This place was a little tough to find. We wandered around the bazaar until we realized the entrance is tucked away to the left right after security at one of the entrances. We stopped by on a Saturday morning and were seated immediately. The food was pretty good. Expensive by Turkish standards but very reasonable by American standards. The bread basket they gave us was huge. Atmosphere was classy and more upscale but it is a Michelin bib gourmand restaurant after all. read more

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Adventure myself day, I decided to have lunch here because before coming to Istanbul, I did lots of research (majority of that "eating place"!) and found out this place. According to the menu,this place has been 122 years historical restaurant and Queen Elizabeth II, Audrey Hepburn, and more celebrities and artists visited this place and enjoyed the view from here. This place is hidden gem, located second floor of the Egyptian bazar (spice bazar) little hard to find it. You can find the stairs to the restaurant next to the gate 1. Go walk upstairs (on the wall blue nice mozique tiles, it's so beautiful and feels like going to a different world or dimension.) When I got the restaurant almost lunch time and a waiter led me to the back room long table where is without window, to share the table with the guy who had his meal. I felt uncomfortable because other side the area wasn't full. Shortly, the guy(looks like manager) came to me and guide me to new table. My new table is very nice and I felt much better. I ordered Geleneksel kuzu etli Hünkâr begendi (Sultan's delight, lamb stew served on mashed roasted eggplant), Water(33cl), Kazandibi (Caramelized bottom milk pudding of chicken breast), and Çay (Turkish tea). Got a complementary breads, they are lots of variety and plenty for only one person. My main dish is very flavorful and delicious. My dessert, I was little bit worried about it because chicken meat in a sweets dessert. But I had a new experience and it wasn't bad. Çhay tea, anywhere I go in Istanbul I love their traditional style "drinking Çhay", so no need words, just good! Overall, my lunch time was very satisfied and if I have a chance to visit Istanbul again, for sure I'll be back here and try another their meal. read more

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The entry is tucked into the spice market main entry wall Lovely view of the water from window tables. Spoon salad with pomegranate molasses was great, fresh Loved getting my veggies in Price was less than subpar boreks from the street. Ambiance upscale and calm and because it is upstairs there is no cigarette smoke coming from the street etc If you want those window seats dress up. We noted that older patrons and better dressed ones were seated preferentially. A young couple in tshirts was told the seat was reserved. Doubtful. Still the view from elsewhere in the room is good Gender neutral restrooms. Way to go turkey!! The waiter added a dolmas order. I really don't see how that was a communication error. Brought complimentary tea after the bill but it was over brewed. Aside from the last two issues it was good. I would recommend. read more

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Must visit.. cool tiles. But eat elsewhere. Food is overrated and the service is very poor. Very expensive.

A must visit. Historic, traditional restaurant. A staple of Istanbul trip, located in the Egyptian spice market. Food is traditional and not fussy, but great quality w high end service. read more

Very nice but not sure it's deserving of the cost. It's definitely a white napkin, upscale place located in/above the Spice Bazaar. I actually had a tough time finding it at first because the entrance is truly tucked away hidden unless you know where to look for it. There is a long staircase up to the restaurant. It feels very historic and old - honestly an experience just dining there even without considering the food. The service is fine. I'm sure it would have been better if there hadn't been a language barrier as there was most places I went in Istanbul. The waiters were dressed up which made me feel a bit self conscious about my choice of clothes (sweatpants lol) but it is what it is. I ordered tzatziki and the lamb with eggplant. Main dishes are around 300 lira and starters around 80 lira. Obviously not expensive by American standards but definitely pricey for Turkey. What was odd to me was that all of my food came out at the same time about 3 minutes after I ordered it. Obviously the tzatziki I expected would have been pre-made but I was a bit surprised that the lamb/eggplant didn't take longer to prepare given the caliber of the restaurant. Nonetheless it was delicious and I was given a massive (too big) bread basket to soak up the juices. Overall a good meal. Maybe not worth the hype, but still worth a visit. read more

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Great ambience very original and a great place to visit however, dishes do not match the name and the location and the fame. Lamb is an extreme drive under any condition with different dishes. The only thing I liked was fish pancakes with tiny sardines. Place is not expensive but overpriced because of the quality provides. $18 for a glass of domestic red is OK if the food matches it. However, the food does not. By the way, it is a paper napkin place. I will skip this place next time I am in Istanbul. read more

We were in Istanbul and had lunch here on the recommendation of one in our group. The restaurant has been "recommended by Michelin", which justifiably raises your expectations of what to expect. In short, while nothing is bad about Pandeli, it's not worth the hype in my opinion. For example, we had dinner the night before at a highly-rated local restaurant (Garden 1897) and the food was far better and more choices than Pandeli. I think a lot of people go there because they think they are special, or they want to go eat somewhere because some celebrity thinks it is good. read more

The place itself if a nice atmosphere. The view from my table was nice due to the ocean view. The service was regular, not as attentive as other Michelin guide places. The Turkish tea is nice as other places. The meatball on skewer W/ local bagel was very good, the side of greens that come with it had a vinaigrette that was a nice contrast to the meat and carbs. The mashed potatoes were about normal. But the free rice they gave us was well seasoned but I believe contains nuts or legumes so beware if you have allergies. The place overall is nice but my fork was not well cleaned and still had food on it, and the table cloths had food stains on it. Not to be stuck up but comparing this place to other Michelin guide places it wasn't up to the standards. (I'm unsure currently if Pandeli has a Michelin star or is a Michelin guide place, regardless there are better places without either in the area) read more

Pandeli - Meatball on skewer w/ local bagel, side of rice, pilaf w/chicken, side of mashed potatoes - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

This turquoise-tiled gem is located inside the Egyptian Bazaar (aka The Spice Market) on the second floor. It was a little tricky to find at first. If you enter from the north entrance (gate 1), the stairway is almost immediately on your left after passing the guard station. If you come from any other entrance, head to the North entrance and you should see the small neon sign and the stairwell on the right as you get close to the exit. They take reservations, but we were able to get by without any since it was almost 2 pm and past the lunchtime rush. The food is delicious and expertly prepared. For starters we got the artichoke in olive oil which came with some boiled carrots and potatoes. We also ordered a fish egg dish which did not resemble caviar as I am used to it, but definitely tasted like it. For the main I had a lamb shank that just slid off the bone when I looked at it. The rooms are beautiful and have an old world classy feel to them. It is also especially nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the Spice Market below and be treated to an elegant meal before venturing forth again. read more

Yemekler lezzetliydi, servis ara sıra yavaştı. Tatlı olarak kazandibi ve ayva tatlısı söyledik ikisi de çok lezzetliydi read more

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What a treat hidden at the entrance to the spice bazaar! Recommend making reservations in advance--we were there for lunch on a Monday, and those without a reservation had an hour's wait. If you can get a table near the windows you'll be rewarded with a view of the Bosphorous and cool breezes. This restaurant would be difficult-to-impossible to access with a mobility impairment as there is a steep and old set of stairs to climb to access it (no elevator). Food was stellar! We had apps, mains, dessert, coffee, and Turkish beer. We never felt rushed, and found the environment to be ambient and relaxing. Great experience, and if I'm lucky enough to get back to Istanbul I'll visit again! read more

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Rapid service and characteristic ambience. Food was all good, not something you could never find. Worth the hype. read more

Pandeli - "Lamb İncik" was exquisite, softest lamb meat I've ever eaten. It comes with smooth mashed potatoes and spinach purée which was okay. - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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Average food quality. Dry lamb shank. Under seasoned. Chicken rice leaves a lot to be desired. Struggling to understand how this is Michelin rated. Either the Michelin standards are different in Turkey than in USA or they have gone down the quality from what they may have been. I would spend the money elsewhere. Sorry, no tesekkurler read more

The best of the traditional restaurants, this is apparently an old Armenian establishment above the Spice Market. read more

Pandeli - Turkish Near Me - Istanbul, 34

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