Hamdi Restaurant Şişli — Restaurant in Şişli

TOURIST FRIENDLY AND an authentic Turkiye, amazing experience! The food came out faster and hot! Appetizers, mmm lentil soup, yummy specialty kebabs, THE MOST DELICIOUS BAKLAVA, mmm Turkish apple tea with dessert! Our server was so friendly and even took the time to joke around with us tired tourists who walked from mosque to mosque and shopped at the bazaar all day! LOL :D It was a beautiful, fancy meal to end a long day. They know what they’re doing here and according to their menu’s intro, they’ve been doing things right since 1970! The have a little counter store before you leave if you’d like to purchase their desserts and tea! We plan to come back at the last part of our BEST OF TURKEY TOUR! Yes! It’s that good! The USD goes a long way here - a meal for three adults with all the fixins was only $60 TOTAL! NOT KIDDING! That’s including wine, soft drinks and desserts! Don’t think twice! Just go in and eat! Reservations are recommended but it was a Monday and we just walked in. What Special Kebabs did we order! Under “Special Kebabs” do the “Ali Nazik Kebab” Beef or Chicken! SOOO TENDER AND...

The food was 4/5, the service was 3/5, but there were a few negatives. I felt that the evening was a bit rushed by the head waiter although when it was time to get a bill we had to ask several times. Most importantly, we were never offered desert or fruit and we were finished with our meals about 30 minutes before the restaurant closed. As a matter of fact we seemed to be ignored once our food was provided - all the staff were busy cleaning the restaurant in preparation of closing. We arrived well before closing, almost 2 hours, and the mission to clean and remove settings from the tables started about 45" before closing. And, unfortunately I was quite annoyed, and will not return due to 1 incident. 20" before closing hours I requested watermelon from the head waiter, his response was, "Oh no that is not available the kitchen has closed." Then when I asked him for to go containers he acted as though it was impossible, had a very sour look on his face. So customers that are having a meal can not have desert well before actual closing time??? Maybe that information should be...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Hamdi Restaurant in Şişli, Istanbul (Nov 2022), and was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the food and service. The restaurant is beautifully decorated, with a warm and welcoming atmosphere that immediately made me feel at home. The menu offers a wide variety of traditional Turkish dishes, and I was impressed by the freshness and flavor of the ingredients.

The service at Hamdi Restaurant was also exceptional. Our waiter was knowledgeable and attentive, and was able to make recommendations based on our preferences. He was also able to explain the ingredients and preparation methods for each dish, which added to the enjoyment of the meal.

Overall, my experience at Hamdi Restaurant was exceptional, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone visiting Istanbul. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. I would definitely return to Hamdi Restaurant on future visits...