Jenny P
We've been going to this place for a couple of years, hands down this is the best Turkish restaurant you'll be able to find in the city center area. The open kitchen allowed us to smell the kebabs and observe the kitchen brigade execute the dishes. The chef curates and executes the menu like this is a hotel restaurant. Service is attentive and love the complimentary bread/appetizer service.
📸 Dishes
Stuffed Rolled Chicken with Sauteed Veggies ❤️
Cag Kebab ❤️
Artichoke and Shrimp Appetizer
Hafez Laghai
Let me start with this, I have lived in Turkey for couple of years. The hospitality of the people there and food was great, The Istanbul Cafe in Chicago offers The same hospitality and great food. The kindness of the employees. Reminded me of those days. Their food was delicious, authentic and delightful, it brought the good memories back, if you go to Chicago put this Resturant on the list of places you would like to enjoy some nice Donnar kebab and other dishes. They served us some delightful sweets at the end and Turkish Coffee, their prices are way lower than competitive Resturant’s and portion of their dishes are huge. We had to take some back to hotel. There is a parking lot next to their Resturant and we found an easy spot. I will visit again. The naphew of the owner and another lady working there, were very helpful on choosing the dishes and explaining the menu. And they were very down to earth and kind and gentle. Their food and service is second to none.
Let the good times eat
Murad Ilyasov
Very delicious food friendly staff. Zabiha halal based on what employees told us.
Went in close to the time restaurant was closing so maybe be because of that we had to ask for a drink we ordered 3 times until the finally brought our coke. Other than that small hick up food was good, ambiance and service is worth the price…
Josephine Oda
We are so happy with all the choices we had from appetizers to entrees and very good wine. They also gave us a delicious dessert, which we finished.
Edwin Shipp
I had a fantastic anniversary dinner here with some of the best food I have ever consumed. It was quite pricey (100 dollars for two people including an appetizer and dessert), but definitely worth the money. Our waiter even gave us a free dessert when we couldn't decide which one to get. Can't recommend this place more for delicious food and great service.
Sameer Afsar
Cafe Istanbul serves authentic Turkish cuisine. Spoke with the owner/chef Mustafa. Great guy and well run restaurant. All the food that came out was amazing. Really enjoyed the smoked eggplant appetizer. The lamb chops were melt in your mouth. The "Turkish flan" was a great ending to dinner.
wook kim
Unplanned Saturday night dinner at Cafe Istanbul. Luckily they were able to seat us without reservations. The food was amazing as always. The portions are plentiful and everything just tasted great. Of course service was on point as well. What we really like is the atmosphere of the restaurant. It’s lively with a variety of ethnicities and everyone coming together to enjoy food. Can’t wait to go back again.
Ferhat Kocer
Real Turkish food in Chicago. Nice ambience, great service and delicious food. We had lentil soup, doner, iskender, beyti and cag kebab. Everyone loved their food. Prices are reasonable too. I would definitely recommend either you are tourist or local.
Birkan Güler
Amazing food! Delicious! Best Turkish restaurant in USA! fr. and they greeted us so kind. they’re so friendly. After we finished our meals with my brother, they gave us this beautiful treat for free! Five Star. Come check it out!
Israel bautista
Great authentic vibe, my guess is you wouldn’t come here unless recommended or a local but it’s definitely a place for everyone and in my opinion a must try! Shareable portions! Lamb 10/10 service 10/10. Ayran too top it off 👌🏽😮💨😮💨
Nuka DiLucca
Absolutely awesome experience. Everything was wonderful. The Lahmacun was fantastic, and the Doner was great. Will 100% be returning with more people ☺️
Cassie Dennis
Lovely restaurant and going on my short list of favorites! The menu was a wonderful representation of the different influences and takes on Turkish cuisine--and everything was delicious! The atmosphere was relaxed yet felt casual, upscale and welcoming. The waitstaff were attentive without being annoying. And the costs approachable. This was first visit and can't wait to return!
Noara Noara
Incredibly delicious food, even ice cream 🍦 was so good 👌👌👌👌 10 out of 10
Hannah Muirhead
Buzzing wee joint, great atmosphere. Really nice menu, and everything was really delicious. Especially the scallops. And the short rib was melt in the mouth soft. Big portions! And to top it off they brought a special birthday dessert with a candle for my friend who was turning 83 that day!
Sera-y
I have been ordering to go from Cafe Istanbul whenever I am in the city. Today I decided to dine in and I am happy that I did!! The service, the ambiance and the taste of everything I have tried was incredible!! We ordered Adana Kebap, Cağ Kebap and Iskender Kebap. For the appetizers we had lahmacun, cheese pide and hummus. Everything tasted delicious💯. As a cook who mostly specializes in Turkish cuisine, I can say that this restaurant is the best in the Chicago area!! Lahmacun is a must try. Our server was very friendly. He served in a timely manner, he also brought Turkish tea which is the best way to end your dinner. They charge the tip automatically under a service fee and it was %18 which I had no problem paying since he was pretty good. Prices are fair when I think about the taste, freshness, ambiance and the service all together. We paid around $190 for 4 people.
david chen
Our experience here was nothing short of incredible,from the service to the food we felt like we were on vacation. I got the combination meat platter that came with beef chicken meatballs lamb chops and also a choice of seafood if you wish my wife got the corn soup James and shared my entrée. This was during lunchtime so we order of the dinner menu and it was more than enough for the two of us. Coffees were super strong and the bread was hot and fluffy.
Sara
I and my husband loved it! We had manti, lahmacun, patlican salatasi and kazandibi. All of them were so delicious! Plus the service was great too. We will definitely be back!💫
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