Turkish Cuisine
(404) 320-0054
1707 Church St
Decatur, GA 30033
www.cafeistanbulatlanta.com
DARIO" THE AVERAGE MAN" MOBLEY 6-24-2009:
Well, the first thing I think about with this restaurant is "You Don't Mess With the Zohan" because this place serves Hummus as an appetizer. That is the sauce substance that Adam Sandler joked about throughout the movie. However, I did not taste the Hummus because they made it sound pretty gross in the movie. Anyhow, it is hard to remember what appetizers I had because "The Foodie" ordered them for me but I do remember that I did not like any of them.....Let me think......I think we had these:
Borek
Phyllo dough filled with feta cheese, herbs and spinach
Sarma
Grape leaves stuffed with rice, scallions and lemon zest
I want to say that I had this for an entree:
Lahmajune
Lavash bread topped with ground beef, green peppers, onions, and lemon juice. Served with onions and parsley
I am not sure though. Maybe 'The Foodie" can remember what I had. Anyhow, the food was not really impressive to me. I am not sure if it is the fact that I am not a Turkey Food Guy or the food was just not good. I have to stick with my model of "Good Food is Good Food" and just say that the food was not tasty. However, the atmosphere in Cafe Istanbul is great. It is dimly lit, small table arrangement where you sit on the floor on a load of pillows with a candle on your table. That seating arrangement gave Cafe Istanbul a feeling of authenticity for me. They will also provide a Hookah, which is a single or multi-stemmed pipe for smoking, for about 12- 15 dollars. Don't quote me on that but I think it is in that price range. Originally from India, Hookah has gained immense popularity, especially in the Middle East and is gaining popularity in the USA. I am not into smoking a Hookah but if you are into that kind of thing, it is there. I got that hookah explanation from wikipedia by the way. lol!!!!!!! Here is a website that sells them just in case you want to know more about them:
http://www.hookahcompany.com/all_hookahs_37_ctg.htm
Anyhow, it is a very romantic setting. The service was pretty slow though to be honest with you. "The Foodie" was kind of disturbed by these high school kids complaining about the speed of the service. Speaking of high school kids, it must have been "Cool Go To A Turkish Restaurant Day" because it was filled with a lot of them when we were there. If I would go back, it would be for the romantic dark atmosphere where you can hang out with your lady and sip some cocktails. Yes, we had some drinks. I actually just had a simple grey goose and cranberry. Wow, I go to a Turkish Restaurant and have a vodka and cranberry. I am a thug and a bad ass!! lol!!!!!! Anyway (I am starting to say anyway too much), 'The Foodie" tells me that they feature belly dancers there sometimes so I want to go back to see the Belly's!!!! If you want something different, it is a nice place to take your lady on a Friday night. Don't expect great food or really fast service though. My grade is:
(B-) - Average Food But Romantic and Unique Setting With Belly Dancers and The Hookah
Happy Eating,
Dario" THE AVERAGE MAN" Mobley
ANGELA "THE FOODIE" SAYS:
I don't know why eating while sitting on the ground is so much fun, but it really is great.
I first went to Cafe Istanbul on my 30th birthday. Even though I made reservations, I stood by the door for a good 15 minutes trying to get one of the staff to seat me. After being brushed off by the servers repeatedly, I attempted to seat myself, only to be told that the table I was trying to sit at was reserved. WTF? My party was then seated at two unjoined tables in a corner.
Lesson here: If no one is helping you, seat yourself. If you go to the wrong table, at least they'll be forced to pay attention to you and move you.
Fast forward to when "Average Man" and I went. We walked in, sat ourselves (I learned my lesson), and waited a good 15 minutes to be served. While some bratty, spoiled teenager complained about the wait at the table next to us, I enjoyed the slower pace of the restaurant, which reminded me very much of Europe, where you take your time at a restaurant and service is slower.
I had read before ever going to Cafe Istanbul that the servers will ignore rude or disrespectful patrons, and I like this quality in a restaurant. I always feel for the servers who management requires to smile at all customers, no matter how unpleasant they're being.
I enjoyed the Borek and Sarma appetizers along with popular Turkish beer, Efes, and the food was tasty, but not mind blowing.
"Average Man" was right about the restaurant being "the place" for teenagers to hang out, I'm guessing because they're able to smoke a hookah. I'll admit, they did distract from my experience because they were loud and acted like...well, teenagers.
I LOVE Cafe Istanbul though. Even though the food isn't the best and the service is super slow, there are several pluses. The food is cheap, the ambiance is amazing and sometimes I just need to feel like I'm not in Atlanta. Cafe Istanbul is one of those restaurants you can go to escape and feel like your elsewhere, especially on weekends when the place is filled with an international crowd with blaring international music.
I don't love Cafe Istanbul for one particular reason, but all the qualities of this dark restaurant located in a small, unassuming shopping center come together to make one of my favorite places.
Always hungry,
Angela
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