Falafel Zone — Restaurant in Beyoğlu

For all those that have food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances, I am sure you can relate to those moments when you have doubts about a restaurant's honesty when it comes to a food item being free of allergens, but you are so unbelievably hungry that if they tell you you can eat it, you do. While walking through the streets of Istanbul, very hungry and desperate to find something I could eat, I looked online and found Falafel Zone which was flagged as having vegan and gluten free options, which is ideal for my gluten and dairy allergies. Though my main concern here is the seeming vendetta this owner has on celiacs, I should also mention that this 'restaurant' is basically a very messy living room with a chaotic kitchen, and two small tables outside - see below photos of 'restaurant.' My friend, who seemed horrified at my dining choice, I assured as I told him this would be an 'authentic' experience - joke was on me. While I looked at the menu, I assumed that some of the falafel platters were likely gluten free, whilst things like burgers or pitas likely weren't. The owner PROMISED aggressively that the entire restaurant was gluten free, and seemed annoyed at any questions or concerns I had. My friend and I sat in peace for a moment, but a quick google search showed several people who had come here with gluten allergies, been promised the items were gluten free, only to get quite sick later. I walked over through her living room and found her cooking to ask if she could show me the package and ingredients of the gluten free pitas. I literally saw her pull a pita out of a package as she made up some long-winded, bizarre response about a special bakery that makes the gluten free pitas for her. I told her I was in Istanbul several days and asked what it was called so I could get baked goods there, but she told me 'it wasn't open to the public.' When the food came, I had read so many reviews that scared me I decided not to touch the pita, that honestly looked very standard and full of wheat; instead, only eating the falafel, meanwhile not trusting this woman at all and being very scared the falafel contained wheat in the ingredients. If you look at the social media for the restaurant, as well as the restaurant's signs, there is countless mentions of being a fully gluten free restaurant. When my friend was paying, I decided to take a quick look into the 'kitchen' and the first thing I found was a GIANT thing of WHEAT FLOUR, in full view, sitting in the kitchen (see below photos). That very much answered my question, which was further answered later that evening, and four days later as I still sit in pain from eating gluten. This woman appears to be, more or less, on some vendetta against people allergic to gluten. I should also note that the food, glutenous or not, was really not good. However, I sympathize with a woman trying to provide for her family, even at the expense of others, so I will not go into detail of the poorness of the food. Instead, I just implore her to be more honest, provide some gluten free options that are actually gluten free, and avoid exploiting foreigners in need of food and trusting of people who say things are gluten free when they...

Two-face,

That’s the only way to call the owner’s behaviour.

The first time I entered the store talking Turkish with the best of intentions. As a frequent traveler myself, I was curious about the owner’s journey and what inspired him.

In an incredibly rude fashion he conveyed that this wasn’t any of my business. However, if I was hungry he would be glad to serve me food.

Quite shallow for someone who earlier had a note on tables suggesting not to use wifi but TALK to each other.

The second time, I went with a bunch of internationals. All conversing in native English it was clear that this group wasn’t Turkish, well except for some dual natives…

This time the owner was happy to share his background, I.e., Egypt, and parts of his journey. In fact, he was so delighted he couldn’t stop chatting with the group.

This obvious discrepancy in terms of treatment reflect poorly on all of the ‘good intentions’ to be honest. If you prefer one group over the other, then have the guts to communicate this openly and don’t put a veil of fake privacy over it.

In case you were wondering about the food, it was decent and I can’t say anything bad about it.

Yet, for the best falafel experience in the area, you have to check out falafel Koy! Unbeatable in Istanbul! And the owner, Turkish, displays sincere hospitality to everyone, in case you are interested in an authentic experience. Enjoy!

update: To assume I mistook the place for another is hilarious. I do have pictures from when I visited. Rest assured, that I absolutely refer to you FALAFEL ZONE. And yes, I talked to the host and his wife BOTH times. Leave it up to the audience. Disappointing as said; maybe an exception but nonetheless...

Absolutely the worst falafel experience we’ve had – avoid at all costs.

We went to Falafel Zone hoping for at least decent falafel – it’s literally in the name – but even that was a complete disaster. The falafel tasted fermented, weirdly sour, and had a doughy, undercooked texture. The bread was served cold, the hummus wasn’t even blended properly – just smashed chickpeas with whole bits still in it like someone mashed them with a fork and gave up halfway.

The interior of the place was… shocking. It felt like we had walked into someone’s messy living room. There was a sofa with someone lying down, watching TV, like it was their apartment. The place was visibly dirty, and the smell of old frying oil was so strong it made us feel sick – we couldn’t even sit comfortably without feeling nauseous.

To make things worse, the woman working there asked to take our photo for Instagram. We explicitly said no videos, only pictures. She smiled and said “yes” – and then we discovered she posted a video of us anyway. Completely disrespectful and invasive.

Yes, the place is vegan, and I normally support vegan spots. But this one is a health hazard. Zero hygiene, awful food, and shady behavior. My husband ended up with severe stomach cramps all night after we ate there. We left feeling uncomfortable, disappointed, and honestly a bit grossed out.

Do not go. There are so many great vegan places in Istanbul – this is not...