esmer cafe

review on 16 january,2018:
i tried esmer again duringthenew year holiday. i was a little disappointed.theplace is still pleasant with friendly staff no matter how crowded. this time we only orderedthetortellini funghi pasta and pepperoni pizza.thecream was a bit salty for me, but overallthepasta tasted good. as forthepizza, i still lovethecrust. butthepepperoni was unappetizing. 
review on june 16,2016 (4.5 rate):
during my five day stay in istanbul, i ate at esmer 4 times. basically it wastheonly place i tried there where everything was as i hoped. friendly staff, delicious food, cozy place , and really good prices.
lazanya bolognese and ravioli spinach are to die for. mexica pizza was flavorsome. i triedthedesserts as well (tiramisu, creme brulee and cheese cake). they were equally tasteful. one platter i wasn't a fan of wasthechicken panzerotti.thecrust was a bit too dry for me. however this restaurant was one ofthehighlights of my stay. recommended.

cozzy italian restaurant in istiklal,taksim.thestaff were friendly and helpful they adviced us to try good plates of theirs,thefood was good! i personally loved their fettuccine con pollo, it's a must try!

cozy and nice, id traveltheworld just to come here.theportion is very well selected,themood andthemusic are very chill.thewaiters are very nice and speak english unlike some other restaurants.

best place to eat pasta for pasta lovers.
i visitedtheplace twice in 2 days.
the tricolor tortellini is to die for, salads are refreshing. huge portions and very good pricing. you need to wait a little bit to find a seat but it is worth it. i tried tricolor tortellini and fettuccine alfredo they are amazing. pesto ravioli is an amazing choice.
fries are so good you will not stop eating.
great staff and they are so friendly. a must try place.

what a place that i fell in love with during my visit to turkey.
actually it wastheonly place that i liked its food
very presentable
great portion
fair prices
delicious taste
nice decoration
great... great.... great
its a loss for everyone who visited istiklal street and haven't tried this place

food looks good, buttheservice was non-existent.

went here for breakfast and coffee. we were seated outside, and we sat and waited for someone to come to us to take our order. we were moved to another seat 5 minutes later, and ignored for another 10 minutes. i don't actually know if it's self service or notbinthemorning - but they had a waiter who spoke english and he made no initiative to explaintheconcept or give us a menu.


so far this has been my worst experience in istanbul ever. we left after sitting here for 20 minutes waiting for someone to come up to us and chose another place to spend our time in.

located inthemiddle of taksim, it is a small restaurant which seemed to be always packed especially that during july there are a lot of tourists. we were lucky to find a table.
we wentthefollowing:
- iskender kebab pizza: i am glad i tooktherisk with this pizza, it was deliciouss!! lovedthedoner pieces with yogurt in my pizza
- seadfood pasta: it was very very rich in seafood items, however,thepasta itself should have been cooked for longer.
if you are in taksim make sure you stop by!
recommended

very tasty food,thepasta andthedessert are very tasty. i recommend it. very professional staff and very affordable price to dine or to have lunch.

great,small, and cozy place in istiklal street.thefood is to die for.thechicken fettucine was deliciousss. however,thestaff are a bit rude.definitely recommended!!!

very nice and welcoming people!theplace is very cozy intheheart of istiklal street with a beautiful decoration.
the menu has a wide variety between italian and local cuisine . must trythegnocchi and al pollo pizza ?

this place is located intheupper part of istiklal street. we have tried several plates( pasta , fries “yummyy seasoning” , meat balls , onion rings” sweet sauce ??”).theportion is big enough for sharing!!enjoyedtheplace buttheservice was a little bit slow. all in all it was a good choice!!!

right off taksim square. this place serves up authentic italian food at great prices. we ended up havingthemargherita pizza and tri color tortellini with a couple of cold drinks and it set us back about 75 lira. not a bad deal at all. portion sizes are generous. do check it out when in istanbul.

a place inthemiddle of istiklal street. tasty food, loved their caesar pizza and pasta, buttheplace tends to get overcrowded andtheservice slows down. prices are fair.

located right of istiklal street, this place serves up yummy italian food. we hadthespaghetti with beef and a grilled chicken dish. both were really good especiallythespaghetti which was just spectacular.thepasta was fresh andthesauce was delicious.thechicken was cooked well andthefries they served with that were yummy and had a delicious spice mix on it. 

all in all a good experience.

good pasta and good salads... not so good onthebarbecue speciallythechicken which was very dry!
overall experience was not bad but not great...