Cafe Istanbul

FINALLY! FINALLY! I tried a new shawarma place (Café Istanbul) and I have to say, it was a SUCCESS! The chicken shawarma I ordered was so flavorful and so good, the whole restaurant knew I was enjoying myself… Perhaps a little too much… Because after the first bite, I essentially dove it and bathed in my lunch!
While the portion of chicken is pretty big, I am the queen of the clean plate club… Thus I licked my plate clean, minus the ONION and HOT PEPPER that were BARELY grilled (it would have been nice if they were actually cooked, but perhaps they really just wanted those additions there as garnish?).
My girlfriend ordered the same dish as me, but with the rice, and couldn’t stop her mouth from chowing on, to the point that she felt Thanksgiving full when we finally got our check… That being said, she ordered a second round of the meal to go… «For my mom» she said… But I doubt it, ha ha!
Over all, I truly truly enjoyed this restaurant and will definitely go back in the future… It would be a weekly staple if it were a bit closer to where I live, but hey, when in the area… It’s on!
**I was in Istanbul a few years back, before I knew what SHAWARMA WAS (GASP)… So I’m just going to pretend that since ISTANBUL is in the name of the restaurant… That this is as close to the Shawarma served in Turkey as I am going to get here in LA! Ha Ha Ha! (PS: if you’re reading this and have recommendations to other places, let me know!)

Great food for a delicious price. I’ve had the hummus, the baba ghannouj, the falafel, the chicken doner plate shawarma, the chicken kabob plate, the beef kabob plate, and the kunefe dessert. I will break my experiences here into pros and cons.
PRO:
— Kebab plates: both the chicken and beef kabob were nothing less than amazing. These are quality kabobs, not like you will find at your average middle eastern restaurant. They are marinated skillfully and cooked tenderly.
— The chicken shawarma was good too, though I would not go so far as to call it amazing. The kabobs were definitely much better.
— The hummus and baba ghannouj were much better than I expected. I am a huge and hard to please critic when it comes to hummus, and I was very impressed. The hummus wasn’t the best, but it was damn good. The same goes for the baba ghannouj.
— I really like the atmosphere. It’s a really cool place. It looks like it was designed in the eighties. The place has a red and yellow color scheme that works (does not look like McDonalds). I think the ceiling is the coolest part of the décor (see my attached picture)
— The service is friendly and attentive.
— The cost is totally reasonable. Not at all like most places in Beverly Hills.
CON:
— I did not like the kunefe dessert. Maybe it’s because I’ve had Palestinian kunefe before (which I love) and this was Turkish kunefe. But this was way too cheesy for my taste.
— The falafel is not necessarily a con, but it’s definitely not a pro. I wouldn’t say they did a bad job with it, but I also would not call this a good job. The best way I would describe it is «meh.» I can make much better at home.
All in all, I had a very good experience every time I came here. I recommend you try this place out.

Ordered lentil soup, gyro bowl, Adana kebab and manti. Delicious food. Friendly staff and conveniently located. Very very good food and generous portions. Fast service and delicious food.

Absolutely delicious!!! The beef shwarma was outstanding and the grape leaves were incredible!

I ordered:
Grape leaves
Hummus
Tabouleh
Rice pilaf
Feta plate
I was happy with my order and that they delivered it to my house quickly. Will recommend to friends and family.

I’m giving this place maximum stars for one person who works here. The delivery guy. So sweet. I didn’t feel well. The delivery guy took me home and made sure I was safe.
Thank you, Istanbul. :)

We came there when nobody was inside, we ordered everything and got dishes after about a hour, people who came after us got their dishes faster. Waiter was rude and was almost near to throw dishes on the table when we asked why dishes are not served yet. Generally we enjoyed the quality of the food, but the way how we was serviced was terrible. ²⁄₅. Not coming back there again.

That place where this older lady who works there didn’t let us sit –2 people– at the window table for 4 when the place was all empty one hour before closing. Just looked at her speechless and walked out.

This wouldn’t be my first, second or even third choice if I crave for some Mediterranean food. Food was alright and service was OK, prices were high compared to neighbors and similar restaurants.

we have been frequent patrons of this eatery. yesterday i placed a take out order of our favorite dish… not sure if new ownership… staff all appear to be new… but the food was truly terrible. meats in the shawarma were totally dry… tasteless! even the extra sauce [which they charged for] didnt make it any tastier! my wife’s vegeterian plate was way over spiced… not edible!.. never the case on previously.
don’t beliveve that we shall be returning… disappointed!

Not sure where all the good reviews come from, but I was pretty unimpressed with this place. Probably the driest chicken shawarma I’ve ever had and my friend — as well as the table next to us — were in agreement.
I always have a different mindset going to a pricier place for cuisine that is generally delicious and cheap (such as Thai, Indian, and Turkish). For these types of places, a more upmarket offering needs to go above and beyond — either in quality, taste, and/​or inventiveness. For instance, I’m ok spending $ 14 on nachos at Petty Cash because they put crazy fresh ingredients in theirs and the flavors are so spot on. Not only did Café Istanbul not do this — they didn’t even try. For the $ 20 I spent on shawarma, I could have gotten 4 orders of a far superior version from countless cafes and trucks in LA.
While service was prompt, there was an air of attitude where the only times we weren’t being talked down to is when we were being upsold.
Go somewhere else.

Very expensive but not delicious. If you know what real turkish kebob is, i guarantee that you don’t like it. Don’t go!!!

This place is awful.
Their food is extremely expensive and the workers are very rude.
Do not waste your time & money in this restaurant.

I ordered food and wait more then 30 mins .
My 1^st order was soup and its comes after when we ate our food and I asked waiter 4 times to bring bread and other appetizers but no way :(
I m not happy to come this place and that will be last for me to come back …

I have to say this is the best kept secret in Beverly Hills. The chicken Shawarma melts in your mouth. If you are a vegetarian or a meat lover you will love this place. The staff is so friendly and nice. When you order the main dish it includes rice and hummus with side pitas.
The parking is hit or miss. You will find street parking and some lots. As the street parking in the resdenital area is parking zoned. If you love middle eastern food you need to give this place a try. Home cooking that melts in your mom.
Hands down of the best hidden places in the Los Angeles Area. If you appreciate great Shawarma you will be in for a real treat.

After coming back from Turkey, I was really excited to try some Turkish restaurants in the area. Tried this place and had a couple things. The type of dishes were pretty authentic with the meat served with rice and a tomato. The fries on the side was a nice plus since I ate fries quite a bit there. The salad… something that’s not usually served but a nice plus.
Before the entrees came out, they brought out hummus with some pita.
As for the food itself
Chicken kebab — the meat was really dry and salty. Rice was a bit too greasy /​buttery tasting for my liking.
Kofte kebab — the meat was oddly textured and sort of plasticy (that’s the only way I can describe it), the flavor was really off and quite salty.

We loved the food and the friendly service. «Beyti» is a must! I don’t even mention about «kunefe», our favorite dessert, it was so tasty! Can’t wait to go there again.

On food alone, this place is great! Excellent food and a quaint lovely café.
Beyti is excellent, as is chicken kabob and Adana kebab. Lentil soup is excellent and so different from the plethora of Mediterranean places in the area. Crispy pits with tomatoe dipping sauce is yum! So is the falafel plate. Kunafe is made to order and really good.
The only reason I have to knock 2 stars down is because :
1) when we start to order, the waitress tells us they are sold out of the shawarmas, iskender kebab etc. When we asked why didn’t you tell us earlier, she didn’t really have an answer. On their menu, you can order the gyro sandwich after 5pm for $ 5 extra. She argued the kitchen wouldn’t make the wrap and to order t as a plate. We requested please ask the kitchen to make the wrap since its on the menu and were willing to pay more for the wrap, but didn’t want the plate. She kept arguing that she can’t ask the kitchen and to order the plate, it’s cheaper. We said we like the way the taste is in a wrap, we’re willing to pay, just ask. Finally we didn’t order because gyro meat and rice wasn’t an attractive option.
2) regardless of party size, any ticket over $ 75 dollars has an automatic 18% gratuity added to the bill. HUH? No where on the menu does it mention that and despite really good service the automatic gratuity was just unsavory. I didn’t see that anywhere and it’s so awkward to inquire about that after the fact.
Now that you know, still go! Really yummy Turkish food.

The food was good and authentic.
The staff was nice but a bit slow, we’ve parked on the 20min meter outside and had to go and re-​pay for 3 times until we got out food.
Overall very good, try the chicken shawarma and the babaganush

The food is really really delicious but the girls that run the show to us patrons are beautiful, personable, energetic, helpful and overall awesome
Definitely returning
And did i say No Corkage fee?