No 19 Dining — Restaurant in Beyoğlu

Pros: Good food in a homey atmosphere surrounded by art and pottery (that you can purchase). Delightful small informal place. The female owner speaks very good English. A revelation to me in Istanbul is how much good Turkish food is vegetable-based with either no meat or very little. You can enjoy such dishes here at No. 19. I ate a great artichoke starter and aubergine main with no meat, and did not feel deprived of meat in the least. It’s a small location and not sure they take reservations. So I go around 9:15pm. They close at 10pm. Cons: It’s expensive compared to similar establishments in Istanbul, and especially if you order wine (wine is priced more than you would pay typically in Spain, perhaps because they sell imported wine…?). And don't expect any flexibility, at all. Two cases in point: Trying to watch my diet, I asked if I could have just one of the little desserts that came in three. They said no, so I bought the 3 (for just 25 TL) and gave the remaining 2 to the waitress, who said it was her favorite. Meanwhile, I had just spent over 350 TL (or more) including red wine. So, better business would have just given me one of those tiny desserts. I'd have happily left a bigger tip (as it is, I gave a very generous 50 TL tip to the waitress as she is quite nice). It is clear the woman owner is quite hard nosed. I also initially asked if I could enjoy small portions of two main dishes, rather than order two mains and would have happily paid for this. But again, the response was "No!". This diminishes the experience when you face this type of inflexiblity and does not make good business sense, especially for this type of...

Came to this place due to the reviews. Was greeted not by the owner but by a super cute doggie. The food quality is incredible and fresh, it's also light not heavy and makes you gradually fully (meaning they do not overuse any ingredient such as oil-big plus), nothing too fancy but everything very well spiced and salty(I completely disagree with a review I've seen here about the salt amount) and it differentiates itself from other bistrots for being not only vegetarian but also vegan friendly.

The main dishes are around 600 TL ( 16 euros), the small plates around 180/200 TL (5 euros).

I won't put 5 stars because while the place is very calm and cozy, the blonde waiter is a bit harsh and didn't like she saw I was gonna eat stuffed peppers and she told me "squeeze the lemon" as if I can't eat properly hahah -very unpleasant attitude and in contrast with the calming environment.

Fortunately, their other waiter with the tattoos is 1. super cute, 2.educated and 3.attentive. Always checking tables making sure everyone is enjoying their food. This is called amazing customer service. I was having a bad day and was overthinking a lot, his energy was very calming and made me enjoy my meal while always removing empty plates -KUDOS.

I paid 1015 TL (eggplants filled with veggies, with bulgur as a side and a dip, 3 zucchini fritters with their dip, 2 stuffed peppers, a big portion of some garlicky pomegranate dip with bread,coke zero and water ). I also tipped 200 TL for the service of the male waiter.

Overall, I would come back to this place, it's just as good as the...

A rare pleasure of a place, absolutely not to be missed.

This is a restaurant with soul, like dining at home: walk in and the hostess greets you like an old friend. The decor is tasteful but very interesting if you take a close look, solid wooden tables, lots of ceramic pieces, antique but not antiquated. The mood is relaxed and comfortable. You can be at ease.

The food is billed as simple, home style Turkish cuisine, and it certainly delivers on that. You choose one main and two sides from the dishes on display at the counter. (Though if the chef signs off you can pick four smaller side portions - it is hard to decide!) The majority of their food is vegetarian, a pleasure for me.

Yet this is not just home cooking, many dishes have a special twist. Take the orange puppy dish pictured: it is a version of the classic mezze of carrot in yogurt. But the chef has cooked this dish with fresh orange juice. From the description, I wasn’t sure what it would taste like, but took the hostess’s advice to choose it. I am so glad I did. I can honestly say it is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten, and I have been across the world and sampled many many cuisines.

From hospitality to atmosphere to taste, No19 has it all. It will be one of my first stops the next time I am...