Antique Turquoise Restaurant

Don’t do it! This was a total bait and switch and very predatory on tourist. We tried to go to a place that was referred to us by the Four Seasons Hotel, but they were full with a long wait. We went walking down the road and this place lured us in off the street with promises of free things (drinks and hummus) but we got none if it. Do not order any of the unpublished specials. Make them leave the menu with prices at the table after you order (better yet, avoid it all together). After the scam is all said and done the food was horrible and this place costs us 3 times the amount of any other place that we ate at (including the best luxury restaurants in town). We ended up shocked by the bill and tried arguing with them, but the ensuing lies from them was so frustrating that we got up and left.
For comparison sake, every other place that we ate at in Istanbul was lovely and the prices felt fair.

This was honestly my first and one of my best meals in Istanbul. The tourist area of Sulthanamet really does not have good food. Every meal after this in the city was disappointing. I had a kebab wrapped in lavash bread with a creamy tomato sauce with rice, hummos and a coffee with the owner. The place was cute. The patio was nice. The owner was really friendly and lovely to chat with. I should have eaten here more while I was staying in Istanbul. Everything was quality.

We planned on going to another restaurant a few doors down but on our way to the restaurant one of the workers asked us to try this place out. We considered but kept on waking to our destination (a restaurant that had a lot of good reviews). Once we reached the other restaurant we decided the Antik Turquoise seemed to have more options, a nicer restaurant and try it out instead. I’m so glad we did! Delicious food. The vermicelli and cheese desert was sooo good I am trying to figure out the name so I can try to make it at home. I was the only vegetarian with my group and had no problem finding great options to eat. Alcohol was over priced. We hookah-​ed after dinner at our table. Relaxing and romantic atmosphere at the top floor terrace with view of water. Great service. Definitely one of best restaurants so far. I will come again to enjoy this place when I visit Istanbul again.

We had an extremely turbulent three days in Istanbul: a pinched sciatic nerve, a lost iPhone, an emergency hotel change and some very nasty religious discrimination. Even the food was turbulent, ranging from delicious to forgettable.
But. The ONE constantly bright and peaceful spot in the whole trip was the meals we enjoyed at Turquoise — five in all. We stayed directly above the restaurant in the quaint Villa Pasha Hotel (I don’t review hotels, but really, this one was wonderful) so breakfast there was included in our room price. We were shocked at the spread: fresh feta and string cheese; salami and sausage; fluffy French bread with jam, butter and chocolate; perfectly ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, tangerines and apples; warm, crumbly sesame-​sprinkled cinnamon cake; and rich, creamy lattes or strong black tea to fortify us for long days of walking.
After that, we thought we’d better try them for dinner. This time it was thinly-​sliced lamb kebab in a spicy sauce with fresh herbs and onion, minty lentil soup with fragrant wedges of lemon, thick garlicky yogurt with chewy pita, salad sculptures featuring carrot spears and feathery dill stalks, tender filleted sea bass with crispy skin and smoking grill marks, and tiny manti dumplings with spiced lamb filling. Their knafe was the best I’d ever had, meltingly tender inside and crispy outside with just the right amount of sweetness, and served alongside a tangy scoop of buttermilk ice cream.
Needless to say, we basically never looked past their beautifully-​decorated interior anytime we were hungry. However, it would be criminal to end my review without mentioning the incredible service provided by each of the staff we encountered. They called us taxis and, when my husband left his cell phone in one of them, tried to help us track down the driver and escorted us to the taxi office to report the loss. They brought dinner to our room when my friend was in so much pain she could hardly move. They loaned us kitchen tools so we could try out our new hookah on the balcony. They offered travel tips, swapped stories and were generally the friendliest and kindest Turks we met. And for all of this, just because we stayed upstairs, we got a 15% discount on everything from drinks to dessert.
Guys, seriously, if you’re planning time in Istanbul, make sure to eat here at least one. You will be so glad you did.

I really wanted to love this place just based on its name alone! Sadly, you could do a lot better elsewhere.
The Husband and I picked this place based off Trip Advisor reviews but left kind of thinking, «Meh, that’s a letdown.» First, the service was not great. Our waiter was slightly rude and gave us the cold shoulder. Not sure why, maybe he didn’t want to work that night? We asked to be moved to a table closer to the fireplace because we were seated right next to the entrance door, which was open almost the entire time in February. But our waiter either didn’t hear us or didn’t care.
The food was okay. Nothing different from the restaurant next door or the one up the street. It was the standard tourist fare of simple kebabs. The Husband ordered the lamb but it was way overcooked. I thought the chicken curry sounded good (because I love love LOVE curry) but the curry was so slight that it was mainly chicken in a bland sauce. Let down. We passed on dessert because, well, why bother?
Looking around, the place only had tourists eating there. No locals. So keep in mind that if you’re looking for really traditional Turkish fare, venture out of the Sultanahmet.

I was walking along this stretch of street looking for a nice place to eat and noticed this place because of the open atmosphere and cool décor on the inside. The ambiance of this place was top notch. Perfect place to take a date.
I had some tasty hummus, a pot of seafood and a bottle of red wine. I was able to negotiate a small discount on the red wine which made me happy, and I was seated facing toward the street so got some great people watching in. The food was pretty good, particularly the hummus, and the wine was delicious though it was not cheap even with the slight discount.
I do think they need to have a talk with their waitstaff about appropriate etiquette dealing with customers. At first my waiter came across as very friendly and nice but then started getting a little overly flirtatious and obnoxious to a point where it was uncomfortable. And then he gave me his information and pleaded with me to write a 5-​star review on trip advisor and make sure to mention him BY NAME and say he was the best waiter ever. He reminded me of this at least 3 times and I found that to be a little obnoxious as well. Of course I didn’t put a review up on tripadvisor and I don’t remember the guys name.
Anyway, this would be a 4 star but the waiter’s behavior knocks it down to a 3-​star for me. Still the ambiance was great, there were plenty of choices on the menu and my meal was pretty good.