Sultan Mehmet Restaurant & Cafe — Restaurant in Fatih

AVOID. Horrific experience. Place is serviced by thieves. Police were involved.

Worst experience of my life in a restaurant and tarnished me and my wife's first and probably last visit to Istanbul.

It was only now when I have prepared to write this review that I have seen the other reviews that would have warned me not to walk into this restaurant serviced by thieves.

We were offered a "small kebab" and instead we were served the Ottoman Mix kebab at 4395 TL. (By the way there are photos of the menu on google from 2 years ago where this same Ottoman Mix was 2000 TL - crazy price inflation but not specific to this restaurant). We made it clear we were not very hungry so a small plate of kebab would suffice. My wife also made clear she is vegetarian so we wouldn't be sharing.

I explained I was unhappy with the situation and hoped there would be an amicable solution. Even though a service charge was applied, and we ate at best 5-10% of the huge plate, I offered to pay 5000 TL to cover what we had eaten and some of the kebab, so we could move on swiftly with enjoying the holiday and not tarnish it with this experience. Without the kebab the bill would have been 3244 TL (including service of 695 TL!!)

Manager said he wanted us to pay full amount of 7639 TL. Then he lowered to 7000 TL. I refused. He said he would need to call the police. I welcomed this. After 10 minutes I asked how long the Police would be and he said 1 or 2 hours. My wife from her position facing him saw that he didn't make any phone call since speaking to me so he lied about calling the police. I told him I was leaving and he said he would follow us until we paid. I offered the 5000 TL again but he refused.

We walked to Blue Mosque area being followed by him. He stopped us and said he didn't want to fight and asked me to pay. I asked him what he meant by "fight" and he changed the subject. I told him I don't know what he meant but we need to resolve this as adults and it's best we go to the Police. After more walking I found tourism police. They spoke with him in their language. I was not asked much. We were then driven in a Police car to another police cabin a few minutes away where two officers spoke with him. I had to struggle to give the Police my opinion. In the end one of the officers looked at me aggressively and said I need to pay him 6000 TL. Being on holiday and not wanting to make our situation any worse, I walked back to the restaurant with my wife, followed by the manager. His colleagues were waiting for him with a card machine outside the restaurant. I paid the 6000 TL. As he walked back inside the restaurant his colleagues were greeting him and they were all laughing together.

Absolutely incredible.

My factual account - make up your own mind if you want to support this establishment.

(As for the Police - shame on them as well....

Previously, down the street there was a restaurant where delicious Gözleme was traditionally prepared on an open hemispherical stove. But this my visit to Istanbul this restaurant already closed. This restaurant is located up the street and the interior looks similar with low Turkish tables, but there is also a European version of the tables. I decided to try Gözleme here. And it turned out that my choice was successful. Gözleme is very juicy and cheesy, the spinach is fresh, the dough is super thin. But the staff doesn’t know their duties, I had to wave twice to get attention. The hostess was taken in by Russian family who even not staying in the cafe. I speak with her in English that I was ready to place an order. For some reason the hostess speak to me in Russian. The waiter offered me to choose different sizes of Gözleme, but did not specify what the price was. The menu shows one price, as it later turned out for a small size. A very young guy, the promoter, decided to come up to us when we were clarifying this with the waiter and throw out the phrase “This is the price for a medium-sized Gözleme, My friend,” although we had not even communicated with him before. Also, when I left, he said goodbye to me in Russian. I replied that I don’t speak Russian. Conclusion Gözleme is very tasty, but the service needs to be...

I recently visited Sultan Mehmet Kebap in Istanbul, hoping for a delightful dining experience. However, my visit took an unfortunate turn. We ordered an Ottoman mix platter and a starter, but our excitement quickly turned into disappointment when we noticed the starter tasted off—possibly expired or spoiled.

Upon informing the waiter, our attempt to settle the matter amicably was met with resistance. Another staff member insisted we pay for the full order despite our unease with the food. The situation escalated dramatically, with staff members resorting to verbal abuse and even attempting physical aggression, including threatening a teenager in our group.

While we paid for what had been served at our table, the staff's behavior was appalling and completely unprofessional. Swearing, attempting to physically restrain us, and brandishing a stick were shocking actions that no customer should endure.

In the end, a nearby shopkeeper intervened, helping us escape this distressing situation. I cannot recommend Sultan Mehmet Kebap to anyone due to the disrespectful and violent behavior exhibited by its staff. It was never about the money; it was about the lack of respect and ethical conduct. I sincerely hope the management addresses these issues for the well-being of...