Asmalı Cavit

An absolutely amazing experience. The staff were above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable, waiter brought us all the small plates they had to offer and helped us order. Locals eating here too were super helpful, encouraging us to try different dishes - so friendly. The food itself was delicious. Great great great appetizers. The mashed fava beans were amazing, as was the chard. Must come!

A great place for local food fare. Best book in advance. Can much recommend the seaweed salad. All dishes we had were fantastic. Highlight was the grilled anchovies

Food and service were outstanding. Grilled anchovies were the best we’ve had in the Mediterranean. Smoked eggplant, fried liver, and chard mezze were also fantastic. My son liked the mussels stuffed with rice so much that the manager noticed and gave us another plate on the house (which he ate all by himself!)

The service was exceptional and our dinner was delicious. The sea bass appetizer and kofte are highly recommended. A reservation may be advantageous.

Unique Turkish meze and meyhane place. It's hard to find a table so book ahead. Try every meze, köfte and anne patatesi are essential. I always love to be here.

We ate here last night. Fantastic food. Fantastic Service. Fantastic Atmosphere. If you have only one night in instanbul. Come here.

This was for us an outstanding dinner experience in Istanbul. Great food all around (we were a party of 7), fantastic atmosphere with predominantly local guests, and very attentive staff. Would definitely recommend. Important to book in advance as the place was completely packed.

Was a great place with really good food. And friendly service.

The sardines here were everything! Smoky and so delicate, very different than sardines anywhere else. The eggplant sa We came to this restaurant mainly because we wanted to have some good, fresh seafood. We had made reservations way in advance before arriving in Turkey and I'm glad we did since this restaurant was packed and busy, especially since we traveled to Istanbul during Ramadan. We were seated right away upon checking in with the hostess. Sitting at the table next to us was a Turkish couple who were so friendly, kind and helpful to us as they saw us looking around at the menu and food trying to decide which of the many dishes on the menu to order. We started off with the eggplant salad (without yogurt) and the taramasalata, both delicious and the taramasalata was no overtly fishy. We wanted to have anchovies however they were not in season. Instead they had mackerel which our server kindly warned us were very different than the anchovies both in taste and texture (a bit drier and tougher meat). We went for it anyway and although I prefer anchovies much more, these little suckers were actually tasty. Our favorite dishes however were the grilled sardines and the marinated seabass, both so fresh and delicious. The sardines here were everything! Smoky yet so delicate, very different than sardines anywhere else. The marinated seabass was also a winner dish. The meatiness of the seabass absorbed the nice tangy taste of the marinade. They do have a few half bottles of wine, but I'd recommend going for a whole bottle of Turkish white to pair with the delicious seafood. Our server was nice and attentive and the prices of the dishes were so reasonable. This was definitely one of our favorite meals while in Turkey and one that we would love to repeat if we ever go back to Istanbul. lad was also delicious. The tamara salad was also great, not too fishy.

Fantastic mezes. Efficient service. For groups larger than 8, make a reservation. Second floor was great with smoking room at the balcony. Will come back here again!

This meze place came highly recommended by our hotel where we were staying for the week and boy did it not disappoint. Highlights of the dinner included the sardines (fresh catch of the day) and the eggplant (smokey and lipsmacking good). Wonderful end to a wonderful trip!

I want to give this place 5 stars. I really do. But as Costanza said "It's not you, it's me." The aubergine meze is sublime. The spicy tomato one - out of control. Not to mention the grilled shrimp, haddock and liver mezes. Frankly, you could just dine on mezes and skip the entree. Advice? Go early. This is a late night and weekend kind of place. Great energy and if you want to get in, you'll have to eat with the rest of us Yanks. Also, ask for the non-smoking section. These days coming out of dinner smelling like a chimney is passé.

After reading about this place in Lonely Planet and several places online, I put it on our list of must-trys in Istanbul. Luckily, the street was also very close to where we were staying, and the place was easy to find.. because I found it kind of difficult to navigate our way to some other specific places in Istanbul.. perhaps switching to a Turkish keyboard on my iPhone would've helped... and yet, some street signs in Beyoglu are simply non-existent! But I digress! The food here was awesome! After starting off with a pretty meat-heavy diet when we first arrived, it was nice to get some variety at this meyhane. We started off with some mezzo: an herb-heavy fava bean cake, dolmas (not too impressed with these), delicious marinated haddock, and an exquisite taramasalata (fish roe spread) I still dream about! Seriously, just gimme a bowl of the stuff and nobody gets hurt. Next, we had the fried lamb liver, which I'd read about. Be warned: you get a heaping plate of the stuff! It was good, but it was a LOT of damn liver. Enough to share with at least 4-5 people! The service here was awesome and it was a great place to ring in our 5 year date-aversary (we're married now, but still celebrate the ol' date-aversary too!) I was a bit disappointed that the atmosphere in this methane was not a bit more fun (I was expecting rowdy raki-infused singing!)-- maybe we were just there too early?? Or the wrong night?? Anyway, next time I find myself in Istanbul, I would definitely return here!

Very shortly: Hands up ! All mezes and fish plate were great except the tea and Turkish coffee unfortunately. This is quite usual in Turkey, proving that you should have your coffee or tea at another cafe, not in the restaurant even it is a top one.

We were excited to try this place after reading it was a "top choice" in the Lonely Planet. We went in and the decor and ambiance seemed to indicate this would be a good authentic Turkish cuisine experience... Albeit surrounded by fellow tourists. We were very disappointed. Food was not great; the quality compare to other authentic Turkish cuisine was way below par. Maybe we just came on a bad day in the kitchen but I would not risk trying again myself given the prices they charge!

After two unsuccessful attempts to get into Asmali Cavit, we finally got in on our third try -- a Tuesday night. After attempting to order some of the items on their menu, we gave up on the menu since they had obviously rotated their seasonal selections to different fish dishes. Eventually they ended up bringing out the fresh catch of the day on a platter and we just ordered a couple of the fish shown. The fish were amazing and prepared to really showcase the fish themselves. In one, it was deboned, then lightly breaded and served whole fish fried. In the other, they were served deboned and headless in a vinegar and oil grilled preparation. Both were equally delicious and we'd go back here in a heartbeat. We'd just skip the menu and ask what they have.

Great food in a lively setting with gracious and good spirited service. We had four or five mezze that were recommended by the staff and visited the display cabinet for another one or two. We shared the fresh sea bass that was perfectly grilled and washed it all down with the house raki followed by a delectable bahklava. Lots of locals in groups. A definite must!!