Vezenan Restaurant Cafe — Restaurant in Istanbul

This place is one of those 'hole in the wall' places but its out here where restaurants and tourists are running over each other near the harbor. Ahmed was truly a wonderful host, very honest guy and went out of his way to make our experience pleasant and truly a very memorable one. The food first of all are faily priced, but the portions are much bigger than we expected. The taste and cooking quality is top notch. We ordered sea food and the fish was fresh and the soup was hot and very tasty. Did I mention the location? This place is beneath the Galata bridge and not too far from the harbor where the boats change passengers. Very colorful surroundings and nice ambiance for that local, Istanbul city sights and sounds, but not loud nor noisy, just gives you a neat view of the area. We love this place and since it's not crowded here (yet), it's quite a relaxing location away from the heat and bazaar shopping frenzy...definitely a new favorite! thanks Ahmed,...

Best restaurant on the bridge. The service is always impeccable, and yet somehow they can undercut the much higher prices of their surrounding competitors even though they have one of the best spots for a sunset view of the Bosphorus in the evening. We ate here 4 times in two weeks, and will probably try to go one more time before we leave.

They have excellent table service, and each meal comes with fresh bread and a lovely olive tapenade, as well as a complimentary cup of tea at the end of our meal. They might be little details, but they add up to a great dining experience, even on our modest travel budget. Their mixed meat platter is more than enough for two, and the owner always seemed to have a table ready for us right by the river. Where else on the bridge am I going to have a sunset dinner with drinks and dessert for two that costs less...

Absolutely gorgeous spot to enjoy the views and especially sunset. The service was great at the beginning though lessened as the night went on. Not sure if they were tired or just disinterested? Literally at our side for the first 45 minutes and then had to beg for the complimentary fruit and tea at the end.

Hummus and bread was delicious. We ordered a whole fish on the bbq. Fish itself was wonderful, but the sides left a lot to be desired (French fries, greens, a few tomato slices, and some lemons). For 500 lira (just for the fish fish), it felt like value could have been better. However, the view was worthwhile for the experience.

There is a 10% service charge that is not mentioned anywhere. That was a bit of a surprise.

Overall solid experience, just not super great...