The Townhouse — Restaurant in Kadıköy

The Townhouse, Istanbul — From Class to Chaos

I was a regular at The Townhouse for years. Back then, it was genuinely one of the better spots in Istanbul. The service staff were excellent—warm, attentive, and professional. The cocktails were creative and well-balanced, the food consistently good, and it had an atmosphere where you actually felt welcome. I used to sit there comfortably, smoke my cigars, and enjoy the place.

But something changed. At some point, management decided to put a girl at the door with a pencil and a block note, arbitrarily deciding who gets in and who doesn’t. That’s when the decline really started. Instead of being an inviting bar, it turned into a ridiculous gatekeeping act that strips the place of its charm.

Even worse, the vibe itself has shifted. What was once a classy bar has now become a “piazza place”—the type of spot where girls hang around hoping to meet guys with money. That’s when it all started to feel shallow, transactional, and, frankly, comical. The warmth disappeared, the inclusivity vanished, and The Townhouse became just another hyped-up venue that thinks it’s more important than it is.

Now it’s indistinguishable from places like Bistro 33—overrated, artificial, and destined to burn itself out. What was once special has turned into something cheap and unremarkable.

If you want real hospitality and a welcoming atmosphere, look elsewhere. The Townhouse has become just another trendy, hollow spot in Istanbul—a shadow of the great place...

Wow! Wow! Wow! So happy to finally find a decent place on Asian side! Incredible service, ambiance and super delicious european menu for any taste. Been to most of the best rated restaurants in Istanbul but this one is definitely in TOP-3 (probably number 1 if we are comparing the quality of the service and price)

We tried tuna tataki, boneless chicken wings (my god this is for sure a must try, literally melting in your mouth), roasted bell pepper soup with stracciatella, buratta, guacamole, roasted octopus, shrimp gnocchi with zuchini and tiramisu as a sweet compliment - all were 10/10 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻 Great presentation, perfectly balanced taste and decent size of the portions.

Passion fruit, Vanilla sky with peach, kiwi&thyme and lychi infused cocktails were refreshing and super delicious, loved all of them. Thanks a lot to the host for the recommendations based on our preferences, great bar and drinks selection overall.

Also would like to say big thanks to the manager who remembered my request about the table with the couch and offered to move as soon as they’ve got a free one, despite the fact that the place was already busy and there was a line of people waiting outside. From my experience this is super rare in Istanbul and 99% of the restaurants would simply forget and just don’t care.

New favorite spot for sure, super glad to discover it and highly recommend for visiting. See you soon!

P.S can’t attach the pics to the review for some reason so uploaded...

Old review: Staff was very helpful and friendly (which I now find to be the most important thing in a resturant in istanbul); made us wait inside until a table outside was available. The food was amazing and of course so are the cocktails.

Update: July 6, 2024 Very comical. We arrived a group of 5, including my parents who are in their 60s. The hostess with a pencil and eraser 😅 asked us to stand in line as there are 5 groups ahead of us, she claimed. It was extremely comical seeing the hostesses and the owners, I assume, huddle up and discuss amongst them who gets to go in and when. I understand that there are usuals that pass in without wait and others with reservations but what was amazing comical is that when it was finally our turn (40 mins later), the hostess ushered us to the smallest table on stools. Eventhough I made it clear from the start that we want to have dinner and not just cocktails. We refused to sit and left. What is extremely disappointing is that the Townhouse is a staple for us, whenever we are in town, we must pass by. We even recommend it to all our friends from Japan. Their slogan is; we try out best to make you feel at home 😅...