Refik Restaurant

Very poor restaurant. Bad quality and overpriced. The fish was not fresh at all as well as the vegetables.
Never ever again!

3.5 stars
Katie B. said to post the first review of 2013. So here it is…6,860 miles from SoCal.
This place is well known by locals and is tucked away down a side street off of the busy Istiklal Ave. (the Oxford St. of Istanbul.) No one would say this isn’t a good place. Some may add it’s gotten too popular with the influx of tourists (like us) and there are other places to eat at. I think the truth is that is this a place for drinking with some food, rather than food first.
Our experience was good, after all we did get the local booze — Raki (first and last time.) But, there were two noticable improvements needed: the service slipped once the German and Dutch tourists arrived for dinner; the prices were U.S. prices — $ 50 for two of us and we just had a few small plates and some fresh fish. My later reviews will hopefully show some more local and reasonably priced eateries (if I can remember them.)
If the servers get it together they will bring you a selection of plates to choose from. We went to the counter to choose our dishes:
— Selection of small plates TRY 10+9+9 (beans, vegetables etc.)
— Mixed grill TRY 28
— Grilled bluefish (3 medium fishes with heads and bones) TRY25
— Raki liquor TRY 8
We skipped the biology lab experiment dish of the day: lamb’s brain. That was our only «Indiana Jones» story here even though I wanted to go to take pics of sheep’s heads and eyeballs :)
Total bill was TRY 91 = $ 51. Plus a tip of 10%. Like I said U.S. prices.
It was a good start to the trip, but we started watching our pocket after that as we were expecting a more Lonely Planet budget for this leg of the trip. After all, London was next!

Refik is very touristy, but so what if they can cook and take good care of their guests. We had a wonderful grilled fish with fresh chard and raki, blisss The list of fish dishes is extensive along with kebabs. Also you will be offered usual selection of mezzes, for desert there are fruits or baklava. I asked for olives: no, we
don’t have olives, but for you I’ll get some. And indeed, the water came back with a small dish of olives! Therefore five shiny stars from a happy customer.

We went to this place based on a recommendation for a guidebook, but it was one of the worst meals we have ever had!
When we are arrived we waited 20 minutes just to get a menu. There was only 1 waiter serving the entire 1^st floor of the restaurant (about 10 tables) and service was very slow. The waiter was also very abrupt and rude — when we asked for menus there were no more available so he grabbed the menu of the people sitting at the next table while they were still reading it!
The food was below average but still very overpriced (about 17 lira for a small meze of about 8 little prawns!).
My advice will be to go elsewhere. This place may have been good in the past (hence the guidebook recommendations), but has nothing going for it any more.

A local told me: The best mezes from the ottoman period with agean style mezesThis place is in TOP TEN for all over the world. but they have to drinkvery small but they got unbelivable food.
It wasn’t an earth-​stopping experience, but this small, popular-​with-​locals back-​alley restaurant was quite good. Friendly, popular, loud, and with some tables in the bust alley. Specialises in cuisine from the Black Sea, and there’s lots of fish (and raki) on offer.
It can get very busy.