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• Great choice for veggies & vegans in Sultainhamet

After putting together a pretty lack luster list of restaurants to check out in Istanbul, I put this "veg-friendly" place on the list based on the reviews here. I am really glad I did. On the surface, it is typical of many of the restaurants on the street. English menu, Turkish food, pizza, pide, indoor and outdoor seating, water pipes, etc. But the place is so much more. They do have quite a lot of vegetarian options but what impressed me was that as a vegan they went out of their way for me. On my first visit, I asked about a dish to see if it was vegan. We settled on their making me a veggie rice pilaf with a hummus starter. The hummus was great and the rice dish was fantastic. They also sent over bread which I could not eat as I saw there was butter on it. So they made me bread with no butter. That is the kind of place this is. They are happy to engage in a conversation about the ingredients and they ask you for details and the chef too if they are not sure of the answer. You can't ask for more than that. I spent a few hours there enjoying my meal and post meal tea. I also ended up having a great chat with another couple that was there on a return visit. This place does seem to bring them back. I too went back a second time. This is a huge endorsement. I can not readily recall another non-vegetarian or non-vegan restaurant that I have chosen to go back to when traveling. I have certainly gone back to veggie/vegan joints, but the staff here was so great, I just had to come back again. They are all so nice and really funny. On my second visit I had them make a marinara pizza. They were so worried about this and whether or not I would like it as I guess it was a first for them. But they did it and it was good. Again it just speaks to the kind of people they are. They want you to enjoy the food. I even got some food to go to take onto the plane with me. In a town that sorely lacks for vegans, it was a relief and a treat to find a place that cares about you and your meal.