Cafe Istanbul

Mixed feelings about the food, but the service was very good. BYOB with $10 corkage plus full bar.
My chicken kebab was very dry and tasteless , the eggplant appetizer was underwhelming. Two other people had similar feedback. Desert was tasty and well presented.
We are not sure about coming back, we'llbtry tone more time ordering delivery.

Delicious, charcoal grilled kebabs. The bread that came with the hummus was fantastic (crunchy crust, soft inside). I have been to many Middle Eastern / Mediterranean kebab places in Chicago and this is among the Top 3!

Extremely good middle eastern food. Very impressed, was several steps up from what I was expecting - ordered 5 things basically at random from the menu and every single one was excellent. Also very nice staff, they brought out a great appetizer to start and black tea after the meal on the house. I've never left a review anywhere before, but my experience here made me decide to start. Highly recommend.

Cafe Istanbul is down right amazing. I don’t do reviews. Ever. But I’m making an exception for this place. Turkish chefs. Wood burning stove. Parking. Fresh/flavorful food. Great service.

Have you ever had food cooked over a wood burning stove? Game changer. Succulent, flavorful and your mouth will thank you after. I’m not sure what they do to season their food but it’s excellent. Little flavor explosions with every bite. Oh happy day.

I intend on coming here on a weekly basis.

Fantastic experience!! My wife and I went for lunch a week after it opened and ordered the soup, an appetizer, seafood salad, and the donor wrap. Every course was flavorful, well-sized, and authentically Turkish. The wait staff was extremely helpful and told us about their wood burning stove and their chefs from Turkey. The care they take in crafting the menu is abundantly clear- I wouldn’t make modifications to these dishes. We’ll be coming back to this spot often for lunch or dinner.