Cafe Istanbul

Great food! We came across here by accident while looking for somewhere else and we are glad we did. Waitress was really nice and they kept the water replenished I didn’t have to ask once. The restaurant itself is really pretty and we have no complaints. We will be returning!

Service is amazing!!! Food reminds me of my vacation to Turkey. Love the back patio. Can tell this is family owned; they take pride in all aspects of the dining experience.
I really enjoy the lamb. The chicken is the juiciest I have ever had at a restaurant. And I can’t get enough of their rice.

I always love coming to Café Istanbul. I think it’s even owned by a Turkish man. Although we always love eating the food here from the start of the savory hummus to the delectable baba ganoush everything is great here.
I’ve celebrated many family occasions here like birthday’s, anniversaries, baby announcements and finally just a date night like last night. My family approves of almost everything on this menu here. You can even see my vegetarian side of the family breaking their own rules and eating meat only here. If a vegetarian is breaking their own rules to eat the lamb, chicken or meat here then I think it’s fair to say it’s that good.
I like getting the doner kebob because the lamb is almost the same as the lamb shank bone for the weekend special. It has it’s own dipping sauce, grilled vegetables and served with a bed of rice. My husband of course got that weekend special of the lam shank bone again from an impulse buy (I know as a wife I should stop my husband from an impulse choice, but I do not want to make him miss out on the good things in life and regret if he didn’t try something). Even though he may have not cared for the dish, it at least satisfied him for the night. I didn’t need to make another meal for him at home, which is a win in my book.
The rest of my family typically get the grilled fish here or chicken kebab because they prefer the flavor of those dishes as opposed to lamb. They say it’s good, so if they are happy, it must be good. As well as the kiddos, just order them a chicken kebab with rice and they will eat it as well. They may make silly things happen like pour the entire oil into the water, but it’s to entertain our family while we wait on the food. Kiddos are impatient when it comes to waiting for food, so you always have to order for them first. Which is never a problem, they keep us entertained and we feed them first.
Overall, I like this restaurant because it offers the best Turkish food in Columbus. I just think it has a flavorful variety of options for people to choose from.

Staff was amazing, I loved this place. Drinks came swiftly and the food was awesome. Will definitely be returning with friends.

I would update my previous review to a 3.5, but rounded up. The quality has dwindled a bit since I started coming here about 2 years ago. I still recommend it but I felt it wasn’t as outstanding as it has been in the past. Mostly it comes down to freshness of ingredients and portion and quality control. Prior visits the bread was fresh, the salads just right and the entrees cooked to be juicy and maintain their grilled appeal. However the opposite is true now. The bread is either too tough and cold or burnt (probably reheated from being frozen), the salad is almost always mushy which indicates it’s been sitting and the entrees are either too burnt or under-​charred.

OMG! I completely forgot about this Easton Town Center gem. Beautiful décor and the friendliest staff!
Being that I make a million decisions all week long, I was overwhelmed with the extensive menu of Turkish delights. However, being an adventurous person, I told our server to choose for me and don’t tell me.
Our server chose the lamb shish kabobs in their signature yogurt sauce which was laid on top of their bread they make in house. I could bathe in it! Yummy!
My husband had the traditional chicken and lamb kabobs that he thought were cooked perfectly and were delicious
next time you’re at Easton, consider dining there!
Great ambiance, Great service and awesome food!

I know turkish dishes very well. In fact, I make several turkish dishes when I feel like it. This turkish restaurant is something else. All ingredients of foods are fresh. Kebab made of Lamb and beef taste great. They should have a expert chief. You should try baklava. It melts in your mouth. Great place

I have been eating this restaurant last 4 years but my last every visit service and good quality getting low!!! last I complaint about the extremely salt use on my food, this time I ordered RIB it was awful, it smells nasty not fresh, the server offered me to change it but I wasn’t enjoying anymore I just had my cocktail which It wasn’t good too, I don’t know what happened that restaurant manager had changed or owner? But me and my friends decided not go there anymore, there is several nice Turkish food I will try them next time for sure, normally I don’t use Unilocal and social media but I just want to let people know before making a nice dinner plan!! Thank you

One of my favorite places to eat at Easton for lunch. They have a great lunch deal. 3 course meal with many options for around $ 11. Excellent lamb. Recommend the vegetable soup.

Came here after a day at Easton and I really enjoyed our meal. We got the Shish Kebab and the Grilled Shrimp. The bread and the tomato dipping sauce it came with was delicious.
I could probably eat only the bread with the sauce and be content for the night. Bread is super super good.
The lamb dish I got was tender and good. It came with a side of plain rice and some steamed veggies which they could probably do more with but it was all pretty good. Bf got the grilled shrimp and it was also cooked very well and came with a side of plain rice and salad. I really enjoyed the savory flavors. Everything was pretty light and they aren’t heavy on the spices. Prices are a bit higher but the décor is nice and the location is also very nice. Large amount of food too!

The best Turkish food I’ve ever had! — Also, the only Turkish food I’ve ever had!
Went here for a business meeting with an international customer who practices a Halal diet. Called ahead and was happy to hear that Café Istanbul could meet my needs. I was a little worried that this would not be authentic middle eastern food and therefore make me look like a complete goober for suggesting this restaurant. However, my worries were put to rest when my business associate tasted the food and found it to be excellent, authentic, and seemed impressed with my decision for Café Istanbul. (THANK YOU for the potential sale)
We ordered the platter of Kebabs, a starter of hummus, and finished with Baklava. I was mistaken in assuming Turkish food would be similar with Indian food — forgive my ignorance! Nothing was overly spicy but it all had absolutely amazing flavor. The meat was cooked to perfection and the service was accommodating and friendly.
I would recommend Café Istanbul to anyone looking for a date night, business meeting, or unique dining experience. I encourage everyone to give this place a shot… there is definitely something on the menu for any type of foodie. Enjoy.

This is a great way to have something different at Easton. The food is fantastic, and the service is prompt and accommodating. The linch special is definitely filling and one of the better choices, healthy eating wise, at Easton.

First impressions were great– it’s not Istanbul but it’s about as close as I would expect anywhere in Ohio to get… started off a bit too dark inside, clearly aiming for the Ottoman/​Turkish stereotype.
Turkish tea was merely passable, the mixed grill kebabs initially seemed decent but it very quickly became apparent the main seasoning was salt. The shawarma was the main offender, but the chicken, the lamb, and the ground beef weren’t any better.
The side of rice and of raw onion? You definitely needed ‘em to cut the salt, and after those ran out, the rest of the meat was inedible.
Service was decent but a bit pushy with the check; they were happy to let you linger so long as you paid quickly. Bit of an unsatisfactory vibe all things considered.

This is the best Turkish food I’ve found this side of Turkey and I should know having visited Turkey 4 times and counting. Highly recommend. From the olive oil dip (Baharatli Zeytinyagi) to the sophisticated Sultan’s Delight (Hünkar Beğendi) to their many kebabs, great hummus and outstanding bread, Café Istanbul never fails to please. Oh and don’t miss their desserts, especially the künefe, the best I’ve had outside Antakya!
For those unfamiliar with Turkish cuisine, it’s not spicy (unless you want it to be), it is rich, flavorful and very satisfying.

We stopped in Café Istanbul after a day of shopping. It was after the normal lunch hour, so the restaurant wasn’t too busy; even with a table of six we were seated almost immediately. We ordered some dolmades for the table while we perused the rest of the menu. I wasn’t that hungry so I decided to go with one of the salads. That option didn’t work out because the waiter came back to notify me they were out of one of the base lettuces. No big deal, I found another one and was just fine.
Until everyone’s dish came out but mine. In reality it probably wasn’t that long, but when everyone else has their plate, it seemed like forever before what was a pretty simple salad (not including the falafel) to arrive. It was the perfect light meal even though it was an imperfect service. Would I go back again? Of course! So many tasty things to try on the menu. Just don’t know when I’ll make it back to Columbus.

Located in a prime spot at Easten Towne Center (right near Nordstrom!!), I’d call Café Istanbul a hidden gem. Nestled in right next to a much more obvious B.D. Mongolian and the new L.L. Bean store, this establishment may be hard to notice at first unless you know it’s there. Upon walking in, the smell and aesthetics of the place all had an authentic feeling.
My friend and I went for a really late lunch /​early dinner at 4 PM on a Wednesday which is what I like to call the «make or break» time for a restaurant as they are typically shorter staffed but also not crowded and I’ve had different experiences with how restaurants deal with the mid day crowd. I have to say they did an excellent job! Our server and the owner were very attentive and not over bearing. They were also very polite and did not interrupt all the catching up my friend and I had to do.
The food was quite tasty! The menu is a little on the pricy side (~$ 15 per entrée), likely due to its central location at Easten and how high traffic the area is on weekends. We noticed other diner’s portions and decided to split the Shish Kabob plate with yogurt and an appetizer of hummus. It was the perfect amount of food to feel satisfied but not overly stuffed. The hummus was well seasoned and creamy, not oily at all. It tastes great with their home baked bread. Yum! The lamb was tender, moist and not overly greasy. The yogurt was unique served over something that reminded me of American stuffing – it was their signature yogurt mixed with their home baked bread cubes. The tanginess of the yogurt complemented the lamb nicely.
Great meal here over all. It was still completely dead here by 6pm when we left so I hope that this place does better business on higher traffic times /​days of the week. I noticed they have carry out too so that’s always an option as well!

Excellent restaurant! I have visited Turkey and this is as close to authentic as I’ve eaten in the states. Great Turkish wine, appetizers, entrees, and of course, service. We didn’t leave room for dessert so will have to return. In a sea of chain restaurants in this area, this place should be packed every evening!

I absolutely loved the atmosphere of this place. We had a party of 8 out tonight for a small celebration. We dined on the back patio and it was gorgeous. The rest of the restaurant was beautiful too. As far as atmosphere goes, I would return here again and again.
I love trying different styles of food but this was my first time trying Turkish style food so I don’t have anything to compare it to. But the food just didn’t do it for me. Everything was presented beautifully but the taste was a bit bland to me. I had chicken kabobs. The rice was plain, there was nothing interesting about the veggies, and the chicken was plain tasting too. The only thing I tasted over and over again was olive oil. I feel really sick tonight, like there’s a bunch of oil in my stomach.
But, everyone else enjoyed their food. When I saw the kabobs, lamb, and yogurt sauce, I think I was expecting more Indian style food and it turned out to taste more Mediterranean. Guess that’s what you get for not knowing. :)
I did enjoy the restaurant and the service and will most likely return to give it a second try. Next time I think I’ll go for the hummus or the Turkish style pizza.

I’ve had pretty good experiences at Café Istanbul. Their food is always nicely done, and I love their selection of desserts. Their bread is always warm, and their tomato/​pepper/​olive oil sauce is amazing as well. I leave pleasantly full, but not overly so, as the food is not super heavy. Their hummus is delicious, and I usually get either a lamb or chicken dish which never disappoint. The interior of the restaurant is also very beautiful; you really don’t feel like you’re in the middle of a mall anymore. I do think that Café Istanbul is a bit on the pricey side for the amount of food given. The last time I went for lunch, I opted for the lunch special (1 side, 1 entrée, 1 dessert for $ 10.50) which I felt was a better deal.

Five stars. Yep. The lite, flavorful seasoning and tender meat has officially captured my heart!
I start with the establishment itself. Happened to glance to the shelves on the walls: lined with pottery and paintings from authentic Turkish artists. We got here around 12:30 on a Sunday, thus we’re weary that the wait might be long. Bold, bright colors popped right out — gorgeous! Not at all! Several open tables, so we got seated right away. Our waitress took our drink order. A few minutes later we were ready to order. I got the Tandori for an appetizer, and chose the Shepherd’s Casserole as my main dish.
We were served the Tandori first. Along side the Tandori sat a small bowl for a crushed red pepper/​oil for dipping the fresh-​out-​of-​the-​oven bread. The Tandori was incredibly tasty: Not overly salty; you could definitely taste the multiple flavors of parsley, chopped red pepper, etc. With the bread? Phenomenal!
Now to the Shepherd’s Casserole: Wow! Lightly seasoned lamb chunks, and veggies. It was a perfect mix. The dish also comes with a side of their rice. The rice was also full and buttery (not the bland Minute Rice that sticks together and just tastes like mush)!! I mixed it in with my dish, and the flavors added perfectly!
The menu is a tad bit pricier that average joints, but the quality, flavorful, food makes it well worth the dime!