Pepo's Galata — Restaurant in Beyoğlu

Normally, I’m the type who likes to meticulously research a restaurant before stepping in 👩🏾‍💻📱, but this time, we let spontaneity take the lead. A kind gentleman noticed us looking around and recommended Pepo’s Galata, and I’m so glad he did! Well, actually, he said to "Follow Him" 👣👀, and that's where we ended up! It turned out to be the perfect choice for a relaxed yet refined dining experience. 🕯💫

As soon as we arrived, the service was impeccable: attentive and genuinely warm. 🥰 This set the tone for the rest of the evening. We kicked things off with egg rolls, which were crispy, light, and bursting with flavor. 🍴

Next up were the mains, and let me tell you, they were 11/10! 🔥

Beef Short Rib: Marinated in a special sauce and oven-dried to perfection, these beef ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender. 🍖 Paired with a savory wheat risotto, it was the kind of dish that makes you stop with every bite to fully savor the rich, deep flavors. Definitely one of the meal's highlights! 🤤

Grilled Veal: The veal chop, marinated with rosemary and olive oil, was perfectly grilled: juicy, succulent, and packed with flavor. 🥩🍟 Paired with crispy fries, this was comfort food elevated to another level. Every bite reflected the quality of the ingredients, and the simple yet flavorful seasoning allowed the veal to shine. 🤤🌿

To top off this already amazing meal, we were treated to a complimentary dessert: helva of semolina with ice cream. 🍨 The warm, nutty flavor 🥜 of the helva paired with the cool, creamy ice cream was the perfect balance ⚖️. It was a delightful, unexpected surprise that rounded out the meal beautifully. 😍

Overall, Pepo’s Galata is a treasure waiting to be discovered 💎 that offers incredible food and an inviting atmosphere. Whether you’re exploring the Galata Tower area or just looking for a memorable dining experience in Istanbul, I highly recommend stopping by. It’s one of those places where both the food and service make you feel like you’ve truly discovered...

Me and my wife ate here by ourselves about 5 days after we got here to Istanbul. The restaurant was so beautiful and the staff was amazing. My wife is from Belarus and I'm from the US. The waiter was so accommodating with explaining any questions I had about the menu. The foo and presentation were absolutely amazing! We are visiting Istanbul with my wife's family from Belarus, and my wife and 2 children from the US. I was so impressed, I thought that Pepo would be the perfect fit for our final meal here in Istanbul with the whole family. Mind you, our group is 6 adults and three children age 2 thru 4 years old. We visited them again, and was nit let down. They immediately sat us down to a beautiful table, and proceeded tovtake our order and answer any questions we had. We had the 3 children there, and the staff was so accommodating and didn't make us feel that we were a problem. It's not easy traveling with little ones, especially when dining out. Again they didntvfail from all of the wonderful food and drink, as well as amazing service! I can not recommend this restaurant enough! Do yourself a favor and visit this wonderful establishment! I've been in Istanbul for 14 days and have had many great meals around the different neighborhood here in Istanbul. This restaurant was the best experience we have had here. Thank you so much for making our final meal together so memorable before we go back to our...

Came here with high expectations. Asked, who later claimed to be the owner, if I could be recommended a dish that is filling, has a lot of meat as I have a high calorie diet. The owner seemed to understand what I asked and offered me a dish for 90 TL, which was basically beef ribs with some kind of risotto. I don’t mind the price compared to other dishes as long as I get enough food, which was exactly what I expected from this. When the dish was brought, it didn’t look filling at all, and there was barely any meat on the bones. I called the owner and tried to reason with him by saying that I specifically asked for a filling and big dish. Not only did he refuse to do anything about it, he even argued about how he never had any complains about the sizes of the dish until now, he UNWILLINGLY agreed to not charge me for it. Following that logic, I could’ve simply ordered two sets of chicken kebabs for 50 TL each and have plenty of food! But he just didn’t care, talked over me and did not even attempt to put himself in my position. Talk about customer service...

On top of that. He then refused to bring my wife her ordered dish as he claimed he was afraid that we would complain about portions and that when I refused my dish that automatically meant that my wife refused hers...