Modena Steak Kebap Fish House — Restaurant in Fatih

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I absolutely do not recommend this restaurant. Do not believe the overly positive reviews. It was our worst experience so far in Istanbul. Our waiter was great and brought great vibes; he was the sole exception.

The prices are expensive, even with the 20% discount they had applied to compensate for the disastrous experience. The kitchen was the worst (more on this later), food was cold and late.

Be advised of a service charge scam they are running: the outside menus on the pavement indicate "No service charge." but the menus when you take a seat, have the notice erased blatantly with white paint.

One should heed this service charge scam everywhere in Istanbul. Always read the menus for notices considering these charges. Typically there are four types: No service charge: all prices are up to date and include taxes. There is a service charge, typically a fixed percentage (generally 10% of the total bill). This restaurant's case: The big menus that are lit up on the pavement, have "No service charge". But the handheld menus have that notice erased blatantly or simply missing. Call them out for it. The notice is missing. These restaurants test whether the customer is aware, and would cancel the charge if they get called out for it.

Terrace and pavement tables have a constant second-hand smoke smell, leading to coughing therefore adding to the already messy experience.

Leftovers from other tables take forever to get cleaned up by the staff.

Furthermore, the owner and cashier kept pleading and begging us not to write a negative review, and that they will make it up for us in case we come back. But the truth shall be known to the public.

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The kitchen service was atrocious. My family had ordered two cups of fresh orange juice; they were brought quickly. However, by the time our food was served, the ice had already diluted the drinks. If I recall correctly, it took 30-35 minutes to bring our order to the table.

After that long waiting time, surely the food would have been good considering how expensive it was, right? Wrong. I'll go over our orders: -Lentil soup was lukewarm (not as hot as it should have been). -Alfredo Pasta was horrendous, bland as cardboard and lacked all flavour. Imagine boiled chicken and pasta, cream diluted with water and you mix them together. No garlic taste, no cheese, no salt or any hint of seasoning, no creaminess whatsoever, the sauce was not emulsified and did not stick. -A meat dish (I do not recall the name), served cold on some bread, with some onions and pepper put together. No dipping sauce. The meat was overcooked, dry, chewy and rock solid. -A lamb dish with a sauce in a small pan and some vegetables. Only the meat and sauce matched the picture on the menu. The vegetables were different because they ran out of them, however we were NOT notified about this prior to ordering. The meat was chewy and hard as well, almost well done with a hint of tiny pink colour. It was dry and cold. -Meat casserole (my order). I finished it and it was alright (but not great). The meat was underseasoned (both in terms of salt and spices) so I had to season it generously with pepper and some salt.

All I can say positively is the tidiness of the place (except for other tables' leftovers), the waiter who was in charge of us and the terrace view.

Oh, and the cashier had the audacity to apply a 20% discount WHILE INCLUDING the service charge (about 480 Turkish Lira / 8.61 British pounds / 9.88 Euros / 11.60 US dollars) which is a literal scam. Here is how it works:

The outside menus on the pavement indicate "A no service charge" but the menus when you take a seat, have the notice erased blatantly with white paint. Please take caution as this is a popular scam everywhere in Istanbul, and check your bills.

-Total bill we paid (20% discount applied and service charge excluded): About 3856 Turkish Lira / 79.34 Euros.

We placed our order at the restaurant on 19 September 2025. The review was written and published on 21...

I stayed here from Thursday to Monday in mid-June. The service was truly exceptional. I was warmly welcomed and felt very well taken care of. The staff were extremely hospitable—offering me tea, coffee, water, or anything I needed. They even carried my luggage to the room.

The single room I booked is ok, it’s nice and basic as described, clean and comfortable. The bed was great, and everything matched the listing.

Breakfast was good, with 2/3 different cheese, salad (fresch lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes), fresh bread, great jam, and tasty olives. They were also very flexible—I had breakfast at 10 a.m. on some days and even as late as 2 p.m. on others.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is very relaxed, and you can smoke shisha if you want.

I also had dinner at the restaurant. I recommend going at sunset/night to enjoy the rooftop view of the city. I had a lamb kebab that was incredibly flavorful and well-cooked—one of the best meals I had in Istanbul.

They also offer laundry service. I had about a week’s worth of clothes washed, including a towel, for around 10 euros. Everything was returned perfectly clean,m and ironed.

The location is great: just 300 meters south of the Blue Mosque, very close to Hagia Sophia, and near the tram if you’re heading to the Asian side by ferry. The area is touristy but surprisingly quiet, so you can rest well.

I’m truly grateful for the hospitality I received here. I absolutely recommend this place and will return next time.

Teşekkür...

The final bill will stun you

Let's just say you don't just pay for what you ordered, but you pay twice as much. The food is ok, nothing more special than what's offered in nearby restaurants. They initially sent us to the terrace on the roof of the building (4 floors of stairs) only to find out that not a single seat was free and we were a group of four. Then, in the restaurant, the service was really slow but it was not a surprising as the final bill which was deliberately folded to only show a total price of twice the amount of the food we ordered. The details on the other side of the bill were basically scribbles with numbers next to them and when we requested an explanation even the owner found it hard to read. They ended up adding items that we did not order, jacked up the price of drinks to 20 TK per small soda, and arbitrarily made up the tax part. It was...