Istanbul'lu

I felt like I was in Istanbul! For the reference, I’ve stayed in Istanbul at least a few months overall and have dined out many times in there. If you’re into Middle Easterner food, you Must try this place. I’d certainly go back there for lunch or dinner. Last but not least, the prices are really reasonable for the excellent quality and the quantity.

I order from this place often, this time I looked at the menu on the website and saw this photo of cheese borek that looked yummy and interesting, but when I got the food I was very surprised at what I got ( see the pictures).. very misleading. I will never order it again. 8$? No thanks. Additional star removed. This place has become a joke. Burned food, not the first time. That’s it I’m done with you.

So delicious! We loved our food, the Iskender and the Kofta were amazing and the special kunefe with pistachios was out of this world! The atmosphere is so cozy and warm and our server was so sweet and accommodating. Highly recommend!

I love this restaurant. It has such a feel-good air. The Turkish interior is beautiful, the service is wonderful, and the food is delicious. As a tea-lover, I also recommend the Turkish tea here. Oh, and Turkish music is played every so often; sometimes American music is played, but I prefer it when Turkish music is played. It makes one feel as though they are in an ordinary part of Istanbul, where everyday, life is beautiful, and life is life. I just like the ambience here. It's my peaceful, lovely retreat.

It was my first time eating Turkish food. I have only eaten it on Turkish airlines before . The food was really good here. I loved the the Turkish tea and the roll thing and also the chicken dish. Although the prices are a little bit high but the food is good. It was worth it. I am definitely going there again.

Food is delicious. We had a baked baby eggplant with meat stuffing which came with thick creamy luscious yogurt. Get this! They provide warm complimentary bread with a garlicky red purée. So good. For entrees, we had the kofte and a bean stew. We loved every bite. Look forward to returning to work our way through the menu.

Istanbul’lu is a cozy Turkish spot in Somerville that we tried this weekend and enjoyed. The Pohca was great - the dough was perfectly soft & delicious. Another order I loved was the Iskender Doner , which is a classic turkish dish served with doner meat over yogurt, tomato sauce, & crispy pita bread. Lastly, as an eggplant lover I enjoyed the Firinda Patlican. It hits home 😋 I wish I can tell you how the Kunafa is but every time I come here they happen to be out. So I go to Ali Baba in South End 🥲

Very tasty food. The meat was very tender and the spices were well balanced. The ambiance was laid back with a lot of traditional Turkish decorations and music. I did think the price was a little higher than I am used to seeing in the area for the portion size and type of food, but the food did taste good.

I was surprised that this little cozy restaurant served such delicious Turkish food! Portion size was more than enough. Waitress was very attentive and friendly.

I went here for dinner with a friend. The inside interior was not what I expected. It's a small restaurant with very colorful decor. I had ordered the donee kebab special. It a large plate that includes white rice. There wasn't as much meat as I thought there would be for an entre price but it was very flavorful. I would def come back again to try their dessert and tea. Again, I cannot say how lovely the decor inside is.

We ordered delivery through Grubhub from Istanbul'lu as this restaurant was outside of our local area and we were excited to try some Turkish food. The order arrived on time and the driver was responsive. As for the order, we had the sigara borek, chicken pilav, dolma, fries, and an extra order of bread. The food was quite tasty, cooked well, and flavorful and the rice was amazing. The issue we had was with the portion sizes and the extravagant costs. I know there is inflation these days, but our chicken pilav had 3 pieces of sliced chicken breast which amounted to about ¼ of a single breast. For nearly $20 this was outrageous. The sigara borak was also quite tiny for $10, and the fries amounted to a small portion that you would receive from a fast food chain and were twice as expensive. It was quite the disappointment as we were looking to support local business, but for the cost along with the Grubhub add-ons, it wasn't worth it. Perhaps next time we will make the trek to the restaurant to see how the in person experience is.

Istanbul'lu is a cozy Turkish spot in Somerville that we tried this weekend and enjoyed. The Pohca was great - the dough was perfectly soft & delicious. Another order I loved was the Iskender Doner , which is a classic turkish dish served with doner meat over yogurt, tomato sauce, & crispy pita bread. Lastly, as an eggplant lover I enjoyed the Firinda Patlican. It hits home I wish I can tell you how the Kunafa is but every time I come here they happen to be out. So I go to Ali Baba in South End

ISTANBUL'LU FIT FOR A QUEEN! Except for its lack of handicapped access, everything about our brunch last week at Istanbulu'u was tremendous. The room is intimate, attractive and colorful; the folky padded banquettes part of the charm. Service was friendly, efficient and helpful, and never rushed. My husband liked his Apple Tea, which was more like a warm apple juice, but the Turkish Tea was just very strong black tea; I wouldn't bother with it next time. The Kavurmali put a big smile on my husband's face, eggs cooked in a sauce with meat, onions and peppers. My meal was the eggs cooked in garlic butter with which I had the zucchini fritters, and the spinach cooked with yoghurt beschamel. The eggs were completely unctuous, as the garlic butter bath took them to a whole new stratosphere. I did feel the yoghurt components of the spinach and zucchini fritters plates overwhelmed the dishes' flavors but I just scraped it off. I know some unique dessert experiences await us for our next visit, and I can't wait for a return repeat of the brunch we had.

The interior is very comfortable and it was a nice touch of authenticity to see Turkish patrons there. The bread was so, so very good - tender and warm and fresh. I ordered the Sultan's delight, a pureed eggplant with lamb chunks. I liked the roasted tomatoes and peppers that were on top. I also tried a dessert that was like a birds nest of phyllo dough, drenched in honey and filled with pistachios. It was very sweet, but also good, and with a pleasant texture. The dessert portion was very generous. I would return.

I order is Irma pilav, lahmacun and baklava for delivery. - kavurma pilav did not almost have kavurma also I found hair between tomatoes slices as you can see

My son and I had a delicious meal delivered. I had the Adana Kebab, which was served with bulgar and a crunchy salad. My son had red lentil soup and Vegetarian Kuru Vasulye. We both enjoyed the delicious bread that accompanied our meal. For dessert we had rice pudding and pistachio baklava. Portions were large. Recommend!

I liked the food here and loved the deserts. The lamb shank was wrapped around by eggplant- tasted good but a bit dry up. I loved all their eggplant appetizers and cleaned them up right the way. We actually had an issue with the vegan diet. It turned out that they prepared their food ahead of time - all with butter! It was unusual for Turkish foods. My vegan friend could not have anything on the menu except a salad. I had a satisfying meals here and would come back the next time I'm in Boston.

Placed a to-go order for iskender döner, which they didn't have, so ordered the kofte, which was delightful. The haydari was a rip-off -- $8+tax/tip for a smear of dip hardly substantial enough to cover the bottom of the to-go container. Pricing vs portions needs real work.

What delicious & colorful food! We wanted to go somewhere else for brunch in the area but it was booked for a private event so we stumbled upon this restaurant! Glad we did! The restaurant isn't huge, but the seating is spacious with cute decor. We took a window seat and oh my goodness the food all came out so beautifully plated (see the photos!!)! The complimentary bread was also sooo delicious & soft! Recommended: - Menemen (popular Turkish style omelet with tomatoes, green peppers and Beyaz peynir) - Karniyarik (eggplant stuffed with sautéed ground beef, onions, peppers, and spices; cooked in the oven; served with rice, coban salad, and a spoon of yogurt) If you're looking for some good Turkish food (I'm not one to say how authentic it was haha), you have to stop by here!

Very disappointing. The Adana Kebab was SO salty. Rice was also a bit crunchy unfortunately. "Grilled vegetables" consists of a roasted tomato which was tasty and the green hot pepper shown in the photo. Fries are blah, like mcdonalds fries that are several days old. The portion is decent, but it was so salty i couldn't finish it anyway. The stuffed baby (half) eggplant appetizer flavor was good, even though the vegetable filling is mostly onion and there was lots of oil pooled at the bottom. It's enough for two if you only have a couple bites each. The doner was dry and salty, but not as bad as the adana. I've had better at fast casual places that charge half the price. Wanted to try the lamb shank, but they were out (Saturday late afternoon) when I ordered. Sorry, but for the cost - and the 4 star Yelp review - I expected much better.

Highly recommended, can't really go wrong with any of the dishes here, whether dining in or doing take out. They have lovely bread that I assume is home made. The staff are very friendly. Try it!

The best food in town! I'm not a huge food of Turkish food but this place makes me want to eat here every night! The foods is all handmade and made with love! Must try the doner kebab, lahmacun!

Not the very best one. I am little disappointed with the quality and the taste of the food. When I asked if the doner was fresh the owner(chef) said yes and he ended up serving me something not tasty and fresh. If you are looking for authentic food I am sorry but this is not the place. Overall very helpful and good stuff but super decent food and OVERPRICED. There is no way I am going back.

Excellent service and really good food. Nice decor The food was served on time and it was delicious. Good place to get some nice Turkish tea

I used to like this restaurant a lot! But their food quality got worse recently. From a recent delivery: The food was poorly presented, portions not at all worth the price (!!), one of the dishes had a few items missing and everything had the same strong garlicky taste. That wasn't a tasty Turkish meal :(

Support local. Part of me does t want to write this review because this restaurant is not as crowded as pré-pandemic. But this is a great place to eat. Go here. I'll suffer having to make reservations.

Enjoyed this restaurant! 3 of us who were vegetarians split 6 of their appetizers and that worked pretty well. A meat-eating friend of ours got an Entree and LOVED it. The yogurt they have is amazing and they're generous with it on several of their dishes. The dolma and lentil kofte were standouts for sure in terms of the appetizers. I remember coming here 4-5 years ago and being OBSESSED with the bread. I came back with a bunch of friends last night really excited for the bread, which ended up being good but not as good as I remember it. That being said, they gave us a second round when we ran out which I always appreciate!

Good food and pleasant experience. Nice way to change up your takeout routine. The menu does a great job explaining what each item is and the online ordering experience is great. You can track your order's progress so you won't have to wait at all. Also the bread is amazing - like focaccia in the form of an long Italian loaf.

This place makes really tasty food - I'd venture to say some of the best Turkish food in the city (never been to Turkey :) ) You get seated fairly quickly, service is prompt and the General vibe is warm/ comfy (ask to be seated in one of the nooks if you see them vacant!). Once you order, warm bread with a creamy, tangy tomato dipping sauce is brought to the table while you wait for your food! My favorites here are: 1. Leyla Mencun (thinly sliced sausage with creamy hummus and pita) 2. Yogurt Kebab (diced kebab served on yogurt, creamy tomato sauce and a crispy bread on the base) 3. Baklava! While the food is absolutely perfect, the only downside here is that it is sometimes cash only and certain weekends can be really busy so definitely call ahead in case they're booked up!

Don't be intimidated by the following: brisk service demeanor, loud conversations and noises from the kitchen, and a menu that declares service charges are included for groups of four and five (not consistently enforced). Do be excited to have excellent Turkish food that you might not see at a more assimilated restaurant - we had a delicious platter of fried pancakes with Turkish sausage and a pan of cheesy, tomato-ey, scrambled eggs along with a fresh breakfast spread of cheese, hard-boiled egg, melon, well-done lamb sandwiches, and lots of warm and comforting Turkish bread. Dining room is small and traditionally decorated. Come early for brunch. Be prepared for a possible wait outside.

Came in for dinner on a Wednesday night and was greeted immediately by a friendly waitress. This small Turkish restaurant was delicious in my book. We had the mucver, leyle il mecnun, patates kofte, and imam bayilidi.The patates (fried stuffed potato) and mucver (fried zucchini cake) were both fried dishes and were crispy when they came out. The leyle il mecnun (Turkish sausage, pita bread and hummus) and imam bayilidi (stuffed eggplant) were a bit too oily, however the sausage was flavorful and the stuffed eggplant was still light. All the dishes were pretty small, but we were both full at the end of the 4 plates.

This place came highly recommended to me, and I was excited to check it out. Now it's a little unfortunate that when a place like that gets a lot of hype, the expectations are raised very high. This sets it up for failure from the start. Kind of like in life you have to keep your expectations for things very low because then you'll be happy more often (when your expectations are exceeded). This is one of the keys to happiness, according to my mentor. But anyways, Istanbul'lu was ok. I got a meat plate which had meat, rice, and some grilled peppers. All were ok. I remember it feeling like a pretty healthy meal too. But didn't stand our very much. I think that the meat did have some complex spices in it which were pretty unique, but otherwise it wasn't too juicy. Not too many vegetables on the plate either. And I remember that it was kind of pricy for this kind of plate. Overall, yes, it got hyped up to me, but I think it wasn't really to my taste. I'll try and give it another shot and try something else.

This was my first time trying Turkish food and the food was not that great. The waitress did not know anything about the food. She only knew 2 of the dishes on the menu and was not helpful at all! We asked her about certain dishes on the menu and she even admitted to not knowing what it was!! The service was very slow as well! My friends and I were the only people in the restaurant, but we waited a long time for our food. I tried the Adana sandwich. I didn't really like the flavor of it and the sandwich was made uneven and sloppy. The meat was not evenly placed and the 2nd half of my sandwich barely had any meat. The only plus was the complimentary bread and dipping sauce.

I use to live around the corner from this place and never thought growing up in Somerville a Turkish restaurant would open up in my old neighborhood. It was mostly Italian, Chinese, and a bunch of pizza shops. Places have transformed in this area in the past years and for teele square this is a great addition ! Now let's talk about my first Turkish experience, and yes thank you to my fellow yelpers your reviews led us to this unique place and it didn't disappoint at all. Location next to a pub, street parking only and you have to pay unless it's Sunday, so good luck with that. Inside is very small I would say about 10 tables some cool art work on the wall but still simple, if it's busy expect a wait but there was no one in here on a Sunday at 1pm which was perfect cause I hate sitting in small places next to people so we were all alone. Service was slow it was two ladies just sitting there talking nonsense as we were waiting to order, like HELLO I am hungry. We finally ordered and than received fresh warm bread with some type of red dipping sauce, should have gotten the name but it was delightful! Brunch was still going on so I got the omellte with Turkish sausage. It was served in a skillet and seems that's what was used to make it in. It was delicious and so different, the spices were something I never had before and the meat was tender. The cheese rolls was good but the way they served it was wrong, it was just a pile of phyllo dough, cheese and just sloppy, poor presentation. Overall good experience and will be back to try more good stuff

I had some bad experiences in restaurants I picked after relying on yelp but never have I had an experience this bad that I had to go home and write about it right away. I'm definitely recommending you to stay away from this place. First and foremost, my wife and I both were very unimpressed with the food. No seasoning, very small portions and exorbitant prices to go with them. Service was terrible, I understand that people working in the service industry have bad days every now and then, but when it takes your food an hour to get to your table you get irritated. Best part is that there were three people in the restaurant besides us the entire time. Probably the worst part was the dessert. We ordered a kunefe - a timeless classic - and was told it will be 10-15 mins. What was served to us 40 minutes later truly underwhelming. As a big fan of this dessert for over 30 years, I would recommend you to go get the frozen kunefe from trader joes. It is significantly better than this. The one positive thing I can say is that the appetizer sigara borek was good. We also tried the appetizer haydari and it was just plain bad. While I want to be fair and understanding in the sense that both the waiting staff and the kitchen could be having an off day at the same time, nothing really justifies the hefty check that came after the poor dinner and dessert. One star.

I ordered several Mercimek Kofte dishes. This is the steamed red lentil dish. I was sent a spoiled dish. I attempted to speak to the manager and he continue to refused to be reasonable as wee converse. He was exacerbated and continue to mistreat me, rather than apologize and correct the issue that is having send an non edible item, he simply continue to become aggressive on the phone. I will not be ordering from Istanbul'lu again considering that the manager refused to have a reasonable conversation address the concerns presented for food that caused me illness.

One of the best foods I have had in the city. I really recommend their lentil soup, eskander, sujuk and borek!!

This adorable neighborhood spot is one of our favorites. The staff is always so welcoming, and the food is delicious. We've probably been once a month for years now and it's one of our absolute favorite standbys for a nice, simple and yummy dinner. Our favorites are the Yogurt Kebab, the Kuru Fasuyle, the Bebek Karni Yaris, and of course a nice piece of Baklava to end the night. Brunch is also terrific.

I came here with my two sisters and a friend during Labor Day weekend. 2 main reasons for coming here for dinner: -Halal -I was craving Turkish food (last time I had it was back in NY during my office holiday gathering ) Since I'm not very well versed with the Turkish cuisine, I ordered what I liked from my previous experience at the holiday gathering. I ordered the sigara borek (filo cheese dough something something) and the Pizara (lamb chops). Please forgive me since I might be butchering the spelling of these dishes, but my pics speak a thousand words , so hopefully it shouldn't allude confusion. Anyways, let's talk food: -Not so much a fan of their filo rolls. It was very bland imo. It felt like bad mozzarella sticks. -The lamb chops really make up for the bad filo rolls. Very tender and juicy. The rice was also amazing too! The lamb chop portions are small but that's the case with most Turkish places I've been to. I'd pair it with an appetizer (not filo rolls) to make it a full meal. The ambience is very nice and calm (bathroom is pretty and clean so that's a plus for me) It's a small restaurant in the Somerville area and I noticed it attracts a lot of students. My sis mentioned that it gets packed during most weekdays, but I guess we got lucky. Quality wise, I say this place is overall pretty good (still prefer NY Turkish food). Price wise, it was comparative to the Turkish restaurants in New York. My sis's good buddy paid the bill for us, which was so sweet! But if you don't have an amazing buddy, do carry lots of dough (not filo dough though. Hehee....)

Small, cozy, tasty. I had heard good things about Istanbul'lu, and it definitely fulfilled my expectations. The restaurant is very small and casual, so it is probably hard to get a table during peak hours. Service was warm, friendly, and provided great recommendations. The brunch platter was a great dish to share with lots of sweet and savory goodies. I also tried some grape leaves, some eggplant, and a lamb dish with white beans. Everything was very satisfying and I can't wait to return to try more. Baklava, almond pudding, and some Turkish tea was the perfect way to end the meal. Recommended!

I came on a Saturday at 10am and it was empty so lucky me! They gave me a bunch of warm bread even though I was dining solo. I tried the saganda yumurta and it was delicious, although I'm not sure what to compare it to since this is the first time I've tried Turkish food besides maybe shakshuka. For sure not spicy, but flavorful and it's good with the bread. I think it's a one person portion, so you'd probably want everyone to order their own. Waitress was mostly helping prep for the day, but she was prompt when coming to my table and getting my stuff.

We went here with a Turkish group of friends. I was a bit disappointed by how cheap the place looked, how bad food was. We had multiple breaskfast dishes. My friends asked for a special dish and the cook refused it saying it is busy. Didn't enjoy my time or the food. But good to have a variety and representation of Turkish food in the city although I do not believe it is a good representation.

Stopped in for a mid afternoon meal. Food is delicious, fast, and affordable. We will definitely be back!

Friendly and efficient service. Affordable prices. Cozy, small and intimate dining room. Meza were excellent, recommendations from our server were spot on. What more could you ask for?

Nice cozy place, with lovely music and warm environment! We ordered two different plates in addition to fries, coke and juice. The food quantity and quality are way below average. Even the coke was this tiny like everything else! High discrepancy between cost and value!

Great ambiance. Solid food. Had the kofte plate - tasty but just a tad bready. Still very good. Awesome baklava. Wonderful service.

One of the worst customer service I've ever had in my life! After seeing all the great reviews I was expecting so much better I am greatly disappointed. You would expect the waitresses to come and ask for the orders but no one came and after 20 minutes we had to go up to their desk. Not to mention the waitress never came to us and we had to keep coming back to their desk. I am not giving 1 star because the food was good but definitely not worth it for the customer service that was poorly given, do better Istanbululi

Authentic Turkish cuisine. Always busy and the food was enjoyable albeit small portions. The menu is fast, but wish they had Doner. Service was excellent and prompt. Will certainly return.

Delicious food. Charming place. Satsuka was the eggplant tapas which was nice, a bit spicy. Service very good, generous bread, made at their place. Morning Turkish plate was not as awesomely interesting. Interested in trying other dishes!

Pretends to be a good Turkish restaurant, and they may full someone who never ate a real good Turkish food. Everything is lucking spices and very plain but nevertheless priced pretty high for the quality. Rice is not cooked good and it is not good sort of rice either. Service is fast, but absolutely impersonal. Waiter never even asked if I liked the food. Never again.

Cute Turkish place! Not the best value for the money but the food is of good quality and tastes good. I had the kofta sandwich and my sister had the adana meal. The meal comes with tasty warm bread and red pepper paste to dip it in, pretty fantastic stuff. My sandwich was nothing special. The meat was a little dryer than I would have liked especially with the bread soaking up the moisture. The one large piece of potato was sad as a side. My sister enjoyed her adana meal--it came with a fresh salad, rice, and grilled vegetables. The meat was tender and well flavored but small portions for what you're paying. Her bf had some egg scramble and seemed to enjoy it, but once again not a substantial amount of food. Maybe we just eat a lot more than we should... Very cute decor and setting. Laid back service. This place isn't a must-try but it's good when you want decent Turkish in the area.

This was our favorite restaurant. However, the price has increased and the quality has dropped since last year. The Adana kabob is ridiculous. It was maid in pan. I am sorry to say that i will not visit there anymore. I don't know why did they maid changes. Everything was awesome last year. And they switch waitress alot.

Delicious Turkish food, and kind staff. Vegetarian options, and lots of lamb dishes. I had the Green Lentil Plate, which is spiced lentils and lamb on top of pita, with a moderate dollop of yogurt. Would definitely go again. Drawbacks are few number of seats, and kitchen slightly slow. Best to call ahead when you're close, to make sure you can get seated.

Where to start? My friend asked for an iced tea. They said they were "out of iced tea", yet hot tea was on the menu. I asked whether we might just order a hot tea, and some ice. The server, with a snotty attitude, replied that they couldn't do anything that was "off the menu". We should have left at that point. I ordered the yogurt "salad" for $9, which turned out to be, literally, a cup of yogurt with oil drizzled on top (this was not mentioned in the description) with a so little shredded cucumber in it that you could scarcely taste it, and no spices to speak of. This was a "salad"??? By the time I finished trying to scoop out the oil (who wants worthless calories), there was little left. And seriously??? NINE dollars for a cup of yogurt??? This could win the price for the most over-priced item I have *ever* ordered in a restaurant. Next up was the chicken kebab, at $18. It was billed as "chicken and vegetables". The chicken arrive- a grilled chicken breast, quite tasty. But the "vegetables"? Literally a quarter of a tomato, sliced in half, and 2 small narrow strips of some kind of green pepper. Nothing more than a garnish. Seriously??? $18???? No one ever attended to our table. I had to ask twice to get water refilled. Bottom line: nice atmosphere, nasty servers, ridiculous prices, small portions, inaccurate menu descriptions. With so many wonderful-looking restaurants in Davis Square, I don't know how these people stay in business. I left $30 poorer, and hungry. Never again.

It is an okay restaurant. The portions are very small and on the pricy side. Beverages are extremely expensive. Deserts are tasty, the entrees are mediocre.

The food for dinner was delightful. A little on the more expensive end but for two people a soup (Paca) and a Turkish Hot tapa (Imam Bayildi) and an entree (Iskender Kofte) was more than enough and prepared very quickly. This restaurant serves traditional Turkish food and the vibe and atmosphere inside is lovely. Would definitely love to come back to try the breakfast!

This place is a hidden gem of Davis/Teele Square. The restaurant is small, cozy, and decorated with interesting pictures and Turkish-looking items (there's a small scimitar near the TV that captured my attention in particular). I've never had Turkish food before, but it is great! The complimentary bread immediately put me in a great mood: it was hot, fresh, and replaced when consumed. The sauce that came with it was also on-point. I had two tapas: an eggplant dish and a sausage dish, which came with AMAZING hummus and pita. I couldn't pronounce anything on the menu but it was all great. 5 stars for the food and service: we stayed past closing time talking and weren't asked to leave. Instead, we engaged in discussion with our waitresses and had a great time. Thanks, Istanbul'lu!