Cafe Istanbul

04/12/09

please don't waste you money, overpriced, terrible food

by IKnowWhatEthnicFoodIs at Citysearch

food is terrible, overpriced, service staff is rude, greasy and uncooked food. this place is no way close to turkish cuisine. my day started with craving for turkish food and ended up with stomach ache. eating cheap frozen food at home is better than this. I have read the bad reviews here and they all sound correct believe me.

01/03/10

Be Careful!

by Brewster at Citysearch

On January 1, 2010 I took 9 people to Cafe Istanbul for the evening, because I heard it was up to par, but with a better atmosphere, with Cafe Agora. Six of us (6!) got food poisoning that night and January 2nd was spent in bed and the washroom. Of the 9 people, 6 are of Turkish decent, so it's not like our stomachs cannot handle the food! The experience was awful and I have no intent to give it a second chance. I am still sick and so are three others!

• Pros: Nice Atmosphere
• Cons: Food was awful

09/11/09

Awesome experience

by Krissie770 at Citysearch

I am just returning home from this place, and I have rushed to my computer to write a review because this place is getting totally misrepresented on city search! I read all the one/two star reviews before going, so I was nervous about how the food and service would be. Boy were these people wrong! The food is good, the service is great, and the atmosphere is even better. If you gave this place one or two stars you must have been looking to complain and have a bad time, or completely culture-less or ignorant. I don't see how one could go to this place and not enjoy it. I went on a Friday night around 9:30. Its good to either make a reservation or get there before 10 to get seating. (We were sat right away) It's middle-eastern style floor seating with decorative cushions and rugs. The hookah flavor was delicious. I had one called X on the beach. For food, I had the Turkish meatballs. It was good. I don't know if it is the best Mediterranean in Atlanta, because I have not had enough to judge, but it was very satisfying. It was NOT "greasy" or undercooked like some others have said. I loved that everyone was there to have a good time. No fights, and no snobbish looks. The music ranges from Persian to Turkish to Indian to Arabic with just a few pop/dance hits. The crowd was mostly 21-30ish but I also saw a few older folks (40s/50s) having a good time. I would say at least try this place before you knock it. It will be louder than your usual restaurant, but they turn the music down in between sets so it was a good balance. Some people say it was overpriced, but remember that you are getting more than just food. ( Atmosphere, decor, BELLYDANCER, a DJ, etc.) Also, to note: you are going for a holistic experience: It is best enjoyed with the whole nine yards: IN other words, don't come on a night when you don't have enough $ or aren't in the mood to do it all: Be prepared to eat, drink, chill, smoke, watch, AND dance!

• Pros: music, culture, atmosphere
• Cons: none

05/11/09

It used to be good

by Mysteriousapien at Citysearch

I used to love going to Cafe Istanbul back in 2005 and 2006 when it was not as popular. I liked the atmosphere and how I could sit down on a pillow and relax while puffing on a hookah.

I went there again last week for the first time in almost 3 years and I was really disappointed. I felt like I was in a touristy section of Turkey where everything was whitewashed. Their menus had "Om" signs on them!!! I mean its ridiculous and it does not make sense. Their food was not even that good. The only good thing about the place now is their hookah and their flavors of tobacco.

Its a shame, I really liked this place in the past when it was less popular but now its just annoying.

• Pros: hookah
• Cons: The food, how the place has become too touristy for my taste

12/31/08

Beware of this terrible restaurant.

by pujadaddy at Citysearch

This place is terrible. I complained about the poor service and owner began violently yelling at me and my date. He told me not to come back and that he didn't need my business. This was because I was given something I had not ordered. It was a very scary experience, not to mention that the food and service was terrible.

• Pros: You can leave eventually, the owner cant yell at everyone
• Cons: everything about it

12/11/08

Simply appalling

by BradleyCooke at Citysearch

We visited this place on December 11th. The restaurant was dimly lit, and a bunch of staff members were sitting about, chatting. The service was friendly, but distracted... too many friends hanging out.

The food was lousy. As the husband of a Turkish person, I know Turkish cuisine, and this was terrible-- the meat was greasy and chewy, the tea lipton and obviously not Turkish, and the eggplant - ground beef dish was totally unremarkable. The ayran, according to my wife, was nasty. We ate as quickly as we could and left, pursued by the worst kind of Turkish folk/pop music that inevitably rings in the ear long after it has ended.

All of this would have been slightly more tolerable if the atmosphere wasn't so uninviting. The only thing worse would be to light it with bare fluorescent bulbs-- in our side of the restaurant the only significant source of illumination was a single bare incandescent lightbulb. We simply could not see our food.

Its a shame that this restaurant is so highly rated. It suggests that Atlantans don't really know good Turkish cuisine. Cafe Istanbul leaves a lot to be desired!

• Pros: quick service
• Cons: lousy food, nightmarish atmosphere

07/17/08

Festive Istanbul Cafe

by Ruthieworld518 at Citysearch

If for nothing else you should go for the experience is the best thing I have to say about the Istanbul Cafe.

The worse thing I have to say about it is - the parking - there just isn't enough of it. Other than that, my first visit to the Istanbul Cafe was simply an out-of-this-world experience. My 2 year baby grand was with us and she had the best time, dancing and watching the belly dancers. The food was nice and spicy, the hookah was fabulous. Overall, we had too much fun! The atmosphere was exotic, seductive and very relaxing.

Everything I tasted was wonderful and my taste buds did somersaults.

I look forward to many more days of eating at the Istanbul Cafe.

BY the way - the best thing to do is try something for yourself; especially if you feel led to do so - that way you can have your own experience. It would be your loss if you let the experiences of others determine your destiny.

• Pros: great ambience, lots of fun
• Cons: not enough parking

06/11/07

Cozy place with great food and a lovely relaxed atmosphere

by tfer2 at Citysearch

I've been to cafe Istanbul once to celebrate a friend's birthday. I'd go again. I really liked it - for the food and the atmosphere. I remember meeting the owner because he was really friendly and he and some of the male wait staff danced for us. (The dancing was amazing, that night I literally felt as though I'd been transported to another country) They had a belly dancer there too and she was really good (not obscene or anything). I like any restaurant where the owner comes and mingles with his customers. On the night I went, the crowd was very mixed and I liked it. One family there contained at least three generations, so I'd say it is a family restaurant. They do have hookahs there, but they serve fruit flavoured tobacco. It's interesting to read some of the negative reviews here. It seems to me as though some of the negative reviews aren't really critiquing the food, but are more of a way for over-inflated egos or just flat out prejudiced folk to let off steam. (You are not Turkish, how dare you 'capitalize on Turkish name'....whatever, you made me wait and you didn't stroke my ego, so I'll vent my frustration by writing negative reviews about the restaurant) Personally, if I have a poor experience at a restaurant, and it was bad enough to not go back, I don't kid myself that my no longer dining at a restaurant will cause said restaurant to close down. But then again, I do try my best to keep my ego in check, I also try to treat others as I'd like to be treated. I understand that sometimes, especially if the restaurant is popular, I might have to wait to be seated, even though I've made a reservation. The folks at Istanbul treated me very well, I felt as though I got a taste of their culture and I'll spend another evening there again soon.

• Pros: Great atmosphere
• Cons: The parking lot at the side of the building is too dark

05/31/07

BEST EVER

by paeyumg at Citysearch

Actually to comment back to the review from mr./mrs. jacksonviga, the owners are quite nice, i have never heard them yell at anyone or be rude to any of his customers, we have been going since they opened 10 years ago. You never find anything in ur food like slugs or insects, the atmosphere is amazing and looks like ur going to turkey in the two hours that you are sitting and enjoying the wonderful food, hoouka, and belly dancers. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO HAVE A GOOD TIME, MAKE A RESERVATION AND YOU WILL BE SEATED WITH IN 15 MIN OF YOUR RESERVATIONS TIME BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVES IT THERE THATS WHY THERE IS A WAIT!!!

• Pros: EVERYTHING
• Cons: NOTHING

05/16/07

Its worth waiting for !!!!!!!!

by masony at Citysearch

I have been a regular customer at this restaurant for over two years, I can not imagine how a slug would turn up in ANY restuarants kitchen! Cafe Istanbul is one of the more popular restaurants in Atlanta and getting a table on the weekends is a waiting game. I have had a reservation before and still had to wait an extra hour, however, it is worth waiting for. The restaurant has expanded and the waiting has become much less. I have yet to go there and eat a bad meal, it is nothing but fun and dancing on the weekends and everyone wants to get a seat, so if the last reviewer is upset for having to wait for a long time for a table, its just something you need to do to get into a popular restaurant any where in Atlanta. Please lets not make up stories to slam my favorite restaurant.

• Pros: The freshest ingrediants.
• Cons: busy