Hünkar

Hünkar Restaurant in Istanbul is truly great for anyone looking to experience authentic Ottoman cuisine at its finest. From the moment you walk in, you're welcomed with warm hospitality and a beautifully elegant yet traditional atmosphere that sets the tone for what’s to come. Every dish we tried was uniquely flavorful, clearly prepared with the freshest ingredients and great attention to detail. You can immediately taste the heritage and passion behind the recipes — from slow-cooked meats to delicate vegetable stews and perfectly balanced spices, it’s a culinary journey through time. The service was impeccable — attentive without being intrusive, knowledgeable about the menu, and always ready to recommend something special. The staff’s care really elevates the dining experience and makes you feel like an honored guest. What makes Hünkar stand out even more is its well-earned recognition — the restaurant has received numerous culinary awards and has long been regarded as one of Istanbul’s top fine dining establishments. Hünkar is a must-visit for anyone who wants to explore rich Turkish flavors in a refined and authentic setting. A five-star experience through and through — I’ll definitely be coming back!

This is a fancy local canteen. Most places I've tried were tourist traps, where I couldn't justify the prices for very basic food. But this place offers high-quality local dishes at very good prices. Highly recommended! Besides me there were no tourists, but a proper local audience

This is an overhyped below-average “esnaf lokantası” dressed up for Nişantaşı’s posh crowd, who ridiculously romanticize “ev yemeği” without ever knowing what real home cooking tastes like. I tried this place after hearing all the buzz, but left seriously disappointed. It absolutely is not worth the high prices. Nothing felt special or authentic, just very basic (and salty) dishes with a fancy price tag. The service was downright intrusive. Waiters annoyingly hovered around our table the entire time, many times trying to take our plates before we finished (even after we told them not to). They ended up removing several dishes that weren’t even done. It felt rushed, disrespectful and uncomfortable. Overall, we had an unpleasant experience… Definitely not recommended unless you want to overpay for mediocrity and be pressured to leave before your meal’s even over. It’s designed for those Nişantaşı snobs…

Been coming here for years and so grateful that it survives turbulent times. Always feel very good when I dine here. Istanbul would not be the same without it. Long may it thrive and survive

Pros: nice place, excellent service, good food, Nisantisa Cons: prices are maybe 3x what you can get elsewhere. Although very good not 3x price.

I liked the interior design and the service quality. Foods are generally okayish; Hünkarbeğendi was quite delicious, mücver was too oily and the rest had an average taste. Tasted: hünkarbeğendi, mücver, kapuska, kadınbudu köfte

not bad but average. hünkar beğendi was okay (hence the name) but not exquisite as it could have been. pazı dolma was rather like a wrapped meatball, nohut a disappointment. only su böreği was quite good.

What an amazing place. Authentic decor, amazing "home cooked" style food, friendly and helpful staff. Everything on offer are extremely tasty. Can't fault it. Would definately recommend.

First established in Fatih in 1950 and moved to Nişantaşı in 2000 Hünkar Lokantası was once considered one of the "100 Best Restaurants Of World" by Restaurant Magazine, and although this may seem far fetched the kitchen continues to turn our excellent Turkish & Ottoman Food today. Managed by Feridun and Galip Ügümü, their open kitchen greeting guests from 12h00 to 22h30 daily, it is atop white tablecloths that menus are offered alongside warm Bread and drinks such as freshly-squeezed Pomegranate Juice to begin. Traditionally decorated with an English-fluent staff, the nearby neighborhood quiet and upscale, it was on a slow Sunday that Hünkar was found happy to make suggestions including traditional Lamb Trotter Soup packing a whole lot of Vinegar and Garlic. Still family owned in its third generation, a fourth also involved in management, Appetizers arrive temperature appropriate in the form cold stuffed Eggplant, creamy Hummus with fragrant Oil and warm Beef in Puff Pastry. Relying on the grill for entrees, both Lamb Chops and varieties of Beef nicely cooked alongside Rice, Tomatoes and Peppers, the restaurant's specialty of Hünkar Begendi translates as "admired by the Sultan" and certainly earns its accolades thanks to crispy-skinned Lamb on a bed of mashed Aubergine. Not taking any shortcuts with sweets, a baker's dozen made in-house daily, options range from milky to Fruit-based with the baked Rice Pudding and sweetened Pumpkin good but not nearly so compelling as Sutlu Kadayif or Bread Pie known as "Kaymakli Ekmek Kadayifi" served beneath Kaymak.

Had dinner at Hunkar last week...here are my thoughts: Ambiance is fine. The restaurant is very casual and the interior was nice enough. Service seems friendly but nobody spoke English so our local hosts basically facilitated everything on our behalf. Food was just okay for me. The artichoke was delicious as were the grape leaves but I didn't particularly care for anything else. My dad loved his lamb dish which I didn't try. Accompanying bread was a bit stale. I'm not sure what the prices are like since I didn't pay the bill. Overall I'm glad I got to experience Ottoman fare but I don't think I'll return.

It's really hard to judge when you know so little about a foreign cuisine. So my opinion is going to be very subjective. I can only say I enjoyed my lunch a lot and was happy to let my Turkish friends choose the dishes for me! Could not even tell you what I ate as I have no idea :o

This is not a typical restaurant. It's kinf of an open buffet but the items can also be ordered from the menu. The food is pretty close to home cooking. The selections are updated daily. The ingredients are seasonal and high quality. And of course, the taste is pretty subjective. Given the locality, the prices are on the higher side but if you're traveling and concerned about hygiene, diarrhea etc., this is a very low risk place. If you enjoy typical Turkish home cooking, you should definitely give it a try. They have enough variety, including the vegetarian items. I gave 4/5 because of the prices. Though, in my case, a complete dinner costed me about 30 US dollars. Not that bad!

My Turkish friend recommended this place as it was one, nearby, the chef is famous and its a great place for home cooked Turkish meals. She ordered me something that was something I think I would like in the winter but it was kind of heavy for summer. Slow cooked poultry cooked on a bed of another slow cooked gran mixture. Quite tasty. Not sure if it was worth the prices as Turkish food is generally inexpensive and delicious, we may have been paying for the fame of the chef/owner. Service was fine, place was nice.

I was extremely disappointed with the quality of service and food. Not worth the $$$$ level prices they charge, especially in city where good food is so abundant. The food was tasty but nothing to write home about. Meat is served with no sides, waiters hurry customers, etc. Certainly not going back.

Tourist Beware! Our hotel concierge recommended this place. I suspect that the concierge is getting some kind of kickback from this place because we had intended to go to another restaurant that a local friend suggested but the concierge convinced us to go here. We said that we didnt want to be locked in to a reservation so we would just walk in if we didnt find anything else in the area. He said he had to make a reservation for us because it was Saturday night and the place was always booked days ahead but since they knew him and he could get us in right away. Lucky us huh? Well, when we got there, we literally thought we had gone to the wrong place. The place was empty! There were only 2 tables occupied. Anyway, the staff pretty much ignored us when we walked in because they talking amongst themselves, but as soon as we told them we were sent by our 5 star hotel, literally 4 people swarmed us and hovered over us all night. We wanted an authentic Ottoman cuisine beyond the Turkish kebab so we asked the main waiter to suggest a few dishes and he said not to worry, he would take care of us. Well he sure did! He brought out a selection of 4 mezze (appetizers) typical of the mezze we've had all over Turkey, consisting of 2 items in each plate. Then we shared a main dish, and 2 local beers. When we got our bill we were charged 203TL! We must have been charged literally for each piece! There are so many things listed on our receipt, we don't even know what's-what since we don't know what's listed. I looked on their website menu (the Turkish menu) to see what the items were but only found one that was on their website - Bonfile which is listed for 38TL but we were charged 42TL so I would bet they bumped up the prices and charged us for stuff we didnt even order! We suspected that we got ripped off so we took a picture of the receipt and as our trip progressed, we noted each and every meal we had so we could compare. No surprise, even at the finest restaurants, it never amounted to more than 180TL. Mind you we were in different parts of Turkey in touristy areas and even so, Hukan still charged the most! So for you fellow travelers, make sure you order from the menu so you know what you are getting and paying for. Do not let them make "something special" for you or that special dish is going to cost you and indigestion after. Safe travels!