Pera Antakya — Restaurant in Beyoğlu

Pera Antakya

Our rating is 4.5. I have divided my review into parts so go to a specific paragraph to skip the introduction. Paragraph 2 - introduction. Paragraph 3 - food and wine menu in the photo, interior, service impressions and information about the wine. Paragraph 4 - a description of what we ordered to eat. Paragraph 5 - a summary and why I deducted half a point. Please note that prices in Turkey fluctuate due to massive inflation, so the price card photos may be out of date, but they give you an idea of what to expect. Every year during the holiday season we try to leave London and spend time in a place where the temperature is at least a few degrees higher. This time we spent an unusual Christmas Eve dinner in Pera Antakya. And at the same time, this is where we started our culinary adventure in Istanbul. We worried that the restaurant would be closed or, worse - full of customers but we were lucky to dine in. We did not make a reservation because we were afraid of a flight delay and it was difficult for us to estimate how long it would take to get from the airport to our accommodation especially we wanted to leave our luggage and change outfits to more festive ones. It only took us a moment to check in, take a bath after a long journey, change clothes and set off for dinner at a brisk pace. We arrived at the restaurant, had a short conversation with the staff and we were sitting comfortably with the menu in our hands. Very cozy restaurant. The tables are not too close next to each other. The lighting was as we like - semi-darkness, but you still know what's on your plate. And the most important thing for us - cozy warmth, just as it should be. The staff was helpful from the very beginning, very nice and all spoke English. First, we order Turkish Bomonti beer to quench our thirst. I started choosing wine, and Paulina chose what will make our Christmas Eve dinner more enjoyable. After a short conversation with the waiter, I chose a bottle from the KAYRA Buzbağ Rezerv Öküzgözü Boğazkere winery - Vivino scored 3.8. Very good wine, but needs to breathe. We were satisfied with that choice and in my opinion, this wine deserves a higher score, but of course, this is only my and Paulina's opinion. A photo of the wine list is attached. We started ordering. I would like to point out at the beginning that I was very hungry, so the number of dishes may be a bit scary. But at the same time, we asked the waiter if the dishes were large because we didn’t want to waste food or take it away. Traditionally, we received baked Turkish lavash - very good. We ordered a meze consisting of eight small dishes. And this is where the highway to heaven begins. The meze is perfect and every bite brings joy to the palate. As a main course, we ordered lamb chops. Soft, melt in your mouth, and smell wonderful of barbecue. And the other dish was pera Antakya wrap or lahmacun (can't remember which is which but they are 2 wraps with minced beef - very tasty). We also ordered the baked cheese recommended by the waiter - the restaurant's specialty. I don't know what it was, but it was delicious, so I'm adding another point to my review. To sum up, the food is a solid five. We have nothing to complain about. Very aromatic, warm, and served on time. We highly recommend this place. We are very pleased with the food, wine and the restaurant itself. We deducted half a point for not informing us that they close at midnight exactly, which meant we had to drink the wine in a real hurry and couldn't just sit and chat a little bit after the meal. The restaurant is also a bit overpriced compared to others we have been to. Be sure to try...

Pera Antakya Overall Rating: ★★★★☆

We decided to visit because it was within walking distance from our hotel and had lots of great reviews on Google. As a casual spot to enjoy Turkish food on our first night, it was a solid choice. We were also charmed by the playful stray cats around the restaurant—they added a nice touch of fun to the experience.

Date of Visit: July 2025 Purpose / Group: Dinner, 2 people (husband and wife)

Ambience & Cleanliness: The atmosphere was warm and homey—an unpretentious place to enjoy a meal. We sat outside on the terrace, which was cozy, but some tables were a bit dirty and there was trash left on the ground, which was a bit disappointing.

Service: The staff didn’t smile much and didn’t really offer explanations. I felt they could’ve been a bit friendlier, though it might just be part of the cultural difference.

Food Quality: The arugula salad was thick and fresh, and the tomatoes were sweet and delicious—these alone were worth the visit! The meze dishes were all excellent—we actually got quite full just from the appetizers. However, the kebab was a bit dry and lacked juiciness. On another night, we tried kebab at a different restaurant and found it more flavorful and juicy, so I’d rate the kebab here around ★★★. The portions were large and we couldn’t finish everything.

Price: With Turkey's current inflation, everything feels expensive from a Japanese perspective, but this place wasn’t overpriced. Given the portion sizes, it felt satisfying.

Location & Access: Slightly tucked away from the main tourist areas, but still very accessible.

Would I Return?: If I had the chance, yes.

Other Notes: As a traveler, I felt it would’ve been more enjoyable if the staff engaged a bit more with customers. Perhaps the language barrier played a role, but a little more interaction would’ve made the experience...

One of the absolute best we had it Istanbul. My husband and I did a couple Michelin restaurants in Istanbul including Turk Fatih Tutak and Sankai but I must say Pera Antakya was certainly our top pick in its category even next to our Michelin experiences. It was our most memorable experience given the food was just so authentic and good. We were pleasantly surprised because I had found Pera Antakya in my research when planning our trip and it was first on our list to try, we then discovered when we arrived at our hotel (The Westist) on our first night that Pera Antakya was right next door. We were shocked/surprised/thrilled all at the same time. As such, we had dinner here the first night we arrived in Istanbul and was blown away. We did the meze, the wrap, farmer's cheese, and the mixed grill plate all based on recommendations from who we believe was the owner. The hospitality was lovely, welcoming, but more so the food was incredibly memorable and we found ourselves wishing we had more time in Istanbul so we could come back and eat at Pera Antakya. We did a couple other highly rated restaurants in similar concept to Pera Antakya over the week we stayed in Istanbul and ultimately though food in Istanbul is generally good, we found Pera was still the best we had out of all them in the same category.

In fact, if it was only one restaurant we could go back to and have another meal at or if I could only recommend one restaurant to eat at while you're in Istanbul--- it would be Pera Antakya. We were that impressed with this place. Do not miss it if you're...