kumkapi restaurants, Istanbul

At first glance, it seemed as though this place was a local hot spot. However, upon tasting the tasteless food, we discovered the true reality of this ***box. Bad service, food didn't taste at all, and we felt like we had been robbed when the bill came. DON'T GO THERE AT ALL, NEVER EVER IN YOUR LIFE. I've been all around Turkey and this place was the worst.

We had a similar bad experience as those posted below. puchy, rude waiters that bring you food you didn't order and make faces when you say you don't want it. I was told that 2 of things I wanted to order were not available to try and get me to order something more expensive! Long wait for food which came without anything except half a raw onion and half a lemon! Basic food with a large price. We were charged 15% service charge and 10TL for sitting on the balcony!!! The bill is handwritten so they can add anything they want in bad writing in another language so you can't question it. All in all, a terrible experience which we can't believe we fell for!

Aphrodit, like all the restaurants in Kumpaki, post a menu outside. Don't bother reading it, when you are inside the prices all change.
Turbot, 100 lira (£45) per KG. You are charged for water, which the waiter puts on the table and opens without asking. You are charged for mezze, which the waiter brings to the table on a tray and asks, what you want, without telling you, it is charged per dish and not some 'free nibbles' while you order. You pay 16 lira (£8) for about 8 pieces of clamari. 18 lira for lamb chops that when they came, for my friend I thought were a joke. it should have been in the kids menu. Two lamb chops, about as thin as folded paper and small as a child's lolipop and about 20 french fries. My fish, bream arreives with a slice of onion and lemon. Thats it, no sides. I was so disgusted by the restuarant and the feeling I had been 'duped' that I ate only a little of the fish paid and left and went to eat somewhere else.

the waiters were rude and pushy. If you read the other comments on this page about how good and authentic this place is, believe me, they must be employees or owners of the restaurants

Favorite Dish: nothing

This is the one restaurant in Kumkapi to be avoided. As the taxi stopped at the front end of the street a "salesman" almost pushed us inside the empty, cold restaurant, promising us an unforgettable experience. Unforgettable it was: the restaurant was cold, the waiter trying to push all sorts of unsolicited advice and meals. The food was of poor quality, we waited for the fish 45 min to come, as though they were cooking a lamb, not grilling a fish. Last but not least, the bill: 105 YTL, roughly 50 euro for one grilled fish and two salads. The price for some of the fish is indicated "by Kg", misleading you to think it is next price in the menu.

One piece of advice: while in Istanbul, eat where the locals eat, rather than in empty restaurants, with pushy doormen. Check the menu and ask the price whenever your are not sure of it. Istanbul offers otherwise a wonderful culinary experience. Enjoy!

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During your stay in Istanbul don’t lose the opportunity to experience the lively and joyful atmosphere of Kumkapi.

If you want to eat good seafood at a reasonable price I can suggest you the Hos Seda Balik Restaurant, my favorite one.

The Hos Seda, completely renewed and enlarged, is a three level restaurant with a capacity of more than 200 people which, thanks to the experience of the owners and the knowhow of the staff, offers you a freindly ambience where to spend nice evenings alone or with a big group of friends eating tasty food and listening to live traditional music

The food is delicious, well cooked and rich. You can start choosing among various meze and follow with the fresh and tasty seafood dishes, the season salads and fruits, the flavouros desserts.

The staff will always reserve you a warm welcome in a pleasant and convivial ambience offering you a professional and careful service in any time.

A pick-up service from and to your hotel is preview.

Favorite Dish: All dishes are very tasty ... it is worth to go there more than once.

The speciality of the house: Tuzda Balik (Fish in Sault)

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Kor Agop is one of many seafood restaurants and meyhanes in this lively area of Istanbul near the Sea of Marmara. We chose Kor Agop because our guidebook said that it had been operating since 1938 so we figured it must have decent food. As we had to wake up very early for our 6am flight the next morning, we were the only diners in the restaurant at 4:30pm. But they were more than happy to serve us dinner. I gather that they only serve what is available fresh that day as our menus were laminated and had prices marked in grease pen next to those items that were available. We ordered a couple of mezzes to start (eggplant and tomatoes, fava/broad beans) and two mains: fried bluefish and the shrimp cassarole. The cassarole came in a medium-sized ceramic dish and included, besides the shrimp, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and a light cheese. A very rich dish and also very good. The bluefish were cooked well, fried with the tails and heads intact. And besides the rather bony spine, the entire fish was edible. The heads, in fact, were the best part as they were really crunchy! The mezzes were equally excellent. They also brought us some nice fresh crusty bread and we chased it all down with some bottled water. The entire meal, with service, came to 55 YTL ($44 US).

It was a nice last meal for our trip.

Favorite Dish: Fried bluefish, shrimp cassarole.

Do not miss the opportunity of eating fish in kumkapi restaurants! It's delicious! And the costs are reasonable.

Generally speaking, fish was the very food I liked in Istanbul. Plus one or two vegetable salads.

For a selection of sea food restaurants get yourself down gedik pasa cad Most of the restaurants are in competition with each other and offer the same fair, mostly a selection of cold appetizers bought to your table on a large tray you choose which dishes you want, followed by catch of the day cooked how you want it, to get there either get a taxi to the president Hotel (best western) and walk straight down the hill, or alternatively go to Kumkapi station, turn right walk till you come to left turn under railway bridge, then continue up hill.