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.