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

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 :)

We came across this place when looking to satisfy a craving for some Italian food. Great…read morerestaurant! Will definitely come back!

Amazing Italian Food and great service !…read more We are vegetarian and ordered the Pizza Bianca and the Rossi. Both the pizzas were delicious, some of the best we have eaten. Paired with really good Wines as well. Would highly recommend this place. The icing on the cake was the outstanding Tiramisu for dessert. Definitely worth a visit while in Istanbul

We were craving Italian and it was hard to decide between another nearby place, which seemed very…read morenice as well, but I had walked by this place a few times and it was always busy, which made me think, perhaps it tasted better. But it was hard to tell because a lot of people are outside, having drinks and smoking and chilling and eating pizza. We learned from previous meals that eating outside means you'll be exposed to smokers so we ate inside and NO smokers & much more quiet and the food was extremely delicious. So glad to have come here! Our servers were friendly and cordial and spoke excellent English. We had two carbonaras and one special pasta with the muscles and lemon, but it was creamy somehow it was so extra delicious, I had a Pinot Grigio with that and it was the perfect meal for the last day in Turkey. I highly recommend going to this place and also trying the Caprese salad here which they add pomegranate seeds too. The mozzarella was super fresh and bright with the pomegranate and fresh tomato and basil. We also added a Panna cotta at the end just for a sweet bite and that too was excellent, very friendly staff. Give Paps a try if u are missing pasta while traveling.

Hello. Tired of eating Turkish cuisine yet? If so, head on over to the new city via the tram, get…read moreoff at the stop for the tower and walk on over, about 10 minutes to Paps. It's all Italian! Paps is a tiny place..as in 10 tables, in the size of a shoebox. They have outside tables too. I strongly recommend reservations if it is after 6 pm to eat. We were fortunate that the weather was cold and despite it being 7 we walked right in. Pouring rain will do that. Onto the food. With my dietary restrictions I made sure to have a piece of paper translated into Turkish so there was no confusion. Do this if you have any restrictions. I went with their spaghetti with clams, which I had them remove the fish roe ahead of time. They did this. This dish is under their specials. It was good, but the clams were tiny and without a seafood fork to remove the meat, a challenge. A couple were closed..never eat those. Serving size was good. I ate only half. The spouse had the spinach fettuccine with sage butter and parmarsean cheese flakes. She said it was good, but very creamy. She ate most of it. The bread options are yuck. The best is the tiny breadsticks you would see back in the day. The spouse opened with a salad as an appetizer and liked it. I demurred. Pricing wasn't outrageous, and since I pay with a credit card, you will always get a far better exchange rate than what the restaurants will pitch.

Great little spot for a lunch. Nice ambiance / interior decorating. The staff was friendly speaking…read morebroken English but enough that we made it work. The pizza was really good. They took credit cards. I would recommend and will eat here if in the area again.

Great service and a really good pizza. Chill place to hang out and relax. Ask for the spicy olive…read moreoil.

Genuinely the nicest relaxing dinner I've had in a while. Visiting Istanbul and had this…read morereservation the same evening. My plane had landed late and I messaged them asking to move my reservation back an extra hour and they did right away! Most lovely and helpful staff. The manager was also the nicest, came to check on us and even hand served me my dish. My mom enjoyed her pizza and I loved everything about this place

Came here to satisfy my margarita pizza cravings and it did just that - beautifully made marg pizza…read moremade in the clay oven which you can see from the dining area. We sat in the garden seating area and its such an aesthetically pleasing restaurant, we would have def tried other dishes but we came for the marg and left satisfied

Nice food, superior service, average price between 20 to 40 TL (10-20 usd). Strongly recommended.read more

Compared to the flagship Beverly Hills version, this place would get 3 stars. However, as a nice…read morerooftop restaurant in Istanbul, it deserves 4. Their location at the top of St. Regis hotel provides a great view and an enjoyable atmosphere. As for the food, we ordered the agnolotti, mac&cheese, filet mignon, and shrimp. Except for the filet mignon (which was a bit dry) rest of our food tasted great. Although I enjoyed the food, the servers come off a bit snobbish in the beginning. Our's tried explaining what a mac&cheese was. Who the hell would not know that?

Spago Istanbul: How a Special Birthday Celebration Turned Into a Disappointing Experience…read more On June 6, 2026, we made a reservation at Spago Istanbul to celebrate a special birthday. During the reservation process, we specifically mentioned the occasion and were told that a dessert with a candle would be served as a birthday gesture. Unfortunately, what should have been a memorable evening became one of the most disappointing dining experiences we have ever had. The problems started as soon as we arrived. Despite having a reservation, our table was not ready. We were simply asked to wait and were left standing inside the restaurant. No attempt was made to offer us seats at the bar or another area while we waited. For a restaurant of this reputation and price level, this was an unfortunate start. Once our table was finally ready, we ordered dinner and tried to enjoy the evening. After some time, we politely reminded our server about the birthday dessert that had been promised. Thirty minutes passed. Nothing arrived. We reminded the staff again. Another thirty minutes passed. Still nothing. We then asked a third, fourth, and fifth time. Eventually, we had to approach different members of the service team because our requests were simply being ignored. No one offered a clear explanation, and no one appeared interested in resolving the situation. At that point, we spoke with the hostess at the entrance. She apologized and assured us that the matter would be handled immediately. Nothing happened. As the evening continued, we remained at our table, even ordering additional cocktails while waiting. Meanwhile, service continued normally at other tables. Close to midnight, I asked to speak with the restaurant manager, Mr. Deniz. I calmly explained the situation and how disappointed we were. He listened and assured us he would personally take care of the issue. Again, nothing changed. After another long wait, I found myself leaving the table for the seventh time to ask for assistance. By then, a special birthday celebration had been completely overshadowed by poor service and indifference. Mr. Deniz later explained that the pastry station in the kitchen was experiencing operational problems. However, this explanation was difficult to accept. Throughout the evening, we observed birthday celebrations taking place at other tables. We also saw guests who arrived long after us receiving attentive service and having their requests fulfilled without issue. What became increasingly noticeable was the significant difference in attention given to different tables. Some guests appeared to receive immediate and highly attentive service, while others were largely ignored. The contrast was impossible not to notice. Whether intentional or not, the impression created was that certain tables were being prioritized over others. For a restaurant carrying the Spago name, this was deeply disappointing. Eventually, we decided we had waited long enough and requested the bill. We informed Mr. Deniz directly that we wished to leave and that we were extremely dissatisfied with our experience. Even receiving the bill became another exercise in waiting. We had to remind the staff multiple times before it finally arrived. Then came the most disappointing moment of the evening. After hours of requests and reminders, the birthday dessert with the candle finally arrived together with the bill--after we had already decided to leave. Not during dinner. Not during the celebration. Not at any meaningful moment of the evening. At that point, it felt less like a thoughtful gesture and more like an afterthought. As we left, we respectfully explained that the restaurant had failed to deliver the level of service expected from a venue of its reputation. More importantly, it had turned an important personal celebration into a frustrating and disappointing experience. Spago Istanbul was once known for outstanding hospitality and service. Based on our experience, those standards appear to have declined significantly. A beautiful view and a famous name cannot compensate for poor communication, lack of attention, and repeated service failures. Sadly, our evening was not defined by the food, the atmosphere, or the celebration we had planned. It was defined by waiting, being ignored, and leaving disappointed. Needless to say, we will not be returning.

Exellent place, delicious pizza, yummy yummy notella calzone. Highly recommended…read more The place is often busy. Better book your table before you go there.

Walking distance from our hotel and we had to try it. We were seated right away. Tables were really…read moresmall and the place seemed crowded to begin with. Had to pay for our own water. The pizza were a bit salty but it go well with the spicy olive oil! Drinks were not amazing but it was good and cute presentation! Over all, a 6 out of 10.

Although Turkish viewers gave this place high stars, I wouldn't recommend it if what you are…read morelooking for is a classic Italian pizza. It seems to me that their previous job was Turkish pide and they started a pizza place because it is popular right now. They don't serve alcohol and you can't find any pork products here. If you are looking for a quick bite, go to Pizza2Go or if you want to have some wine with it go to Beppe Pizzeria. They are both within a walking distance.