Develi Ataşehir — Restaurant in Ataşehir

Every time I travel to Istanbul Turkey I have been going to Develi Ataşehir since my daughter was 2 years old (she is 6 now).

There are two reasons why I have chosen Develi Ataşehir: first, quality of the food and second, because they do have play area inside the restaurant under the supervision of adults where you can have dinner while your child plays.

A few days ago I took my regular trip to Istanbul as usual with my wife and daughter. Again, just like previous years first dinner was Develi Ataşehir along with friends and other family members totaling about seven people.

But this year experience of Develi was different. First, service was very poor. Waiter's were running around taking orders without delivering them. When you ask about the order there's always the reply of "you didn't order with me". This is only one small example of poor service of Develi Ataşehir.

Secondly, about the food we ordered. We ordered four main dishes on the menu. One was lamb and we received veal instead.

Third, about the bill. When I checked the bill I saw several charges on the bill wasn't even ordered. Rather than four main dishes we charged some one and half which totalled 6 main dish even though we just ate only four. Some orders didn't even received but it was on the bill.

Last but not least, this is the funniest part: the total charge was 649 Turkish Lira (little less than $100) currency exchange rate was $1 = 6.6 Turkish Lira. But on the bill there was a section where there was a suggestion if you want to pay in USD, guess how much that was, wait for it ($170)!!!

That was my last dinner at Develi Ataşehir. I will not dine there again. It's just not like it used to be. Service declined over the years, food quality is not the same, and the feeling of you have to keep your guard up all the time not to get cheated on the bill is tiring especially when you go to a dinner to have a relaxing time. So...

Tourist scam — avoid

Visited Develi Ataşehir on 16 June 2025 and got hit with a ₺10,530 bill for a simple dinner. Here’s exactly how they do it: • No menu at the start. They tried to take the order verbally. When we insisted, the menu they brought had hand-written prices and no prices for wine or soft drinks. • Hidden “kuver” fees (seating charge) appeared without any disclosure: ₺520 for adults + ₺65 for a child. • We ordered 1 salad; the bill showed two double salads (₺860). • Crazy drink prices that weren’t on the menu: glass of wine ₺675, Coca-Cola ₺300, Fanta ₺150 — that’s bottle-level pricing in Europe, not a single glass/soda in Istanbul. • Made-up line items: “Muhtelif Ürün” (Miscellaneous Product) ₺955 and an extra ₺1,530 with no description at all. • At payment they only showed a non-fiscal bill in Turkish, then took it away after we paid. No fiscal receipt was provided.

They also refused Apple Pay / contactless and forced chip-and-PIN. My bank later told me that with chip-and-PIN and no correct itemized receipt, a chargeback isn’t possible under Visa rules. In other words, they know exactly what they’re doing.

I’ve eaten all month around Istanbul with the same card; normal checks at comparable places are ~₺3,000, not ₺10,530. Read other recent reviews — you’ll see the same pattern: missing prices, surprise fees, and nonsense items.

My advice: • Demand a printed menu with prices before ordering. If drinks aren’t priced, don’t order. • Ask to see the total on the card terminal before entering your PIN. • Request a fiscal receipt (fatura/fiş) with the tax number immediately after paying. • If they won’t do any of the above, walk out.

I wish someone had warned me. Consider this...

What a great place. It was recommended to us by Mr. Enes at Marriott Hotel Istanbul Asia and my sister and i loved it very much. The food is fresh and delicious and the service is great. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The portions are of a generous size and so much food to choose from the menu. We ended up going there almost every day for lunch and dinner. We will miss its food so much and would visit it again on our next trip to Istanbul. We highly recommend to visit this great restaurant for anyone who stays...