Arch Bistro — Restaurant in Fatih

During our recent trip to Istanbul, my boyfriend and I had the pleasure of dining at Arch Bistro, and it was nothing short of exceptional. Our experience was so good that this was the only restaurant we went to twice. The ambiance of the restaurant is warm and inviting, with a perfect blend of modern and traditional decor that creates a cozy yet sophisticated atmosphere.

The highlight of our evening was undoubtedly the service, especially from our waiter, Bacchus. From the moment we were seated, Bacchus went above and beyond to ensure our experience was flawless. My boyfriend has several severe food allergies, and dining out can sometimes be a stressful experience. However, Bacchus's attentiveness and thorough understanding of the menu immediately put us at ease.

He took the time to discuss my boyfriend's allergies in detail, double-checking with the kitchen to ensure that every dish we ordered was safe for him to eat. He provided thoughtful recommendations and even suggested modifications to certain dishes to accommodate my boyfriend's dietary needs. It was clear that Bacchus genuinely cared about our dining experience and wanted to make sure we felt comfortable and well taken care of.

The food at Arch Bistro was outstanding. We started with a delicious meze platter, featuring a variety of fresh and flavorful appetizers. For the main course, my boyfriend had the lamb shank, which was cooked to perfection, tender, and bursting with flavor.

Overall, our evening at Arch Bistro was memorable, thanks in large part to Bacchus's mindfulness and exceptional service. It's rare to find a restaurant that combines excellent food with such attentive and personalized service. We highly recommend Arch Bistro to anyone visiting Istanbul, especially those with dietary restrictions, as they have separate mentions of vegan dishes. You can dine here with complete peace of mind.

Thank you, Bacchus, for making our...

A true “slow -food” dining experience. We went here for lunch if a sunny afternoon and walked into this seemingly charming place.

The vibe is wonderful and laid back, a shade from the sun. Make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy your meal because there are very few, hardworking hands making your food so it can take quite a while.

The server was friendly and kind and snd the seating was comfortable.

We started the meal with a hummus and tzitki appetiser and tried some delicious stuffed vine leaves, the salad with grilled halloumi was also well-portioned and filling.

We also tried the Shakshouka, it was tangy and flavourful and a very good light option. The entire meal also comes with a complimentary side of fluffy and freshly baked bread.

For mains we tried the vegetable casserole which was served with wild rice, although quite greasy and heavy for my liking,it tasted good.

The grilled fish and chicken were alike, cooked till tender and flavoured with simple warm flavours.

Overall a good meal to unwind, would come again and definitely pair your meal with a...

TLDR: The price is justifiable with the historical value of the venue, good atmosphere and service, but not the food.

We passed by this place and were attracted by the quaint yet elegant appearance, sadly it wasn't open on Wednesday. So we came back on next day since the building goes way back, not to mention high reviews on google.

As we were pretty full from late lunch, 5 of us ordered 3 dishes to share: 10vrt mezze platter, hummus salad and vegeterian testi. Not sure what happened to the chef, the only decent dish was the salad and hummus (how can you go wrong with hummus?). We tried not to waste food but it was so painful to eat, especially the olives from platter. As a result, we were very full afterwards, of disappointment, because every spoon of it tasted like a full load of sodium. So we guess there is a reason why it's called bistro but not restaurant. If you are here for a glass of wine or whatnot, here's definitely an excellent choice, but never the food based on our...