Vegan
International
Middle Eastern
Turkish

Offers vegan food with dishes like iskender and balls, Beytikebab, seitan döner wrap, mantı, ravioli style dumplings with spinach and seitan, lahmacun, Bosnian cevapi kofte, seitan stuffed grape leaves pockets with lemon sauce, burger, lasagna and baklava, seasonal menu with Turkish rice, stuffed peppers and eggplant, olive oil cold plates, and cookies. Sunday is brunch and wild mushroom day. Relocated from Beyoğlu. Sat by reservation only. Vegan turkish food cooking class on Tuesdays by reservation. WhatsApp 00905385032736. Relocated from Balat Lavanta Sk 14, Fatih. Open Mon 12:30pm-11:00pm, Wed-Sat 12:30pm-11:00pm, Sun 10:00am-11:00pm.


Venue map for Vegan Community Kitchen
© OpenStreetMap contributors

199 Reviews

First Review by Sacha

zerlinda

Points +148

Vegan
27 Mar 2024

Tesadüfen keşfettiğim ve artık her fırsat bulduğumda gittiğim bir yer

En sevdiğim vegan mekânlardan biri. Yemekleri gerçekten çok lezzetli.

VelillaDeOswestry

Points +3447

Vegan
20 Mar 2024

Really poor

I hate to do this, but i just cant understand the positive reviews on this place. There wasnt one saving grace. We were suggested the meze, which we shared - it was clearly not fresh at all, i dont even think it constituted a meze, it was just a mix of random, stale items they had lying around from previous days i think - all the salad/veg tasted the same sugegsting it had been left in the fridge next to each other for days. I hope you can see from the pic how unappetizing it was. It cost about £16 Gbp for this one plate! (so currently 20 USD!!), i couldnt eat more than a few bites of anything. In terms of the venue it was a small place, nothing noteworthy positive or negative but i would point out the toilet was right next to the kitchen where your veg are being chopped up. Id never go back, clearly some people would but i dont get it - and i dont usually think of myself as fussy! Feel like ive just been robbed for my 650Lr

jofiskare

Points +544

Vegan
01 Mar 2024

Cute vegan place

Delicious Turkish vegan food. We had kebab, mantı and even ayran :)

EddyMaya

Points +659

Vegan
22 Feb 2024

Great little vegan café

We called in here for lunch today & thoroughly enjoyed it! It's a cosy little café, located a short walk downhill from Galata Tower or a short walk uphill from the impressive Istanbul Modern Art gallery. Everything is 100% vegan and prepared with love by the friendly owner. The food was really good. The seitan kebab was a revelation - so yummy! I'd also recommend the stuffed lentil kofta. Prices are fair at 320₺ per dish. Worth a short detour if you're hereabouts.

Pros: 100% vegan, Friendly owner, Good value

Cons: I'm not a big fan of cats in restaurants

NandoDonadel

Points +123

Vegan
29 Jan 2024

Simple place but good food

Not only the food is tasty. The owner also gave us tips of other vegan eateries.

Ajolote

Points +1327

Vegan
05 Jan 2024

Tasty little place

Tiny spot on a hill in a cool neighborhood. Everything was tasty, but the options are very limited.

There was only one person working there, but she was very efficient and because we were very few people, that was not a problem.

Simple food, no frills #Veganuary

Pros: Fast service, Tasty, Simple food

Cons: Very limited menu, No dessert

evolvika

Points +169

Mostly Veg
29 Dec 2023

Amazing food, home feeling

İt seems to be a small family business. The place looks very welcoming and home-like: part of the kitchen is right in the restaurant room. The food tastes like home-made,too. Healthy and yummy 😋 İ couldn't choose what to take: manty or köfte, so the owner was so friendly that she offered me one köfte to try - it was amazing! Manty were amazing too:)

Pros: Healthy, Tasty, Real

josephsuar

Points +1739

Vegan
26 Dec 2023

Amazing Homemade Food

Delicious made to order food with a daily menu change. Owner is super sweet and love to chat about veganism, food and she even teaches cooking classes! Uses plant/pea proteins and seitan to make ‘meats’ and also a ton of fresh veggies! Highly recommend!

Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing

Alex17

Points +89

Vegetarian
17 Dec 2023

Amazing Kebab

This friendly owner makes amazing vegan Kebab!
The interior is kept very simple.

SquirrelDi

Points +4112

Vegan
08 Dec 2023

Welcoming staff

Good hummus and soup. Super friendly staff.

pukiiland

Points +439

Vegan
04 Nov 2023

Tasty

Had kebab and sallad wrap and was very tasty, a bit pricey for what you get but good nonetheless. 😇

tmadera

Points +11

Mostly Veg
29 Sep 2023

Delicious Homemade Food

I had a wonderful time eating the delicious food from here. Whole ingredients and outstanding recipes made with love. I highly recommend!

AngVas

Points +42

Vegan
18 Sep 2023

Lovely home cooked food

Small and welcoming place, feels like you are really eating in a friend’s kitchen. Tasty food, cooked fresh in front of you. Very tasty! Owner very friendly, also helped us with some recommendations. My favourite were the stuffed balls, but the kebab is also great.

Pros: Home feel, Traditional food, Friendly

leelooisvegan

Points +24

Vegan
10 Aug 2023

Tasty homemade traditional food

The owner is so lovely, if you are looking for that homemade small business vibe, this is it !!! The owner is up for a chat and will tell you about the local life and veganism and animal rights (which she is very passionate about) I thoroughly enjoyed the immense kebab plate ! Would go back !

Pros: The owner’s approachability , The Ayran , Brownie !

monogo

Points +16

Vegan
31 Jul 2023

Tasty

Community Kitchen is one of the best vegan kitchen in city which have tasty wraps, seitans and several desserts!

BarbaraG.Baz

Points +1715

Vegan
02 Jun 2023

Amazing off the beaten path spot

Best food I had in Turkey! It was great to find veganised turkish food. The gentleman was very sweet and cooked a lovely meal for us. He was helping his friend that was ill and apologised because he could not say much in english. The food was excellent and the shop is really cosy! Please support this place. ❤️

Nuriya12

Points +23

Vegetarian
12 May 2023

Amazing place! Very delicious and friendly!

Oya is the real Master of Vegan world and making it really delicious and tasty! She is an amazing encyclopaedia of all possible vegan recipes and her place is cosy and very welcoming and feels like home thanks Oya‘s big heart and love to each of customers! The meals are very hearty and tasty, and beautifully decorated, so it becomes a very amazing and satisfying experience beyond all possible expectations- visiting this place. Would love to come back there again during my next visit to Istanbul!! Food is love- that’s what I would call this place:)))

Pros: Delicious , Beautiful , Tasty

Mariatomàs-rodó

Points +124

Vegan
09 Apr 2023

Food with heart

This is a place full of love and heart. The food changes daily but you can find traditional Turkish dishes veganised. But the true star of the place is the owner. Her passion and heart is felt everywhere and you will definitely leave with a smile on.
PS.portions are generous, as she said "I will fill you up"!

Nereatxo

Points +536

Vegan
02 Jan 2023

Nice small restaurant with a lovely cook

We really enjoy our meal in here (the hummus made by beans, the kebab seitan and the lentil pastries were beyond good). It is very small and it hasn’t got a toilet but the warmth felt by the cook /owner made it wonderful. We talked about veganism and her animals with her💗

Vagabondoer

Points +291

Vegan
19 Dec 2022

So Much Heart!

You can tell when a restaurant is driven by love, and Vegan Community Kitchen is a great example. Besides the food being really tasty (I had the home made seitan doner on home made flatbread -- it was toothsome and savory in all the right ways), Vegan Community Kitchen exists so that the world can go in a different, more compassionate and inclusive direction. This tiny spot is doing it for love and it really shows!

Pros: So much love, For the aminals, really delicious!

Cons: tiny

sottovocce

Points +36

Vegan
06 Dec 2022

It is homey

Go at it with the idea that it is homey in mind. Not the best and it is sad that it overwhelms on google the other much better restaurant that is in the same neighbourhood. Excellent treatment though. I recommend the kabab but not the lahmacun or the ayran.

rbrimel

Points +171

Vegan
04 Dec 2022

¡Excelente y casero!

Cuando entras en la casa de Oya no necesitas la carta. Siempre recomienda el plato que te va a servir y siempre acierta porque su comida es riquísima pero sobre todo el trato con ella, es excelente.
No te pierdas la inmersión en la comida turca tradicional pero vegana.

Pros: Oya, Kebab vegano casero, Buen ambiente y comida rica

Cons: -, -, -

villain

Points +7015

Vegan
21 Nov 2022

Best meal I've ever had

The doner was incredible, it's overall the most satisfying meal that I've ever had. I'm going to have to come back to İstanbul just to eat at this place! Dolma was amazing too. Everything was so fresh and flavorful, the owner said that she gets all of her ingredients just a couple blocks down. They were so kind and welcoming, this is my favorite restaurant in İstanbul by far. I do wish they offered a different dessert than brownie, but that's my only criticism.

Both the food and service are levels above everywhere else and the neighborhood that this restaurant is located in is fantastic.

Updated from previous review on 2022-11-21

theNumberOfTheBeast

21 Nov 2022

Right!?!?! Last time I was there we talked about opening a franchise in California, just need her recipe book aa couple investors and couple of cats. 🌈❤️‍🔥🌈❤️‍🔥🌈❤️‍🔥🌈❤️‍🔥🌈❤️‍🔥🌈❤️‍🔥

villain

22 Nov 2022

It would be incredible being able to eat that doner in california.. I'm going to miss it! you're so right when you said that every vegan restaurant should be like this

Seatown_vegan

02 Aug 2023

Visiting Istanbul in Oct. definitely going to try this restaurant out now.

villain

07 Aug 2023

Super exciting! You're going to love it. İstanbul does vegan food so well, my mouth is watering just thinking about this meal 😋

Jaquelineloh

Points +252

Vegan
11 Nov 2022

Cute local place

Great option for lunch in the balat area. When we where here, the only options were either falafel or kebab plate (and one kind of cake for dessert).
We shared an falafel plate and a piece of cake, between two people - the total was 220 TL. The food was great but the cake which was supposed to be a brownie, disappointed us a bit as it really was more of a ordinary chocolate cake, rather than brownie.
The place itself is tiny, cute and primitive, with only a few tables ( one outside and a couple inside), run by a sweet local woman.
Nice to support a small local business!

theNumberOfTheBeast

Points +4092

Vegan
29 Oct 2022

Seni Seviyorum

This family owned cafe in Balat makes the best donner/kapab/shawarma whatever you wanna call it. It's house made spiced setian served with fresh chopped tomatoes and one of the top meals I've eaten anywhere on Earth.

I use Turkish Airlines for miles just so I can course my route through IST to spend a night and get a meal here. Unbeatable quality and flavor. Her sister has a place in North Carolina of the same name, but this location has cats!

Mom was making the stuffed vine dolmas when I was there and these too, were best in class. Should every vegan resto in the world be as nice as Community Kitchen the animal abusers would be extinct tomorrow.

Pomegranate Juice.

Updated from previous review on 2022-10-24

Pros: vegan owned and operated, invincible seitan, fresh and delicious

villain

29 Oct 2022

Thanks for this review!! I'll be in İstanbul for a couple weeks soon and was wondering where to try 😍

theNumberOfTheBeast

29 Oct 2022

Elemor

Points +47

Vegan
25 Oct 2022

Worth a visit

The lahmacun was delicious and the host was super nice :)

Karin&Cor

Points +649

Vegan
24 Oct 2022

Real vegan place you must visit.

In the middle of the centre of Istanbul you find Vegan Community Kitchen including some adorable cats.

Pros: Gentility , True vegan from the heart, Best kebab ever

Cons: Place can be a little bit neater, Small place cannot go with a large group




This page has been viewed 45118 times.