I LOVE this spot. The views, the food, the service, the music .. I love it!…read more This is where I was first introduced to adjika, a tasty pepper sauce that is served with their table bread, which is also delicious. I had to grab some at a local market. I highly recommend the chicken kabobs, juicy and well seasoned. Also enjoyed the margaritas, stiff and not overly sweet. Staff is pleasant and attentive. The views are unmatched in the evening. Make your reservation in advance to secure your sunset table. The inside is nice and classy but I simply adore the open air views from the roof. The birds really set off the skyline and you can see several of the mosques around. Not SUPER expensive but it is in the higher end price wise compared to their surrounding competition -- 100% worth it in my book. I will definitely go again on my next visit. Glad I could introduce it to a friend this go round. The only thing I disliked about this place is the "dining dome" as I called it. A portion of the roof now offers seating in a large plastic dome. The dome is scratched up and obstructs the view of the city but does protect diners from the wind. I was not a fan of this dome. I'm sure it's something someone saw on the internet and implemented .. I hope they get rid of it, it's super unnecessary. Otherwise -- LOVE!

Beautiful views, nice restaurant, huge menu. Had some really good mezze and shared the turkish…read moreravioli that we hadn't seen elsewhere and were like dim sum. The views, food, and service make for an unforgettable experience.

I came with a tour group and the menu was set for us, so that may have made it different from the…read moreregular experience. But wow, was it wonderful! Everything was so flavorful and satisfying. High marks for the lentil soup and the lamb and chicken kebab. And the baklava was just dreamy. Just fantastic!

This place it's a little hard to find but trust me it's worth it. It's truly a hidden gem. It's…read morelocated at the on of the ends of the Artesanal Market outside the Blue Mosque. Staff is very attentive and helpful with recommendations. The food it's truly the most authentic I was able to find in a touristy place. it's really tasty and fresh. They have outdoor sitting area is nice. Their desserts are amazing. At first looks like a small place but it quite big.

We had a variety of different foods. They were all very delicious. You can get good pizza, good…read moreTurkish food, good fish. Also, the service was great. The staff was really friendly.

It was great! This is my second time here and still yummy food and everything! The atmosphere was…read moreawesome, service is still good! The rice pudding was nice and so was the kannafeh. The turkish coffee and çai were also yummy. Kadi was also very nice.

This was a great first vacation meal! We got hummus, grape…read moreleaves, an alexander kabob, a raki and a small bottled water. The Alexander kabob was fantastic! The sauce, bread and curd made a brilliant combo and there was also a slice of potato a chili and a tomato. This is the first time I have ever felt like yogurt added anything to a dish. It was so good. The raki was awesome. The waiter insisted I add some water to it and he definitely knew best, it was sharp. And then it turned white! It is an anise liquor, like a jaegermeister, and I was glad I tried it. We ate in the semi outside seating which is always such a highlight in Istanbul. Great ambience and the wait staff and host were really welcoming. They gave us complimentary tea and baklava when we asked for the check and that was also lovely.

The accommodations were wonderful, the service was excellent, and they did everything they could to…read moremake our night incredible. Everything was delicious, and the show was spectacular. Congratulations to the whole team! Cozatmosphere, with pleasant music. Everything was very clean.

Outstanding restaurant. Great views, great food, and excellent service…read more Their kebabs were delicious, and the dolmades were to die for. The server was so kind. They moved us quickly to a place with a better view and even gave us complementary dessert. I strongly recommend my fellow yelpers to give this place a try.

Very good food. I had the Turkish lentil soup, it was spicy and flavorful, amazing. The second time…read moreI had barbecue chicken, that was unbelievably tender and tasty. The service was impeccable, the servers moved the tables around just for us to accommodate us 11 ladies on a trip. The view of the Marmara sea is great too, the terrace makes it enjoyable to watch the mosques at night. They had a very good wine too. I would absolutely recommend this place to anybody.

There are so many Turkish cafés and restaurants in the area, so why did we keep coming back here?…read moreDuring this trip, I was traveling with a big family, which meant we weren't necessarily searching for the absolute best or most trendy food - we just wanted something reliable, familiar, friendly, and affordable. Ortaklar Kebap delivered exactly that. The restaurant gets quite busy during lunch and dinner hours, but they have three floors of dining space, so seating usually moves along fairly well, even with larger groups. As for the food, several dishes stood out: Grilled Sea Bass (Levrek) - 4/5. My pescatarian in-law absolutely loved this dish. The fish had beautifully blistered skin with a noticeable charcoal-grilled flavor that wasn't overpowering. Inside, the sea bass was flaky, moist, and flavorful. Falafel - 3.5/5. The falafels themselves were decent, but what really made the dish enjoyable was the generous assortment of sides that accompanied them. Ortaklar Special Kebab - 4/5. This was probably the family's favorite. The kebab had a wonderful wood-fired aroma, with nicely charred meat on the outside while staying juicy and succulent inside. Overall, this is a solid Turkish restaurant for families seeking tasty, satisfying food in a casual, welcoming setting. It may not be the fanciest spot around, but it's dependable, affordable, and somewhere we found ourselves happily returning to throughout the trip.

Excellent food! I ordered this cubed meat pita dish that was like a pizza without cheese. They…read moreoffered it with a spicy roasted salsa that was incredible. Mohammed was my waiter and he took really good care of me.

Istanbul is a fascinating cosmopolitan city with tons of eateries spread across its massively…read moresprawling landscape. I spent considerable time researching the ONE restaurant our group of two families (4 adults, 3 kids aged 13-15) would visit during our overnight stop while on the Norwegian Viva cruise ship. I kept coming back to Gulhane Sark Sofrasi while researching and decided this was our spot. After all, it has 5,246 Tripadvisor reviews and is ranked the #5 restaurant in Istanbul. The food, service and outdoor ambience were all fantastic. Oh, the house cat was fantastic, too, and sure was protective of its turf, scaring away any other cats who dared try snagging any dropped food. My gals ordered what I felt were plain (less exotic?) chicken dishes but they really enjoyed them. My daughter chose the Sultan's Favorite. My best buddy's daughter ordered a steak which looked fantastic. His wife ordered an eggplant dish and some protein according to her strict diet (for health reasons) as well as shrimp and grilled veggies. Us boys shared the mixed appetizer plate with delicious dips and dolmas as well as, the recommended "Adana the Classsic" kebab ($16) and some kind of cheesey meaty casserole/stew (either the Dana Guvec or the Kuzu Guvec) ~$23 that was also recommended to us. The kebab was absolutely fantastic although I didn't love the casserole/stew which seemed to me to have less flavor. The dips were awesome, especially the Turkish "salsa". I felt $30 for their House Wine & $16 for a Margarita were a little steep but maybe those are common price points for Istanbul. The entrees too were a little pricier than in mainland Greece but again, Istanbul definitely seemed more advanced and modern. I highly recommend Gulhane Sark Sofrasi and would definitely go back!

Very nice restaurant with live music when we got there. The menu is varied and the staff speaks…read moreEnglish. We got a chicken kebab and a regular kebab. Both were good but a bit salty for our palate. Very friendly staff...as in truly friendly and welcoming......Nice patio dining.

We went to Istanbul a few weeks ago. We stumbled upon this restaurant, a few steps from our hotel…read morein the Sultanahmet district. The food didn't disappoint. My family had lamb kebabs, meze platter and I had grilled fish. Everything we had was delicious. We enjoyed dipping our warm pita bread with the different things on the meze platter---baba ganoush, hummus, yogurt, etc. The fish was fresh and good with a sprinkling of lemon. We sat outdoors which was perfect---cool and great for people watching. Service is quick, friendly and engaging. There's like mini fire shows going on at other tables. It was a great start to our Istanbul vacation.

We arrived around 6:30 and a couple of families were already seated. Clean, no hassle, first class…read moreservice, delicious food, quality bar and wine selections, and family atmosphere - so different from most establishments nearby. Our server was so helpful; he even suggested a lower priced wine once he heard our taste preferences. We would be back again except we departed the next day.