Gulhane Sark Sofrasi

Don't often leave reviews, but enjoyed our evening here so much I have to do so here.
Do you like food? Do you like a nice atmosphere? Do you like cats? Then this is the place for you!

Great food, and brilliant, friendly, and attentive waiters. We had some great complimentary starters, and also apple tea and baklava to finish.
If you like cats then the cats that live there will also pay you attention, but will leave you alone if that's not your thing.

A beautiful restaurant right in the historical center. Prices are totally fine and reasonable considering the portion size and the food quality. Service is amazing thanks to super kind waiters. Offering after offering, they were not getting tired of giving us free dessert and tea 😃 also the ambient is very astonishing and has the historical Turkish-Ottoman atmosphere. In conclusion, they totally deserve their top Tripadvisor ranking and you must give it a try. One of the the best restaurant experiences in Turkey so far!
P.S: don't forget to tip them good as they well deserve it 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Excellent food. I ordered the Iskender, which is uncommon among tourists. It's kebab bathed in a delicious butter and tomato sauce, accompanied by Turkish yogurt (yes, it sounds strange, but the contrast is exquisite) and crispy pita bread. For starters, I had hummus, which was delicious, along with homemade lemonade. For dessert, I ordered a pomegranate tea, and they paired it with baklava. Later, they offered a complimentary apple tea to taste. Excellent place and service.

Surprisingly delicious! We enjoyed everything. The starters of flatbread with hummus and spread have a good balance of flavors.

Personally I love the spaghetti with shrimp. It looks ordinary but the taste is really unique and yummy! A little mixed flavor of some Asian spice with the traditional Italian flavor. Super good!

The lamb chop is never a wrong choice. Good quality meat and we love the greens that comes with it. In the other doner wish, we found that the yogurt was actually good with meat.

Would love to come back again!

I would give the food a 4/5 (the chicken kebab was perfect but the Iskander kebab sauce was a little bit overpowering the taste - the soup was also delicious) but the service is impeccable! There is complimentary baklava and also some complimentary dips before the food arrives, and the servers are nice and helpful. The ambience is also very soothing and cozy. Definitely recommended!

Great service, very attentive, kind, and fast waiters. Food is great, recommend the Adana Kebab and Chicken Casserole. Lentil Soup and Shrimp with Butter are also good. Their Turkish salsa is interesting and tasty as well as the hummus. Plus the baklava is good too. On a relatively busy street with no parking though. The restaurant has good outside seating as well.

Amazing food, great environment and most of all the customer service is top notch, entertained the kids to keep them busy, gave extras and most of all made us feel like family. Highly recommended

Dinner in this place was actually one of the best experiences in my entire life. Very good, quality food, friendly environment, staff helpful and not pushy. No service fee. We paid for full feast around 600 ₺ per person, but received free starter and free tee with baklava as a dessert after meal which was a nice surprise. Place where you can eat while listening to live music. This restaurant and the great time we spent there, made me write my first ever google opinion. Well done! Must to visit place.

Went to this place because of online reviews and it didn't disappoint. Located a bit away from the Hagia Sofia, this place serves the best Turkish food I've ever had, bar none. Wonderful ambience inside of the establishment, a nice variety of music in different languages, and the resident kitten, Mia, makes you feel super comfy. The staff are all extremely friendly and helpful. The food itself is absolutely delectable. I had the lamb in casserole, which was highly recommended in online reviews, and for good reason (seriously, try it!) My girlfriend for the Sultan's Favorite was delicious as well! The pita and hummus was a great addition to our already filling meal and the complementary baklava was breathtaking. This place really lives up to the hype!

One of the best in Istanbul. I must say the crowd, atmosphere and the people who bring the crowd to life with their food and all that jazZ are amazing.
Food is great and is made with love, as they pour it out on the people who even walk in.
Thank you for an amazing night.

Nice food ,,great staff and friendly and kind owner…
Been satisfied with their atmosphere
The Chicken in Spicy sauce ..served on copper tray with fire lit at the table is highly recommended and also other main dishes .. fully enjoyable

Don't miss this place. The entire team that takes care of you is TOP NOTCH. So friendly and helpful. They brought out multiple things from the menu after hearing it was my first time in Turkey free of charge, too. The food is ridiculously good and we enjoyed several types of tea (Turkish, apple and pomegranate).

Run, don't walk, to Gulhane Sark Sofrasi! We had less than 20 hours in Istanbul and found this restaurant via reviews. We're so glad we did! You don't want to miss it. This is a very cute restaurant with both indoor and heated outdoor seating. The staff are very friendly and down to Earth. They are there to help make sure you order something that you know you'll enjoy. Our server knew we liked spice so he customized some of our order to add heat. We loved the chicken, and also really enjoyed dip mezze and chocolate dessert (like a lava cake). The prices here are very reasonable. Apparently there's a party scene here after - bummed we missed it. Highly recommend!

We really loved this place! They had a varied menu with delicious food. The staff was friendly and hospitable. We liked it so much that we returned a second time during our one week stay in Istanbul. The second time was on a Thursday evening with live music. Definitely would recommend!

We have been here three times in two days, and if we had more time we would have come again and again.
I have never seen such a kind staff and food was basically amazing.
The place looks pretty typical and the mood you breathe once you are here really feels like home.
Simply the best place I’ve tested here.
It’s been a pleasure to come here

Been there due to good reviews. The manager was kind and funny. Food tasted lovely.

This restaurant is in the best location and it's always busy. Why?! Because the food and service is outstanding. I went back a few times!
The menu is extensive and caters to all palates, the mezzes you get at the beginning before your meal is the perfect accompaniment, so delicious. Great atmosphere and the staff are knowledgeable, professional and friendly with just the right amount of service without being over the top or intrusive.
For the wine lovers, they have a great selection. Absolutely divine.
Don't bypass this place, a must to try in Istanbul on your next visit. Enjoy :)

(I had a few dishes and drinks, the price will vary depending on how much you eat and drink and what you order)

My wife and I ate lunch here on our trip to Istanbul. It caught our eye randomly when walking by because of all the kittens. The food was great, service was awesome, and the owner even sat with us for tea. My wife loved all the friendly kittens that sat with us. Pricing was beyond fair and it was a perfect atmosphere to just relax and hang out for a while. We even stopped by later at night for music and nightlife.

Amazing place where we had dinner after our visit of Topkapi palace. The food was great and the service was excellent 👌🏼 we tried the Mix plate as a starter and as plates: the sultan’s stuffed chicken, and another one that i can’t remember but that was also delicious. They even offered us some baklava and coffee at the end.

Top and delicious food, great atmosphere, friendly staff. I just recommend this place!