Asitane Restaurant

Excellent, unusual ottoman cuisine, in a nice setting near the old Istanbul walls. Difficult to suggest what is best!

Spent the day playing tourist and ended up at the church next door. (it was planned) basically we were the first ones through the door and let me tell you for a restaurant whose menu is based of food thousands of years old… it was FANTASTIC. Make sure you take a taxi as parking and navigation over there is a bit of a nightmare.

Fine dining at a reasonable price. Food is based on old Ottoman recipes — superb. Service staff was really nice and attentive. At the end, they gave me a jar of jam.

Apparently, it is a fine restaurant. My local friends brought me there and it was quite empty on a weekday night. The dishes do not have large portio. I like the menon with minced meat but after a few bites, it got a bit too heavy. I appreciate the jam they gave us as a gift.

Asitane was a wonderful lunchtime escape. The restaurant is tucked behind the Kariye Museum in a secluded, heavily shaded courtyard, which was much needed during the midday Istanbul heat. The food was also quite good. We ordered the meat paddies, which taste similar to what you may find at many other Turkish restaurants in Istanbul but possessed many more subtle flavors. The dessert was a pudding in chilled rose water, which was absolutely delicious and the highlight of the meal. The fresh lemonade was also quite good.

Asitane was one of the first restaurants we selected for our trip to Istanbul. We had read about Asitane in a few magazines and the idea of Ottoman Palace cuisine seemed like the perfect complement to more modern Turkish cuisine. (Asitane researched the dishes from palace menus). And we are very happy that we went.
Overall, our dinner at Asitane was one of my favorite memories of Istanbul. We had just spent some time touring the Chora Church (right nearby) and visiting the workshop of miniature artist Taner Alakuş. We arrived to dinner on the earlier side and were seated in the beautiful garden/​patio (it did help that the weather was ideal — sunny, warm but not hot, and not humid). Do beware that in the garden there are curious cats roaming around and that take interest in the dining guests — this wasn’t a problem, but the cats are particularly friendly.
The menu offers a wide variety of dishes with brief references to the years from which the dishes originate. Our server was helpful in selecting both Turkish wine and our dishes, and overall was attentive, but not overly so. We started with the «Asitane Treats» that consisted of four different spreads/​dips — these included a chickpea spread, a light yogurt/​cheese spread with scallions, peppers, and tomatoes, and a fava bean spread. It was great starter to share for something light on a summer day.
For a main course, I ordered the Mahmudiyye (the chicken stew) — I really enjoyed the dish. Although a chicken stew may sound ordinary, it exceeded my expectations — the chicken was super moist and mixed with almonds, apricots, cinnamon, and cloves. A mix of sweet and savory and perfect with a side of rice. My fellow dining guests enjoyed (1) the Begendi (baked lamb shank with eggplant in a pastry shell), (2) a whole roasted sea bass, and (3) the melon stuffed with minced meat, rice, almonds, and currants.
For dessert, my favorite was the «Helatiye». It is a little bit hard to describe, but basically consisted of light cubes of milk pudding (almost like gelatin) mixed with whole almonds, watermelon, and other fruits in a rosewater syrup. (Randomly, it reminded me of one of my favorite «desserts» from Chinese dim sum — the almond gelatin). It was a delicious way to end the meal.
Asitane is a truly lovely restaurant. They surprised us at the end of the meal with a small gift — two jars of their own apricot jelly. The service was friendly and helpful. The food was interesting and different from our other meals in Istanbul. The surroundings were beautiful and relaxing. The location is a bit more difficult to get out to – we had a tough time finding a cab that would take us out there from Sultanahmet, so I would recommend pairing Asitane with a late afternoon trip to the Chora Church and definitely to Taner Alakus’s workshop (the workshop is to the right as you are exiting the church). (As a sidenote, we’ve heard that Chora is less crowded in the late afternoon, so it was great to enjoy the mosaics without lots of crowds). The neighborhood though is enjoyable — leafy green trees with some cafes around.
Definitely recommend Asitane!

Ah they joy of having a friend in a foreign city. We would have never found this gem without our Turkish friend Selcan.
Several things stand out to make this restaurant amazing. Complete customization — when ordering drinks and soups we were given samples of each of the offerings to taste before deciding what to get. Palace style — the food is unlike any other you can get in Istanbul the dishes are from recipes of what Sultans enjoyed in their palace between 1300 – 1900, it’s therefore lavish in its taste and uses rare combinations of ingredients not found in usual Turkish food.
Typical of Turkish meals we started with soup. After trying a few we got a delicious almond soup. For entrees the minced lamb meat in a melon was amazing.
Set behind the mosaic laden church that shares its name the structure is a traditional Istanbul wooden construction with second level terraces. We ate in the back garden.
It was a great out of the way find that I would recommend to anyone visiting. If you bring a Turkish friend that’s a big bonus as they can help setup the tastings of different items before you order.

We came for lunch, after visiting the Church of St. Saviour in Chora, a must see for anyone interested in fine Byzantine mosaics and frescoes.
The restaurant is right around the corner, in a beautiful, green setting.
It would have been wonderful to sit out on the patio, but spring weather did not cooperate. The interior is lovely, and we were fortunate to get a good table, despite no reservation– I recommend making one, so that you won’t be disappointed. By 1:30 — 2:00 the tables were quite full. Many of the reviewers have already adequately described the Asitane Lokmalar, which we enjoyed, but probably would pass on next time. They were quite filling, but a bit bland for our taste. The chef’s treat of excellent olive tapanade and accompanying olive oil, and three warm starters were the rest of our midday meal for two. These included minced lamb with nuts and spices (Gomlek Kebabi) accompanied with tiny tomatoes, a grilled Circassian cheese (super smoky) with oyster mushrooms (Cerkez peyniri) and a twisty pastry («Hassan Boregi»)filled with nuts and veggies. lots of subtle spicy tones. One criticism: the wine list (nearly all Turkish) was really expensive, ranging from $ 45 at the very cheapest to well over $ 100/​bottle (the foreign selections were even pricier). We made do with Efes dark, on draft (about $ 7.50 for the glass). Total for two: $ 54. A filling lunch, with no mains.

Ottoman’s historic recipes are revealed here at Asitane. Vine leaves stuffed with sour cherries, Mutancana, veal grilled cutlets, chicken with honey and many more unique dishes trailed in the kitchen of Asitane now waiting for its visitors. Since it’s not central and close to the Chora Museum, we recommend you arrange a day only to see Khora and have a lunch/​dinner at Asitane.

Excellent endroit (cadre élégant) et bonne nourriture typique. Nous avons accompagné nos plats avec du raki (boisson locale, légèrement alcoolisée).
Nous avons testé le coing farci (je vous le conseil car délicieux) et du bar (bon mais pas si surprenant que le coing) accompagnés de riz pilaf aux fruit secs (très bon).
Très belle expérience.

On a Saturday evening, our cab fought bumper to bumper traffic for an hour from our hotel on Akbiyik Caddesi St. to Asitane. As we slowly passed several Istanbul neighborhoods, I thought whether this dinner was worth it. But as a restaurant touted by Andrew Bourdain during his visit to Istanbul on his No Reservations series, we looked forward to this meal.
We arrived a little late for our early dinner reservations, but we were the first party there for dinner. The restaurant is very elegant inside and they have a beautiful courtyard area for those wishing to dine al fresco. The waiter sat us at a nice table by the window with a view in the courtyard.
Asitane features fine Ottoman cuisine and its menu comprises only dishes featured in the kitchens of the royal palaces during the Ottoman Empire.
The dinner starter with nice house rolls with olive oil and eggplant hummus (
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Our selections:
Starters:
Asitane Treats (
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— Ottoman Hums (1469), Crushed chickpeas, lightly pureed with currants, pine nuts, and cinnamon powder
— «Lor» Cheese Blend (1898), Mixed with scallions, parsley, green peppers and tomatoes, seasoned with rosemary and paprika
— «Fava», Creamed broad beans, seasoned with dill served with a drizzle of olive oil
— Pounded Cucumber Salad (1844), Thick creamy yoghurt dish with onions and pistachio
Stuffed Calamari with Shrimps (
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— Oven baked whole calamari, stuffed with a blend of rice, pine nuts and currants flavored with cinnamon and fresh mint
Entrees:
Stuffed Melon (1539), Cored melon stuffed with a blend of minced meat, rice, herbs, almonds, currants and baked in the oven. This was delicious. So many flavors in every bite. (
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Veal «Külbastı» (1844), Grilled veal fillets seasoned with tarragon, bay leaves, and black pepper. Not a complex dish, but was very good. (
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Lamb Shank with Eggplant ”Begendi”, Baked lamb shank on bed of pureed eggplant, served in a crispy pastry bowl. Beautifully presented. The lamb was tender and flaked off the bone. (
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«Mahmudiyye» (1539), Chicken stew cooked with apricots, Rezaki raisins and almonds flavoured with cinnamon and cloves. A sweet and savory stew and chicken was tender and moist. (
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Desserts:
Peach «Ka’a», Cinnamon flavored walnut pastry topped with baked peaches and ice cream. A unique dessert that was not overly sweet. (
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Pounded Almond «Halva» (1539), a nice crushed almond Turkish delight. (
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We were happy to have made it to Asitane to experience fine Ottoman cuisine. Very unique dishes that were delicious and flavorful. Nice atmosphere and friendly efficient service. Oh, to top off the evening, the cab ride back to hotel was only took 17 minutes.

A really good destination for those that enjoy tasty food. Set in a secluded and leafy courtyard this restaurant offers delightful and authentic Ottoman dishes… the menu is diverse and we enjoyed every dish.
We started with almond soup… which contains a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds & nutmeg… delightful starter and so too was the Asitane Treats. A combination of four tasting dishes including Ottoman Hums (crushed chick peas), ‘Lor’ Cheese Blend, Fava (creamed broad beans) and pounded Cucumber salad. For mains we had the Mutancana, the lamb with almonds, raisins and apricots and the Kavun Dolmasi the baked cored melon stuffed with a blending mince, rice, currants and herbs.
By the time the mains were completed we determined that we eaten ample sufficiency so we did not have dessert… they looked great!
A good night and one of our better dining experiences in Istanbul.

Yet another restaurant featured on No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. By cab, it takes a little bit of time to get out here, but it is worth it. It is in a cool area near Saint Chora and some cool tea houses, as well as a cool neighborhood. The restaurant aims to recreate Ottoman era dishes from hundreds of years ago in a nice setting.
The restaurant itself is very nice inside and the service was very good. As far as the food, it did not blow me away but it was good I thought. I had fish with cinnamon in it, which was the first time I had that. It was quite good, and for dessert I had some rose halva. Quite good too.
Although the food did not blow me away, I thought it was good and the service was very good. I would definitely recommend coming here for a nice dinner in Istanbul.

It was a bit of a trek to get here, but too many people had recommended this place as one of the few spots we could sample authentic Ottoman cuisine. And by authentic, I’m talking dishes prepared for a Sultan’s celebration feast in 1539 authentic.
So we managed to find our way up to Edirnekapi and haven’t stopped talking about it since. I won’t spoil it for you with hyperbolic statements of the quality or romanticized versions of their cooking techniques — I’ll let you make those memories for yourself. Just trust that this was the most beautiful food I ate in Istanbul and when my partner and I talk about our trip, this meal often comes up before anything we ticked off our «must-​do» list in Sultanahmet.
Amazing service, incredible food, beautiful courtyard setting — in other words, get here and stuff your face with history.

I guess I want to live in Istanbul! Such a unique menu, Ottoman, but not the false one.
Have no words, just the most surprising tastes!

This restaurant, just around the corner from the amazing mosaics of St Saviour in Chora, offers historical Ottoman cuisine. The recipes have been carefully researched and offer tastes of royal dining from across the centuries. Importantly, the food is not only interesting but also absolutely delicious. As for drinks, I’d particularly recommend the unusual sherbets.
Service was excellent, with extremely helpful staff. The surroundings are attractive and elegant (there’s also an outdoor terrace in summer, but I visited in early spring). This was probably the best meal I had in Istanbul, as well as the most unusual.
Although not cheap by local standards, the restaurant offers excellent value when compared to British restaurants of similar quality.

Asitane befindet sich hinter dem Kariye Hotel, genau bei der Chora Kirche. Ein taxi von Sultanahmet kostet ca. ¹⁰⁄₁₅ TL
Das lokal ist sehr zu empfehlen und fuer 200Tl fuer 3 Personen inkl. Vor/​Haupt/​Nachspeiesen und wein war auch der Preis sehr ok. Es gab auch dezente Livemusik.
Besonders zu empfehlen sind die Vorspeisen:
Badem corbasi, Kestaneli tarhan, lipsoz corbasi, humus lokmasi, fasulye pilaki, lahana salatsai.
Und desserts: helatiye and hunnao cevirme