Mehtap Restaurant & Hostel — Restaurant in Sarıyer

No English or Russian waiter (asked for it and the reply was something like "yes yes"), they knew ~20 words in English. Very helpful fixing tables initially (we were 11 people), offered a "showroom" for the dishes because there were no photos and very poor descriptions in the menu (Turkish and English), but many of the things were not on the menu. After that initial enthusiasm, they showed very little interest in our company. When we ordered, there was no check-up on what we had ordered and several orders were incorrect. One dish was not served (and when it came, the fries were stone cold). We asked what was included with the dishes, (because there was no mention of it in the menu) and for the big salmon we ordered they said there would be french fries, but alas, none were included. After fixing our tables, they didn't bother to check if everyone had all the tableware, and we asked twice for a knife and fork that was missing on two seats before it came. We received two spoons for four desserts and had to walk and ask for extra.

As a Turk you can probably expect excellent service here, but otherwise, you should probably look for alternatives. The view was great and the food was above average considering our five days (and third hotel) spent...

Most Disappointing Meal of Our Trip – A Tourist Trap to Avoid

We ate at several high-end and well-rated restaurants during our stay in Istanbul, but Mehtap Restaurant in Kilyos was by far the most disappointing experience.

We ordered mussels but were inexplicably served octopus instead. When we raised the issue, the staff ignored our complaint and simply repeated “Octopo good” — no apology, no correction. The octopus was left untouched, yet still added to the bill.

To make things worse, the kebabs were undercooked and the overall food quality was poor. Despite not enjoying or even eating most of what was served, we were charged a staggering 2,500 TL for two people.

It felt like they were taking advantage of tourists and the language barrier. Compared to the excellent service and food we had elsewhere in Istanbul, this was an unfortunate and frustrating experience.

Do yourself a favor and skip this place — there are far better and more honest...

The restaurant has nice view and everything but we were a group in there and they lied to us about they don’t have meatballs or chicken and tried to bring us fish only. It was a pre-paid event and when we were arranging the event they said there will be meatballs and chicken as well. After we argued for a while for that matter they brought us our meatballs and chicken and it turned out that they LIED to us. Also our dishes were nearly raw. I suggest this...