Address: | 1784 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA |
Phone: | +1 757-220-3840 |
Site: | istanbulrestaurantva.com |
Rating: | 4.8 |
Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 12–8PM |
TA
Ta Mom
Our family is originally from Uzbekistan and we have lived in the US for the last 7 years. It is in very rare occasions we liked and went back to the same restaurant in the US. Istanbul is the place were we would definitely go again. The food was great and everything looked fresh. Chicken kebab and beef kofte were nicely marinated and cooked. Tasty bread. Appetizers were good. Restaurant is well decorated and clean. I do not understand why the level of cleanliness in most restaurants in the US is so bad. This is regardless of restaurants fanciness. Istanbul is different: neat and clean with well organized tables. Utensils, glassware and table linen were clean. We loved the service. Serving girls were the nicest, knowledgeable about the food and pleasure to talk to. The owner came to our table, greeted us and inquired if we liked the food and assured us that Istanbul restaurant team is working hard to make it even better. Three things we did not like: 1) there was no yogurt. This is unacceptable in a Turkish restaurant. Yogurt must always be in abundance and ready to be separately served when requested; 2) Tea was awful. This is another unacceptable thing in a Turkish restaurant. Tea must always be fresh and well brewed. Ours was warmish and possibly brewed hours ago. If tea is not fresh and well brewed next time, I will have to lower the review to 4-stars and will continue doing so if the quality of tea does not change. 3) Please make sure you have cherry juice for the next time. Overall, fantastic place to be. I am glad our family found a place were we can go with no reservations. Good luck Istanbul restaurant team!
KE
Keri Salyards
What a gem. Found this place driving back to our hotel from Jamestown. Even though we were only in Williamsburg for 5 nights, we ended up coming here twice because it was just that good. We had the adana and lamb yogurt kebabs, the chicken kebab (which my three year old devoured), the mixed grill, the calf liver appetizer, and the kadayif, my new favorite dessert of all time. Every single thing was incredible. Top it all off with Turkish coffee and tea and youve got one hell of a memorable experience. The staff was incredibly nice and attentive (shout out to Asli for rocking her training with us!), and the owner came over to talk with us both nights we were there. The restaurant itself is beautiful and very clean. We will come back here every single time we come to Williamsburg, guaranteed.
BU
Burcu Mukus
Our goal is to give you best experience that we can give. Istanbul restaurant start operating july the 17th 2015 and every since then we had great feedbacks on our food on our dinning room and on our service. Of course we are going to accomplish the best but in the mean time we are asking our customers to help us to make this place even greater please tell us what was your experience and how was it? what should be change and how could we make the changes to make istanbul restaurant in the way that they would like to see. Please let us know before you leave so we can move forward for those changes to make it better. Thank you all so much for giving us the opportunity to prove ourselves to you.
KA
Kathy Duncan
A hidden gem in Williamsburg. I like the new Istanbul restaurant even better than its last incarnation. Delicious meats. Very tender. Love the homemade hummus, tatziki, baba ganoush and other dips they create. Turkish tea is strong and delicious as is their coffee. If you are a tea or coffee drinker, you should definitely try theirs. Great wine selection with several from Turkey. Often the special comes with a glass of wine of your choice. If you are not a drinker, ask them for a dessert instead. Lovely desserts too. I highly recommend trying Istanbul for its authentic and delicious food. There is not usually a wait since there is indoor and outdoor seating.
CR
Cristian Vidrascu
I stopped here randomly after visiting Jamestown. The chicken soup was amazing (creamy and maybe with lemon?), as were the appetizers (cucumber yogurt sauce, spicy vegetable sauce, and Turkish olives). My main dish was lamb shank, on the bone, and it was so tender that I didnt even need a knife! It came with a great salad, they even put effort into their side dishes. I loved the desert (kataif?) and the Turkish style coffee. Service was superior , and the manager (Kerim?) went out of his way to make sure I am happy. Highly recommended - and to think I almost passed this place by as I was driving, looking for a place to eat.
BR
Bruce MacLeod
This restaurant was great under previous management but we ordered our dinners to go were not impressed. We ordered Beef Kebab, a Mediterranean Salad with Chicken and the Humus appetizer. They failed to give us any pita bread so we paid $7 for a container of plain Humus and they failed to give us any Chicken on the salad. Total paid was $40. We got overpriced salad & humus and Beef Kebab that had little flavor. After a phone call to ask about the missing pieces, the staff seemed too confused and failed to understand the issue. Sad that Williamsburg lost a true Turkish restaurant in Nazar!
AN
Andrew John Tarr
The ONLY bad thing I can say is that it is strange that this place is not extremely packed. One of the best dining experiences i have ever had: atmosphere, customer service, and food were all amazing. My partner and I had our anniversary weekend in Williamsburg, and came to Istanbul Restaurant because it is a nicer restaurant with vegetarian options (shes vegetarian). However, if we lived here, we would come frequently, as the prices were great too. If you are in Williamsburg, I highly recommend Istanbul Restaurant.
AB
Abrar Qureshi
One of the best places in US where I could get the authentic taste of Turkish cuisine. Weve tried it twice so far during our recent stay in Williamsburg and everyone in the family enjoyed it very much. My teenage son who is very selective with his dining choices suggested that he would love eating there everyday. The chef stopped by our table to chat during our recent visit and was pleased to know about our great experience at the restaurant. I know this is going to be our favorite place to dine in Williamsburg.
DO
Dom Style
Stopped by for lunch with my puppy and sat outside to enjoy the beautiful fall day. Karla the waitress brought my puppy a bowl of water before I even sat down! The service just improved from there! Friendly and knowledgeable staff. They start you off with pita bread, olives and 2 dipping sauces (1 yogurt, 1 tomato based) both were delicious. My entree came and the lamb was seasoned and cooked beautifully over rice and with a small side salad that was dressed just right! Ill definitely be back for dinner soon!
TU
Tug Can
I had a great experience today together with my husband. Both of us are from Turkey so we know how food taste like back home. Today I felt like i was back in Turkey again food tasted awesome i had calf liver as apetizer for myself and adana kebab as an entree, my husband had the yogurt kebab and calf liver aswell we both enjoyed everything and the desserts were out of this world still got the taste in my mouth will definitely be back next time with friends and family
F
F Nino
Very high appetizers price and very small portions. We order humus, tabuleh, calamari, as appetizers and french fries with dinner . They taste nothing like back home. Horrible. French frirs tasted so bad that i cant describe. We ordered adana kebab and lamb chops as entrees. Portions are good. Food taste much better than appetizers. Place is supper clean, friendly service