Aloran Cafe & Restaurant

I'm so glad that Yelp led me here. Right around the corner from the Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia, my teens had not eaten and we needed to stop for lunch. They weren't trusting my guidance to this back alley to find this spot. When we arrived, it looks like a typical Cafe and teens seemed unimpressed. They quickly changed their minds.

We were greeted quickly and had outstanding service from beginning to end.

We sat outside, which was shaded, to try and catch a breeze on another hot afternoon. Mom & Dad started with a bottle of Turkish Sauvignon Blanc, while teens stuck with their sodas. (ok, mom & dad had 2, but we were having so much fun.)

We were brought out quickly a giant, hollow Turkish style bread, HOT out of the oven. Dip it into the olive oil, pomegranate vinegar & Sriracha and its wonderful.

Husband and I had the Ottoman Special w/Apricot for Two. Its pieces of lamb, beef & chicken cooked in a Anatolian casserole w/a sauce of rosemary, basil & rice. This was DELICIOUS. What an unassuming place to find such a delectable dish (ok, owner/server recommended it and I'm so glad he did).

Afterwards, we were give, on the house, Turkish delights, Turkish tea and "evil eye" pendants for me & the teens. Awesome!

A great stop before or after sight seeing.

Sorry, I hate to be the naysayer here, but this place was just not good - I'm sorry I read the Yelp / TripAdvisor reviews, and even sadder for the people who ate here twice and thought that this was the best food they had in Istanbul. There's FAR better if you get away from this highly touristy / tourist trap area of Sultanhamed. Get on the tram or take a cab to Beyoğlu for where all the good food is, for half (if not less than half) the price.

The only reason I came here was because I was starving and it was late, and we were tired from having woken up at 4 am to fly to Ephesus, and got back to the hotel at 9 pm and needed something to eat. To be honest, I would have rather skipped dinner and gone to bed hungry than waste calories and time on this meal.

Between the 3 of us, we got hummus, turkish dumplings with yogurt sauce, a sausage pide & the Ottoman Special w/Apricot. The fresh bread that they brought to the table was nice and puffy and hot, and the Ottoman Special was the best of all the dishes, but to be fair I liked the apricots in the dish the best, and would have been happy just eating dried apricots instead.

The hummus was worse than Sabra hummus that sits in the refrigerated section in the grocery store. It was not fresh, slightly dry, and just meh.

I don't like lamb, so I didn't like the Turkish dumplings, but my brother liked them, so not knocking points off for that because I don't like lamb. The sausage pide was disappointing - I think frozen pizza would have been better. The cheese was not really melty, the sausage tasted like just thick pepperoni and the whole thing was lackluster.

The best thing was the Ottoman Special w/ Apricot that had chunks of lamb, chicken, and beef. If you do come here (even after reading my review), get this, because I think it's probably one of the better dishes.

It wasn't that cheap either - for all our dishes and one glass of wine, we spent around 100 Turkish lira for 3 people. We ate amazing durum wraps in Beyoğlu for 5 people at Durumzade for 40 Turkish lira, just for a basis of comparison.

2 stars if you compare it to all the other delicious food options in Istanbul. Maybe 3 if you compare to all the other food in this touristy area. Either way, I'm warning you - there's way better food in Istanbul. Don't get suckered into the Yelp or TripAdvisor reviews - these people are missing out on really good food!

While I fully expected my best meal in Istanbul to come in the form of a batch of turkish delight or a kebab, what a pleasant surprise it was to have it come in the form of "turkish ravioli" from Aloran Cafe Restaurant

Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere?

Fast, friendly, and tourist friendly. Sure, there's the standard guy out front trying to coax in every tourist that walks by, but once you're seated you'll be more than comfortable. English is widely spoken both by the servers and on the menu, and while you might wait a little bit for your meal, know that it's because it's made to order. Star Granted.

Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?

Even prior to coming to Aloran Cafe Restaurant, something interesting had caught my eye. Turkish ravioli? What in the world is turkish ravioli? Well, apparently it's actually called Manti, and it's a lamb dumpling that's as much a blend of europe and asia as the city of istanbul itself. My order consisted of 10 dumplings and cost $9.00. That's more expensive than you'll find elsewhere in the city, but honestly where else can you find such a unique dish? Solid value here. Star Granted.

Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?

What an excellent dish. These dumplings were absolutely fantastic from their delicate but perfectly cooked pasta exterior to a flavorful lamb filling, and it was all brought together with a garlic and yogurt sauce that was decorated up with mint. My only regret is that they went quickly. I'd love to see this dish come stateside, but in the meantime I can only recommend it to everyone possible. Dual Stars Granted.

Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?

Aloran Cafe Restaurant was my best meal in Istanbul, and while that would typically warrant a fifth star, there's simply too much competition in the area to say that this is your best option in the city. Make no mistake, you should go here, and you should get the turkish ravioli. No Star Granted.

Located in an area of Istanbul, close to all the tourist attractions, that does not lack for nice looking Turkish restaurants, this cafe is a stand out. It has a mix of basic Turkish dishes, pasta and more traditional Turkish dishes (and vegetarian options). They also have options for tea and coffee.

The service is excellent. Everyone we encountered was friendly and efficient. As a group we shared a couple "Turkish pizzas". These football shaped cousins of pizza had plenty of cheese and toppings. It was cut into stripped and we finished every bite. A few people had the lentil soup. I did not try it but they reported it was good. Prior to the meal they also brought us a traditional puffed, thin bread with sesame seeds. This was accompanied by two sauces or mezes (they recommended to mix) to dip in. One was a yogurt base, the other was a tomato base with veggies and a bit of a kick. I'm not sure what these sauces were called but they were good!

I tried two main dishes: the manti (Turkish ravioli) and a beef dish. The ravioli pieces were two bites-sized and filled with seasoned meat. It was topped with a type of garlic and yogurt sauce. It sounds strange if you have never tried it but it was amazing. The sauce made the dish lighter. (This is offered as both a smaller plate size in the appetizer section and as a full meal. I found the appetizer size to be enough for one person.) I do not recall the name of the beef dish but it was equally good. Well seasoned pieces of beef on top of cheese with a large slice of baked potato and veggies. I believe this is a finer version of a similar street dish. (There are also chicken and lamb versions).

One of the vegetarians ordered a baked vegetable dish that is cooked in a type of clay pot. This was the most spectacular order at the table. After bringing out what was a mostly empty plate, our server came back with a flaming clay container. He tapped the top off and poured the stemming dish onto her plate. She loved it.

If you need a place to eat, a bit off from the crowd, while sightseeing, this cafe is a good option.

I found this place on yelp, and it was near where I am staying in Istanbul, so I decided to drop in.

Waiter is very friendly and he recommended the testy kebab, which has a pretty cool presentation. The pot arrives in a plate that is on fire, then he picks up the pot and taps it with a rod until the pot pops open. Then he pours out the meat and gravy onto the plate.

It was delicious and a very generous portion size. Strongly recommend this place!

We got in from our 11.5hr trip from the US. Tired and exhausted we found this place on yelp near our hotel. A brief walk through the streets and we found this spot. What a wonderful surprise for this casual and laid back Turkish restaurant. Friendly greeting from the staff. Menu was all in English. We split the Turkish ravioli, my date had pasta carbonara and I got the grilled pepper steak. Both dishes were divine. Fairly price, great flavor, nice staff and a great opening dinner experience. There are many restaurants all over this area, and I certainly think this location is a winner.

The Aloran came heavily recommended and lived up to the hype.

The food here is great and innovative, I split a tseksis kabob with a friend, this was a real treat as it came cooking in a jar on a fiery platter. Our waiter ceremoniously cracked the jar open and spilled the contents of the dish onto our plates. What emerged was a rich medley of lamb meat, veggies and brown sauce that melded the flavors of the two.

The end of a meal provided two surprises. We got a choice of three flavored Turkish teas or coffee to choose from and a goodbye gift consisting of the Turkish Evil Eye. Service was amazing they clearly care about their patrons and what they think of them.

Craving testi kebab from Aloran since I've been home! Loved this place! The owners were super friendly and personable with a great sense of humor. The food was a highlight, especially given our touristy location. Our family shared a mezze plate, which was as you would expect. We had a salad which was super fresh and delicious. I had the chicken in the clay pot and absolutely loved it! It was tender, flavorful and delicious. Our family of four all ordered different dishes and all were very good. Were were presented with a gift at the end of our meal too - an evil eye, which was a nice touch.

If you want a delicious meal close to the touristy area of Istanbul I would highly recommend this place!

Our group enjoyed all our dishes, appetizers platter, testy kebab, calamaris, and ottoman dish with apricots. Good cuisine.
Restaurant is in a relatively calm street, but steps away from all sightseeing attractions.

The place is cool just to sit down. The food is great, but mostly the service is best. Ottoman dish is recommend to have