Istanbul Restaurant — Restaurant in Morgantown

I recently ate at the Istanbul Restaurant, in Morgantown, for the first time. When I am in bigger cities, I usually try to visit a Turkish restaurant before I leave. I was wondering how a Turkish restaurant in Morgantown would compare.

From the outside, the restaurant looks like a little hole in the wall, where you would grab takeout. The restaurant was actually very nice, inside. There is very little parking at the restaurant itself, but there are places very close where you could park. I usually try to check out the bathrooms, when I’m in a restaurant, and the bathroom was very clean.

Upon entering, I was greeted by a very friendly staff, and shown to a table. I first ordered an appetizer sampler, which came with a little bit of everything. As I wasn’t familiar with some of the food, this was a good way to try some new things. The waitresses did a good job of explaining the various choices. The bread that I received was probably the best bread I have eaten. It was cooked to perfection, and very flavorful.

The main dish I originally ordered wasn’t finished cooking yet, and was going to be about 30 minutes before it was (I got there as soon as they opened, and WVU was on winter break, so they were probably conservative about cooking too much during that time period). The waitress recommended something similar, which would be ready more quickly. Oddly, on the menu, the main dishes were called main sides. It was still easy to figure out what was a side and what was a main dish.

When my order, the Izgara Kofte came out, it smelled delicious, and tasted even better. The meat was very juicy and appetizing. It was perfectly seasoned.

The price of the appetizer and meal, together, was probably a little more than people around here are accustomed to paying, but I would personally rather pay a few more dollars for something fresh-cooked, and different, than something tossed into a microwave.

The best part about this restaurant was its staff. Everyone there was so friendly! The waitress was very attentive and I had a great time conversing with her. I will definitely be returning to the Istanbul Restaurant, for the great food...

May, 2025, Update.... Food remains delicious. Excellent service. Great turkish tea. Love the appetizers with fresh pita bread!

May 2024 Muhammet remains an incredible owner/host. Amen was a most attentive and pleasant waiter. The Turkish food here is incredibly delicious, of the finest quality! Truly gourmet. The Turkish tea is a treat. Today we enjoyed Jungle Babaganush, carrot tarator, Ali nadir lamb, shakshuka, and of course freshly made baklava! There is also a nice little display of Turkish jewelry, scarves, leather works, and mosaic lamps for sale. I wish I lived closer, I would eat here every week!

Update October 2023 Fantastic food, great service. Turkish tea and coffee was delightful! Appetizers delicious! See photos!

Update May 2023...back again. Love this place! Once again, Muhammet (owner/host) made us feel so welcome. Delicious lamb shank with rice pilaf, homemade pita bread and hummus, dolmas, turkish tea, and baklava. All homemade! They now sell Turkish goods in the store-- jewelry, leather bags, scarves, etc. See photos. Can't wait to return

Update on 8/15/21... just returned to visit second time. Fantastic tea and pistachio rolls! Muhammet, the owner/host, was so gracious sharing his culture with us. He made us feel so welcome. Can't wait to return. Turkish tabouli, dolmades, hummus.. yummy food. We will be back for third visit soon....

Summer 2020-Original visit- The appetizer combo gives you an excellent introduction to Turkish food. Delicious. The hosts/servers/chef/owners ( same folks) were so very welcoming and gracious, explaining the foods, offering tastes etc. Turkish tea great flavor. Baklava off the charts! Go here now!...

My husband and I are visiting the area and were super excited to find this restaurant - we both love Mediterranean cuisine. I called to place a take out order and the gal I spoke with was very friendly and helpful. We ordered the Chicken Kabob, Greek Salads, a side of Hummus and Dolma. I nearly fell off my chair when she told me the total - $62!!! I figured the food had to be really good and authentic, so I kept my hopes up. My husband and I picked up our food and brought it back to our hotel room. I started with the "Greek Salad." I put it in quotation marks because it was the farthest thing from a greek salad. The lettuce seemed like it was just shredded lettuce from a bag. There were a couple strips of cucumber, tomato, and pepper - and that's it. The dressing used seemed to be just oil. I always thought a greek salad had at least onion, feta, and kalamata olives also? So the salad was a bust (mind you it was $8 itself!!) Next I tried the hummus - I was really looking forward to this because I make my own at home but I always love trying other recipes. This was by far the most bland hummus I've ever tasted, it's like they completely omitted the salt which is essential when making hummus. Another bust. By this point I wasn't looking forward to trying anything else. The chicken was ok, the rice was bland, and the grape leaves were ok. For the price, we were extremely disappointed. The two stars I'm giving this place is solely due to the wonderful customer service...