Defne

A wonderful dining experience! The dishes are outstanding, with a great variety of vegetarian options to choose from, and the service is very friendly. The wine selection complements the meal perfectly. In the summer, the terrace overlooking the Planufer offers a delightful atmosphere that makes dining here extra enjoyable. A special place we look forward to returning to time and again — highly recommended!

I have visited Defne three times when I visited Berlin and always left the restaurant full and happy. Their air-dried sujuck pastrami with hommis and pistachio is amazing. I can also recommend their octopus in spicy sauce. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere nice. Good for dates and share the food.

Came here on the recommendation of a friend and walked halfway across Berlin to do so…. Well worth it. The venue is charming as is the covered outdoor patio by the river. Food = 10/10 along with the service. English menus available if your German / Turkisk needs some ‘leveling up.’ Highly recommend the Lamb Skewers and the House Speciality (something something Ali). Price to value ratio was definitely solid along with the vast selection of drinks. Be aware they only take German credit cards, so have enough cash to cover or be prepared to hit an atm around the corner. Ty for having me and cheers.

It was incredible. The spicy octopus was the best thing I've had on our trip. It would be spicy by European standards and Medium in USA standards. Service was by far the best in Europe we've had. A Spanish Guitarist played for a little bit. It was quite hot though. The staff tried opening the door but people closed it.

The dishes and the desert was delicious. I liked greek breast chicken. Salat sauce had special taste!

Great Turkish restaurant just a minute off the beaten path. Service is great and menus are available in English. We all found the different dishes to be well made, and the price/performance ratio is good. Where this restaurant really shines is the location. If at all possible get a table outside. It's a very beautiful location that will elevate your meal. I deducted one star for service as their card terminal allegedly only handles German cards, whatever that means. Paying my non German visa or Mastercard, debit or credit, was not possible. Luckily i had enough cash, and i was informed there's an ATM nearby should it be needed.

Starters were bigger than expected and loved the mixed platter. I'm generally not a veggie person but the eggplant with tomatoes and bulgur was the highlight of the night. Lamb was good although nothing extraordinary for me but definitely completed the meal. I'll come back to order the aubergine again and next time try a different meat. (will reorder lamb again but not at every visit)

Yes, unfortunately a bit disappointing. The menu is definitely a great choice and mouthwatering. And you are a bit spoilt for choices. However, the actual dishes were for our liking too bland. My dad's seafood bake was very oily. My veal and aubergine bake had only 4 pieces of meat, lots of oily Aubergine. My daughter got a spaghetti and tomato sauce dish. My friend got pasta with prawns, which turned out to be the same fish as my daughter with 4 scampis in it. The curried chicken shish was ok, but we really were looking for traditional cuisine. My dad used to come here for fresh grilled fish but it's changed for obvious reasons to only weekends. We were here during the week. I hope it was a one off less positive experience.

Love this place, delicious food and beautiful atmosphere! Definitely a hidden gem of Berlin. Cash or local debt cards only. No Visa/MasterCard

Horrible, humiliating service. Even with reservation you wait outside for 15 minutes. When my friends who don't speak German asked for English menus they said: we're in Germany, you should speak German. In total we waited an hour before our food came. The food is nothing special and very expensive.

Fantastic delicious food, helpful bilingual servers, lovely outdoor patio. Would absolutely go back. But it's cash only!

Defne is a sit-down Turkish restaurant located near the Turkish market in Kreuzberg. The food and atmosphere here are definitely higher class than the ubiquitous Döner kebab stalls found all over Berlin. The restaurant was very busy when we arrived for dinner, but we were fine with sitting inside and got a table right away. We started with an order of the Karisik Deniz Güveci, a mixed seafood dish baked with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cheese. This was a fantastic dish--the vegetables were plentiful and fresh, and the tomato-based sauce was very reminiscent of Italian flavors. We also had the Ali Nazik ("der Vornehme Ali" in German), grilled strips of lamb with rice and salad. While the lamb was peppery and flavorful, it was also a little bit tough, but it went very well with the subtle flavors of the eggplant puree and the cooling yogurt sauce. The service here was accommodating and attentive as well, despite the large number of guests that were also there. Overall, while this dinner was delicious, it might not have been my favorite, as it seems that Turkish street food in Berlin is where the best flavors (and value for money) can be had.

Not much to say. Excellent dinner, service was fast and professional, price in line with the average price for dinner in a European capital. Will visit again next time I'm in Berlin!

I selected Defne out of a guidebook, being in search of some flavors hard to find in my home state of Oregon. The restaurant was small and intimate, but well staffed with efficient service. Ambiance was dark and made reading/translating the menu a little challenging, so being adventurous my selections were made with a general "jist" of featured ingredients. The appetizer sampler platter was wonderful. There was fresh hummus, red pepper/chili paste, fresh tzaziki, green olive salad, garlic carrots and walnut chili paste with slices of tomato and cucumber. I shared a plate of jumbo prawns sauteed in tomato, onion, and other veggies, with rice and salad as an entree. Prawns were excellent, and the sauce very tasty. Dessert was walnut stuffed figs with chocolate and vanilla sauces. Really wonderful meal, and fully enjoyed!

Really enjoyed dinner here. Came with a group of colleagues. We were able to make a reservation for 9 of us (which was a huge help). Atmosphere was really nice. We started with some great appetizer plates... lots of spreads that were all delightful. I had the spicy octopus for dinner and was blown away. Baked and topped with feta cheese, it was absolute heaven. Highly recommend. Word to the wise: Bring cash.

Summary: Mediocre Turkish food prepared for non-Turkish people. I found Defne while doing a Google search "Best Turkish food in Berlin." Defne was mentioned on several blogs as well as TripAdvisor with great reviews. I'm guessing Defne is popular because of its outdoor patio facing the Landwehr Canal. I asked the waitress what their speciality is and she mentioned shrimp scampi and lamb shish kabob with yogurt eggplant. I chose the lamb. There are several telltale signs why I believe this restaurant is not authentically Turkish: 1. The salad was lettuce with lemon mustard sauce. 2. The lamb was bland and lacked spice oomph. 3. My waitress was German. The other waiters were Turkish though. 4. All the customers were Germans or tourists. Not a single Turkish in sight. 5. No sumac on the table. Just salt and pepper. What I consider authentic Turkish in Berlin: - Konyali @ Kottbusser Torr. A local Turkish institution. All the customers are Turkish. - Tadim Ocakbasi - Their included salad starter is what a Turkish salad should taste like. Adana Kebab is spicy and to die for.

Delicious food and great service! We had the octopus and meze plate as starters, and the hellenische chicken, "Ali Nazik" (lamb with eggplant), and oven baked seafood with feta. Everyone was very happy with their food! Service was quick and friendly (and the waitress spoke English with my mom who doesn't speak German). Atmosphere was cozy and when we first arrived there was lovely love guitar music to set the mood. All around great!

Small romantic restaurant, off the tourist path. Wonderful range of interesting meals. Fresh fish at the weekend: delicious grilled 'dorade'. Pleasant service. Fresh bread. Good wine. Worth seeking out!

Small, charming Turkish restaurant that is more than a cut above the usual kabob place. The cooking is flavorful and even imaginative. I highly recommend the Ac Kurt (Hungry wolf), which I thought was really delicious.

Bad service. We only sat for a drink and the waiter took 15min to come even though there were only 2 tables altogether. At the end he brought the bill of €16.8 and when he took 20€ he asked if it's OK. I understood that he asked if the bill is correct, but he actually took 20€ and never came back. He nicely gave himself 20% tip for the horrible service

Nice veg selection. Tasty food in beautiful setting right on the canal. Great mediterranean fare, pleasant service. Meze platter outstanding. High approval on the veg main courses (The Imam Fainted - that's the actual dish name).

Food is delicious.. Service is so-so. Worth going to for the food, if you find yourself in Kreuzberg.

I chose Defne on the recommendation of a friend who knows food a bit. I have to disagree with them on this choice because Defne has meager portions. I had an appetizer, a serving of delicious bread, and a full meal. I was hungry when I left. The quality was average. For the price you should look around, however for a quick drink in a low key spot it has an awesome atmosphere.