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.

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.

Delicious all the way! In the sultanahmet district we're you can find lots of restaurants and shops…read morewe chose this little gem. Simple yet warm and cozy the ambiance was nice and the staff were very helpful. My husband had the mezzo grill plate and I had the chicken grilled panini. Location- in the sultanahmet district upper floor and right in the arasta bazaar. Food- everything was fresh and crispy. You can tell they really seasoned everything just right. The chicken was flavorful and the handmade bread in panini was crispy. The kebabs were cooked to perfection. The Turkish coffee was a bit strong but the apple tea was delish. Service- although the waiter wasn't fluent in English he still made every attempt to try and help us with the menu. (Translated by Google) Cozy atmosphere, staff who know their job, delicious food. Were on vacation at the Hotel, as a rule, all restaurants break the price for medium quality dishes. In the Sultanahmet district, in my opinion, Arast is the best institution in terms of price and quality. I advise everyone, definitely five stars. Accept cards.

This restaurant was my *second best* discovery in Istanbul a month ago. My best friend and I spent…read morethe day wandering the streets and ended up in Arasta bazaar....at 9:50 pm we got hungry. We almost went to a couple of close restaurants and I said no....i want to go there...the vibe was very chill. We ordered our food and drinks....and everything brought to us was fresh, quality, and the presentation was excellent. You might say OK why is that such a big deal? Because we didn't know until we left at 11:50 (two hours later) that the restaurant actually closes at 10 pm. WUT???? Yes. The manager Abdullah was so classy. Never told us "hey we are closing," never brought us reheated stale food. SOOOO accommodating. Yes it should have occurred to us ladies that we were almost the only ones there after 10:15 but the food kept coming and the manager made us feel so welcomed that we never noticed. We loved it so much we went back twice more and had the exact same experience. Although we went when they were open lol. Pro tip: There's another Arasta restaurant nearby. This is Arasta Cafe Restaurant. Make sure you are at the one at the top of the stairs in Arasta bazaar. Also LOOK AT THIS HANDSOME BOY who snuggled up to me the next day.

Really descent food with lots of options. Portions were on par and didn't leave still hungry or…read moreoverly full. Beer was super cold !!

Although Faros Kebap isn't as authentic as other restaurants within the area, the food here was…read moredelicious! Coming from a vegetarian, I was appreciative of the fact that they had so many options for me - I really enjoyed the hummus, falafel, fries and pide. Had a super filling meal for quite the reasonable price.

This was my first night in Istanbul and I eased tired from traveling from cappadocia earlier in the…read moreday. This restaurant was close to my hotel and had great reviews on Yelp. When I arrived there was only one other customer inside. The restaurant decor was cute and I very comfortable. The staff were friendly and welcoming. This spot was a bit pricey just like most of the restaurants in this touristy area. I had certain Turkish entrees i wanted to try during my vacation. I ordered the Iskender kebab which is beef and pita bread covered with tomato sauce with yogurt on the side. I ordered a side salad to go with it. The dish was very delicious as you can tell in one of my pics. I chatted with some of the staff about life in Istanbul. I was offered some complimentary pomegranate tea before I left and it hit the spot. This is definitely a place to check out when you're in the area.

A MUST TRY. As an American, I have been SO impressed with food here in Turkey and if you are in the…read morearea, this restaurant is an absolute MUST-TRY if you're looking for great food. I had some of THEE BEST chicken kebab I've ever had in this country here. The beef kebab was also tender and flavorful. You cannot go wrong with any of these! The service was quick and prompt, and the servers were great at making recommendations. I came here in the winter so we sat indoors which felt a bit cramped however, there is also outdoor seating during the nicer weather months. If I'm ever back here in Istanbul, I would definitely come back. And if you're reading this, you NEED to try the Old Ottoman!

Olive is an amazing restaurant. The first thing that stood out to me was the views. There's a great…read moreview of the city as well as some of the beautiful masjids of Istanbul. I appreciated the level of hospitality and kindness we received from our server. He took the time to figure out which items my mom and I could have since we avoid gluten due to celiac disease. He even went back to the kitchen to ensure that they would avoid cross contamination. The food was amazing. I'd recommend trying as many meats and desserts as you can. I loved the kebabs. The vegetables and pickles that came with the kebabs were a great addition. Turkish sweets are delicious so I definitely enjoyed the desserts we had as well. I'd 100% recommend visiting checking out Olive if you want to try some very nicely prepared Turkish cuisine.

Loved the food, service and the views from this place. Best of all conveniently located.read more

You can smell the authentic flavor when enter . It tastes really good. And prices are reasonable.read more

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.

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.

So, we picked this restaurant mainly because it was right next to our hotel…read more Overall, it was pretty nice-nothing too surprising, but we weren't disappointed. The hosts were super warm and welcoming, and the atmosphere was cozy. The food was decent-just okay, not amazing or anything, but totally reasonable. l'd probably give it around a 3.5 out of 5, not quite a 4, but definitely not a bad spot!