Harab’be

A must do in Sultanahmet! Very good food and service, nice place as well. Highly recommended.

C’est un très bel endroit pas très évident à trouver. Il est au fond d’une ruelle adjacente à l’une des rues à restaurants. On peut facilement passer devant sans le voir. L’accueil est chaleureux et les patrons viennent naturellement à vous en toute simplicité. Ils né se prennent pas au sérieux et ils n’est pas rare qu’il viennent plaisanter ou faire les clowns devant vous. La clientèle est très cosmopolite. La décoration est très sympa et bien choisie. Elle participe largement au fait que l’on se sente bien dans ce lieu. La nourriture est plutôt bonne et préparée avec soin.
Ce n’est pas l’endroit où vous paierez votre bière la moins chère. Mais le lieu mérite vraiment de s’y arrêter.

We found Harab´be looking for a place to watch the match Galatasaray-​Besiktas. Since it was low season we where the only ones there. But the owner was very friendly and the beer was cold and nice. There is a fireplace in the back which makes it very cosy. Shisha is allowed in the restaurant. Too bad we where not hungry at all — the menu had a lot to offer. It´s nice that the location is a bit hidden in a side street which make it more quiet.

My friends and I were just in Istanbul (for the first time!) for 5 days, and visited this cozy little hole-​in-​the-​wall gem a grand total of 4 times. Normally I wouldn’t limit myself to the same restaurant like this, but Harab’be is absolutely worth it, and not once did I feel like I was missing out by not trying somewhere new.
On our first night in the city we were simply looking for a hookah bar after a late flight arrival and decided to try Harab’be, which we saw was open until 3 am and was only an 8-​minute walk from our hotel. It’s tucked back on a side street and has a cute outdoor area with colorful chairs and sofas and beautiful multicolored glass lamps hanging over the terrace. (Bonus: there’s no obnoxious and overly persistent guy on the street trying to get you to go to the restaurant, as is the case with so many other places on this street.) The inside of the restaurant is even better– everything from the seating to the lamps is covered in cool traditional/​Islamic patterns and the dim, warm lighting gives a cozy ambience. Our rose & mint shisha was delicious; I’ve never seen rose as a flavor in the US and after trying it here I liked it so much I bought some in a market to bring home. I ordered a tea to go with the shisha; it was served in a glass with lemon slices, rose petals, a little dish of honey, and herbs on a beautiful little silver platter. As a bonus, the playlist of Turkish songs and chill, funky indie music deserved ¹⁰⁄₁₀ stars. As we were leaving, the owner, Yusef, told us he was the chef and that we should come back for dinner, and so the next night we took him up on it!
Yusef, wearing a chef’s hat, personally served our food; I had the best meal of my whole trip that night. The dish was an İskender kebap, aka lamb and beef and eggplant in a tomato-​based sauce and surrounded by pieces of fried (more like toasted) cubes of bread that somehow stayed crispy on the outside despite being half-​submerged in the sauce of the dish. I also ordered an apple tea, which was so flavorful it reminded me of cider. It had pieces of dried apple on top and may have half-​converted me into a tea person despite my serious coffee addiction. For an appetizer we got the mixed meze platter, which we also ordered again every other night we came here; it was by far the best, largest, and most well-​priced one we had in Istanbul although we shared similar platters for lunch and dinner at other restaurants. The little dishes of hummus and yogurt and tomato/​eggplant and pickled seafood etc. were flavorful and perfect every time. After dinner we ordered baklava, which came dusted with pistachio and drizzled in chocolate sauce and was again the best version of this dish I had on the whole trip. Following this was hookah with red wine in the base instead of water, which was something I’d never seen before. It was smooth and had a bit of a berry flavor in addition to the unmistakeable flavor of the wine. Definitely something to try! (We also ordered an orange & mint blend on another night, which may have been my favorite flavor of them all.)
The other meals I had here were equally delicious, and Yusef is, in a phrase, the man. On our last night we decided to order a bottle of wine with dinner, so we picked the cheapest red (we’re college students), which was 75 Turkish lira. Unfortunately, stock was low because they were waiting on a new shipment and that particular bottle wasn’t available, so we were ready to just order other drinks, but instead Yusef offered us the most expensive bottle on the menu– at 163 lira – for the price of the bottle we had tried to order, since the expensive one was in stock. He went so far out of his way to be accommodating and we were blown away by his generosity! (The wine was also delicious – a Cabernet/​Merlot/​Shiraz blend.) Of course – as there was every time we went to Harab’be – there was also a killer playlist.
All in all this place is perfect, from the décor to the delicious and authentic food (at a VERY reasonable price) to the awesome music, cozy ambience, high quality shisha, and amazing hospitality. Definitely don’t miss Harab’be when you visit Istanbul, and say hi to Yusef for us!

I love this place anything you want to have its there for you And all food, cocktails are great. Nargile after lunch or dinner, it’s always very nice feeling. Staff very friendly and helpfull. Thanks to all for good time at Harabbe.

Choosing to walk down the charming alley which led to Harab’be café was one of the best decisions of my life!!!
The owner, Yusuf, took care of us and is one of the funniest, most hospitable, kindest, and most delightful people I have ever met! I can’t say enough. The café itself is gorgeous and full of indescribable charm. The bathroom was actually one of the cleanest and PRETTIEST as odd as that sounds. The bar is so crazy charming you will not be able to suppress your exclamations of wonder and glee… One MUST visit when one is in Istanbul, the most beautiful cities on Earth.

Super professional service and great product. This is the place to go if you want to relax and be treated like a guest.

Very nice staff, friendly service. We did not eat here. Just got some tea and hookah. It’s a very laid back atmosphere.
They have a variety of flavors for the hookah. You can sit back, smoke, and hang out with the kitties that live inside the place.

Best place to relax, have dinner, and chat with friends while you enjoy food, drinks and HOOKAH!!!
Aslan the manager will take great care of you.

Manger spoke very good English. They serve alcohol. Very chill place. Indoor and outdoor seating. Some outdoor areas have heaters.
They maintain the coals regularly. We got the coffee hookah with milk base. The smoke was super smooth and you actually tasted the coffee. BEST HOOKAH I have had ever!
The manager provided a Raki drink and poured in Infront of us. The clear liquor turned milky with the addition of water.
Def. try the Raki.
Highly recommend. It’s not a tourist trap.

This place was awesome! Great fun staff! Aslan is the man!!! Food was great! Hookah! Great music. Great atmosphere. It’s tucked down the alley but totally worth it!!! Gotta check this place out!!!

Das Lokal befindet sich am Ende einer Nebengasse.
Es besteht orientalisches Flair, überall hängen bunte Lampen.
Hier kann man essen, trinken und chillen.
Das Essen war köstlich, sowie die Cocktails. Der Kellner spricht perfekt Englisch und er und der Koch haben zur neuesten R’n’B und Hip-​Hop-​Musik getanzt. Die Stimmung war toll.
Am Ende gab es Shisha mit Apfelgeschmack, wo die Kohle immer wieder erneuert wurde.
Es ist nur zu empfehlen!!!
Zigaretten sind nur draußen erleubt.

This place is tucked in at the end of an ally. The hookah is good and the staff is really nice. Very affordable.

Authentisch, urig, Super Service. Wir hatten zwei Tee und eine Shisha. Den Pistazien-​Kaffee gab es später umsonst. Wir kommen wieder.