Popina — Restaurant in Istanbul

A seafood restaurant located directly on the Galata bridge which serves super fresh affordable seafood in a waterfront location with great atmosphere and customer service. My wife and I was having an anniversary celebration and booked for 7 pm. Seated on the 1st floor of the restaurant overlooking the river with fishermen catching fish as we eat. The views of Istanbul city at night are to die for. The fish caught are sold directly to the restaurant so you can be assured the seafood is super fresh here. We ordered 2 appetisers and 3 main courses of aubergine, peppers, fresh jumbo prawns, mackerel and anchovies respectively. We ate every single morsel of food on the plates. Everything tasted delicious and fresh. The smaller underrated bait-type fish are the ones that are literally caught of the bridge and you can tell. The prawns were cooked in a hot plate with a multitude of peppers and mushrooms. We wiped the hot plate clean with the complimentary toasted baguette that was the carb component of the meal. The fish was eaten whole, bones and all. Except for some larger size fish, backbone removed, everything went down an absolute treat. We brought in a bottle of champagne which was gratefully served at our table with no charge. This was on top of free dessert, fruits and bottled water. We paid TL1800 which included a well-deserved 15% service charge. In fact, service was so warm and exceptional from everyone, we happily topped up another 10%. It’s a shame that the restaurant was barely half full which is the case for most of Istanbul restaurants at low season, but this place is an absolute gem which deserves support and the accompanying reviews. We have a few more days to go on this Istanbul trip and will definitely come back before we go. Better go before this place becomes too popular. Amazing meal and first class eating...

Best place for foreigners to get scammed. This place is a complete tourist trap. The waitress pushed us to try the fish, and conveniently, there was no price listed. Big mistake. When the bill came, they charged us €240 — for a dish that wasn’t even remotely special. No Michelin stars, no luxury setting — just a painfully overpriced, mediocre meal.

We ended up paying 11,000 TL for what felt like a scam wrapped in a dinner. Absolutely disgraceful. This kind of exploitation of tourists is unacceptable and shameful.

If you value your money and your dignity, stay far away. Ask for prices beforehand or better yet, just skip this...

The place is excellent. Expect tourists' prices, though. The service is great. They really go out of their way to make you feel comfortable, and they are very honest with their clients.

Ali Gencer was my waiter. I had to go back to the place the next day because I left my credit card. They kept it safe, and when I went back, they were just as nice and attentive. You are sitting right on the bridge looking out to the water in very nice and clean seats. The table is set with fabric napkins and a white table cloth.

Strongly recommend for an Istanbul...