Istanbul Cafe

by Rita C.

Comfortable, unpretentious, and great service.  The waitresses are kind and attentive.  Since we discovered this gem two weeks ago, we've been there 3 times and impatiently waiting for the next.  The chicken is juicy and flavorful.  We love the lebni and endless pita bread.  We top it either with the tomato salad or eggplant salad.  The shepard's salad is light and refreshing.  Great little find for a reasonable price.  Have yet to try their desserts!  Next time.

by River F.

"This is the chizbah! Da chasba! Da place to go chill out before the afterparty," said DJ Push. At 4:30 am this place is a refuge of freaks, somewhat beautiful rock-stitues, and too hip for hipsters from drunken fat boys and technoratii illuminati hit squads. Trippie hippie. Best experienced coming down late at night. We wish we had spent more money. The owner is a saint. Next time we will spend more money, we promise.http://www.intuitivebe...

by bklyngrl j.

Had manti and sigara borek for lunch here - they were pretty good and the manti portion was huge. Followed up with some sweets to go and tea and left very full and very happy.

by Stella Y.

They have a good array of desserts that look both beautiful and delicious, which can be purchased to go, if you are not looking to dine. They taste good, but not spectacular.Me and a girlfriend recently had dinner here however, and ordered the hummus, chicken shish kabob and the vegetable casserole. The hummus was good. It was firm, dense and fresh. A good size for an appetizer. The chicken shish kebab was disappointing however. The chicken was grilled in strips and didn't really have the distinct taste of kebab. It just tasted like regularly seasoned (er, with pepper and salt) chicken breast cut in strips. My friend asked to replace the rice with salad. They didn't serve the chicken on skewers either, which was in the description, so the menu was a bit misleading.The vegetable casserole was good. I'd say it was solid, although not distinctly "turkish". It really just tasted like a simple veggie stew, almost soupish, in a tomato base. It was slightly oily however, and some of the veggies, mainly the string beans, were overcooked. This dish was filling, as there were potatoes in the dish. The portions here in general are healthy--they are on the larger size. I didn't really get the sense that I was eating Turkish food, however, as far as the flavoring went. I thought it was pretty bland and lacked character. One fun thing about this place is that they serve Turkish coffee, thus, you can get a Turkish coffee reading (a form of fortune telling) if you go with someone who knows how to do it. There is also a romantic and cozy garden in the back where you can dine. Try to request this seating if the weather is nice. Beats the inside for sure, as the interior is not so great.Overall, the food is less than mediocre, but the restaurant itself pleasant and low-key.

by Brian K.

I went here as my hangover cure before we went biking in Central Park. Between the mint tea, hummus, kebab wraps, and a few advils, I felt like a new man after an hour on their outdoor patio. It's the perfect brunch spot on their patio before a leisurely bike ride through the park. Just do it!

by Grande P.

I ordered a takeout of the kebab wrap from Istanbul Cafe for lunch just now. I waited for at least 10 mins for this simple small order. It's so tasteless and small with price $8.62. The meat just doesn't have taste and they didn't even know to put more sauce in it. The flatbread is so tough. Their hot sauce is good so I used up the whole box to finish this thing... I would rather go Uncle Nick's for their Gyro Sandwich which is pretty tasty as twice big as the kebab wrap I got today only for $5.36!

by Sarah C.

Highly suggest trying it!  Great for vegans, vegetarians and carnivores alike.   I went for the first time for lunch yesterday.  It is CLEAN, casual, comfortable, friendly and the food is excellent.  I had hummus and a small shepherd salad (tomato, cucumber, and red onion served over green leaf lettuce with a delicious dressing and the worlds freshest and most tantalizing shaved - not crumbled - feta).  The appetizer portion of the hummus and the small salad was more than enough for lunch (and I can eat).  I took leftovers home and had them for supper - and they were just as yummy five hours later.  The prices ranges from $4.95 for appetizers to $34.95 for the combo platter (which is probably an inconceivable amount of food, given the size of the $6.00 salad and the $7.00 meatball wrap).  They have wonderful pastries for desert and their coffee is excellent. Everyone at the table was more than satisfied with their orders - chicken kabobs, salads, Turkish meatball wraps (made to order), hummus and warm fresh pita.  I'll be happy to go back any time.  The manager was very kind to us and the wait staff was attentive, yet laid back.  Istanbul scores 100% in my book for an easy, convenient place to go for good Turkish food in NYC.  (On the north side of 57th Street - half way between 8th and 9th) Look for the red awning. S~8/7/09HEY EVERYONE... I ordered takeout there last night and wow... what an experience - the delivery guy gave me the wrong bag - but the order was so similar to what I ordered that I thought they had just forgotten my salad so I called and asked them to run it over for me - then the delivery guy came back, he asked me for the other bag of food - which I had already opened - one BIG problem was that he could not communicate with me in English, Spanish, French or Italian... I speak all four but he spoke none.  Needless to say - I kept both orders.  What is frightening to me is the idea that if my order wound up somewhere else and someone had opened it in their kitchen - realized it was wrong - gave it back and let them deliver it to me... well... you get the drift.  Was he really going to take the other food to a different customer after he had left it with me in my home for ten minutes?  Yikes!

by Tom W.

Went on a whim on the first night of Ramadan just to have desserts and coffee. The inside and small street side seating are cute. The inside is set up with couches and low chairs and couches upolstered on kilim pattered fabrics. Turkish pop played. We ordered several desserts which were not available; we finally told the waitress to surprise us and to bring one yogurt drink and a Turkish coffee. They came and were excellent. We noticed a back patio and sat back there to smoke a hookah/shisha. Service is slow but very sweet, coffee was excellent. I really liked it as a casual place. Late hours (until 4am) males this a great late night alternative.

by Sabeen A.

Do you have a wheelbarrow? A small red wagon? One of those motorized shopping carts? I need to be rolled out of here. We came here for some coffee and dessert and couldn't get up. Seriously. We could not, would not, did not move. Desserts were finished, coffee gone, check paid, we were still there. It's just THAT comfortable.Imagine walking into a low ceilinged room with tapestries and lamps on the walls, persian (turkish?) rugs covering the floors, and couches that are so comfortable that you feel like you're getting a warm hug. Add to that, an attentive and friendly waitstaff, great desserts and delicious turkish coffee, and there you have it, the lack of desire to move. We only meant to go for a quick bite and coffee but ended up sitting for over an hour. The waitress and I even had some fun banter going when I thought she was trying to whisk away my chocolate pudding. (Apparently she was just pointing to ask if I liked it. I was still suspicious and didn't let up the deathgrip. She made fun of me.) Loved it! After eating so much, laughing so much, and being chair-hugged, I loved the place. Towards the end I felt like I was leaving a friends house. And reluctantly so.We'll all be back for some more fun at Istanbul Cafe :)

by V T.

Nice little place.  Very friendly service, although a bit unpolished at times--but this is somewhat charming, in kinda like a mom-and-pop-new-restaurant experience.  They have a pretty decent deal for lunch: a few selected apps, an entree, and a soda for $12.95.  The hummus app was fantastic, probably one of the best I've had anywhere.  The entree I had, a baby lamb kabob, was decent, but there was probably 3 oz. of lamb altogether.  One skewer, four small pieces.  Pretty sad little thing, really.  In any case, the tasty hummus and pita made up for it (free refill, FTW!).  The other items on the menu, though, came out in human-size portions.I'll definitely come back again sometimes when I'm in the area.  If anything, the hummus alone is worth the trip.Oh, the ambiance is great too.  Very chilled, in a non-New York kinda vibe.  It'd be even more perfect if you can smoke a hooka there.On a side note, there's a friendly little bike rental shop next door.  So if you want to go for a ride in the Park after lunch, it's very convenient.