My favorite restaurants are:
Yeþil Yayla * or ** in Þisli main street..open only weekdays for lunch only and serves all local pan dishes real Turkish, better then my mother's ones
Develi Restaurant **** in Kalamýþ Marina all kind of meat dishes grills varieties has big indoor and outdoor capacities one of must see and must eat
Pizzeria Rosa ***inside Carrefour Supermarket restaurants floor.Italian food of course but best in their kind in Istanbul open permanantly from 11.00 am till 10.00 pm..
And eat a simit on sale on streets...
I RECOMMEND CILVELI MEYHANE WITH SINGER FEDON JUST TO SPEND ONE VERY VERY GOOD TIME TURKISH AND GREEK MUSIC TOGETHER ... OTHERS ENJOY THIS WHY NOT YOU TOO ?
Favorite Dish: DONER AND ADANA MEAT KEBABS ,RICE WHEREVER POSSIBLE ,
Updated May 1, 2011
Is a very nice place to enjoy the most typical Ottoman Style food located in the middle of the city. Excelente flavor and tasty food, all the service was very nicewith friendly people. We enjoy amazing time with a great company (Big tomato).
The Restaurant is a little Ottoman museum, the decoration is really nice, with an excelent quality food.
Is very cozzy place to enjoy a family, friend or bussines dinner, lunch or snack time.
Very clean place ...very important point for me heehe.
Favorite Dish: I cant remember the name but was something like fried bread and inside chunck meet with nut really delicius. I have to ask my friend Bulent for the name...
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: Sakizagaci Cad. No. 17 Beyoglu
Phone: 0212-293-85-61
I have been told that Haci Abdullah Restaurantis is a restaurant with a long history and it is also a fine example of the Ottoman cuisine. I should say I agree that it is a great place to eat :)
There is a wide variety of dishes and they offer really good choice of sweets.
The interior is stylish and the service is good. At least I could not complain from it.
Prices:
Salads: around YTL 5
Main dishes: around YTL 14
Desrts: around YTL 4.50
OK, here is the disappointing bit:
Alcohol is not served in this restaurant.
I have been told that the owner is a bit conservative and that is the reason for not serving alcohol.
Favorite Dish: Well, I had Tas kebab. Delicious :)))
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: Beyoglu / 17, Sakizagaci Caddesi
Phone: +90 (212) 293 85 61
Although recommended in lonely planet my wife and I found the service in this restaurant absolutely horrible. The food was ok but certainly not worth the price. The food, served from a cafeteria style kitchen arrived within minutes of ordering (not bad for hungry mouths, but Luke warm and obercooked. The worst part of the meal was after receiving the bill, we had two bottles of water placed on our bill and a 5 lira service fee for what amounted to no service other than throwing plates down in front of us. Once we paid the bill, the waiter shortchanged us by 10 lira and we watched him pass the extra to his boss standing in the corner. Understanding what what wa going on we asked the waiter for the amount shortchanged and the 10 lira came out of his bosses pocket and thankfully back to us. I'm not sure what happened, bit it is safe to say we will not be back (perhaps I should have flashed my lonely planet Guide at him when I walked through the door)
Favorite Dish: whipped/mashed Eggplant side was good/unique
Written May 18, 2010
This restaurant is one of the best in Istanbul for serving traditional Ottoman cuisine. Although quite expensive, the quality of the food is very high. Many tourists think that Turkish cuisine consists of kebabs. However, due to the geographic location it has meditarrenian, east european and middle east influences. Moreover, Ottoman cuisine even has more influences owing to the wide spread empire in 3 continents. This restaurant is a good place to try some of these highly sophisticated meals that used to be served to Ottoman Sultans.
Favorite Dish: There are many dishes with meat and vegetables that could attract your taste. I suggest "Dana Emense" which is a meat dish from beef. Many interesting dishes are waiting for you to choose. Don't forget to order "Karisik Meyve Kompostosu" which is mixed fruit compost that is home-prepared and stored in glass containers for 2 years before serving.
Updated Aug 16, 2007
Address: Aga Camii Yani Sakizagaci caddesi No:17 Beyoglu
Phone: +90 212 2938561
Website: www.haciabdullah.com.tr
Tike serves traditional "charcoal grilled" lamb and chicken kebabs, authentic appetizers and fresh salads. Tike offers unique dining experience of ethnic barbequed kebabs at its best.
Originally, the first restaurant is the one in the Istanbul city-district of Levent, meanwhile Tike has 4 more restaurants in Istanbul, several ones in Turkey and even in Greece and Israel. (see homepage for details).
Favorite Dish: Everything :-) The experience itself is already nice, make sure you have a table reserved before-hand.
Updated Jul 25, 2007
Address: Hacý Adil Caddesi, 4. Aralýk No:1 2.Levent, Ýstanb
Phone: 0212) 281 88 71 - 284 84 78 - 79
Website: http://www.tike.com.tr
Haci Abdullah a half block northwest off Istiklal Caddesi at Sakizagaci Caddesi 17, is among the city's famous old dining places. The ambience is bright and lively rather than quiet and dark, the Turkish food is delicious, but no alcoholic beverages are served. This is a great place for women traveling alone to dine undisturbed.Credit cards are accepted.
Favorite Dish: Deserving particular mention are Hunkarbegendi (pureed aubergines with lamb); Elbasan tava; Manisa kebabi; kuzu incikli patlican (aubergines with lamb); kuzu tandir (lamb cooked tandoori-style); kuzu dolmasi (stuffed lamb); and kuzu incik baglama (lamb 'olives' stuffed with aubergine and tomatoes). Haci Abdullah is famous for its fruit compotes, but also makes an excellent baked quince and dessert of bananas, cream and honey.
Updated Dec 28, 2006
Address: Sakizagaci Caddesi 17
Phone: tel +90-212-293-8561
We ate at the restaurant Haci Abdullah in the Beyoglu area of Istanbul last night after reading the glowing review in Lonely Planet. After travelling around Turkey for almost a month, we thought the food was fairly average but we also thought it was rather pricey. The most disturbing part of the meal came when we received our bill and realized each of the food items was up to 1 lira more than listed on the menu. While the total difference was not significant it was not a practice we appreciated. We pointed it out to the waiter and he showed us that the Turkish menu gets updated every day while the foreign menu (in a variety of languages) does not and therefore the prices are out of date. We were very offended by this practice of giving menus that do not reflect the correct prices and also by the waiter's lack of concern.
The cover charge, service charge and increase in the prices we were charged added up to over 20% of our bill and the food definitely did not justify this.
Written Dec 21, 2006
This is an excellent restaurant if you want to taste real ottoman food. It's an old well reputated establishment located in the center of Taksim.
They have an extensive list of starters and dishes such as eggplant stuffed with lamb, different kebabs, meatballs and many more. I really loved the "baked lamb shank" and the starters with beans and eggplant with yogurt sauce. Food is delicious here! For dessert try their wonderful baklava or the pudding with dry fruit.
Highly recommended!
Written Aug 13, 2006
Phone: +90 212 2938561
Website: www.haciabdullah.com.tr
The place evokes grandeur especially in the cavernous room way back. That is where you should sit if you go for lunch of dinner. I was taken there for lunch by a local who is a regular diner. He knew the staff and the staff knew him. Service was attentive and superb. On my second time, I went in as a tourist although accompanied by a male Turkish friend. The service was not as good as the first time. This summer I dined with a fellow VTer who is female. We were treated well and there was a lot of laughter. The food is described as those which have been prepared for the Ottoman sultans of the past but to me they all looked good, tasted good but it wasn't haute cuisine. One can tell though that the area where preapred food is displayed, is kept immaculately clean. I like the lamb shank, the appetizers with eggplant and the special quince dessert. They have a separate chef for dessert and a dedicated area where all the dulce desserts are presented as well. I almost always order the same food everytime I set foot there because they never disappoint. This past summer I went for lunch one day and returned a few weeks later for dinner. I was surprised that they have the same exact food for luch as for dinner! It was my first time to go for dinner so when the lamb arrived, I wanted to have red wine with it. I was in for another surprise! They don't serve alcoholic beverage. I think it is published in their website that they adhere to religious tradition but I obviously didn't see it. I would go there again when I return to Istanbul.
Favorite Dish: The food I named above taste very good and are far superior to the fast-food version one can get in Istiklal. The fresh ingredients, the quality of the food the whole ambiance of Haci Abdulla is a must for visitors. It is actually quite popular among the locals as well.
Updated Jan 8, 2006
Address: Agacami Sakizagaci Cad. No.17 Beyoglu
Phone: 212 293 8561
Website: www.haciabdullah.com.tr
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The place evokes grandeur especially in the cavernous room way back. That is where you should sit if you go for lunch of dinner. I was taken there for lunch by...
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