Hünkar

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…

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

Good restaurant with some good local Turkish food. Nice atmosphere and service.

This place is run by con artists that will try to scam you - avoid it or pay the price! We went with a group of 8 and were told they would bring us dishes based on our different dietary requirements (mainly meat eaters and a couple of vegetarians). The food was ok, but at the end of the meal the bill was 4500 lira each (around 75 euros)! There's a number of reviews saying the same thing about this restaurant, so this isn't an isolated incident. Avoid at all costs!

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

Brilliant Ottoman dinning. Fancy canteen atmosphere. Expensive, but worth it for the Hünkârbeğendi alone IMHO. Service is Impeccable, just don't expect a multilingual to take your order (the waiter understood enough to take all items correctly and was quick and polite), because this institution originally garnered for locals but was attractive to all due to their great food. Knowing that get a esim card and google translate and you will be A OK.

A wonderful Turkish place. Upscale buffet You show food items to a waiter, he’ll bring you your dish to the table. Absolutely recommend

**Restaurant Review for Hunkar, Istanbul** Hunkar has been a staple in my dining life for years, a true embodiment of old-school Istanbulian charm. When it was recognized among the 50 best restaurants globally years back, I was filled with pride as a regular. However, shortly after this accolade, I noticed a decline in food quality which led me to visit less frequently. A few years ago, my visits dwindled further, turning me into a reluctant patron. But over the last two years, there has been a noticeable turnaround. The dishes now burst with freshness and flavor, drawing me back to this historic eatery more often. While I believe there's still room for improvement, I recognize the challenges of running a restaurant in Turkey's current economic climate. Perhaps my expectations are high due to longstanding familiarity, yet I'm pleased enough to recommend Hunkar to all my visiting friends. Currently, Hunkar has reclaimed its status as one of the top Istanbulian restaurants to visit in MY List. If you're looking to experience authentic Turkish cuisine with a touch of tradition, Hunkar is worth every step towards its welcoming doors.

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!