ISTANBUL-a wonderful restaurant recommendation
 

I'd like to know a genuinely Turkish Restauratnt with great food that is not way expensive and not to be missed! Any suggestions. Thanks so much!

We had an excellent meal at Devali's. Their building is 5 stories high -- no elevator -- and we ate on the roof overlooking the Sea of Marmara. Very, very pleasant setting. The clientele was majority large Turkish business and family groups and a smaller sprinkling of tourists.

We simply asked the maitre'd who was the only one to speak English to bring us a special meal of his favorities. We had about 6 courses for about $95 including avery good Turkish wine.

I liked it because they brought out trays of unusual mezes and you could choose after you had seen everything.

You would need to take a taxi to the restaurant but it is well known and anyone can tell you how to get there.

My mother ate at the rooftop restaurant of the Blue House Hotel a few years ago. She said the atmosphere/view of the Blue Mosque lit up at night was astounding. The food was very good-- depending on what you order. Slightly expensive.

I have heard good things about Divan. We plan on dining there when we are in Istanbul in July.

concur regarding Develi:

Develi
Gumusyuzuk Sokak No. 7, Samatya
located in the neighborhood, Samatya, near the Sea of Marmara
http//www.develikebap.com

another great selection:
Balikci Sabahattin (The Fisherman)
located in the Sultanahmet, next to the Armada Hotel
http://www.armadahotel.com.tr

I was searching for the name of the restaurant we loved in Istanbul and found the name and a description given by mark of new york. His description is so good I'm just copying it for you. We ate at the other two mentioned as well but we thought this one was exceptional and quite a deal.

Balikci Sabahattin (The Fisherman)
Cankurtaran, Sultanahmet
http://www.armadahotel.com.tr/pg_en/armada.asp?ID=36
Located in the Sultanahamet, down some alleyways and stairs, next to the Armada Hotel - my friends and I sat outside under a large umbrella (which protected later from a light sprinkle), the smell of grilled fish wafting by. We started with a bottle of raki, an assortment of cold and hot mezzes (the calamari was crisp, feather light, firm not chewy or doughy). The cold mezes were delicate, restrained - an obvious sure hand seasoning each dish. Just point to what looks good and dive in. We each order grilled fish - blue fish, red mullet and bonito - all very flavorful, but just a tad dry - and a couple bottles of Turkish white, Dessert consisted of stuffed figs and some type of quince dessert. The setting is relaxing - the food is well prepared. The total bill came to almost 200 million (about $120) but for three people and the quality, not to mention in the Sultanahamet area - quite reasonable.

My favorite restaurant in Istanbul was Daruzziyafe, opposite the entrance to the Sulamaniye Camii.
After the trip, I wrote: 'Excellent food in a lovely courtyard. By far, the best meal in a quality restaurant that we had in Istanbul ."
We also stayed at the Mavi Ev, and ate there one night. The food is decent, but I wouldn't call it great. The view is spectacular, and that might make it worthwhile. But the meal at Daruzziyafe is far better.

We also ate at Balikci Sabahattin. It is a little hard to find, at the end of a deadend street beside the railroad tracks.

We tried to go several times before we got in. It's very popular on weekends. We ended up going there on a Monday night and got in without a reservation.

The food is very good and certainly plentiful. There is no menu. The waiters come around with mezze trays for you to choose. They then offer you a hot mezze if you'd like. We shared the hot shrimp and they were fabulous, maybe my favorite dish in all of Turkey.

Then you have a choice of a fish main dish. That night there were 5 to choose from. Like all the other fish restaurants, most of the main dishes include a whole fish, head and tail.

For dessert, they brought us cherries and ice cream without our ordering.

Our bill was also around $120, including a good Turkish wine. Overall, we thought it a good restaurant but not as unusual as some of the other places we ate during our 2 weeks in Turkey.

$120 for two people? That seems a little steep for Istanbul.

I'd agree. Even the bland, overpriced Sarnic wasn't that expensive!

And for those who are interested...the Sarnic is a cistern that is magically lit by candles (and other discreet lighting), and is one of the most dramatic restaurant settings I've been in...but if you're looking for good food, this is not the place. It was expensive and as bland as can be. American diner food at its worst.

There is also a Hotel Sarnic, but it's not associated with the restaurant Sarnic. The owner of the hotel was featured in a recent issue of Food & Wine magazine in an article on Turkey. She also offers cooking classes at her restaurant. A little confusing .......

Anyway, we're planning to stay in the hotel and we're also taking a cooking class. Should be fun.

I think $80 for two, including wine, is a reasonable approximation for the tab.

I found an article on the Internet by NEW YORK TIMES food writer Florence Fabricant. She writes that Balikci Sabahattin has a prixe-fixe menu at $22 a person. Wine is about $10 a bottle. This article was written in 2000. Even with inflation, I don't see how you could spend $120 there unless it was for at least 3 people, with a couple bottles of wine.

Feriye(ottoman cuisine) and Banyan(asian food) in Ortakoy...
Park Fora in Arnavutkoy(fish restaurant)
Kosebasi(kebap)they have some chains but prefer the one in Levent

Our wine was much more than $10 a person. And it was not that we sought expensive wine. Our waiter asked what we wanted: we said a good Turkish red and it was about $30.

Also the per person amount is now much more. About $35, I think.

This restaurant is very popular and doesn't seem to need to cut its prices. The 120 I referred to may have been turkish lira but that still meant our US bill was about $100. Didn't seem unreasonable at all.

When I dined at Sabahattin a few weeks ago the bill for one was aboout $50 including a couple glasses of wine and dessert. Well worth it, too!
FYI I did not see a prix fixe option on the menu, but also did not ask about it

Depens what kind of food you like but a traditional type of old istanbul restaurant Haci Abdullah or Haci Baba are good close to Taxim Square on istiklal street.
Bon A petite

Murat