Alaf

Very chic and cool place. It’s a 3 floor restaurant. We were lucky to sit upstairs in the terrace with an amazing view and an open kitchen as well. The cocktails were great and the food was amazing. We were surprised by how good the steak was, it was cooked perfectly. I took traditional Turkish dish cocorec, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Make sure you know how it taste before ordering. Other than that very modern take on authentic Turkish food and the staff is just so lovely. Thank you!

Went here last night and it is arguably the best meal I’ve had all year. Absolutely fascinating, so many new flavours and things I’ve never eaten before. The staff were incredibly welcoming including the Chef who explained some of the key dishes to us. All of this set by the water in a beautiful old house. Would definitely recommend this place.

I am a bit saddened about the Google reviews average of this amazing restaurant. I was hoping it to be good but they way exceeded my expectations.

Their deconstructed baklava is simply heavenly.

Amazing atmosphere and delicious mixture of anatolia cuisines and west culture combination. Let me share my favourites with my family.

I had the pleasure of dining at a Turkish gastronomical gem, where creativity and flavor collided. The dishes were a sensory delight, boasting unique textures and tantalizing flavors. The wine pairing was expertly curated, enhancing the culinary experience. The chef's innovation was evident in each artfully presented plate. However, a regrettable incident occurred where personal belongings were stolen from the locker. The staff's response was disappointing, but the swift assistance from the police shed light on the situation. Despite this setback, the restaurant's exquisite gastronomy remains noteworthy, though caution is advised regarding personal belongings. Overall, an unforgettable culinary journey with a bittersweet ending.

Very simple yet elegant Mediterranean food. Everything is well prepared and you can see the chef's passion in each plate. Wine menu is satisfactory. I visit this place at least once a month.

Wow. Exquisite sensational meal. I am thoroughly enchanted by the service and presentation. Happy Thanksgiving.

A phenomenal experience of taste, feeling of wilderness and simplicity. The meal was a great journey into Anatolian nomad cuisine. I was amazed to rediscover how vegetables can be so great when done in a creative way and cooked to perfection. The setting and the staff were lovely still keeping a Turkish vibe.

Lovely place, simple and classy atmosphere in a lovely area of Istanbul.
The food was delicious, we went with the a la carte menu.
The starters were pretty huge, I was pleasantly surprised since I expected portions to be too tiny. The offered us an amuse buche as well.
Very good wine as well!

Innovative dishes and a great service. We had the tasting menu, so we enjoyed a selection of so many flavors. I like the sharing approach to serve the dished for all. There is a wide selection of local wines.

Very intimate place and amazing turkish food with a twist. Our server took really good care of us and was very accommodating with our dietary preferences. Portion sizes were perfect and the baklava dessert was unlike anything else!

Fantastic place with fingerlicking food!
We took a tasting menu and tried all the cocktails from the menu. The tasting portions were massive, never felt this full and satisfied after a tasting tbh. But that is a good thing right? :)

My fav cocktail was Anamur and the fav dish was the pistachio coated peas. I was pleasantly surprised as they were out of this world!
Service is fantastic. Staff are knowledgeable but they need more staff that speak English.

It's challenging to put into words the delight we experienced with the cuisine. A perfect blend of traditional recipes with a contemporary twist. The cocktails, complementing the dishes, were exceptional. Personally, I relished the rakı cocktail infused with various herbs & smoked cherry wood.

This restaurant was highly recommended and it exceeded all expectations. We took a tasting menu with wine pairing and were very impressed by both.
The only dish that was not impressive was pide with lamb bacon, otherwise the staff, food, wines and atmosphere wer outstanding.

Culinary creativity at its best! They took the ingredients we all know and turned them into edible, delicious artwork. Kale biber was hands down the best desert I’ve ever had 🤯

We made our reservation the day before. They were super helpful and nice on the phone.
Once we got there the staff was helpful and informative in person as well and our waitress went out of her way yo make our experience amazing!
We ordered two bottles of white wines and everyone had a maincourse meal, Dessert and appetizers.
They offered us complementary traditional little pieces of sweets which had a interesting story and amazing taste.

Top restaurant! We tried the chefs menu with different courses. Its a lot to eat but simply delicious and showing off tradtional anatolian dishes
Service was also very nice! Thank you

We tried the tasting menu which had incredible variety. I especially enjoyed the "balik ekmek" interpretation which was made taco style. Everything had impressive depth of flavour. Portions are quite big so come hungry!

The service was lovely, with staff explaining each dish. Great wine selection too.

Two issues
1- there's a separate restaurant downstairs called "alaf 2tek" which is much more casual and for meze. We first didn't realise the real Alaf was upstairs and the staff downstairs wasn't being very helpful. This one is upstairs -- you have to ring the bell of the building and climb 1 flight of stairs up to reach it.
2- they charged us for 2 bottles of water (70 turkish lira) which is not expected/appropriate of a place of this level and especially with the tasting menu.

4.5 over 5 at my scale. Very good experience with the touch of Chef M.Deniz Temel. The Service is 4.5, Food 4.5, Atmosphere 4.5, Winelist 4 ( They are very new so I am sure they will increase the stars) The menu is mostly influenced with local southern cuisine (Antakya, Mersin, Anamur). A Modern " Yörük " definition might fit well with the food. The place is very new and its one floor up the Street Food Concept "Alaf Sokak" that they had at the entrance. The atmosphere and the welcoming is good. They had 2 floor of fine dining concept where the top floor has open seating area and the open kitchen. We tried the 150 tl per person tasting menu that has several flavours from the menu paired with Kayra Versvs- Cabernet Franc. The chefs working at the kitchen are serving you the food explaining the ingredients and the way that cooked ( They are using "Kuzine" and stone oven to cook the food, no blue fire touch). My highlights; The Starters, The slowly cooked peanuts, "Anamur Batırık" were delicious and their way of "Tavuk Pilav" was very suprising. Mezes; "Övmeç" with Antakya's "Sürk" cheese is a flavor that i love, "Pastırma with Mom's Pişi" is another suprising combination. For the main food they serve giblets like "Kidney", " Heart", stomach sweetbread("Uykuluk"). We like the kidney more. Wine List, their price ranges for the wines are not bad ( we always ask for better price performance) , the list is weak and more boutique producers might find place. The music , their way of telling the foods might be improved but for sure current work is positive

A true treat in Istanbul. The restaurant focuses on regional ingredients from around Turkey, then augments them using flavours from around the world. They also have a good wine list, and the whole thing is very reasonably priced.