La Sirene Bebek — Restaurant in Beşiktaş

Wish I'd had wifi to read the other reviews before coming. Basically this is a very nice place to sit, comfortable and very pleasant, on the water, nice views and relaxing--but make sure you only get coffee or something to drink, no food! This was the most inedible food I've ever come across in 50 years of eating out. We ordered fried calamari--the outside was so tough we couldn't bite through it, and the inside was like liquidy paste--it was the opposite of what fried calamari should be, I don't even know what it was made of. This is the only time I have ever sent something back to the kitchen in my life. They brought out another plate of the same exact thing--I told them we didn't want it, but the waiter said he couldn't remove it from our bill, he could only replace it, so we ended up having to pay for it anyway. My seafood linguine was similarly scary--the mussels were obviously way beyond bad, when cracked open they had nothing inside but a black residue. I have never seen food like this served in a restaurant. The waiters were nice enough and apologetic but also seemed clueless. My daughter got the dumplings and a mocktail and enjoyed them, so I guess some things are better than others but be careful with your ordering. I figured I paid for the relaxation and the view and was just relieved that neither of us got...

Visited here looking forward to a relaxed evening meal—and while the food didn’t disappoint, the overall experience was marred by poor service.

Let’s start with the positives: Shrimp in Butter: Absolutely delicious. The shrimp were tender, buttery, and well-seasoned, served sizzling hot with just the right amount of garlic and herbs.

Grilled Salmon with Roasted Vegetables: The salmon was perfectly cooked—moist on the inside with a nice crisp sear. The roasted vegetables were flavorful and complemented the dish well.

Drinks: We tried two mojito mocktails—Cranberry Redbull Mojito and Coconut Redbull Mojito. Both were refreshing and very creative, with a nice balance of sweetness and energy kick from the Redbull. A fun twist on a classic mocktail!

However, what really brought the rating down was the service. Lot of items unavailable. Despite the posted hours, the restaurant began closing nearly an hour early—without any prior notice. Lights were being turned off, and we were rushed through the end of our meal. It was abrupt, unprofessional, and left a sour note on an otherwise...

Shrimp Casserole was okay but the Fettuccine Ala Pesto pasta was bland; saltless and pestoless (yes, it was supposed to be pesto pasta 😐). However, the fish (balsamic glazed seabass) was burnt beyond edibility and when we told the staff this, they acted as if we've never had grilled fish before. I am aware of grill marks, I am aware of charring, this is not what fish should be like. Terrible service, even charged us for the pesto we had to put in ourselves (which should've been in the pasta already) and acted like they were better than us and like we were illiterate hooligans that have never tasted food better than what rats eat off the street. Never come here, there's tons of better places in Bebek and this charming neighborhood. Excellent View, but such terrible management that I'd never come here again. food was mediocre at best with incredibly dirty bathrooms. Even put on a...