Spago Istanbul by Wolfgang Puck — Restaurant in Şişli

As a hotel guest, I have had the pleasure of visiting Spago Restaurant in Istanbul numerous times in the past. However, my recent experience as a hotel guest left me deeply disappointed and reluctant to return.

During my visit, while the restaurant was virtually empty, I decided to take a quick picture from the rooftop to capture the beautiful view. I approached the hostess and politely requested permission to do so. To my surprise and dismay, my request was immediately denied. Despite the restaurant being vacant, the hostess was unwilling to accommodate such a simple and harmless request.

As someone who has frequented Spago Restaurant and valued their service in the past, this incident has left a bitter taste in my mouth. As a hotel guest, I would have expected a more welcoming and accommodating approach. Unfortunately, the hostess's dismissive attitude and refusal to grant a small favor has made me question the level of service and hospitality provided by Spago.

It is disheartening to have such an encounter tarnish the reputation of a restaurant I once held in high regard. As a hotel guest, I believe that attentiveness and customer satisfaction should be top priorities. This incident has left me hesitant to return to Spago Restaurant in the future, as it reflects a lack of consideration and appreciation for their guests.

I hope that Spago Restaurant takes this feedback to heart and strives to improve their customer service, particularly towards their hotel guests. It is crucial to create an environment that fosters a positive and memorable dining experience, where guests feel valued and appreciated.

While I have cherished pleasant dining moments at Spago in the past, this recent encounter has made me question whether I will choose to dine there again...

Generally pleased with the food. Chicken was tasty as was the corn agnolotti. I cannot fault the restaurant for the language barrier when ordering nor the staff pushing a couple apps and wine on us as that is also culturally familiar in Turkey. Our server ultimately was excellent but I did have an issue that warrants a 3 star review (the fact that the prices on the online menu were 30-50% lower than the in person menu did not factor into this as I would expect the pricing we paid from Spago but do watch out if you’re price sensitive).

Biggest issue was a 100 lira seating charge that we were never told about and was snuck on the bill. At first they tried to tell me it was because service wasn’t included (which it should never be in Turkey and I planned to leave a 300 lira tip on a 3000 lira bill). Then it was due to the pita (which was stale, by the way) being left on the table. I noted that I would not pay a charge that I was not asked about nor told and not for food that I didn’t order. The server then had the gall to bring over an 8000 lira check to show me that “even those people paid it”.

I don’t care and I don’t like being taken advantage of. A seating charge isn’t a cultural thing nor is it an expectation in Turkey - it’s a disgusting way to scam tourists akin to what you’d expect at a restaurant by the Hagia Sofia, not at the St. Regis. No wonder Istanbul has a bad reputation for tourism - it is largely unwarranted in my view but these sorts of sneak charges are disgusting.

The St. Regis should be ashamed of itself for permitting...

We just left Spago Istanbul…

Unfortunately, neither the food nor the service were convincing. Starter Pizza Spago was completely cold, that's not how it should be, we've been to 2 other Spago restaurants it's not served completely cold there. One of the other main courses were also not at the right temperature (2 people). Taste was very good!

The biggest weakness was the service. The waiters in the vests didn't really know what they were doing. A few minutes after handing us the menu, we were simply asked what we wanted to order. Then the menus were snatched out of our hands without any advice. Like in a diner. They didn’t ask if we wanted anything to drink… No recommendations on drinks or food in general.

While people were still eating, dishes were cleared away or cutlery for the main course was placed over the plate of the person still eating. Its hard to explain, it just wasn’t a really premium feel.

The gentleman who escorted us to our table was very friendly, the other waiters were not really. But they obviously couldn't speak much English either. The tables with locals were better served.

In the end we also were not asked how we liked it or whatsoever.

The bar is unfortunately very high, Spago is in the St. Regis Hotel, they advertise with Michelin. This expectation is not fulfilled.

All in all it was not a Spago experience compared to the other Spago restaurants...