Cafe Istanbul Dublin — Restaurant in Columbus

Every year I make reservations for Cafe Istanbul for my birthday (Christmas Eve) for my family and I. Previously, I would visit the Easton location which was how I initially realized how amazing Cafe Istanbul is, but Easton has gotten a bit out of the way from where I live so I go to the Dublin location now. BOTH are amazing, but this review is for the Dublin location.

The 4 of us were sat in a closed off "outside" seating area, which looked brand new and fancy (don't remember it being there in 2019 or 2020). They start off by serving their complimentary fresh Turkish pita bread with their dipping oil which I believe consists of sun-dried tomatoes and a variety of different spices. I would absolutely take this stuff home with me, it's amazing. Did I mention it's complimentary?

The 614 Columbus cocktail caught my eye off the bar menu. The ingredients were all local and sounded like they would mix together well, but I absolutely couldn't stand the taste. I'm by no means a picky drinker, and I always try to venture out experiencing different cocktails. However, the 614 Columbus tasted like what I imagine cleaning supplies would taste like... Not sure if it was mixed disproportionately by the bartender or it's actually supposed to taste the way it did, but I had to return it and the waiter took it off the tab thankfully correcting the one-time mishap out of all the times I've been here.

For starters, we ALWAYS order the $8 Babaganoush off the cold-starter section (smoked eggplant purée flavored with tahini, olive oil, and garlic) with more pita bread (WAY better than hummus, trust me!), and decided to try the $9 Sigara Borek off the hot-starter section (hot flaky phyllo pastries filled with feta cheese, fresh basil, dill, and parsley). Both appetizers are delicious, but the Babaganoush is by far the best starter especially for 4 people!

We were practically full at this point from the appetizers, until our main meals arrived. I ordered the $30 Mixed Grill Kebab which comes with half portions of Chicken, Doner, Shish, and Adana Kebabs, with rice pilaf and vegetables. This is the perfect meal to sample a variety of meats that Cafe Istanbul has to offer. Def check out my picture. It tasted just as good later that day!

My table also ordered the following: $23 Swordfish Kebab (marinated cubes of char-grilled swordfish, served with mixed green salad and rice pilaf). Swordfish is like the ocean's steak. Amazing taste, and literally melted in your mouth.

$19 Chicken Sauté (cubes of chicken sautéed with tomatoes, onions, garlic, red, green peppers, and serviced with rice. Can confirm tasted amazing!

$20 Chicken Kebab (chicken cubes marinated in homemade sauce and char-grilled over open flame), which I know is delicious because it's included in the Mixed Grill Kebab.

By the end, everyone tapped out of dessert but it was my birthday so I had to go 1 more round. I ordered the $5.95 Keskul (almond pudding with walnuts and cream), and I wasn't really sure what to expect but this was really creamy and sweet. Not a heavy dessert, but the portion is big enough to split between 2 people.

Cafe Istanbul continues to be where I take my family on my special day, highly recommend it to everyone! Even if you are a picky eater, there is something on the menu...

All of the food that we got was delicious, but I had to give only three stars because of the service. Four of us came in to eat and we sit down at a 4’ x 2 1/2’ table. The server came over to to take a drink orders and ask if we wanted any appetizers. The server wanted to take the whole order including the appetizers, salads, the main course all at one time. We specifically asked her to hold the dinner and space it out so that we could enjoy the appetizers. She brought the appetizers and a couple minutes later she brought the salad. It seemed like we were just throwing the food down our throat. Before we were done with either the salad or the appetizer, the main course was delivered to the table. They are was no room on the table for any more food, so we sent it back to the kitchen. By the time we did get the main course, The beef kebab was overcooked and dried out and three of us had ordered the Moussaka and all three of our servings were cold. At that point we discreetly asked the manager to come over. He did offer to get us new plates, which he did. At that point we had all lost our appetites. Another server mistake was serving us three different sizes of the moussaka. One was Papa bear size, one was Mama bear size, and one was baby size . The smallest size was half the size of the larger size. We question if they were all the same dishes and she said it’s just the way they cut them in the kitchen. I would’ve been embarrassed to serve those different sizes it at a dinner party. Just terrible service! No apologies from the server. The server needs to be trained better. The manager did reduce our bill for Baklovah. But the bill was over $200 and for that I think we should have better service. I will give this restaurant one more try to...

Disappointing Experience at Café Istanbul.

My family and I dined at Café Istanbul in Dublin, Ohio, for the first time to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. We were a party of nine and had specifically requested a patio setting, but instead, we were seated in front of the bar so we were basically sitting directly behind other customers sitting at the bar—a cramped and unappealing location. The seating arrangement was terrible, making the experience uncomfortable from the start.

The parking situation was frustrating, and once inside, the service was slow and disorganized. Three people in our group had to wait over 30 minutes for their meals, long after everyone else had been served. I asked to speak with the manager, who was apologetic, and the server later offered complimentary desserts to make up for it. While the gesture was appreciated, it didn’t change the overall disappointment of the meal.

Adding to the chaos, the workers behind the bar were exchanging words, and the lack of teamwork was obvious. Glasses were being dropped, causing loud, jarring noises, and the overall atmosphere felt disorderly and unprofessional.

To make matters worse, some of the dishes arrived lukewarm, and the food itself was underwhelming—far from the appetizing presentation shown on Instagram. Then, to top it all off, an automatic 18% gratuity was added to our bill. I personally dislike when restaurants do this, as it removes the incentive for good service—and unfortunately, that seemed to be the case here.

The only highlight? The complimentary bread and sauce—but that alone isn’t enough to bring us back.

Would...