Parole Cafe | Restaurant — Restaurant in Beyoğlu

As the Director of TURKEY Tourism USA, currently on assignment in Istanbul to write the 2025 guidebook, I had the pleasure of enjoying a delightful Turkish breakfast at Parole Café on Istiklal Avenue today (Saturday 12 October). From the moment I stepped onto the balcony overlooking Istiklal Avenue, I was greeted by the warm and attentive staff who made sure my experience was nothing short of perfect.

The Turkish breakfast served was an absolute feast for the senses. Fresh tomatoes and crisp cucumbers, briny olives, and fresh bread rolls graced the table. The boiled eggs were cooked to perfection, while the honey and clotted cream added a rich sweetness that paired beautifully with the assortment of cheeses. Each bite felt like a celebration of traditional Turkish flavors, thoughtfully prepared and beautifully presented.

The atmosphere at Parole Café is both cozy and inviting, offering the perfect escape from the bustling Istiklal Avenue. Whether seated indoors or opting for a spot in the charming outdoor space, the ambiance enhances the overall experience.

Without hesitation, I give Parole Café a 5 out of 5. I will definitely return on my next trip to Istanbul and highly recommend this gem to anyone looking to indulge in an authentic Turkish breakfast.

– Kenneth R. Vasquez Laya, Director of...

Bad Service and Bland Food

After having read the reviews, we decided on going to Parole Cafe to spend our money on some delicious food and nice service. Unfortunately we were utterly disappointed.

The Welcome: It was not yet busy but we were not greeted when arriving at the restaurant. Had to ask a waiter to be seated, he said that we could choose. Walked upstairs where we sat for five to ten minutes without having menus.

I went down and picked the menus. The waiters saw me but made no comment. Another wait before actually ordering.

The Food and Service: Ordered the cheese burger, creamy chicken pasta and one Coke. The cheese burger was okay and the fries delicious. The pasta was extremely bland and we added copious amounts of salt and pepper to make it edible.

After the food arrived we had to ask for the Coke, which arrived after some minutes. No apologies given.

In the middle of our meal they took away the sauce (ketchup and mayonnaise) without saying a word.

The Atmosphere and Verdict: Cosy place where they also show some sports on the televisions. The food is beautiful but not tasty. We were not surprised at the lack of greeting when leaving.

Unfortunately - all in all - a bad experience and we do not recommend anyone to go here. Especially if they care...

If I could give this place zero stars, I would! The service was beyond horrific. Our family went there for lunch, and all but one person didn’t order from there and got a baked pitot from somewhere else. The manager came to us and very rudely told us that she couldn’t eat her potato there. Mind you, we are all still eating. Then I told the manager we are all eating, and what do we do, leave?! And he asked us to leave before we were done eating. I have never experience such poor service and degrading treatment. I asked for my salad to go and they took it away and didn’t even bring it. The waitress started mumbling and saying rude things to us as we were getting ready to leave. I typically never leave bad reviews even if the experience is bad. But this experience did deserve me taking the time to write about it. We come from the United States and I have never ever seen people like that. Not to mention that the pomegranate salad didn’t have any pomegranate in it. And the food was ok! I will never go back! Super disappointed in the way we got treated and asked to leave! Only because we had one person out of the group bring in a potato! So...