Sofyalı 9

Very good restaurant with typical Turkish cuisine. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff.

Came here because it was in my Lonely Planet’s «Food Lover’s Guide to the World.» This was the only restaurant I tried from the book, and I don’t plan on repeating my mistake twice.
First of all, I do have to say that the ambiance and service were impeccable. They brought us a mezze platter and we chose and picked plates off of looks and then proceeded to order our mains.
All the food we ordered was very bland and average in my opinion. We had just eaten similar food at Ficcin the night before, so we were very disappointed — not just in the flavor and food, but in the prices as well (nearly double what we’d paid for better food).
There were a ton of idle waiters around, so service was a non-​issue but this experience reminded me why I shouldn’t eat at places recommended by guide books.

Nice little place where you can try different mezzes with fresh ingredients in a cosy surrounding. Waiters walk with big trays where you can pick the mezzes you want to eat. Mashed eggplant was my favorite! Something to keep in mind: by ordering on the platter, you don’t realize how much you’re paying, plus they include the tip and they charge the covers so the bill can be surprising.

Restaurant très sympa pour diner, le lieu est sur 3 étages, c’est une véritable «taverne» locale avec une vraie ambiance chaleureuse. Mezzes froids et chauds relativement bons. Très bon vin. Dans la rue vous avez beaucoup d’autres bars et restaurants.
Il vaut mieux réserver en weekend.

We took a taxi from our hotel to find this restaurant based on the postive reviews on Unilocal (it was also mentioned by our guide book). Unfortunatley, we were disappointed with quality of the food. The mezes were very average, as were the mains. The meal was also over priced relative to the quality of the food. The setting was nice and the service was good, but that doesn’t really matter to me if the food isn’t up to par. Do yourself a favor and give this place a pass.

A lovely setting and the servers were very helpful, but the food was very average at best. They did not have a huge menu, which is fine if they are making a few things really great. But, my finance and I were both underwhelmed with our meals. It was a little more expensive than the other places we visited as well. More money and not delicious equals no thanks!

This nice small restaurant in Galata is worth a visit. The restaurant stretches over three levels the middle one being the kitchen. The rooms are pretty small though and make you feel comfortable right away. The friendly staff has to climb the narrow stairs every time they serve something but they are still always in a good mood. As in many other Turkish places they offer a great variety of starters that you can choose from right in the beginning. Their assortment was so convincing though that we decided to go with several hot and warm appetizers rather than having two main dishes. They were all delicious.
This is also one of the few Anatolian restaurants that serve alcohol.

Beste türkische Meze. Leider kein Insider Tipp mehr. Wer gerne Leber isst sollte das unbedingt machen. Ich esse meistens viele Vorspeisen und keine Hauptspeise. Ein Glas raki sollte man unbedingt trinken