Iana I.
Yelp
This place is to die for. Promise.
This was our very first non-airport meal in Istanbul and we loved it.
We went in here after walking up and down the little restaurant street twice. Since all the waiters will be trying to cajole you into their restaurant, you need to walk with a determined look on your face while casually letting your eyes survey in your peripheral vision. When we got to the end of the street, my friend and I turned to each other and surprisingly both said "the one with all the world flags hung up inside?" "Done."
So we walked back down the street with the same determined look in our eye, avoiding all the charming waiters except the one for this restaurant. We got seated at the very top, where we got a nice view of the street. We had two appetizers and one entree each: the sarma, caviar, coban salad and a kebab dinner. I can't say enough good things about the sarmas. Nothing I have ever tasted before in any Turkish restaurant in the US compares. At all.
Needless to say, we wiped all our little plates clean and were satisfied until the next morning, when we ventured out for a pastry shop breakfast.