Ara Kafe

So so delicious! I’m a vegetarian so I got the ravioli and the falafel; It was so good. And good prices. Side note: I’m actually here for Orient Lindy Exchange, and this is perfectly situated near the main venue (innpark). Will definitely come back during my stay here. :D

Charming café with fast service, decent portions and tasty dishes. Large, beautiful black and white photos grace the walls and often the photographer is hanging out drinking tea and telling stories.
I had a white bean stew and lamb over hashbrowns on my first visit. The good was good enough to warrant a second visit, this time stuffed eggplant and peppers with yogurt. Wow! Place was packed too with happy patrons and no one seemed to mind I was eating alone. There is an English menu and servers are pleasant to all guests. Very close to a patisserie if you have a super sweet tooth.

Nice place to drink a coffee or tea just round the corner of the Istiklal shoppingstreet. Menu is amarican orientated, but you can also order a normal Turkish cup of tea.

My husband and I stumbled on this place a year ago by chance, and this time around, I had to go back and check if it really is as good as I remember. I am happy to be able to report that it is! Owned by a famous Turkish photographer (who you might also be able to run into here) his works cover the walls and give this cozy place (which also proudly displays a collection of vintage metal coffee and kitchen ware) a nice artsy vibe.
The menu is varied with some great Turkish touches — I ordered the grilled steak strips with grilled vegetables, yogurt and potatoes. My description really doesn’t do it justice, but it was delicious (the ‘potatoes’ are actually really tiny crispy fries that go wonderfully with the sauce). My friend had a chicken and mushroom-​curry sauce dish, served with polenta rice and grilled peppers. The meat was very tender and the sauce tasty as well.
Almost none of the waiters speak English, but they certainly did their best to communicate with us. And thankfully, the menu is available in English. Note that this place does not serve any alcohol, but the delicious home-​made fruit juices (you can also order a combination — I ordered orange-​carrot) can also put you in a good mood. One of my favorite places in Istanbul so far!

Une carte européenne qui change des kebeb et autres pide mais ils sont tout simplement mauvais. De plus la serveuse né parlait pas un mot d’anglais et n’a cessé de faire des erreurs en plus d’être désagréable.

Un bistro branché à deux pas d’Istiklal. L’endroit, très joliment décoré, est fréquenté par un mélange de touristes occidentaux et de jeunes yuppies turcs. Si au premier abord le menu tendance world food change agréablement des poncifs locaux, l’exécution n’est malheureusement pas à la hauteur, en tout cas pour les plats que nous avions choisis (des pâtes au pesto).
Le service laissait lui aussi à désirer, très peu réactif et maîtrisant l’anglais plus qu’approximativement.

Cute outdoor restaurant/​café right off the main walking street in Beyoglu. Was so happy to see a big assortment of salads after eating so much meat and mezzes. Great quinoa salad with avocados and tomatoes. 17tl for the salad so a little more expensive than a lot of places in Istanbul but still reasonable. The outdoor seating is great and very cute inside as well. A good place to go if you’ve been traveling a lot
and want something that feels a little
familiar.

Very good food and quaint in perfect area with walking street with shops close by. Only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is because no alcohol. I had a delicious Latte after eating roasted chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, spinach and sautéed onion and carrots.

A bohemian café located opposite the Galatasaray Lycée, Café Ara is a converted garage with tables and chairs pouring into the streets. Very laid-​back and welcoming place where you can sample well-​priced panini, salads and pastas. As well as Mediterranean-​slanted dishes, some favorites of Turkish cuisine also can be ordered from the menu. There’s no alcohol.

Good ambience and service. Location is excellent.
Came to do some writing on a Friday morning. Ordered omelette as breakfast and cappuccino. Got the food served rather quickly. Unfortunately the omelette was overcooked. The coffee was quite nice.

Great atmosphere, décor and celebrity status as the local hangout of famous photographer, Ara Güler.
Food is generally ok, coffee (6,5TL) and cake (13TL) are a little mediocre. Service is not very personal.

The lamb chop is amazing. The meat was so tender, it almost melts in your mouth. The milk pudding desert was nice too, not too sweet.

One of the best meals we had in Turkey… admittedly NOT Turkish cuisine…
One of the first things we asked our host (hotel owner) was a list of his favorite restaurants in Istanbul… MUST EATS. Ara Café was at the top of that list. When we dropped by after a day of shopping on Istikal Caddesi, we initially scoffed at the idea of him recommending a non-​Turkish restaurant. But Ara exceeded all our wildest hopes and dreams.
AMBIANCE: SO dim inside. Seriously. We arrived around 2pm and it was like a dark cave as soon as we walked through the doors. However the dark/​coolness was a welcome respite from the heat outside. The café is very cute… almost hipster-​ish in the coolness it exudes. I imagine that at least some of the diners must be «starving» (yet successful) indie artists/​musicians… it was that kind of place.
SERVICE: Friendly. A bit flustered since their English wasn’t all that great, but they did have an English menu, and everyone understood pointing/​gestures.
FOOD: I didn’t eat much (this was basically a #pumaposse snackmeal), but several of the girls ordered dishes to share. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their food; J2 exclaimed the lamb chops were the best lamb-​anything she’s ever eaten, while KS & TC devoured the lasagne. We shared a bit of the liquid chocolate cake, which was not what we expected (not liquid at all), but very moist and satisfying.
OVERALL: I don’t remember cost, but I do remember thinking that it was good value for the money. It was easy to understand how an Istanbul native would name Ara Café their favorite restaurant in the city. If I ever visit Istanbul again, I’ll find myself back here for a full on meal.

Sehr nettes Restaurant/​Café mitten in Beyoglu das wir rein zufällig am ersten Tag eines Istanbulaufenthalts entdeckt hatten.
Es wurde dem Photographen Ara Güler gewidmet, so sind die Platzdecken etwa A3 große S/​W Ausdrücke von Photos Gülers. Das Essen schmeckt sehr gut, wenn auch recht europäisch und preislich eher gehoben.
Auch das restliche Interior ist sehr stimmig und einladend.

lovely little café dedicated to the famous photographer ara güler. easy to find as it’s located right off İstiklal Caddesi. good coffee + tea along with friendly staff.
plus quite a few of güler’s interesting works of the old istanbul on display there! oh, and the brunch buffet on sunday looked fantastic. i must try it next time when back in pera. :)

To be honest, this is probably my all time favourite place in Istanbul. I mean, what’s not to love?
The waiters are friendly, the stained glass windows so pretty, the food was amazing every single time I came by (also: try their home made lemonade) and the photos of Ara Güler of Istanbul in the 50s and 60s are just breathtakingly beautiful.
It’s just such a great mix with different styles but it’s so cozy and nice in winter and great to sit outside in summer, really, I love coming back there.
Oh and if you’re lucky, Ara Güler is around too.

Gute Stimmung, die man mittlerweile in Istiklal Cad. nicht so einfach finden kann.
Das Essen ist seit Jahren gut und diese Café hat sich kaum geändert!
Die Balkan Köfte, Saray Sarması und warme Schokokuchen sind legendär.