Istanbul Restaurant — Restaurant in Cary

Ruined My Birthday - Terrible Food and Apathetic Service

I rarely write reviews, but this experience was so appalling that I feel compelled to warn others. My birthday dinner at this Turkish restaurant was an absolute disaster from start to finish.

Let’s start with the food, which was nothing short of a culinary nightmare. We ordered the goat chops, one of the most expensive items on the menu, and it was a complete letdown. The meat was dry, tough, and utterly flavorless. It felt like chewing on cardboard. The yogurt sauce served alongside was bitter and tasteless, adding insult to injury. How can a dish that costs so much be so poorly executed?

But the disappointment didn’t end there. The chicken kebabs were overcooked to the point of being burnt, dry, and devoid of any seasoning. The Kunafa, which I was most excited about, was a charred mess. It’s supposed to be a sweet, indulgent dessert, but instead, it tasted like burnt sugar and disappointment. Every single dish we ordered was a failure.

To make matters worse, the service was shockingly indifferent. The servers seemed completely uninterested in doing their jobs. They were inattentive, unapologetic, and made no effort to address our concerns. When we pointed out the issues with the food, they barely acknowledged us, let alone offered a solution or even an apology. It was as if they couldn’t care less about their customers’ experience.

This was supposed to be a special birthday dinner, but it turned into a night of frustration and regret. I cannot emphasize enough how terrible this experience was. The food was inedible, the service was appalling, and the entire evening was a waste of time and money.

Do yourself a favor and avoid this restaurant at all costs. There are far better places to spend your hard-earned money. As for me, I will never return, and I strongly advise others...

I want to write a wonderful review, and had I written it 6 months ago, it would have been 5 star. We fell in love with the food, just amazing & delicious! However, something or someone has changed in the kitchen in the last two months. The wraps (chicken, gyro or kafta) were absolutely amazing before - done up nicely in lavash bread and grilled to a lightly toasted/crunchy finish on the outside. What we were served up this weekend definitely makes me wonder if Istanbul will come up when we talk about where to go out for dinner. One of the plates ordered was the donor platter ... now only available on Monday & Saturday ... and 15 minutes after ordering our server returned to tell us that there was no more donor meat available, had to sub gyro meat. OK, not a deal breaker, but ... the other two plates ordered were a chicken adana wrap and a gyro wrap ... again these wraps USED to be the bomb, they were always piping hot, stuffed with meat and always grilled to perfection. Tonight, both wraps arrived at the table rolled up like a burrito, tepid to warm at best, and barely touched the grill. I'm not even sure it was lavash bread, it really felt & tasted just like a flour tortilla. So I have to say, I didn't come for a burrito, I came for the wrap, the perfectly grilled lavash bread with a crispy finish stuffed with gyro meat ... definitely disappointing! Not sure we will return. 5 stars to the service/wait staff ... they are awesome! 1 star to what's now going on in...

Istanbul Restaurant is my new favorite place! I've wanted to explore Turkish food for a while and it did not disappoint. Highly recommend. Everything I've eaten here has been for lunch, and has been fresh, tasty, and well-priced. Service was incredibly friendly and kind. They've done a great job in creating a nice, easygoing atmosphere with a mix of Turkish decor and music. A lot of options are vegetable-heavy with good protein. So far:

The cold mix is awesome! Really nice mix of 6 or 7 dips and grape leaves. Great diversity of flavors, and probably the best baba ganouj I've ever had. Pair them with the pide bread they bring you.

The kofte kabab (lamb and beef) was cooked perfectly. Moist and with great flavor in the seasoning. The pilaf it comes with is also seasoned well. And you get haydari (similar to tzatziki) to dip the kabab in, which is a nice creamy complement to the meat.

The lahmacun (beef) had a great depth flavor. It's kind of like a really thin crust, personal-sized pizza in some ways. Great for dipping in the haydari, or the oil/herb mix that comes with the table bread (pide).

The table bread, called pide, is really soft, even after coming home with me and sitting in the fridge for a day or two.

The baklava and teas are also great. I really like the amount of tea they give you because it's a smaller glass that's nicer than a big mug after such a hearty meal. (And also, who doesn't like a cute...