E&E Balkanli Lokantasi — Restaurant in Beşiktaş

A Real Letdown

I don’t know where to start with this meal—let’s just say it was a mess from top to bottom. The dolma was like a hand grenade, stuffed with nothing but rice and no trace of meat. It was just a mushy, tasteless ball of rice wrapped in leaves, and it might as well have exploded in my mouth. Then came the karniyarik—by far the worst I’ve ever had. The filling was mushy, flavorless, and the eggplant was soggy beyond belief. Honestly, it felt like they forgot to add any seasoning or care. I only had a fork of each and left all back to restaurant.

On the bright side, the soup wasn’t terrible. It had a nice depth to it, rich and comforting, but after the disaster that was the dolma and karniyarik, who even cares? A good soup doesn’t save a meal that’s gone so far off-track.

This meal clearly needed some serious attention to detail. It was all over the place—nothing had the right balance or flavor. If the chef learned the basics, or using some actual meat in their dolma or giving the rice a bit of butter, it might be worth another shot. Until then, though, I’d...

Looking for a cheap colon cleanse? Looking to strengthen your calve muscles by making multiple mad dashes to the toilet in the middle of the night? Ladies and gentlemen, look no further than Balkan Lokantasi. The cheap oil used in their food (particularly the eggplant dish, karnıyarık) will ensure that nothing is left in your bowels and won’t be able to keep anything down for days after.

My partner (who is a Turk) and I (I’ve been living in Istanbul for 15 years) were violently ill after eating here on 23 November 2024. Very disappointing as I have lived in Ortakoy for 8 years and have frequented this establishment...

The food in this restaurant is the closest thing you will get to home cooked food. The restaurant serves traditional Turkish cuisine with a cafeteria experience. The food is good and you will be overwhelmed by the choices of dishes you want to try. The restaurant will urge you to go there again to try different dishes. The venue is big with ample...