are so cute and friendly :)

This is easily the best restaurant in Istanbul. Similar to other reviewers, I was also getting…read moretired of eating Turkish food. We'd been in the country for 5 months at a geology field camp and had been eating essentially different variations of the same meal every single day. Don't get me started on breakfast. I can appreciate Turkish food, I can, but coming here made the whole trip worth it. This is probably the only meal I would ever consider an actual experience. We casually walk into the owner's house, up past the third floor where the kitchen is, and then into the fourth floor where the main seating area is. If you don't like cats I wouldn't bother coming, because they are the waitstaff and are very happy to greet you immediately. We sit down and cool off before he informs us that the terrace is shaded and that we should go up there before we start placing our orders. Amazing view with fantastic breezes to cool you off. He begins telling you about his life, his trips through Italy, everything that's going on in Turkey, how life has changed and even showed us his amazing meteorite once he learned we were geologists. Anyways, we ordered a squash/zucchini dish, and he returned with a green bean and something I couldn't even begin to describe. Everything had such wonderful depths of flavor. I ended up ordering the Spaghetti Bolognese and my girlfriend got the Alfredo (asked to be Americanized with chicken in it). I'm not joking when I tell you that these were the most filling and satisfying dishes we'd had over the last month. So much flavor and they really energized us when we finally got done with them. You've heard that people have had tears from having such good food, or being deprived for so long of something they love, well that was exactly us. I never knew that olive oil could taste so amazing. If we do come back to Turkey at some point, no matter where in the country we go, I will absolutely be making a stop by here again. Without a doubt. Thank you very much for the amazing time and amazing food