Octo — Restaurant in Beyoğlu

We dined at Octo twice during our recent 5 day trip to Istanbul. After consulting TripAdvisor, seeking a rooftop restaurant with high quality, varied menu options and a beautiful view, we had lunch there and were spoiled with 5 star service from Murat. He was delightful and engaging and our leisurely meal, paired with local organic wine was simply divine. It was the lunchtime highlight of our trip. We would like to thank Murat for his time and friendly, informed recommendations with the wine, and explaining some of the traditional local dishes. And for making us feel so welcome and at home. It was a most wonderful afternoon...so wonderful in fact we chose to return for our last night, to watch the sun set and changing lights across the Bosphorus. Sadly Murat was not there, but we were once again spoiled by the equally delightful and engaging Serkan. He truly was a genuine, lovely man, who we felt a connection with, as we both spoke about our families and similarities between them. My husband was sporting a cold, so I asked for some chopped fresh garlic to add to the oil and bread accompaniment. Out it came, without fuss, and then a second pot to pair with our meal. We chose the exact same dishes for dinner, as it was too delicious not to enjoy a second time. The lamb shoulder shared, with roast potatoes and a green salad. Accompanied by a traditional barley/rice type local dish, the lamb and sides were all perfect. We did not want the meal to end. The chef Safak even came out to ask us about the meal, and we ended up chatting with him about seasonal local ingredients and his third generation recipes. We could feel the love and craft in our meal, and could sense his passion in creating a menu reflecting his ancestry, and love of cooking with local produce. He kindly gave us a complimentary mandarin flavoured sorbet which was the perfect ending to our scrumptious meal. Sadly, the night had to end. Thank you also to Melissa, the hostess, and the manager who also went to great lengths to make us feel welcome, at this extraordinary rooftop restaurant with stunning views. Again enormous heartfelt thanks to Murat, Serkan and Safak, for making our experience and meals at Octo so enjoyable...

Our first experience was terrible! We were at Occo on Tuesday, January 28th at 19:00 with a reservation for 5 people. As said, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Octo was going to be the first experience for all 5 of us. I am a businessman who lives in Istanbul and Berlin and traveling a lot in Europe. I am a person of great tolerance, but I also have my limits. We entered the restaurant without a friendly and attentive greeting. We sat at a table on the right last table in the corner with a magnificent view. The table was shown to us from a distance, so no one walked us toı the table. All of us, including my two female guests, held our coats in our hands and waited for a while if a waiter would attend us and take them away. This never happened! Then I had to put them on a chair on top of each other! Over the next few hours, these coats frequently slid down and fell to the floor. I had to put them back on the chair each time. Looking back, I realize that there was no one observing what was happening in the restaurant, trying to be attentive and anticipate what their guests might want.

One of the two tables we were sitting at was wobbling like a teeter totter. We asked for help three times but they couldn't fix it. In the end I had to bend down and try to fix the table in front of my guests, it was really embarrassing! Looking back, they failed twice in my opinion before the guests even got to the restaurant in controlling the place in detail and then failed again to fix it when there was a problem.

As for the food, drinks and the rest of the night, the waiters were indifferent and slow. Throughout the night, one of our guests never received her drink despite ordering it twice from one waiter and once from another waiter. As for the food, it was okay but not worth the money we paid! Obviously when a restaurant is recommended by Michelin you expect a certain level of service, ambiance and food quality. I don't usually write reviews like this; this is only my second one. I felt the need to write this because I have disappointed...

We recently dined at Octo in Istanbul, and while the experience wasn’t entirely negative, it left us disappointed on several fronts. Although the restaurant is beautifully designed with a stunning view, these positives unfortunately didn’t make up for the issues we faced.

The most unpleasant aspect was the service. From the beginning, we felt as though we were treated poorly, possibly because of our casual appearance. We were simply dressed, with no makeup or fancy hairstyles, and it genuinely felt like this influenced the level of attention we received. Our waiter was notably unfriendly and inattentive, which left us feeling uncomfortable. The waiting time was unreasonably long, with other guests—who arrived later but were dressed more formally—receiving their meals much sooner.

As for the food, it was decent but not exceptional. We ordered two salads and pasta with beef ribs. My salad was tasty, but my friend’s was overly salted, and the pasta was fine but certainly didn’t wow us. The waiter, unfortunately, further soured our experience; when he cleared the plates, he abruptly took my friend’s dish and in the process, he managed to stain my friend’s sleeve due to his carelessness, seemingly doing everything without much attention or care. He only muttered a quick “sorry” after realizing his mistake, but the damage was done.

Adding to the discomfort, the restaurant was incredibly stuffy. The heaters were on full blast, and with all the windows closed, the air felt heavy and stifling. By the end of the evening, I even started to feel unwell from the heat and lack of fresh air.

Overall, Octo did not meet our expectations, especially considering its Michelin status. As my friend put it, it was the worst Michelin-starred restaurant experience we’ve had. The ambiance was lovely, but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to redeem the rest of...