Cafe Istanbul

Let me first say that our dinner at Caf? Istanbul was so bad that referring to this establishment as a restaurant is a bad joke. The dining experience is by the far the worst we have ever had. The service was very slow and the food was horrible and very greasing. My Moussaka was just a mound of tasteless beef and eggplant that was saturated with grease that pooled in the bottom of the plate. The waiter never returned to see if we needed refills on drinks. After we finished eating, what was edible, and waiting a very long time for our check, I had to chase down our waiter to request the check. When I found him, he was having a casual conversation on his cell. The place is also so dimly lit that you can barely see what you are eating. I guess the combination of insufficient lighting and black lights should have been a sign to exit the premises before ordering. There was also an element there that seemed to be made up of friends, family, acquaintances and off duty workers that had put down roots for the day. They were lounging around and drinking and seemingly enjoying themselves. However they were not eating as they apparently know better. This type of clientele created an unsettling atmosphere that made us want to leave as quickly as possible. It is evident Cafe Istanbul is more interested in establishing themselves as a hangout instead of a restaurant that caters to the paying public. Due to our miserable experience, I DID NOT LEAVE A GRATUITY, however our credit card statement showed a gratuity added, without my knowledge, in excess of 60%. I would heed all other negative reviews about Caf? Istanbul and question the glowing reviews and supposed awards. I truly wonder how they survive as they certainly cannot count on repeat business. Eat at your own risk. more

All I know is that the food was a bit pricey, and the service in mid afternoon was pathetic. (Visited with wife and daughters, so the wait was probably exacerbated by that detail) The lines to get in must mean that they do something right, and the decor was very cool. more

\r I absolutely LOVE this place!! Whether you want to just chill and hang out with a few friends or you feel like letting your hair down and dancing, this place is great for both. If you have never had hookah before, than this a great way to experience something different also. Several times in the week there will be belly dancers here for your entertainment as well. Dinner and a show, what more could you want? On the weekends, Cafe Istanbul is the place to be! Exotic music, great food, belly dancing fire shows, hookahs gurgling away and just a unique environment in the heart of Decatur. This would be a great place to impress a date or a group of friends. It sure beats the monotonous club scene.\r \r The food here is also very authentic. They have this appetizer called the Sigara Boregi, which is like the American equivalent of a mozzarella stick but its stuffed with feta cheese instead. SO GOOD. And then try their Beyti kabob. Spiced ground lamb with tzatziki sauce all wrapped up in this thin bread. Its like a Turkish burrito. Or the combo platter so you get a taste of everything. Make sure to get extra tzatziki and red sauce. I put that stuff on everything. Oh god, my mouth is watering already! \r \r Another great thing about this place is that the staff treats everyone like regulars. If you come here more than once the managers will probably great you with a hug! Everyone is so nice and treats you like family. I guarantee you will want to come back and then your hooked. \r more

I absolutely love this place, the food is great and so is the service, the waiters and the manager is very nice and polite. I have been coming here for a few years now, it is a very relaxing atmosphere. more

I've been this restaurant several times and always left happily. Sometimes, I went there with my several friends to celebrate something (birthday party) and all said the food and the atmosphere were great. It is nicely designed restaurant where people sit on the cushion and have food on level tables. The music is ok and in addition they have belly dancer. I tried their several dishes (Adana Kabob), but mostly like their special 'Iskerder Kabob' dish. It's too much full of meat served with yoghurt and its prize is reasonable. I think, their servers are foreigners, so sometimes it is hard to understand them and might take time to get your order. Because, this place is usually very crowded on Friday and Saturday, so servers might be slow sometimes. But I always make reservation before going there, so it takes 10 minutes to get seated at most. To summary, I recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants to try something different in Atlanta. more

Dont care about bad comments, give it a shot and you re not gonna be disappointed! Food is great so customer service. Also try their hookah more

I was stared at once entering the restaurant. Those who entered the restaurant after me were helped before me and given prime seating. There were many tables available in the main area. However, I was sat at a table by the bar and never helped. I saw multiple people of middle east nationality helped. If you are white, black, Hispanic, Asian, etc expect not to be helped. There were MANY people around me who also had the same problem I was appauled and will never go back. If want good hookah, better food, and be treated like a human being go to Divan in Buckhead. Not the dirt hole in the scary part of Decatur! more

Rude, incompetent, money grubbing staff and a manager who feels entitled to treat his customers like dirt. You get a very ""us against them"" vibe here--like in the old westerns when the stranger walks in the saloon and everybody stares at him? \r Don't waste your time in this horrible place! more

The Bad: Horrible service; cold, mediocre quality food; way too loud; much touted belly dancer appeared for 5 minutes and then disappeared for the rest of the evening.\r The Good: Nothing.\r \r Avoid this place at all costs. If you want good middle eastern food try Rumi's Table on Roswell Road or Sufi's of Persia on Peachtree. more

Just avoid! more

I have been going to Cafe Istanbul for a few years now and I keep coming back to this restaurant because of its exceptional customer service. The food is extremely affordable and the hookahs are very smooth to taste. At night the restaurant turns into a festivity with belly dancers. My favorites on the menu are Turkish Kayak Pizza and Adana Kabob, they are to die for! Kalo Galoway more commonly known as Mustafa always gives me the best experience there! The staff is like a big family and instantly make you feel at home. The restaurant truly takes you to Turkey and back, do not miss out! I LOVE ALL OF THEM!! more

Don't bring any valuables. My camera was stolen from there and i left it on the table for a few seconds and went right back to get it and it was gone. The waiters suck too and were not helpful when I asked them to check for my camera. more

I thought this was a terrible hooka lounge and restaurant. I have been here multiple times and I must say throughout the years it has only gotten progressively worse. first and foremost, they charge for water which I thought was ridiculous.. it might be a Turkish restaurant but it is most certainly not in Turkey- DON'T CHARGE FOR WATER! Also, the waiters and waitresses, although this is not their fault, are terrible at serving. They take way too long for the simple things such as drinks. And on top of that they expect a great tip even though their service would not be considered great. Maybe management should look into hiring new people. Also, although the food is good it is a bit pricey when considering the quality of the food, ambiance, and overall experience especially when compared to other persian restaurants such as Rumi's kitchen, Fanoos, Anatolia, Persopolis, etc. Lastly, the hooka here is awful! I went with a larger party once and for about 12-13 people they gave is 4 mouth tips.. REALLY. When we asked for more we finally got them after another round of coal. Which is also another bad thing.. you have to pay extra for each goal. Not only that but they quality of the tobacco is really bad and not even worth the price. The hooka is way too expensive and although many people think it is great quite frankly you are much much better off going to other places such as Deja vu (unlimited hooka). Overall, service is bad, food isn't great, hooka is better at other places! The only thing that I do like about this place is the music and even then, the music isn't always persian.. a lot of the time its Indian! PS- A friend told me that the waiters/waitresses are payed in salary so all the tips that they receive go straight to the owner.. which he totalllly does not deserve! You are better off not tipping more

hello!i am going to talk abou the best restaurant i have ever been to.it has the best turkish food and the best atmosphere i dont believe some of the reviews!the owners are very nice people.and i hear theyre making another cafe istanbul i am so excited i highly recommend bessssssssst...................place EVER!!!!!!! more

I used to love this place. I drove one hour just to come here and bring my dad and step son to see the belly dancer and enjoy a great meal. However, this place has gotten very bad!! We ordered drinks, apps- I had to ask the waiter 3 times for lemons. The waiter completely forgot about us after the apps were served....he never took our dinner order until we had to ask someone walking by. The belly dancer only did 1 dance throughout our entire dinner. The server never refilled our drinks ...I had to ask 3 times for water...Then he added to his gratuity when I had deleted his gratuity. The service Sucked and the Valet parking is ridiculous. Get a grip before your restaurant goes down the tubes. more

My friends and I have found this place and we can not get enough! We have been to other hookah places, but Cafe Istanbul beats them hands down. Weekends are packed, make sure you reserve a spot on the cushions! Their menu consists of everything from pizzas to Turkish Kebobs, and a whole page of appetizers , one better then the other. All in all you cant go wrong here, Dj music and great food, My friends and I are forever their customers! more

Its a good place if you want to save money, however, thes place wa very unhygienic, dark and suffocating. They surely dnt maintain any hygiene in the restaurant. The cushions were torn. They need a serious makeover of the place and has to be a lot more clean. Food was sort of ok. Would'nt call it great. more

If you are looking for a place to meet with your friends in the weekend and party while you dine, then this is it!! we have been going here for 3 years now, it not only gets busier and busier but the food gets better!! They have Music Blasting ( D J ) and everyone gets up to dance!!! And my favorite part is the HOOKAHS! They have all flavors and its great with a hot Chai. My friends and I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant and atmosphere to all! more

It was my friend's birthday and we decided to get a group of about 15 people together to go cafe istanbul. When we got seated the owner started telling us about a minimum spending limit of $10 per person, no problem. Except they were keen on us ordering food. I tried to explain to him that we were going to buy alcoholic beverages and our bill would come out way more than $100, which was their initial requirement. Unfortunately they still insisted on us ordering food. All 15 of us left, they really need to make smart business decisions and instead they lost over $300 worth of business. Never going there anymore, management is rude and does not listen to their customers. more

i hired cafe istanbul to cater for 50 people.what a deasester it was they cut portions .food was not good pita bread was old.i was so embarassed to my guests only reason i cater them was i was wishing for turkish food .what a wrong choice it was please please be aware and be carefull.they werent about to please or satisfy anyone just bad bussiness shame on you cafe istanbul this was so important to me. yet you made it a so bad experiance.\r Pros: none really Cons: fake promises more