Sensus

Hmm. A four-​star review for a wine bar located a few steps from one of the hottest tourist sites in all of Istanbul? Yes, yes, that’s correct.
Somehow my husband and I ended up in the area, not for Galata Tower, just happened to end up there after hiking through the city and we were thirsty for alcoholic grape juice and we found the little underground haven named Sensus.
Ambience is great. It’s cave-​like with bottles of wine lining the cave-​y walls. A sleek bar complete with bar stools lines the back wall. The manager speaks flawless English and is very knowledgeable about the selection of wines at Sensus but we found that not all servers speak English and the servers we «communicated with» had no real knowledge of wine and wine varieties but, no worries, the manager was there to help guide us on our way to wine oblivion.
We did not order any food nor did any of the table around us, however, we did witness a couple of people walk in and make table reservations for later that evening and the following day.
I view Sensus as a place to chillax with a bottle of wine after a long day of hiking through the seven hills of Istanbul but maybe not to eat dinner there, unless, of course, you have consumed too many glasses of alcoholic grape juice and simply want to stay put until you put yourself to bed.

Eat only cheese… If you aren’t from Turkey nor familiar with the Turkish cuisine you probably wouldn’t notice the leak of quality in olive-​oil– starters but we did; since we know how it’s supposed be… The team was very kind and helpful tough; they replaced our order with something else but we were disappointed again.
I think its a place where you should ideally order wine with some local cheese.
Nice ambience, good turkish wines. These for sure.

Sensus wine bar has a nice ambiance and is a great followup after visiting the Galata Tower right next door.
NOTE** — if you’re traveling using Google Maps or the Unilocal map, you will notice that the pin location provided is not correct. You should walk to Galata Tower, go to the closest hotelier /​open restaurant and asked to be pointed in the right direction. It’s located on the right-​hand side of a small street that shoots directly off from the Galata Tower plaza. (The incorrect map pin made us wander for 10 – 15 mins).

This winebar has a fantastic atmosphere but partly due to its busyness the service was a bit slow at times. Nevertheless, the waitress gave us some helpful recommendations and later one of the sommeliers brought us the most incredibly delicious Turkish wine that of course now I will never get to drink again because I couldn’t find him at the end to write it down. I would highly recommend this place, and it’s very conveniently located to one of Istanbul’s main tourist spots. Next time I’d try the food as well as the cheese looked excellent.

This establishment is physically a jewel. However, the waitstaff is surly and inattentive, the vast majority of their wine is from one vineyard and isn’t even fit for service to the least sophisticated hobo. Stay away from the cheeses… they are salty enough to give the healthiest amongst us a stroke.

This is a nice little wine bar in the Galata neighborhood. I went the other night with a girlfriend. We were starving so we ordered food. We ordered the patates kroket and a salmon ekmek with labne app. And we both ordered individual pizzas. The menus we received were in Turkish, but that was fine for us. I’m not sure if they have English menus. Right off the bat the service was terrible. After about 15 minutes of being seated we had to flag down a server. The wine came fairly quickly but from the time we ordered until we finally had to ask for our food was 1 hour. The appetizers came after the pizza. Which was really annoying but we still accepted them. The salmon was very fishy, beyond what I prefer. It seemed old. The patates kroket and our pizza were both frozen food items. The ingredients of which were incorrect for both my friend and I. However, I would return, and even return soon. Because even though the service was bad the staff was friendly. And the wine list I really nice for Turkey and VERY reasonably priced. I was shocked at how good the prices were compared to other restaurants and wine bars in the city. Lastly, be aware of up selling. The time before my friend went and she ordered a cheese plate which they up sold for the much more pricey gourmet cheese plate. Ouch.

Its a great place for the evening to taste some wine (especially the turkish products are suprisingly good!) but sometimes you need a reservation, but you will probably find place on the bar. The prices are fair. Normally in the restaurants if you order just one glass of wine they dont have many options and they charge you pretty much for a tiny glass of wine (they usally fill the glass just a little ! I HATE THAT!)
BUT this Wine House, as they sell their own products, offer you about 15 different wines that you can order just as a glass. And the prices change between 9 Turkish Lira to 25 Turkish Lira. So that means you do not have to open a bottle and stick to one type of wine– Get their special menu for Glass Wines and pick what you want, try some several different options-​! That was what I exactly did– of course I prefered the cheaper ones and they honestly tasted all good ! So this place is PERFECT for a cheap but definitely quality WINE TASTING!

This place is definitely a hidden gem, even though it’s right near the Galata Tower. The awning out front does not speak for the place inside. Once you walk in and down, you realize it’s a much bigger and nicer place than you could have realized from the outside.
There are many wines and cheeses available there and the atmosphere is definitely cool. Apparently you usually need reservations but we were able to get some seats for a little bit before some people with real reservations came in.
I’d definitely recommend this if you’re in the area and a fan of wine and cheese.

Am I proud that I have a Barfly badge from Unilocal?Not really. Was the 3^rd trip to Sensus worth earning it? I age my yes in an barrel made of yes.
Sensus has good wines as cheap as 24 TL a bottle, and while seating can be tricky they don’t mind at all if you drink on the pretty cobbled street or even at Galata square (plastic wine glasses and corkage provided gratis). Their cheese plates and meats are well priced and delicious, though I believe their pasta is something I made in first year university and was suspicious about how long it had been sitting in a tanker ship on its way there.
The older servers are completely on their game and truly lovely, so I recommend seeking one out. There’s a filler staff of younger kids who are about as helpful as grocery store staff who «help you find something» by walking up and down the aisles with you for 20 minutes. Besides that, great vibes, and a true miracle in one of the priciest and touristiest neighbourhoods.
A…sauvignon grace?
euh anyway the bathrooms are really nice.

Another fantastic find on a small side street located near the Galata tower. We found this place first during the day by accident. You climb down a few steeps stairs and then enter into a open cave like space that they have down a very good job of modernising into a wine and cheese cellar focused on highlighting local products. There is a wide selection of Turkish wines to choose from, so many that it can be quite overwhelming.
We returned one evening and for 30 TL per person we enjoyed a wine tasting of three wines, with individual plates of cold Hor’deurves. Or, we could also have chosen one wine, with a food item of our choice. But, we couldn’t turn down the good deal. We were lucky as the place was packed and were able to get three seats by the bar area. There are several tables, but you need to make reservations in advance to sit there.
I wish there was a place like this back home that I could enjoy with friends on a Friday evening. You could tell this was a place locals liked to hang out and spend time. Who wouldn’t!