Istanbul Bay

Amazing experience at this Turkish restaurant! The staff were warm and welcoming,and very active. and the food was full of rich, authentic flavors. Our order was a bit delayed, but they kindly served us FREE plate of Baba Ganoush and Hummus and fresh bread while we waited and even gave us complimentary TEA afterward. One of the best parts? They offer all sauces in big bottles and trust me, that’s rare these days! 😁 Definitely worth visiting again.

A fantastic Turkish restaurant with delicious, authentic dishes. The kebabs were perfectly cooked, and the meze selection was fresh and tasty. Great ambiance and friendly service made it a memorable meal!

Update 1 - March, 2025 - Still 5 Stars: Placed an order through their website for an Iftar dinner in the afternoon but set the delivery time for right around Iftar time. The order was delivered exactly on time and everything was packed well and exactly as ordered. The adana kebab was a bit on the salty side and the calves liver was beef liver instead. Overall a great experience although I hope next time I order, the Adana wouldn’t be as salty. Original review: If you enjoy authentic Turkish cuisine, you will love this place. I really enjoyed the food and atmosphere there. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was excellent. It’s as if we dined at one of the restaurants in Istanbul! It was difficult to find a parking spot but overall a great experience.

I loved dining here a lot. The food served is wonderful, I've never had Turkish food before ,and this was quite a good introduction to it. The Lahmacun was amazing , and we loved the Pita bread a lot too. ( And actually went and ordered it twice ) P.S - They also have us complimentary Turkish Tea ,which was delightful as well. The service was great too ,and the people here were very polite and helpful.

The price according to the portion of the food is a little bit high I guess. We ordered the mix grilled platter and it costs $45 (including the gratitude fees and tax) I didn’t mind about the gratitude fees as their customer service is good. However, they should be more generous with the portion!

I will never order from this place again. The food was just salty, no other flavors, just salt. Also.. $16.50 for 4oz of chicken breast. The image from uber eats was misleading. We called the restaurant and the manager didn’t care at all. He kept saying that’s how we serve it. There’s so many other places in bay ridge where you can get a lot of meat over rice for $16.5. Karam, Ayat and honestly any hallah cart in the neighborhood would be a better deal and taste better than what I received from bay ridge istanbul.

I order here all the time, both from this location and the Bay Parkway one. Food is always great quality and the staff is super nice. They messed up my order last week for the first time (in years mind you), but when I called in and explained my problem the manager and cashier were both super understanding and offered to remake the entire order for me free of charge. Love a place that takes responsibility and helps their customers. As usual - will be back !

The menu is packed with delicious traditional dishes. I started with the mixed appetizer platter, which included hummus, baba ghanoush, and ezme. All fresh and full of flavor. For the main course, the **Adana kebab** was perfectly spiced and grilled to perfection, while the lamb shank (falling off the bone!) was rich and tender. Don’t skip the baklava for dessert. it was sweet, flaky, and the perfect ending to the meal.

Came here for lunch on a weekday. I could eat just their eggplant appetizers (both babaganaush and sautéed one) with the delicious pita as my meal and be completely satisfied. Its absolutely perfect! We also had one of their grilled meat but its the appetizers that I remember most.

I was craving some lamb chops, so I decided to look for a place where I could fulfill that need. They were well grilled and soft enough to be cut and eaten easily when served. The spices were great, and the combination is amazing when mixed with the bread they serve and olives. The Turkish music playing in the background was very nice and smooth, I did enjoy it. Although I was well served, I didn't like how I got charged a gratuity(20%) even though I was alone. Also, specify which size you want, because you will get served large automatically.

My meal is always fresh and incredible. I love coming here. It is a local classic and staple for the community and neighborhood.

Celebrated a party for 11 people and was highly satisfied with the service! The waiters/waitresses were extremely helpful and took care of the table the whole time. The food was okay-tasting. We ordered a bunch of family style dishes and the portions were good for the price. I would come back again for a casual meal.

Ordered: Small Shepherd Salad (~$10) + Cheese (+$2): fresh tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, onions, parsley, and dressing 2 Mixed Grill Cover Bread (~$63): assortment of chicken kebab, shish kebab, adana kebab, gyro, and lamb chops over rice, tomatoes, and peppers baked inside Turkish bread Half Hummus/Half Babaghonush Appetizer (~$8) Kazandibi (complimentary): brown top pudding Turkish Tea (complimentary) Aya's take: If you're looking for Turkish food, look no further! We stopped by for lunch around 2:30pm on a Sunday - right before they started to get busy and had to turn people away. We started off with the complimentary Turkish bread which was light, airy, and baked fresh. I loved the freshness of the Small Shepherd Salad. It's so simple yet delicious. We were asked if we wanted the cheese on it or on the side - that made me think that cheese was included. Had I known it was an additional cost to begin with, I wouldn't have ordered it. We got it on the side and barely touched it. We were pretty indecisive about appetizers so I'm glad we were able to do Half Hummus/Half Babaghonush. Both were well-made and just delectable with the fresh Turkish bread. The real winner here was the Mixed Grill Cover Bread. Note, if you do want the mixed grill to be baked in the Turkish bread which they open at the table in front of you, you need to order a minimum of 2 orders. So for 3 people, we had 2 Mixed Grill orders so they were able to make it in the Turkish bread. I think it's well-worth the unique experience, having them present it at the table, and to try the variety of meats! I have to say all the meats were tender, buttery, moist, and full of flavor. The gyro meat was thinly sliced, crispy, yet soft and delicious. I loved all the mixed meat options - my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Our waiter, Ersin, was amazing! He was super attentive the whole time, flexible to our requests, and even offered us Turkish Tea & Kazandibi (a Turkish dessert) that I've never had before. We thought we were ending on a high note with the Mixed Grill but this was just next level.

Our new go to place when in the area. Great lebne, and various eggplant appetizers. Best shepherd salad with super fresh vegetables we've had in a while. Lamb Adana is great and juicy, and awesome liver. Service is super friendly as well.

I used to regularly frequent this spot for their lamb rice dish and I always grab either the rice pudding or almond pudding for dessert. When I ordered takeout from this spot a few weeks ago, my lamb rice came with a generous amount of meat and rice which I appreciate. However the rice pudding which now costs $7 had a ridiculously low amount of food. The amount I received for $7 was unreasonable and it was less than half of the container (check my attached photo for reference). Not sure if this was a one-time mistake or if the pudding serving sizes have changed. I'm a bit disappointed because the puddings used to be more full, but it's not worth it anymore. On the bright side, Istanbul is consistent with food quality. The rice pudding & lamb dish tastes as amazing as I remember it to be.

Not enough words for how amazing this place is! They have great and friendly staff from my experiences coming here. The highlight of this place is their huge bread they serve you with olive oil and a yogurt sauce when you first sit down. I've usually gotten the adana kebabs and a pide here. Their lahmacun is also highly recommended.

I like their fresh puffed up pita bread as an appetizer. The bread covered mixed grilled meat is a show stopper. I would recommend it for the experience. The minimum order for the bread covered dish is 2 which is plentiful for 2 people. Some of the meat was a bit overcooked but overall tasty. Service was ok. Be aware that they add 20% tips on the bill automatically.

Delicious food I had the rice and could not stop! The bread amazed me . It was like a giant bubble totally would come again

Came here for an impromptu weekday dine-in dinner and it was a pretty good decision. The service was friendly and relatively quick. We were a table of 2 and ordered the calf liver appetizer and mixed grill entree to share. Our meal came with a giant flatbread, freshly made and hot from the oven. The liver was flavorful and diced up in chunks, which went perfectly with the bread. The mixed grill entree came with a lamb chop, chicken,gyro meat, and a couple other kebabs as well as rice, pita, and salad so you got a diverse plate full of textures. The chicken and lamb were tender and juicy and all the meats were nicely spiced. Highly recommend if you're not sure what you want or want to try it all. They have a good amount of seats so it's great for a small or large group.

I've dined here quite a few times over the past few months. When you enter you just get a Turkish restaurant vibe which is nice. I can say that the adana kebab and hummus are good and are fairly priced. Service is good when you first come but they don't check on you afterwards unless its to give you the bill. I don't think they are worth dining in anymore since I noticed that they tack on a 20% gratuity regardless of how big your party is. Something about an automatic tip doesn't feel right to me.

Oh my holy God this food is good! My husband is an awesome cook and I've travelled a lot so we Have high standards. This place is a must visit. Theres also a fantastic shops on the avenue

Love this place! I've gotten both take out and restaurant service and both options have been great. The meat pies are a stand out as well as the falafel. When you sit in they give you a huge pita full of air that slowly deflates with great side sauces. The service is good and quick. This place is decently sized, open air with big windows they open with good weather and always busy too which I take as a good sign. Would definitely recommend and will definitely be back

Best Turkish food I've ever had. The Falafel, the Chicken chops, the doners, all amazing. Their salads are also incredible.

Very well prepared food, nice ambiance, staff is generally always accommodating. Excellent place.

I've seen this place around and it's always popping. I was craving Mediterranean so I finally decided to try this place out. I'm so glad I did! Everything was beyond my expectations. I highly highly recommend the mixed appetizer to start, everything was so good! The hummus was smooth and the other salads were so good. I love the bread they brought to the tables and the olive oil and olives were so good. Onto the entrees, I got the lamb Adana and lamb shish kebab combo. Both were great but I personally preferred the shish kebab. The lamb Adana was also delicious. The Turkish coffee was the perfect thing to cap off the night! The baklava pairs perfectly with the coffee. The ambiance here was great, there was a lot of families around so there was a decent amount of noise but this restaurant atmosphere just felt friendly and welcoming - it's perfect for catching up with friends surrounded by delicious food. Come for the food and stay for the atmosphere!

First, the food there is not tasty and I had a problem with the hot pepper. I ordered a kebab with chicken and grilled vegetables, it would seem that the pepper should be sweet, but it turned out to be spicy, although the menu does not say that this is so. It would be good to warn about spicy dishes, because even small children go to the institution. Of the good moments, it was clean in the hall.

Yummy! I've always gotten lamb chops or doner from Turkish places and for whatever reason, I decided to get the Iskender here and it was DELICIOUS! It all meshed together so nicely and was so savory. The yogurt was the perfect topping and the homemade croutons were sooo delicious! I wasn't even hungry and almost ate the whole dish. I didn't realize (because I didn't check the menu beforehand) that it didn't come with rice or anything, but it was delicious as is. It was so good, I forgot to snap pics before devouring it! My husband got the chicken kebab and I think he liked it. Also got the baklava which was good, but VERY sweet. Food was really good, but it was a little more on the expensive side. I'd definitely come back here again though :)

Quick service. Falafels and kebabs were delicious. calamari was greasy and rubbery. would check out if you are in the mood for Turkish food!

The only Turkish spot in Bk that offers balloon bread. Their lentil soup was too salty for my palate. Shish kebab platter was cooked perfectly and seasoned well.

Delivery was pretty quick, dude was super chill and the food is good as fuck thank you

The staff is so friendly! They give this giant bread which is free and unlimited. The Fried Calamari was amazing, they gave mostly calamari unlike most places which give mostly fried breading. The rice pudding was huge. Definitely share with a friend. My favorite meat was the lamb gyro. I liked that it was thinly sliced.

This is my first time trying Turkish food. There are handful of Turkish restaurants in Bay Ridge and I chose Istanbul Bay because of the good reviews. Service & Environment [4/5] - Clean and homey. They have a nice outdoor setup wrapped around the restaurant. Tables are spaced out. Food [4/5] - They give you complimentary pita bread, olive and dips. Pita bread was served warm and it was so fluffy. We had the following, * Lamb Chop & Chicken Chop Combination [$23.5]: 4/5. This combo comes with salad, rice and plenty of meat that is enough for two. Generous portion but the meat was on a dry side. * Turkish Coffee [$2.5]: 3/5. Never add milk to your Turkish coffee. This coffee is extremely strong! * Baklava [$7.25]: 4/5. Good flavor but this was way too sweet to my liking

I'll start off by saying there are a number of Turkish restaurants closer to my house, but my family and I make it a point to come here as often as possible. Their gyro beats anyone else out the water. Not fatty at all, super thin, and so flavorful that you don't need any sauce!! I also love their hummus, eggplant salad, and, of course, the incredible hot bread w/ olive oil. The staff are great and it's always a pleasure. I even made my bday here!! This will deff be your go-to gyro spot once you try it. End it with some delicious kunefe and hot tea, and you will be glad you did.

We got a chicken shawarma sandwich. The chicken was BONE dry and they put SO many unions!!! Omg it was too much. Plus, they don't cut the onions thin, they cut them very thick!

Honestly, I would not recommend this place for a family. I didn't like the customer experience, I didn't appreciate how my nieces was treated. The food was good but they provided hummus and baba ghanouj without bread !!! How that makes sense? It's like selling pasta without the sauce? It was beyond expensive and they truly took advantage of my family and I. Just order to go I guess smh ‍ Adana KebabBabaganoushChicken Gyro SandwichGyroMiddle EasternTurkish

I lived in Istanbul for 3 months last year and I can honestly say this is the best Doner you will have outside of Turkey. I've been coming here for decades, primarily the one on Bay Parkway but this location more frequently in recent years. I got the lunch platter Doner that came with rice, bread, olives and salad. The portion was insanely large and the quality of the doner was out of this world! The waiter recently had moved from Turkey, nice dude. He gave me baklava and chai on the house which was on par with Turkey standards. Very good food, great pricing and friendly staff. Afiyut Olsun

Came for lunch with my friend on a Saturday afternoon. Place was not very crowded. They have an outdoor and indoor seating. Food was pretty good. The hummus and sesame bread was outstanding, warm and soft. I ordered the chicken wings. They were nicely grilled, very well seasoned. It comes with rice and salad. My friend ordered the falafel. I thought it was dry, bland and overcooked. Service was ok. I love that they give complementary tea at the end. Review your bill. They do add tip to it.

I ordered in advance because i was heading to work!!! Everything was delish! Great service! You can dine in or outside for some fresh air! I look forward to trying other dishes!

I see the overall rating is 4.5 stars my experience was only a 3. Maybe I was unlikely but service should always be in point. I came to this location before it was redone and called Istanbul Bay. They did a nice job with the decor and it is typical for a Turkish style restaurant. The food was very good probably a 4 and you get a nice size servings. We had a large chicken gyro platter $16.95 as after 4 pm no small plates. It was a good size portion that most could share. The lamb chops were good although the presentation was not. The chops were served flat on the plate, most restaurants stand them up or wrap foil on the ends of the bone. $25.95 was a little pricey for 4 very small chops. I think they could improve on that. They serve complimentary olives and Turkish pita bread With a red spicey Sauce and yogurt sauce. The disappointment was really the service, I came in about 4:10 pm and did not know that after 4pm you cannot order any small plates. To be fair it is on the menu although when I ordered the chicken gyro platter the first waiter did not say anything. When the bill came I saw that I was charged for the large. The waiter should The strangest thing was I ordered he could have said something. When the lamb chops were served they did not provide a steak knife, the waiter was polite although did not come by to see how things were and that's when we commented on the knife. He apologized and said if he had known he would have brought a steak knife. He should have known and served it properly. The last part that was disappointing was I was very explicit when I ordered saying twice " the eggplant is the appetizer first course, chicken gyro and lamb chops after that as the main. Well the eggplant which is served cold so it could have come 15 minutes earlier. It came about 90 seconds before the main courses so there was no room on the table and we could not enjoy the appetizer. When we were finished eating I said something about it to the waiter and he took the appetizer off the bill. I did not mind paying for it I just expect basic service practices to be followed. They also did not have kibi balls available when I was there Sunday afternoon? Really? This is a basic staple that everyone orders. I would recommend them for a quick bite or their basic dishes like gyros or appetizers, I would not go for lamb chops. There are so many other Mediterranean restaurants to choose from in Bay Ridge if you're going for a sit down dinner. De

I was starving when I stopped by this restaurant. My friend and her family had already eaten​. Hence, I was on my own to fend for myself. When I dropped by here, it was after the ​peak lunch hour. I ordered a lamb gyro sandwich to go. I didn't wait more than 10 minutes before it was ready. This was the fastest takeout I ever had. I prefer this location to the one near me on 86th street. The cashier smiled at me when I informed her that. If you are in the area and craving Turkish​ foods, I highly recommend dropping by.

Finally decided to take a chance on this restaurant and wasn't disappointed. The portions were more than enough especially with the lamb. Plus with all that bread, you'll be stuffed after this meal. I only wish the sauce was not as liquidy but it looks like I'll be ordering here more often.

I ordered from here once before so I decided to order from here lunch time today and boy to my surprise- MY GOODNESS ICK! I don't even know where to start or end because I am so grossed out! All I can do is just show you guys the picture below...'nuff said, I'm truly so disappointed!

My SO was craving for Turkish good while I was starving at home. What a pleasant surprise when he carried a heavy bag filled with food. As I unloaded the bag, the chicken gyro caught my attention because of how heavy and packed it was. There was a delicious warm bread with it, as how bread should be, warm. For appetizer, he spoiled me with zucchini pancake which were amazing. He ordered the lamb gyro, and knew I love dessert. The bakalav, indeed amazing and a must get. This delicious dinner was all for $40, not bad for a Friday night date in pajamas.

Love this place. Convenient location and consistent service & quality of food. I love how they hide the mixed grilled kabobs in the bread and open it infront of u fresh and yummy. Salads are great. My fav is the adana kabob (ground lamb mixed w red bell peppers). I love the mezze (variety of appetizers in a shareable plate). Seats are limited but this place is great for sharing plates and prices are reasonable. Kunafa is a good choice of dessert.

Really lovely spot. The staff was so nice and friendly. It felt like a sweet mom and pop shop. The food was massive and delicious. Me and my friend stayed for a while and not once was told that we had to hurry up and leave. We got complimentary tea at the end of the meal! Turkish tea is lovely. If I'm in the area, I'll stop by again.

Good food and great service. Staff were quite friendly and welcoming. They served us bread, olives and sauces for starters. The bread was amazing! We got the Iskendar Kebab which has the doner meat with tomato sauce and yogurt on the side. The doner meat is definitely above average but not the best unfortunately. I'd still come back for sure though to try the other items.

339 points REVIEWS PHOTOS Here are the reviews you've posted publicly. You'll need the Google Maps app to edit or delete your reviews. Learn more 14 reviews Istanbul Bay 8002 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11209 I am extremely disappointed with their most recent service. 2 dishes were missing from my order but they were nice enough to have someone delivery them to me. The meat was extremely tough, chewy & gamy. You can see that it wasn't marinated ahead of time or tenderized. This was the worst part, we couldn't chew or swallow it so that was $30 down the drain. I have never ordered anything from here that was less than $200 dollars worth for my family but this experience has me re-thinking ever ordering from here again.

The babaganosh was amazing with freshly baked Turkish bread the Shepard is excellent I had the Bronzino fillet was very good little dry my wife had beef kabab little dry but delish great seasoning the waiters very attentive

The cashier is harassing my girlfriend, she went there yesterday to pick up our order and the cashier took her phone number from the order and texted her in the middle of the night. So unprofessional, not coming here again.

This place is a consistent banger but to be honest all I've tried is their chicken gyro wraps because when I'm in that area, I'm usually passing thru and short on time. The Flavor and seasoning is on point and unlike other places the wrap is big and loaded with chicken so your left feeling full.

Istanbul Bay is a solid choice for Turkish cuisine in the Bay Ridge area. In nice weather, they have comfortable outdoor seating in addition to the indoor dining room, and when it isn't so nice, delivery has consistently been on time and correct. The place is always bustling, even at off-peak times, but the food is worth the wait. One of my favorite Turkish dishes is chicken adana, which here comes with rice (that has chickpeas in it) and salad (lettuce, tomato, onions, parsley, carrots). The adana is good here (although not my all-time favorite place for it) and a nice option for a complete meal. Other meat dishes we've tried, like the kofte, have been good as well. After trying a variety of things, I think the two things that they do best here are the mixed appetizer plate and the meat pie (lahmacun). The meat pie is a nice-sized portion for a very affordable price, a thin bread filled with ground lamb, peppers, and onions, and served on a platter with parsley, tomatoes, and onions. I keep meaning to try some of the other baked pide, but always end up going back to the meat pie because it's delicious. The mixed appetizer plate is an assortment of cold appetizers. The most recent time we got it for delivery, there was a bean salad, hummus, haydari, eggplant salad, sauced eggplant, tabuli, and spinach on the platter. Every appetizer was excellent, with my favorite probably being the eggplant salad. Even though it's a plate of appetizers, this would absolutely work as a meal on its own, and if I were ordering a solo dinner, I would definitely be tempted to do that. In my opinion, this is a must-order if you want to try some of the best stuff at Istanbul Bay.

Maybe it was just a bad day on the grill for them. Chicken lacked flavor (took it home and seasoned it for left overs, good quality chicken) Lamb chop was burnt Waitress was great. Smiling and helpful even though was overwhelmed since she was the only one there. Complimentary tea and even the baklava (I guess they knew about the food?) Will give them a try again soon

It's my favorite neighborhood restaurant, reasonable price, fresh made naan , good potions of food.

Best middle eastern food in Brooklyn. I brought three of their signature sandwiches and that is enough to feed a family of 6. The chicks and lamb is delicious too with lettuce and onions to balance the flavor . Order on the internet and get a discount...be sure to call them else they may not make the order. There internet order is not the easiest but for the discount I will deal with the friction of ordering online.

After reading many of my favorite food bloggers' rave reviews of Istanbul Bay, I forsook the nearby Hazar Turkish Kebab, my favorite Turkish restaurant in the city, and gave this place a shot. As a vegetarian, my options are somewhat limited at most Turkish restaurants, but the cold appetisers and falafel are usually enough to keep me coming back. The appetiser plate here, especially the babaganoush, was top-notch, as was the extravagantly large bread that accompanied it. In my book they would have earned 5 stars if not for the falafel, which were rather dry, and had a strong fishy smell. I'm not sure what the cause was, but have never experienced this odor any other times I've had falafel. Service was good when we complained, and they offered a free tea and 3 extra falafels (which were still fishy). Still a very solid option for Turkish cuisine in the area.

10/10 every thing such nice every thing is so clean and the people there are respectful

They have outside seating available as soon as you reach the restaurant. There is a cover as well in case it rains if you sit outside. The service was quick and there was no rush for us to order or finish our food. The portions are hefty and the food is delicious. Not pictured were chicken Adana and cheese rolls. The food was delicious. We had a late lunch and I am still full. The prices are such a deal. If you're in the area and looking for a great meal, you should make sure to stop by.

DO NOT ORDER FROM ISTANBUL BAY. INCREDIBLY UNPROFESSIONAL THIS IS COMING FROM SOMEONE WHOS BEEN A LOYAL CATERING ORDER CUSTOMER FOR YEARS. Ordered $360 worth of food catering for a birthday party, they forgot to bring half of the order the first time, the food was over/re-fried, falafal hard as a rock, calf's liver was like dog food, meat is incredibly dry, salad was sour. They were closed a day before I ordered due to a gas leak, so I'm sure they gave food out that was leftover and trying to get rid of it. Incredibly hard to reach manager, once they answered, started making up excuses and saying there's nothing they can do, cheap and irresponsible. Lost my business, save your business and go to a place that values their customers.