Old Ottoman Cafe & Restaurant - Review

Old Ottoman Cafe & Restaurant

Old Ottoman Cafe & Restaurant

Quaint Cafe at the corner of the street. As a vegetarian they suggested some good options. The flavour of the food wasn't very appealing to me personally however the service was brilliant. The food was extremely fresh and prepared with love and attention to detail. The owner of the café was making sure we were comfortable and made it feel like home. With the free dessert and tea they made sure there was no room for complaint.

Old Ottoman Cafe & Restaurant Truly a gem hidden in the heart of Istanbul. I visit Istanbul often for business. This is by far my favorite restaurant. Delicious food and staff are very kind, helpful and friendly. Erol and Duran the owners make us laugh all the time. I have tried many restaurants in Istanbul, but they have the most delicious traditional Turkish cuisine. Must try the Ottoman special and the flaming pot. They always offer us free tea and an exquisite dessert.

Amazing food and amazing service! Quite literally the best! We ate there with our 9 month old baby boy Finley and nothing was a problem for them; they made excellent recommendations for food and wine, plus they entertained our boy throughout!  We all thoroughly enjoyed our time here!  If I haven’t already made it clear, ask for and follow the recommendations of the staff and you won’t be disappointed!

Third visit to Istanbul and only wish I had discovered this beautiful gem on the 1st trip! Food was outstanding, but it is the service (with a side of humor!) that truly sets this restaurant apart from the many fine places to fine in Istanbul.  Take a left down the alley, you will never forget it!

Very delicious Turkish BBQ! Portions were huge! We ordered the Alexander Kebab and a beef kebab that the waiter strongly recommended (name is like Luke style or something similar, it has thin sliced potatoes, mushrooms, garlic, and finally diced beef on top), which turned out to be so tasty. Feel free to ask any questions you may have with the menu, the staffs were so helpful and explained the dishes so well to us. What we also found interesting was the presentations about the clay pot stew that other tables ordered ;)

Extremely friendly people, they made jokes pleasantly and genuinely kind. When a restaurant received such high score while there are more than 500 reviews, it is a no joke. First I sat on a table, I was a little worries about the musty smell but I ended up my lunch with very happy face due to its amazing food and people. Foods were excellent and the staff even served us a dessert and tea on the house. It was a warming experience, big thumbs up.

Free appetiser of spiced black olives and a basket of bread

Best restaurant I visited when I went to Istanbul.

The restaurant is really hidden and seems a bit Old but it's a must. Totally.
The food the waiters and the vibe of the restaurant makes you live a trully ottoman gastronomic experience.

The food is excellent and the prices are affordable for any budget.
The Clay pot was the best choice, its made to be broken and served in front of you, and if you are lucky enough to get the waiter Duran to serve you , you will have a nice show. Be sure to give him a tip,  he will win it anyway :)

The host is worth the visit to this establishment.  We stopped in for a light lunch, and were given a wonderful experience.  Our regret is that we weren't too hungry, because the Ottoman food on the menu looked amazing.  If we were in town for another night, we would have gone back for sure.  One person at the next table over, ate 3 of his meals there in 2 days.  Definitely worth a visit.

We came here because of the good reviews on TripAdvisor and Google.

When we entered we got a nice warm welcome by friendly staff that spoke good English and even a bit of Dutch.

For starters we choose to share a warm mixed plate. We asked if we could share it and it was no problem, they even cut already the items that were just one so it was easier to share. Great taste!
We also got some nice olives and bread.

For main course we choose a ottoman special and the traditional meal out off the pot.
And I must say when the food arrived we were shocked. A burning pot arrived at the table that they really cracked open with a sort off machete in front of you.
The traditional ottoman meal came on a hot plate.

Both meals tasted amazing!

As a dessert we got something of the house that tasted also wonderful!

Great place, great people and and superb Food! Must be on your list if you visit Istanbul.