Leb-i Derya

Make sure to have reservations, so you are on the safe side.
Great food, great music and great views all around.
Sometimes, it can get a bit crowded.

Die Aussicht ist spektakulär.
Das Essen und auch der Wein sehr gut, abwechslungsreich und die Kellner sehr freundlich

Alleine wegen des Ausblicks lohnt es sich hierher zukommen. Bei einem besseren Ausblick wird man wohl in ganz Istanbul nicht essen bzw. Cocktails schlürfen können. Da macht es auch nichts, dass die Preise eher deutsch sind. Die Qualität ist sehr gut und rechtfertigt den Preis.

This review is for the Yukosu location, but it seems like both locations are poorly managed and offer sub-​par service. We, unfortunately, went to Leb-​i Derya twice during our week-​long visit to Istanbul. On the first visit, we scored a sweet spot at the bar and had an amazing view of Beyoglu; however, the view barely made up for the aloof servers and extremely slow service. How long does it take to pour two Efes? The menu and drinks are also expensive, but we let this slide due to the location. Unfortunately, we went to Leb-​i-​derya a second time, because it was close to our rental apartment and it was a beautiful sunny evening. The service was even worse on this Thursday night: no one greeted us at the door, we had to ask for menus once we were seated, and then we sat waiting for someone to take our order for 10 minutes even though the restaurant was fairly empty. We were so irritated over the inattentive female servers there, who were just standing behind the bar chatting, that we got up and left.
There are so many great restaurants in this area… DO NOT EAT HERE. We recommend Ficcin or Tavanarasi if you are looking for good service and great food.

It was our last night in Istanbul and we wanted to celebrate. We chose Leb-​i derya in the Richmond Hotel.
Sunday evening. 9 pm. Place is more than half empty. We have a reservation. We ask if we can sit side by side. What follows is experience right of of Fawlty Towers.
A greasy dude in a dirty golf shirt, baggy acid wash jeans and running shoes says no way. We have a reservation for two, we will sit at a table for two.
This would be fine if the place was busy. It wasn’t. Deadsville. We pointed to more than three tables that would accommodate us. We also point to several couples sitting at tables for four. No dice. Turkish Basil Fawlty was not going to budge.
We hit the bar and play the waiting game. We buy an expensive bottle of wine and chat up the bartender. He pleads with us to eat in the lounge or the bar. He sounds genuinely afraid of his co-​worker.
A few tables trickle in. Buddy tries to seat them in such a way that it is impossible to seat us side by side. Eventually the place starts to clear out. He comps drinks. He chats up friends. He tries to keep bums in the chairs.
Half hour to kitchen close. He pushes tables to together and sets up for a fantasy party of six. The GF has had enough. She walks over and calls BS on the party of six. Angry Guy tells us he will not seat us in his near empty restaurant. GF says he is mistaken if he thinks this will end that evening.
Finally another waiter grows some stones. There is back and forth in Turkish. We are seated. Turkish Basil Fawlty glowers. We eat a thoroughly unimpressive overpriced meal. The only upside is the view. But there are literally hundreds of restaurants in Istanbul with equally good views. They no doubt want your business too.

This trendy restaurant has a wonderful location in Taksim. It sees the whole Marmara Sea, old peninsula, Bosphorus. Just like the whole city under your feet. Leb-​i Derya also stands out with its unique drink options and cocktails. We recommend you get a bottle of wine and enjoy the fantastic view on sunset here. Also you can celebrate birthday here by booking a private room. I celebrated my brother’s birthday in one of the room with a spectacular view. Thumbs up!

Pricy but very good food. The view is unique and gives a nice atmosphere.

True. The view is a really good reason to go to Leb-​i Derya, the one on the sixth floor of the Richmond Hotel. No doubt, this is magnificent, and it would clearly let them get away with mediocre food, that’s how nice it is.
But it isn’t. Of course, if you are looking for something really heavily authentic, you should go somewhere else. This is not the place. They put caramelized shallots on your beef skewer, and serve it with an eggplant soufflé that is topped with almonds and pistachios. The ingredients are what you would expect, but the way it’s prepared isn’t. But it’s tasty. Really. The meat is super tender, well spiced, delicious. The shallots fit too well to just be decoration, the spicy tomato paste is wonderful, and the soufflé — hey, nothing wrong with doing eggplant in a different way.
The Bosphorus Kebab with lamb and chicken was equally delicious, and I was lucky to get a bite or two of the lamb shish with plums, pomegranate molasses, smoked eggplant risotto and fresh thyme — really tasty stuff. Again — it’s anything but traditional, but it’s very good.
The only thing that was too much on the bland side was the almond crusted shrimp gratin — the sauce the shrimps were covered with… it more or less just consisted of cream, and was yearning for some spices, some pepper, a bit of salt. But the marinated salmon with horseradish foam — really good stuff.
Even dessert brought some nice surprises. Like the tahini parfait and pomegranate sorbet. Actually that’s what I would call contemporary authentic, in a way. Queen of the dessert discoveries though was the lavender ice cream that accompanied the (traditional) chocolate soufflé. So delicious that even the kids loved it.
Yes, the bill is higher than in other places, but we didn’t really think we paid too much for what we got. Especially if you take another look at the great view while having your coffee.
Try it. We liked it.

Es gibt 2 Leb-​i Derya, wir waren im Richmond gleich um die Ecke zum anderen. Fantastisch war natürlich die Aussicht, Einrichtung und Ambiente top und sehr geschmackvoll. Service gut mit einigen kleineren Punktabzügen, aber wenn der junge Kellner sympathisch ist darf er auch mal die Flasche auf dem Glasrand ablegen beim Einschenken. Da es aber ein Restaurant ist und noch dazu kein billiges konnte das Essen nicht ganz überzeugen. Gut ja, geschmeckt hat es natürlich, aber das wir mit dem Abend zufrieden waren lag eher an Aussicht und Ambiente als am Essen. Dazu kommen die hohen Preise für Wein in der Türkei, der Wein war gut, aber für 50 EUR die Flasche bekommt man in D. natürlich was anderes. Fazit: Als Erlebnis empfehlsnwert, wem es ausschließlich ums Essen geht findet in Istanbul aber sicher besseres.

The views of Istanbul are the key draw, although the chef tries to be quite creative, which I like. We went there especially for the Ottoman-​INSPIRED cuisine (I’m familiar with the «authentic Ottoman» places in town, some of which I find very good, but the goal here was to try something updating the classics) and found it a bit of hit-​or-​miss. If the quality of everything on the menu becomes consistent, this could be a really great restaurant.
PS The two locations are quite close to each other, but this review is specifically for the Kumbaraci one. (
)

Good portions. Excellent lamb kebap. There is an eggplant spread that is also very well done.
The view here is difficult to surpass. Get a bottle of Turkish red and enjoy viewing the cargo ships sail in and out of the Bosphorus harbor. Hip and intimate, albeit a little overpriced.

Great view, average food. That about sums it up.
You’ll get an amazing view of the Bosphorous, but if it’s great «Turkish» grub you’re looking for, look elsewhere. The food was OK, the prices a tad high, but the view spectacular.
With a standard menu (read: not traditional Turkish) it’s a decent plate that will run you about 40 – 50 lira, but the view is what you’re really paying for.

Aussicht toll lieber was trinken gehen. Essen eher solala

Uns ging es ähnlich wie gollgoo, aber nachdem wir die Bar dann endlich gefunden hatten, wurden wir gleich durch die spektakuläre Aussicht entschädigtdas ist aber auch das Einzige, was hier wirklich überragend ist! Wir bestellten drei Gänge: gemischte Vorspeise, zweierlei Pasta und Käsekuchen mit Pistazieneisdie Vorspeise war überzeugend, der Rest leider nur Durchschnitt und gemessen am Preis, dann doch zu teuer!
Ausserdem wurde Wasser aus der Plastikflasche serviert das geht nun wirklich gar nicht, in dieser anspruchsvollen Location!
Der frisch gepresste O-​Saft hingegen war in Ordnung und der türkische Kaffee, inklusive Pfefferminzlikör, war es auchFazit: für einen Drink mit Aussicht ist die Bar auf jeden Fall empfehlenswert und für einen kleinen Snack sicher auch, aber zum Dinner sollte man sich lieber woanders verabreden!

Die Bar war ein wenig schwierig zu finden aber die Aufwand lohnt sich auf jeden Fall. Die Aussicht ist traumhaft, das Essen sehr lecker und die Bedienung sehr nett. Kann ich nur empfehlen.

İn Istanbul sein und das Essen nicht von so einer wunderschönen Aussicht Aus geniesen und dann schmeckt das essen auch noch himmlisch das kann einem auch Nur hier passieren!

The View is Great but the Food its only OK my Wife Order Meat and the Taste is Not so good.

Un verre en terrasse au soleil couchant. A né pas rater quand on passé à Istanbul

Great view on the bosphorus, great atmosphere… One of the ever-​in places in Istanbul. The food is good but not extraordinary. Shouldn’t be your first choice, but if you have more than one night out in Istanbul, try it. You’ll be fascinated.

Wir vergeben volle Punktzahl — und das hat mehrere Gründe: natürlich wegen des wirklich leckeren Essens (zu empfehlen: Bosporus Kebap, Beef Salad und ein guter Salat), wegen der sympathischen Atmosphäre und wegen der netten Bedienung. Und vor allem: wegen der umwerfenden Aussicht. Ich hatte ein Jahr zuvor im Fernsehen etwas übers Leb-​i-​Derya gesehen und mir vorgenommen, auf jeden Fall dort zu essen, wenn ich in Istanbul bin — und ich muss sagen, dass meine Vorfreude berechtigt war. Auf jeden Fall hingehen!!!

Tolle Aussicht, gutes Essen, netter Service Mitten in Taskim. Tagsueber eine Oase der Ruhe, Abends DJ und Drinks

Another 6^th floor bar/​restaurant with amazing views across Istanbul. Much more chilled than some of the other super trendy bars of the city. A little bit cheaper too. Cheaper I said, not cheap.
Lots of low level lighting, candles and wood finishes make it a very warm atmosphere. You barely even realise that you are effectivly sitting in a conservatory on the roof of a block of flats