Antica Locanda — Restaurant in Beşiktaş

Antica Locanda

I am not sure where to begin with so many nice things to say, so to start: go there!

We don’t just go there, we have made this our regular. Istanbul is getting more difficult with hyper-“shrinkflation” causing an ever diminishing level of quality with rapidly rising prices, I am hard pressed to find any place worth more than my own home spun meals a la “Masterclass.” We have become very picky as to where we spend our money so I want you to understand that this is a statement of our highest regard that Antica Locanda is both a special spot for our birthdays and our regular spot that we purposefully schedule into our calendar. This has been the case for us for over 10 years now. They recently changed their decor and menu and this has given us reason to go even more often.

Istanbul is fortunate to have chef Gian Carlo Talerico to bring the true pleasures of Italy to our pallets. Arnavutkoy has always been our favorite nook of Istanbul and even as it becomes perhaps too hip on weekend evenings for us “regulars,” Antica Locanda remains an anchor for what makes it so special. I have lived in the US, Europe (including Italy) before Turkey and have been through half a Michelin Guide if that helps measure my critique. If you want truly Italy, then you need chef Talerico, the atmosphere and the pleasure of...

We went to the restaurant at our reservation time. The restaurant is closed. Phones don't answer. What a mess. Just don't go.

Edit: Next day, I called the restaurant to ask for an explanation. They mentioned that "they didn't have a reservation on that date". I had communicated with them on the phone 3 times for that slot. By each sentence, they just went worse. They didn't invite for a compensation coffee or sth. I understand that they want to go in a more amateur direction. So, in some way, it became an unforgettable anniversary...

This is a delicious Italian restaurant in Arnavutkoy. The food was amazing, we had some pasta and meat. They’re more of a meat and pasta place instead of pizza and fish. Everything we had was really tasty. They also had the beat tiramisu I’ve had at an Italian restaurant in Istanbul. The atmosphere is semi formal semi casual. I wasn’t entirely fond of the decoration but it’s definitely a nice restaurant and the waiters were helpful...