esmer cafe

review on 16 january,2018:
i tried esmer again during the new year holiday. i was a little disappointed. the place is still pleasant with friendly staff no matter how crowded. this timeweonly ordered the tortellini funghi pasta and pepperoni pizza. the cream was a bit salty for me, but overall the pasta tasted good. as for the pizza, i still love the crust. but the pepperoni 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 was the only 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 tried the desserts as well (tiramisu, creme brulee and cheese cake). they were equally tasteful. one platter i wasn't a fan of was the chicken panzerotti. the crust was a bit too dry for me. however this restaurant was one of the highlights of my stay. recommended.

food looks good, but the service was non-existent.

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


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

so yummmie! went twice during our stay in istanbul!wetried seafood pasta, seafood pizza, fettucine salmon and panzone verdura!!!! all was yummie!

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

this place is located in the upper part of istiklal street.wehave tried several plates( pasta , fries “yummyy seasoning” , meat balls , onion rings” sweet sauce ??”). the portion is big enough for sharing!!enjoyed the place but the service 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.weended up having the margherita 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.

located right of istiklal street, this place serves up yummy italian food.wehad the spaghetti with beef and a grilled chicken dish. both were really good especially the spaghetti which was just spectacular. the pasta was fresh and the sauce was delicious. the chicken was cooked well and the fries they served with that were yummy and had a delicious spice mix on it. 

all in all a good experience.

we were on a visit to turkey
sowestopped by esmer in taxim
the place is small but really can hold many people
the food was really amazing
i liked the cury tawouk the most!

very good service, the food is delicious as well. the waiters are friendly, restuarant is clean.weliked the shrimp noodles, mushroom pasta and seafood pasta.

as a tourist, after a long walk through istiklal's all you want to do is a find a comfy place to sit and relax but still enjoy the sights that the street has to offer.  esmer is one such discovery. late into the evening, me & my friend thought to try this place.weordered our creamy pasta and risotto with steaming cuppa coffee to go along. the staff is extremely friendly, speaks english and the decor is very comforting.  do try their tiramisu as well!

this cafe is well located, opposite mange and h and m on istiklal caddesi, so pretty busy. despite that,wegot really good service and the food was brilliant! really great for vegetarians

the coziest little place in istiklal street. went in for the delicious display of all the types of pasta you can dream of and the fact that it seemed to be always super packed. maybe this set our expectations too high aswedidn't really enjoy the foodweordered. looks better than it tasted. service was great and the location is superb.

in my travels,roaming the historical city of istanbul,wewere hungry for some food as always when you are walking a lot soweentered this cafe .
looks chill from the outside ,we took a seat and a menu and ordered 2 pizzas and some fries,they were good.
sercive is fine but the staff do not speak good english and i do not speak turkish ,haha , butwemanaged to communicate at the end.
güla güla( bye bye in turkish)

salmon pasta is highly recommended. busy place u can barely find a table, staff very professional and friendly. food well done and tasty and quick service.wehad late lunch at our last day before going to the airport and the order was really quick. staff very helpful. ??

what a wonderful experience. i visited this restaurant 3 times during my 4 day stay in istanbul, and i might have visited it more had i discovered it earlier!

it was tough to find somewhere that suited my taste in istanbul, but this restaurant was our lucky discovery.

we tried the fettuccine con pollo pasta, the capricciosa pizza, caesar pizza and chicken panzerotti. the mix of taste thatwehad is indescribable. the food was unbelievably good. the presentation was excellent, everything arrived hot and fresh within 10-15 minutes despite the place being super crowded during the weekend.

i recommend this restaurant for everyone going to taksim!

thank you for the wonderful experience and for being our go-to restaurant away from home!