cafe istanbul

great ambience and a stylish cafe.serviceis quick and very courteous. two of us went there on a wednesday night and had some drinks with appetisers. we had their falafel and hummus with lavash. the taste was awesome and the quantity just right .

very enjoyable - nice atmosphere - great food. cafe istanbul wins a huge thumbs up on all fronts from me. the location is on the north side of the shops of legacy. it has a wonderful patio that is well decorated and gives a view of all the activity in the area. warmers are lit for colder evenings. inside, the decor is beautiful. the floors look like hand-scraped wood planks. the tables and chairs are a heavy wood with black walnut stain. dark blue's are used as accents on the seat and table settings. white stone bricks flank both sides of the room. a large copper flue and wine rack wall complete the look. it's really well done.

theserviceand food are just as good as the atmosphere. my server was so pleasant and helpful. on my wine, appetizer and main course, i narrowed it to two or three choices each. my server steered me to the one to select in each area. she nailed it, and i really appreciate that. the turkish wine (kavaklidere) was really good. the kisir (tabouleh) came with a huge lavish (flatbread). the cracked wheat mixed with peppers, mint leaves, garlic and other ingredients was really good. the portions were huge. i could not finish it. next came my main course tavuk sarma (stuffed chicken). so good. i was really surprised to find a huge pile of shoestrings piled on it. it ended up being a great flavor addition. it added crunch to the sauce. i liked everything about cafe istanbul.

tiny portion for too high price. this is a review for the plano, tx location. the food is good but we always leave hungry. they charge $7 for lentil soup which is delicious but it's practically thimble sized. it's like a joke! the appetizers will only feed 1 or 2 at most so a party of more than 2 needs to order double. entrees are so over the top expensive for what little you get. theserviceis hit or miss. there is a lot of staff but they stand motionless and you have to flag them down if you need your water refilled or really for anything you need. they are very slow and inattentive. for the prices they charge we all feel that it's just not worth it. what you get for your money and the mediocreserviceis not in keeping with what fine diners expect from dfw 's many fine dining establishments.

oh my goodness. i was in lamb heaven tonight. the food was wonderful and theservicewas fantastic. we will go back and bring friends.

double check your bill. this restaurant is robbing plano folks blind by offering poor quality food and unexplainable high prices and over charges even in compare to its sibling in dallas. theservicehas improved since it opened but the food quality and the usual over charges have remained the same. definately microwaved specially the falafels which used to be excellent.

we liked it but,. had dinner at the new shops of legacy location last night. the outside dining is really great and we loved the cozy inside of the place. it wasn't very busy so ourservicewas really good.
the fresh pita was amazing but screaming for some type of dipping sauce which it did not come with. it should. we ended up ordering tzaziki for $4.00 which was really nice with it.
our food took quite sometime to get out. i realize everything is from scratch so i get that no big deal. we waited about 40 min, for our food.

when the food arrived my daughter ordered the lamb/ bef sandwich. it was very good. she didn't care for the onion and tomato salad so they brougt her an order of fries at no charge. that was very nice. i had the braised lamb shank. it was a bit tough and probably needed to braise another hour or so. the flavor was good and it was big.the tomato sauce it was served in was very flat an had no flavor. it left me feeling very unsatisfied. it was served with big onions and a turkish pepper that we're not raw and not cooked. i didn't care for the al dente veggies. they needed to be one or the other. then it had an eggplant sort of stewed in which was good except the tough skin was still on and the texture was very unpleasant. my husband had the lamb k-bob and it was very good. tender and cooked to perfection. i will go back and try it again. the menu was large and there are a lot of things i would like to taste.

great little sidewalk cafe in the north legacy shops area. authentic food, well prepared and awesome flavor. try the appetizer sampler! greatservicewith upscale atmosphere.

a bit pricey but worth it due to food quality.serviceis good. great ambiance.

very nice in all ways. my wife and i went here for valentines day in 2009, right after they opened (someone, cough, cough) forgot to get a reservation for the big day and since they had recently opened we were able to get in. i was a bit tentative because i don't have extensive experience with this kind of food, but theserviceand the food was great. i have been back a couple of times and have had a good time on each occasion. we were also surprised by the quality of the cocktails from the very small bar, but they were excellent. (don't get me started on the perfect martini.) this place is worth a try, especially when it is warm enough to sit outside.

food was so-so. theservicewas so slowwwww. pricey for what it was. the best thing about it was that it is across from a very good gelato store.