Çiya Sofrası

Before traveling to istanbul, we watched the documentary that tells the story of this place, and we wanted to visit it. It was easy to reach the place while following Google maps. The different kinds of food here were so yummy. I will visit this place again. Keep up the good work.

If you’re looking for traditional Turkish food, this is the place. My boyfriend and I went here as a recommendation from a local and we were not disappointed. The place was busy when we arrived for lunch but we were seated immediately. We got the chefs platter for appetizers and it was some of the best food we ate in Istanbul. The Lamachun was also very tasty. Service was very attentive and polite. I would absolutely return for another meal and recommend this place to anyone visiting Istanbul.

Simply amazing, the men serving were SO KIND and funny. We initially ordered some dishes and we had to order more simply because the food was so good, I'd dare say best we had in Istanbul. I don't know why the price category is higher than other restaurants in Istanbul, it seemed pretty average to us.

Excellent food. Excellent service. I had no choice but to come back 2 days after my first visit. Even if you are staying on the European side, you definitely should take the ferry and try Çiya.

Incredibly good food. Simple and delicious. The service was just okay but once again, the food was a 5/5.

Chose this spot due to the number of recommendations I found perusing reddit. There were plenty of customers (mostly tourists) for a Monday lunch, and prices were relatively reasonable.

Ordered the Lahmacun, Roasted Zuccini, Red Lentil Soup, Spicy Lamb Kebab, and the Onion Kebab.

Overall, the food was good, service was excellent, and it was a nice place. Nothing too special, so I wouldn't go here just for this restaurant, but if you're in the area, its worth a try.

Note down the modest portions for the rice pilaf (as shown in 1 of the images), if you're looking to order an additional rice pilaf.

Both the kebaps we ordered were AMAZING and I’d definitely recommend both the pistachio and yoghurt kebaps. The waiter was also very nice and helpful. We even tried the very particular oregano tea offered by the house alongside a delicious homemade baklava.
Even though we managed to find a place, it’s best to make a reservation beforehand.

When we watched the show about the chef and Ciya we wanted to taste the food right away. Ciya actually has 3 places next to each other, despite there was a lot of people we did not wait long for food, everything was so good we went there for dinner twice. Very nice service. Totally recommend!

This place was a great find. Staff really helpful and friendly, doing a nice job explaining some Turkish food and what kind of things are available. Also super tasty, we just wanted a snack but ended up ordering more things because of how good it was. Pleasant atmosphere in a cool neighborhood of Istanbul, also getting a good and fair price for high quality in Istanbul, can’t beat it.

This is my favourite restaurant in Istanbul, so every time I visit I come here. The menu shows the diversity of Turkish cuisine and the food is prepared with great care.

We visited Ciya after watching Chef's Table on Netflix. The food was amazing. We asked if we could get some really small portions to taste many different dishes. The staff was very friendly and explained the dishes well. The only sad point of this experience was that we couldn't taste more because we were full, but we will definitely come back. Thank you for a great experience and for giving us the chance to learn more about Turkish cuisine.

I'm so glad I came here. Just the salad bar is worth it if you are looking for fresh vegetable options. The beet salad was great and the hummus top quality. I also got an okra lamb stew that was amazing. There are way more locals here than tourists.

Excellent restaurant for local food. They serve a wide range of Turkish dishes.

I would recommend their kebabs, lahmacun, lamb shank, beans with meat, and salads.

Came to this place after watching chef table on Netflix and we were glad that we made the trip to the Asia side for this.

The service staff was very friendly and patient to explain the ordering process and the dishes displayed in front. We sat inside which was very comfortable with good air conditioning (especially on a hot day).

We were able to try new dishes that we have not seen before. All were very tasty and we thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

10/10 recommend.

Interior is like typical turkish lokanta, 2 floors, many turists coming here. waitresses speak english and they are polite with turists, but much slowed with local people who coming there. on the first floor you can choose meze - starters and some other food (like köfte, soup and another cooked vegetables) they put them on one plate and on the weight. or you can find a table, sit and ask for menu. many Kebap options, we ordered 2 portions of fıstık kebap - was really tasty, very good pide, mezes was ok, tasty, but nothing wow. suggest to order kebaps is this lokanta👌

One of the best traditional Turkish Restaurant in town. If you are not familiar with Turkish Cuisine, then this place is a must visit for you. As a local, I even didn’t know this much variety of dishes that existed. Also, the dishes are from all over Turkiye. Anatolian, Southeastern, and Black Sea region dishes are diversely represented here.

All the dishes we tried were perfect! I can’t say anything negative about the dishes we tried. It was simply so savory and delicious. We’re planning to visit more often to explore the other delicacies.

The personnel was very friendly, and informative. You can ask all the dishes one by one at the counter visually.

I highly recommend a cold appetizers plate, and some hot appetizers. You can also go and try the kebabs, too.

Prices were pretty reasonable for this great quality of food.

Overall score 4.7/5 for a Traditional Turkish Cuisine Restaurant

One makes a pilgrimage here . The food takes you back to the ottoman kitchen. Chef Musa Dağdeviren who is at the helm of Ciya is not just a chef but a food anthropologist or a historian. When New Yorker write a glowing tribute or Netflix feature Ciya on a docu and more recently featured on World’s 50 best Discovery , you know there got to be some truth. The ingredients and fresh produce Ciya use are just superb and hence the delicious aromatic food. I have been to Ciya Sofrasi few times, whenever I am in Istanbul and I can just say that take the ferry and go to Kadikoy , immerse yourself in a fascinating gastronomical journey !

Every time we land in Istanbul, we make sure to pass by çiya sofrasi when we are around Kadıköy. They have two branches serving authentic turkish cuisine.

This time we visited both branches. From Çiya kebap, we had the thyme salad, lahmacun, and spicy kebap. While from the other branch we had fasuliye with rice, and kuzu incik, which all were delicious and full of flavor. It is worth noting that çiya sofrası dishes changes daily, giving you the chance to try different flavors.

You must visit çiya sofrasi and try their delicious dishes.

We went to this place with our local friends. I was very sceptical at first, but I was pleasantly surprised about the variety and quality of the food. Every dish was more delicious than the other one. The service was great. It turned out they had other locations across the street, but we are the original one, where the chef cooks the dishes in large pots. It’s a must try while visiting Istanbul. We were invited, so I don’t know the prices. Our local friend ordered so many dishes to try.

Amazing food and even better service. We didn’t know what to choose as they had so many options so we asked them to give us a selection of their favourites - and it did not disappoint. One of the best meals I’ve had in Istanbul! It’s not the cheapest - we paid 2000 TL for two people - but it’s definitely worth it. Would come again.