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    Ziya Baba

    4.7 (83 reviews)
    InexpensiveTurkish, Chicken Wings, Kebab
    Open 8:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Ziya Baba Photos

    ZIYA BABA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Quiet
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Ziya Baba

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    Menu
    Chase Y.

    Solid local Turkish food. We enjoyed the wraps and the portions were reasonable. The meatball platter was our personal favorite and worth the extra money.

    Mixed plate
    Cindy N.

    What a cute little find. Was staying in then area and did a quick Yelp search to come across this little hidden gem. If you look on trip advisor this restaurant is number 59 on the list of places to eat in Istanbul. Ate here a total of 3 times on my visit and had the pleasure of trying the GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD 14 TL (Turkish lira) Simple salad done oh so well. Lettuce, Cucumber, tomatoes, and onions all dressed in a oil and lemon dressing topped with their salad spice and grilled chicken kebab pieces. Chicken was perfectly cooked with little charred pieces. So freaking flavorful. I craved this salad especially when I ate pastries, meats, and everything in site while on my visit. 4 1/2 stars**** MIXED KEBAB PLATE 24TL Chicken kebab, steak kebab, and lamb kebab all paired with a delicious bulgar wheat rice, tomatoes, lettuce, picked onions and parsley. All the meat was seasoned and cooked well. The rice was so good! On the table is trays of Turkish chili and oregano. Sprinkle it on your food and it is oh so good! 4 1/2 stars**** CHICKEN WING PLATE 14TL 6 pieces of chicken wings cooked over a wood grill. Nicely seasoned and charred edges. Also comes with rice, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and parsley. 4 stars*** This place is open as early as 0830 and closes as late as 1030. Inside and outside seating is available. Unfortunately no AC and no wifi, but there's an amazing fan at the back of the restaurant blowing room temperature air. Look at the bright side, your food won't get cold so quick lol. Family ran restaurant with very friendly people. Everything cooked to order. If you're in the area stop by and give it a try.

    Chicken Tavuk
    Marwa K.

    This is a true Turkish gem!! If you are looking to try authentic Turkish grills this is the place. Their chicken kebab is fresh, hot, and simply Delicious! Their prices are relatively on the cheaper side, you can have a meal for 2 for just $10. They also give you complementary bread. MUST TRY if you are visiting Sultan Ahmed mosque!

    Mixed plate --- so yummy!
    Jay D.

    Wow. So delicious, affordable, legit, and comfortable. Feels like you're eating at someone's house and you know that's always where the best food is to be found. This is definitely on my must-eat lists anytime I'll be in Istanbul from now on.

    AJ A.

    I visited this place based on yelp reviews and boy this place is legit. The food is delicious, very reasonably priced and great service.

    Chicken Shish Wrap: ₺7
    Paul V.

    Having gone through the commercial kebab factory Tatseven, I was keen for a more local and homegrown authentic Turkish döner spot. Ziya Baba filled that void, and I can confidently say that I've experienced a rock solid authentic turkish kebab. Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere? Ziya Baba is authentic from top to bottom, or at least it's authentic to the degree that I experienced Istanbul during my time there. Ziya Baba is tucked away within a narrow incline off the primary tourist streets, and from the moment you walk in you can tell that this is how kebabs were meant to be before they were exported across the world and commercialized. Behind the counter? A literal mom and pop operation who are cooking everything in a legitimate home kitchen. Sure, seating is a bit cramped as the place gets pretty crowded, but this was a nice introduction to the city and their cuisine. One thing I will point out is that everything is made fresh to order, and the result can be a significant wait. I got my kebab to go and ended up waiting a solid 20 minutes, which was a surprise. Star Granted. Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost? This wasn't a colossal kebab compared to what you can find around the world, but it was enough for a small meal. The cost? Seven turkish lira, which equates to $2.64. That's absolutely amazing, and is the very definition of value. Star Granted. Stars 3 and 4: How was the food? Very, very good. There were two highlights here that were offset by just a tad bit of weakness. The good? An absolutely wonderful piece of fresh bread that was used as a wrap and tender and wonderfully seasoned chicken. The bad? A somewhat clumpy combination of all-spice that was overpowering when you hit a pocket of it. All in all though this was very good. Star Granted. Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could? In a city of fast, low quality doners and kebabs, Ziya Baba is the catalyst. It's the authentic, it's the origin, and while it's not the perfect kebab: it's wonderful. Star Granted.

    Hubs' favorite salad. Refreshing and light.
    Jyoti J.

    This is a great spot for a quick lunch before hitting the Turkish market. I'll post pictures of what we had but my top two favorites were Adana and Lahmacun. The vibe is a bustling market outside with calls for prayer on the loud speaker. Being from Dallas, it was a cultural treat and felt like I was in a movie. You have to experience it to know what I mean. Me and hubs had a cozy seat inside and people watched while we ate. Would have both of the above a hundred times again. I'll post pics so you can see. Too much food to remember all the names except my favorites!

    Chicken cucumber and tomato salad
    Kai L.

    A simple grill house with delicious kebab: lamb, chicken, and eggplant. The meats are succulent and tender, and the portions are large. The chicken, cucumber, and tomato salad is a refreshing alternative to the otherwise very carb heavy turkish diet. Simple food done well at fair prices for such a central location (about 15tl per main). It's a mom and pop and son operation... The owner is a bit gruff and doesn't speak much English. But the place clearly caters to tourists, the menu even has pictures.

    Chicken salad
    Oliver J.

    Simple. Inexpensive. Advertised as slow food, but I saw sodas, so I think that's nonsense. The food is great and inexpensive. Chicken salad was perfectly cooked. The lentil soup was great. The bread was fine. They offered tea, but it wasn't free, which we assumed it was after last night. Not a big deal.. But a learning experience for us.

    Mediterranean salad with chicken
    Eowyn K.

    This small basic restaurant has a small menu of Turkish fare. This includes a couple of vegetarian options. One person in the group is a vegetarian was excited for the vegetarian plate. I had the lentil soup and the Mediterranean salad with chicken. Our table liked everything, the food was flavorful and well seasoned, and the portions were on the larger side. I liked that the salad had some lettuce but was primarily veggies. There was plenty of seasoned grilled chicken on it as well. The main course comes with a soft flat bread that is very good as well. Good food, reasonable prices!

    Neechi M.

    If staying in Sultanahmet this would be a great place to get lunch. The food was quick, the servers were very nice and most importantly, it was delicious. The best part about it was that compared to a lot of the other food we ate in Istanbul this place was quite cheap. I wouldn't come here from very far away because it's not necessarily worth a trip to get it but it's great for anyone in the area.

    Delicious chicken salad.
    Rebel C.

    Located just out of the bustling touristy area if Sultanahmed, this little gem is inexpensive and tasty. We've been several times and I cannot tell you precisely what to order coz it's all pretty darn tasty. It's an affordable, no frills - but friendly - joint. We scraped together our shrapnel and begged for as much baklava as our money would buy and they were generous in return. Please, if you do come here, remember it is a low key eatery so if you're after the "Sultanahmed experience" dine elsewhere :)

    Tomasz W.

    So far have been here twice. Never disappointed . It's a local no nonsense place. Service is fast efficient , family owned very polite. Food is a great value - fresh tasty always makes me want more lol. My favorites: lentil soup , beans, Mediterranean salad. Highly recommended great find.

    Fries, salad, Menemen, rice.

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    11 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Delicious food and very reasonable prices! Try their chicken salad, it is really good. Quick service!

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    7 years ago

    Went there the night we got there for a quick bite. The food is delicious and the service friendly. Will definitely go back.

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    11 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Yummy lentil soup. Excellent kebab. Chicken and lamb are very tasty. And pretty smooth turkish coffee.

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    11 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Amazing food. We got the lentil soup and mixed plate and loved it. Especially recommend the chicken!

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    11 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Great local food at a really great price. Nothing fancy in seating. Just the real stuff for locals.

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    8 years ago

    Best Kebab I have ever had. First time in Istanbul from Australia, tried quite a few places

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    11 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Food was not good. It was cold. Bread was very hard. It was like rubber. May be it was old. I literally feel pain in teeth while eating.

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    11 years ago

    The best food I had in Turkey. The wings and lentil soup were top notch. Like others mentioned, don't let the decor fool you.

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    11 years ago

    Very good food and very well priced , the people who work here are also very nice, I will recommend to people in the future

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    11 years ago

    Great food. Inexpensive. Not a lot of ambiance but a good quick bite in a great location. Meatball nicely seasoned.

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    10 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Very delicious and inexpensive food. Very nice and friendly people. I strongly recommend it if you appreciate this kind of restaurants.

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    Ziya Baba Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Ziya Baba

    We had a grilled chicken salad and a meat wrap (??) It was soooo delicious and so cheap.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    Şehzade Cağ Kebap

    Şehzade Cağ Kebap

    4.4(92 reviews)
    1.2 kmHobyar, Hoca Paşa Mh.
    ₺₺

    On a culinary tour in Istanbul, Turkey with Culinary Backstreets and Milk Street. They guided us…read morethrough the markets, gave us historical highlights and fed us at all levels from fine dining, food stall and street vendors. All of the places have been vetted by our guides as they share a personal connection with the very friendly vendors. Sehzade Cag Kebap was hands down, the best lamb kabobs I've ever had. The staff here are rock stars, smiling, engaging with patrons and welcoming everyone to stick your head into the kitchen and view the succulent wheel of lamb meat. Your sense heighten as you sit and get ready to eat one of the best lamb dishes I've ever had. This feeling was shared with several members of our tour. Language could of been an issue here, but the smiling and friendly staff watched intensely as we inhaled their delicious entree. Their condiments were onions, red pepper paste, pomegranate molasses, tomatoes and plenty of homemade bread. They allow the star, "savory lamb meat" to be featured and not be buried by the accutramonts. It is a truely stunning dish and voted #9 in the world for best kabob. If you are in the market of the Old City, please look up Sehzade Cag Kebap, your taste buds will thank you. To the amazing team, excited about their talented skills, thank you for this incredible meal. Great quality food, we will return!

    You know a restaurant is good when their menu is simple and they only specialize in one thing- cag…read morekebab. We came on a weekday evening for dinner and found a line already forming around 6PM. Despite the crowd, there was a quick turnaround, and we were able to get seated quickly after only 10 minutes of waiting. We ordered the cag kebab wrap, soup of the day (lentil soup), and a side of salad. The kebab was nicely seasoned, with each bite delivering a rich, savory flavor. I also loved all the Turkish lentil soups and this one was no exception- it's tangy, savory and extremely comforting to drink on a cold night.

    Photos
    Şehzade Cağ Kebap - The kebab spit.

    The kebab spit.

    Şehzade Cağ Kebap - Cag Kebab

    Cag Kebab

    Şehzade Cağ Kebap

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    Sultan Mehmet - Lady making fresh pies and bread

    Sultan Mehmet

    3.8(9 reviews)
    0.8 kmAlemdar, Cankurtaran Mh., Cankurtaran
    ₺₺

    We were looking around in the area (close to the Sultanahmet Square) for a restaurant to dine at…read more There's plenty on this street, we checked out menu-s and prices and we settled on Sultan Mehmet because of their menu - specialized in traditional Turkish food, smaller menu - not a hodgepodge podge of pasta, chicken schnitzel and local dishes. Prices are more reasonable, the decor is cute, modern, with a traditional take. It does help to see the lady making pies and baking pita bread from the outside window and a prep bar full of fresh ingredients- meats prepared for kebabs, fresh vegetables and mezze-s. It was never crowded, but they had just enough customers around to have a lively atmosphere. We sat at a lower table where you can sit on pillows on the floor for a genuine experience. We didn't know we had to take our shoes off upon entering the area and got a tad scolded, we weren't trying to be disrespectful. After a day of walking and exploring it was nice to take them off and sit comfortably on pillows. Staff is nice, some speak English, I also learnt a few basic words and expressions and it helped communication. We got fresh squeezed Pomegranate juice (they don't serve alcohol here), shared a mixed filling pie (minced beef, spinach, feta cheese) which was warm, delicious, made on the spot by the lady and also shared a beef kebab portion. Plenty of food, fresh, full of flavors, nicely cooked. We finished with a traditional Apple tea inspired by our French next table neighbors. We enjoyed the restaurant, the food, the comfort, the coziness so much that we came here for dinner the next 2 nights - don't laugh! We were eager to try other dishes we notices people around us ordered. Also it was close enough to our hotel. Next night we got their mezze-s - you have to try the platter, even veggies you might not like/love on the platter you will finish, they taste so good, nicely marinated and infused with various herbs. Don't love mushrooms, but how they prepared them, with dill on top, they were amazing! We got a bit swindled in getting the big Kofta kebab platter, but boy it was sooo good, that we ended up finish it since we shared everything! They also got us some fresh pita bread just made by the lady next to us! We tried their mixed juice of fresh squeezed orange and pomegranate, pretty good! Our third was had a simpler menu - feta cheese pie and chicken kebab, smaller portion. We liked the waiter we had that nice the best, nice, chatty, he recommended us a Turkish soda which was fun to try, their version of Sprite. Service is not fast, but attentive and we wanted a slower pace to take it all in. They accept credit cards as well! Nice atmosphere, fresh traditional food, great respite after a day of exploring. It was nice to sit on the comfy pillows, watch the street life, the food they were making, neighbor people from various countries, all in for the Turkish dinner experience!

    They messed up our order about 4 times, bringing out completely different things that we never…read moreordered. First off, we sat for 20 minutes before anyone came up to us and we ordered 2 plates of urfa (no spicy) kebabs and a chicken shish kebab all of them with normal rice (the only one who really spoke English said they had rice but it would take about 10 minutes to make which we agreed to). The first round of dishes they brought to us was an urfa kebab and chicken wings; 1 right : 1 wrong. 10 minutes later the brought us 2 plates of kebab and we took what they told us was an urfa kebab, it was not but we kept it anyways because it didn't matter; 1 right : 3 wrong. Finally, after a total of us sitting there for over 40 minutes, our final and correct dish came. The overall service was very slow and very disorganized. We had to repeat our order multiple times to the guy who could speak English. The food was good but the overall service doesn't make it worth it since we spent an hour and a half at this place. A thing to note to anyone who wants to visit because of the floor tables, don't. We went during the summer when it was pretty hot and in order to sit at the floor tables you have to take your shoes off so after a while the place starts to smell of feet. Overall, if I ever went back to Turkey I would skip this place in favor for something else nearby. Okay food but bad service and a not so pleasant foot smell.

    Photos
    Sultan Mehmet - Inside

    Inside

    Sultan Mehmet - Prep bar

    Prep bar

    Sultan Mehmet - Apple tea, great!

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    Apple tea, great!

    Ziya Baba - turkish - Updated September 2026

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