Average food, not much in the way of service and slightly expensive compared to other offerings round the same area

I’ve eaten here twice on a Saturday eve, with a table of 6 and with a table of 18. Both times were very noisy – not restaurants fault that other groups (typically kiwi twenty somethings) are sooo loud. I was also very hot in no time at all. None of the food on any meal I have seen has been covered with BBQ sauce. The portion sizes of both entrees and mains are good. The breads and dips (mezza) are tasty. The seafood mezza however, was a bit strange – not much prepared on site by the look of it. Last time I got a mixed plate as a main to share with my son, and was disappointed that none of the meats were particularly spiced Turkish style – they were plain steak, chicken and the kebabs, while spiced were very mild. On the first occasion, I got kebabs and they were great. There seems to be a consistency issue – and you can’t be sure what you are going to get. I would eat here again though, for a bit of light entertainment value / distractions while you eat. Don’t go here if want to have serious conversation – unless you don’t want to be heard!

This is a place to come if you don’t really care what you are eating. As per other reviews, we found out food arrived suspiciously quick given the restaurant was full and holds about 200 people. My dish was lukewarm and nothing special. Certainly edible, but nothing to recommend. Luckily we knew this ahead of time so weren’t really disappointed. The main draw card of Cafe Istanbul seems to be that it is BYO, so lots of people were drinking and seemed to be having a good time. Quite loud.
Became a little stressful when it was time to pay – people everywhere. Toilets were pretty disgusting. Service was good though.
Unless you are coming here to drink cheaply, I would not recommend.

4 of us came here 14 April 2011, first time for my BF & I, 2x friends who came with us been here & said it was ok, we decide to go for it, I ordered vegetarian moussaka, others order what ever… I couldn’t finish the moussaka, kinda too rich, my BF (a gannet) normally finish my meals off couldn’t hack it too rich for him as well… others enjoyed there’s, we took our own beer but wasn’t allowed to drink it there hummm & I thought it was BYO. A friend & I might check it out on a Friday night.. go & suss it out for yourselves…

This place is good if you are on a bridal shower or stag party or in a large group that wants to drink.

It can get a bit rowdy because they do have a belly dance come round and encourages people to get up and give it a go.

Food is ok. I had the vegetarian falafel and it can with tasty sides.

Went here as it was recommended as a good place to eat Turkish food. I’ve lived in the Middle East and was excited to try some decent food.

The food is utterly Horrible! It is more fusion food than Turkish and even more Westernised. My main was meant to be served on “pilaf” – instead it was on gloopy white rice. My partner ordered one of the vegetarian options – which was smothered in Sweet Chilli sauce.
As for the service, they were very rude to us and didn’t even point out the table. The waiter was rude and made fun of my friend’s pronunciation of the meal.
It is a good value for money but ONLY Portion wise, big plates for under $30.00 … (If you don’t mind NOT eating Turkish food)!!

Wish I has read other reviews before I wasted my $ there. As other reviews state the food seemed to have been microwaved (only took 15 mins for us to get our mains after ordering). My entree (dolma) was most certainly out of a jar (bought from the supermarket). Also, as below all our mains, though all different (including one vegetarian) were covered in what looked like BBQ sauce. Atrocious.

This is me and my family’s favourite place to eat at! Absolutely love the food, haven’t had a bad experience here and the service is good. Would recommend to anyone!

I’d been looking forward to going here for so long, but ended up leaving very disappointed.

Like another reviewer mentioned, our entree tasted like it had been microwaved. When my partner received his main I received the same entree again, I have no idea how the waitress could have possibly managed to make that mistake. By the time my partner was halfway through his main I finally got mine and it was average tasting, definitely not worth the wait. I ended up getting half of it to takeaway and just ended up binning it.

Food is tasty, its BYO and atmosphere is fun and cheerful. This is the place to go with a large group, take a few bottles of wine. Its a fun place for a night to begin…

I had a very bad experience one Saturday night. The food was poor and the service abysmal and defensive.
The food was microwaved, overcooked, all a gluggy grey colour. The mid eastern spiced chicken was stringy and overcooked and just has bar b q type sauce on it.
Only place in wellington we have sent food back.

Fantastic spot to dine. Very accommodating for big groups but just as pleasant and intimate for couples or friends.

The staff are always friendly and the food comes out promptly. Delicious meals and I have never been disappointed with my experiences there.

No need for entrees as dishes are quite large and set menus are a great choice for larger groups.

Pays to book ahead, food always to a high standard with interesting garnishes etc
Great efficient service & exotic atmos.

Always good food and reasonable prices. Can be noisy so choose your time carefully.