Giritli Restoran

Amazing place and food. No need to get the set as previous reviewers mentioned. They have a great selection Ala Carte and hot and cold appetizers are amazing! Staff is incredible

We shared one "large fixed meal" which had a very large array of tasting dishes, plus two "local drinks" (wine & raki). The dishes were quite good, and one order was easily enough for the two of us, with food left over.

The fish was supposedly sea bass, but it had the consistency and taste of trout. Good, but not any sea bass I have ever tasted before...

And the price was quite high. $50 for that one meal. Others have commented that tourists get higher price menus, and that would not surprise me, as the restaurant was full... but all of locals. Given the economy, I would have been amazed if that many people paid that kind of price in local currency...

This place has such a lovely vibe in the dark and narrow alleys of Cankurtaran district in Istanbul.

I informed about this place from the yelp reviews and walked to the restaurant. It was a crowded Friday night time, but the host was such a great person to find me a place in upstairs.

Giritli is near a touristy area of Istanbul, surrounded by all sorts of shops and restaurants geared towards naive tourists. You have to look a little harder to find Giritli, though. The seemingly unassuming restaurant is hidden in a quiet neighborhood in the area. And unlike so many of the restaurants in that area, no one's standing outside the restaurant shoving a menu in your face and telling you that they have the best food in town.

The most memorable parts of the Giritli experience for me:

1) The mezes - so many different varieties of it that I had to suppress the urge to squeal with delight. Everything we had was delicious.

2) The grilled calamari. It came out early in the meal. I don't remember if it came out before or after the mezes, but it's so hard to find good grilled calamari in the states. So this was a memorable treat.

3) The dessert -- it tasted like perfectly fried donuts that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, served with a side of a mysteriously flavored ice cream that perfectly complemented the pastries.

4) The service - the waitstaff wasn't exactly friendly; our waiter had a deadpan face that was all business. Very different from the other personalities we encountered during our twelve days in Turkey. Still, our waiter was on the ball, constantly making sure that our water glasses were full, that our wine glasses were full, and that we were lacking for nothing. It was really very endearing.

In sum, this was our best dining experience in Istanbul and I highly recommend it!

A wonderful meal in a lovely setting. The mezes were plentiful and delicious. We opted for the prix fixe menu which was a great value. The calamari and octopus were tender and very tasty. We couldn't decide on our fish course so they brought us a mixed plate of albacore, mullet, and sea bass. The mullet was our favorite. The dessert was heavenly, crispy fried balls of dough, soaked in honey and served with homemade ice cream!

In addition to wonderful food, the service was excellent. The daughter who runs the restaurant with her mother speaks English, Italian, and French! On top of all of that was a posse of adorable cats who are ubiquitous in Istanbul.

Crowded with cats, very expensive and pre-set menus with terrible food. The place has a nice atmosphere though.

Amazing service and an equally good meal. The wait staff is very friendly and helpful. They bent over backwards to make this meal great. The fixed menu was delicious. The meal started with 18 different little starter "mezzes". We couldn't decide on a favorite. The grilled octopus just melts in your mouth. I can't say enough about the octopus. The main course fish options were very fresh and delicious. When they say unlimited alcohol they really mean it. Our wine glasses were never empty. We walked away stuffed and very happy.

It's a little hard to find. You have to keep going all the way around the corner to find it. It's deceiving because it's the first restaurant we found without someone outside begging us to come in. The neighborhood is very safe. Don't be intimidated by the walk. Well worth it.

I'm in Istanbul with my parents who are celebrating their 57th anniversary. We decided to go for a special night. When I spoke to the concierge at our hotel I mentioned they had a car they can send to pick you up as it is in SultanAhmet which can be tricky to navigate and many taxi drivers don't know too well!!!

PICK-UP
They came on-time as planned. Nice young man helped my parents into & out of the car. Off to a good start.

AMBIENCE
There is a nice courtyard with a covered area that was perfect for nice warm August evening. We arrived at 8:00pm, a little early for dinner, but there were at least 3 other tables, and around 4 tables more arrived after us. The whole place has about 12 tables.

FOOD
They offer a set menu with a choice of 3 different fish. The set-menu is 50 Euros about $68 USD at going rate. Included was a a) seafood pilaf, b) about 14 different mezzes which they told us we could have as much of any that we wanted more of, c) grilled octopus (outstanding), calamari, (which comes fried but we asked for it grilled they said of course!!!) with a walnut sauce on the side, d) fish options (grilled sea bass, fried red mullet, or sardine wrapped in grape leaves, e) tiny greek donuts w/ice cream (delicious), and f) tea/coffee.

The meal also included unlimited soft drink or wine.

SERVICE
Was great although English was limited, we were able to communicate. They were genuinely happy to see that we enjoyed the meal. Owner came to our table to check-in and was very pleasant. As other reviewer mentioned she is a clear presences and runs the show. Clearly has high standards and it shows in the food and service.

Overall, I'd absolutely recommend and if you are staying in SultanAhmet or near Galata Bridge definitely call and ask about their car service. We tipped the driver 20tl when he dropped us off and he was very thankful.

After along day visiting the sites this is a great choice in Sultanahmet area. Granted, the better food choices are in beyoglu but this is an excellent choice if you decide to stay close by. You will leave full and everything is pretty good. At first it seems overpriced but it's bottomless wine so in the end it's actually a good value. We enjoyed the set menu bc after a long day we didn't want to make any more decisions. Totally worth a visit if your in the area.

This restaurant is spectacular. From the quality of the ingredients to the superb preparation to the incredible professionalism of the servers to the magical ambiance, everything is top notch. One of the best dining experiences ever