Antakya Restaurant

Great food and excellent service! Bilal and Burhan were very helpful and friendly! Had been eating there twice, before was for a doner kebap dinner and just now was for a late lunch with grilled chicken and rice. Recommended place, excellent food, great service, good value for money. And this place is only 2 minutes away from Grand Bazaar…

Good was delicious and very flavorful. The wait staff was very attentive and as far as we counted, they spoke French, Russian, English, and Spanish!

Food here is amazing and the service is even better. Bilal was awesome and was really attentive and nice. They brought me some awesome bread and Turkish tea for free which was really unexpected. Over all this place is a real 5 star restaurant and I will defiantly come back here.

This place is just a bit off the beaten track but it’s well worth seeking out. We had the Sultans Delight, kebabs of lamb made to order (medium rare) on a bed of copped roast eggplant. Garnished with roast tomato and peppers. Delicious!

Very good restaurant. The food is delicious and regional. The service is good！We are from china. The place is easy to find!

Nice clean little spot amongst so many options to choose from within walking distance from, ‘Grand Bazaar’. Friendly service, I had the beef kebab w/​saffron rice… a must try if you haven’t had it before! 4-​Stars because I’m gauging this place to DTLA Jewelry District. –Blessings
note: No pic phone was dead!
–PS: Istanbul Turkey is a must visit

Had their firey-​salt encrusted fish dinner with our first night in Istanbul. It was a real treat to meet such wonderful restaurant owners and meet a couple of the patrons tonight. As others have noticed, they were very polite, and pointed out great suggestions on their menus. As Americans, we are used to a faster kind of service, but the staff made our wait easy and accommodated our time with conversation and drinks. Yes, there is a wait time, but we also need to remember where we are in this world and enjoy the time we have with others. I do plan for another visit in the future — really enjoy our dinner tonight.

They had the best yoghurt I’ve had in years, and I have tried many. The only time I tasted anything like it was many years ago when I had taken a trip to a relatively remote Iranian village. They process the yoghurt by putting it in a large cloth bag and letting it seap water for months. Nowadays they try to rush that process to make it economic, but that won’t achieve the same taste or texture. This yoghurt though was absolutely delicious and refreshing. Highly recommended.
The waiter (Bilal) is a very nice guy who chats with customers and speaks quite a few languages. Best waiter I have had in Istanbul so far.
The main course was delicious and as far as I could tell, it was authentic.
Overall, a nice experience. I recommend it.

Delicious, simply made, very approachable Turkish/​Middle Eastern food served by a polite, courteous staff who seem genuinely interested in giving you a good dining experience. We had the lamb shish kebab and the spiced minced meat kebab and while both were tasty, the lamb kebab was excellent. Also mentionable were: eggplant appetizer, fresh flat bread, fresh pomegranate juice (note: not as sweet as the bottled sort you usually buy in the US). Did I also mention the free apple tea and delicious goat cheese (think silky ricotta) with herby olive oil?
FYI: we came tonight (early April) around 8PM for dinner and know basically one or two Turkish words between the two of us. Dinner was around 107TL (approx. $ 38USD) at the time of this review.

The food is okay, but please be aware that this spot is aimed at tourists — the prices are higher than usual! There were only other tourists in this restaurant when I was there, no turkish guests.
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Eins vorweg: Wenn vor dem Laden Leute stehen, die einen ansprechen und hereinwinken, dann ist das ein 100% Touri-​Schuppen «ohne wenn und aber»! Die anderen Gäste im Laden waren Österreicher, Japaner und einige englischsprechende Gäste — keine Türken…
Was nicht heisst, dass der Laden schlecht ist, aber die Preise sind dann dementsprechend schon etwas höher als normal.
Wir waren zu fünft, aber da meine Schwester kaum hunger hatte, hatten wir beschlossen nur etwas für 4 zu bestellen. Für mich gab es dann Adana Kebab und die anderen 3 entschieden sich für die Kebab-​Platte. Der Kellner bestand vehement darauf, dass die Platte nur für 2 Personen reicht, aber das Bild auf der Karte sprach einfach eine andere Sprache und wir riskierten es zur Not nachbestellen zu müssen. Tja, was soll ich sagen — obwohl ich ja ziemlich verfressen bin, schafften wir die Platte alle gerade so…
Die Kellner waren freundlich, aber etwas lahm. Zum Schluss gab es einen süßen Tee auf’s Haus.

Aufgrund der vielen guten Bewertungen waren wir hier und wurden nicht enttäuscht: Aufmerksamer Service, tolles Brot, Weinkarte und Apfeltee auf’s Haus zum Abschluss. Wir aßen Lamm und Fisch und beides war authentisch und sehr schmackhaft. Wir können das Antakya bedenkenlos weiterempfehlen!

My friend and I decided to eat at this restaurant for our first Turkish food experience. We we’re not sure what to eat so we took recommendations and sampled 3 separate dishes. To be honest I cannot tell you what the names of the dishes were, but I can tell you that they were all very delicious. The staff was very friendly and they provided us with complimentary drinks. It was a great way to start off our trip, but this restaurant set very high food standards for the rest of the trip which unfortunately other restaurants dos not meet :(please go here!

Great lamp and chicken in the clay. Good service.
Good choice to finish the Bazaar trip and come here.
Haven’t tried the lobster and expecting to try it next time.
Recommended!

Excellent food. Excellent service.
We had the iskender based on recommendation from the waiter and he was not wrong. The tomato sauce in the doner was amazing. The breads were delicious and very fresh. They brought out this basket topped with a pita fresh out of the oven. When we cut open the inflated pita, all the steam was released and I «ooohed» aloud.
We also got a mix plate of veg, olives, cheese. Ingredients were fresh and delicious.
The meal was finished with some gratis Elma cay which is an apple tea. Overall great dining experience in Istanbul.

Amazing Turkish cuisine, so many specialities and differences that you must try!
We had the cream yogurt with garlic to start. Turkish bread is awesome, like a big empty pita puffball. Next we got the wrap kebabs and the pearl of Antakya. The Stewed Meatballs dish was the perfect portion for a hungry man who also loves spicy food.
The server Murat was also very gracious and we got the free Turkish coffee after dinner check in offer for our whole table!

Recommended by the Hotel Niles staff. We ended up coming to this restaurant twice during our trip. The food is delicious! Very friendly staff and handsome boss. Plus their Wifi is very fast. Seabass is great with very reasonable price if u like seafood.
Tesekurler

Nice spot right across from the grand bazar. We have been to a number of Turkish restaurants in Istanbul, this one ended up as our favorite so we went back. They have dishes from different regions in turkey but I preferred the sis kabob plates. The food was well seasoned and came out hot with just enough char to give you the grilled flavor. The breads were also amazing. The pita comes out piping hot with steam coming out of it when you tear it open. We have had similar breads in other places but this was the only place where the bread was piping hot. We had the chance to interact with a number of the staff and everyone was helpful and friendly. Usually restaurants in the heart of tourist spots run low on quality and flavor but this place did not disappoint.

It was our first night in Istanbul and the Unilocal reviews for Antakya steered us here.
Good move!
Clean, attractive, and comfortable. Wait staff and management were courteous and helpful, and perhaps amused by Americans.
We opened with a bread basket and assorted accompaniments, all interesting and delicious. The bread on the top of the basket was a big puffy balloon of charred bread and underneath was a patterned flat bread. I know, those of you who know Turkish cuisine are laughing at me for not knowing the names of any of these. I don’t mind, I got to eat them. Both fresh and delicious.
We followed their suggestions and ordered two of the four two-​person items on the back page of the menu. One was a clay pot, which comes to the table on a tray that is on fire, After it burns for a while, the waiter cracks open the top in a loud, showy display and pours out the contents — chicken or lamb and a few vegetables with have stewed inside the pot. This was good, but not great. Flavorful but should have been spicier. Worth the show for the first time here, though.
More interesting was the assortment platter. Favorites: The lamb kebabs (kefta) and the grilled chicken wings. The rest was as with the clay pot: Good but needs a heavier hand with the spices.
Best choice was the must-​have dessert, kunefe. Moderately sweet, buttery cake with crispy bits that I thought were shredded wheat but apparently are noodle threads. Inside was a melty, stretchy cheese. I ate way more than my share.
Overall: Very interesting food, expertly prepared. If you have an American palette, go for the samplers but if you are more adventurous, I would go for menu items and share.

Muy cerca del Gran Bazar, el Antakya fue nuestra introducción a la cocina turca y la experiencia no pudo ser mejor! «Manolo», el dueño, es la personificación de la amabilidad local y tanto su simpatía como la de los demás empleados es de lo mejor que tiene el restaurante. La comida estuvo muy buena (el menú es bastante extenso, con muchas cosas para elegir), además de que nos dieron pan típico con crema para untar de entrante cortesía de la casa y unos baklavas de postre también de regalo. Ah! Y si haces check in (no te preocupes, hay wifi) te regalan un chupito, en nuestro caso, té de manzana delicioso. Totalmente recomendado, especialmente si quieres charlar un rato y escuchar historias mientras ves el ajetreo de la zona desde la terraza.

Food is delicious, Turkish pita is better than pizza. Manager was so considerate, when we ordered chilli source, he gave us 3 different kind, including Chinese one, because we are Chinese. Also he provided us Turkish tea on house, super nice!!! Thank you! Recommend it!!!

Llegue a Estambul y no tenia idea donde cenariamos, buscamos en el app y aparecio este restaurant, lo probamos
Excelente sorpresa, muy buena comida, la atención insuperable, repetimos al dia siguiente.
Me llamo la atención que uno de los comensales se levanto y llamo a otros turistas a que probaran el restaurant y aceptaron, el lugar bastante lleno para ser miercoles en la noche
Super recomendable

We came here on our first night in Istanbul, jet lagged and hungry we were welcomed by the friendly staff. They brought out lavash and pita with a yogurt sauce to get us started.
We ordered the baked hummus with almonds and the lamb kababs. The baked hummus was good but different than the hummus we usually get in the U.S. The lamb was tender, well seasoned and not on skewers which I though was a plus. They invited us to try apple tea and not being a tea drinker, I declined but they insisted. I’m so glad they did… it was delicious and like a tarter version of a hot apple cider.
We’d certainly come back!

Suggested by Sami from our hotel, Antakya Restaurant was the perfect way to end our stay in Istanbul. The service was warm and friendly, open-​air seating so inviting, the food delivered, and that tea…
Still stuffed from our lunch that day and an early evening snack of salad & wine, we opted to share a pide and künefe (of course!). Best way to describe a pide is sort of a Turkish calzone/​pizza. We got the meat one (sort of like a meat-​lovers lol) and it tasted great with cheeses that tasted similar to feta and mozzarella. The vegetables did not take a backseat at all as you could really taste them side-​by-​side with the loaded meats. Now, the künefe. Easily my favorite Turkish dessert. It’s melty white cheese covered by crispy, shredded phyllo dough on both sides, covered in simple syrup, and then crushed pistachio for garnish & a break in flavors.
To finish our meal, I asked for decaffeinated tea, and our server goes, «I can make you mint tea.» And I asked, «Okay, but no caffeine, right?» And he said, «Yes, no caffeine. I will make it fresh and boil the leaves.» WHATTT. He came back with thee most amazing, freshest tasting tea I have ever had. Sooo tasty and all I saw in front of me were the greenest looking mint leaves in my tea cup with a lemon wedge. I was amazed! And delighted. :)
FYI
They take cc.
Around the corner from the Beyazit tram stop.
The owner loves Latin music so all that was playing was salsa, bachata, and reggaeton. YES!

服务没得说，东西也好吃.tavuk kant鸡翅，135的海鲜拼盘也不错。老板会德语跟英语。/Chef kann ein bisschen Deutsch, Sehr nett. Die Atmosphäre IST auch gut. Viele Speise sind lecker.

Türkischer Charme wird in der Kulinarik festgehalten. Lamm in der Salzkruste einfach empfehlenswert, Gewürzreis dazu und zum Abschluss Raki, Herz was willst du mehr.

Sehr gutes türkisches Restaurant. Nur zu empfehlen. Das Lamm mit Gewürzreis in der Salzkruste ist die Spezialität des Hauses und nur zu empfehlen.

The short version: come here and you won’t be disappointed. Excellent food, exceptional service and great atmosphere, all at very reasonable prices. As a bonus, they are conveniently close to the grand bazaar and tram stop. For the long version, read on.
Over the course of my week in Istanbul, I ate three dinners at Antakya. I rarely go to the same place twice when visiting a new city, but the service, food and atmosphere brought me back.
Originally, I was looking for a different restaurant, but it was raining, and recognizing the name of Antakya from Unilocal,I was quickly ushered in. Right away the maitre d struck up a casual conversation about soccer, and offered to turn on any match I’d like to watch. There are two reasonably-​sized screens and no volume. Good if you want to watch, but not bothersome if you don’t. I was alone, so this was a plus. They also have free wifi, which was very helpful to me, as my phone wasn’t working, and I only had an ipod with wifi.
It was a Friday night in late March, and there was a lively atmosphere. The music was upbeat, and I noticed the volume was subtly adjusted on several occasions so as not to be too loud. The restaurant was well lit, and the atmosphere was energizing. At one point, a flaming dish with a clay pot was brought out and the pot was cracked open, emptying the contents onto a patron’s plate.
The menu had a lot of variety beyond your standard kebap and pide, although it had those too. It’s well organized, with lots of pictures for foreigners like myself. The prices are very reasonable — comparable to lunch on sultanahmet square (15 – 30 lyra mains). I also saw them provide service to multiple groups in Russian and Spanish, and did not hesitate to speak some German and Italian too.
I ordered a lentil soup and a Hatay kebap. First, they brought out a pita with yogurt and olive oil. The pita had been toasted over a fire, and was inflated like a balloon (see pics). Steam billowed out as I tore it open. The yogurt was tart and thick, and the olive oil drizzled over it was excellent. Soon after, the lentil soup arrived. It was well seasoned and creamy. Once I had finished the soup, they took it away and brought out the Hatay kebap with a second beer. It was served with grilled pepper and tomato, and a yogurt drizzled with pomegranate molasses for dipping. The lamb casserole I had on the second night was delicious too. I’d recommend either of these over the standard adana kebap, which I had the third night. All nights, the food was very good, if not excellent.
After I had finished my meal, I was offered tea or coffee on the house, which I gladly accepted. I had been writing down some thoughts about my trip, and enjoyed having a nice place to pass the time. I did this all three nights, and not once did they ever rush me or offer me the bill — even as tables became scarce and I occupied a well-​positioned table for 4.
I think the best part was that even on the second night, multiple servers had recognized me, treated me as a friend, and had remembered my drink preferences from the night before. By the third night, even the man on the street recognized me from a block away, and warmly greeted me as I approached. On my last night, the waiter even brought me a shot on the house with my bill.
Overall, Antakya provided exceptional service with great food and an enjoyable atmosphere. I highly recommended it to anyone looking for a dependable Turkish restaurant close to the grand bazaar.