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Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
International
Beer/Wine
Turkish
Features a varied vegetarian and vegan-friendly menu with changing specials on some days: soups, salads, and mains. Waiter takes in consideration if you are vegan and so ask before ordering. Relocated from Kurabiye Sokak No 9/A. Reported closed, Jul 2021.
52 Reviews
First Review by sarahsvati
+++VeGaNiSaToR+++
Points +1004
only one restaurant of city center - Edit
it's Ok, not very tasty but ...
Read moreI like their bread with herbs and olive oil.
it's a pitty Govinda & Loving Hut were closed :(
Guest
Kris G
Points +108
Just ok - Edit
I went there twice. First day food was bland, next day it was way better. Service was very polite.
Read moreGuest
Eric_
Points +735
Good enough place - Edit
Lived nearby in the fall of 2011 and visited often. Food was okay but a but boring and dry sometimes.
Read morePros: Wifi, Location, Alcohol
Guest
mononoke
Points +84
not very good food.. - Edit
i was really excited to eat vegan in istanbul ! my bf and me ordered to different kinds of burger and it was disappointing cause there was no sauce with it, very very dry meal and not really tasty. we didnt order a dessert after that. staff was really friendly and the place is really cute but i would not go there anymore.
Read morePros: friendly staff, cute place
Cons: food was not good
Guest
SarahLesen
Points +20
such a lovely place - Edit
Parsifal was the best place to be in Istanbul for a vegan menu.
Read moreWe loved the atmosphere there and the dishes were great. Especially we loved the vegan brownie and a vegan cappuccino (we couldn't find another place which could serve soy-milk).
The staff was more then friendly and they are animal rights activists also. We found a fur-free-propaganda at the toilet :)
We couldn't order tofu or other faked "meat", like saitan or something. But I think it's not common in Turkey. Anyway the meal was nice and tasty.
Pros: soymilk, very vegan friendly, very nice atmosphere
Cons: no tofu options
Guest
Kimbo
Points +224
Points for effort but not great - Edit
Very disorganised. We got what was supposed to be a starter with the main course, whilst still eating the other starter. A drink arrived with the bill as if it had been completely forgotten to that point.
Read moreVeggie food looked much nicer than vegan. There were few vegan choices and some items listed as vegan were not - e.g. one had honey in. I was brought non vegan mayo with fries which was removed when I asked if it was vegan. So always double check.
A bit tricky to find. Disappointing as we were hoping for so much more.
Pros: Veggie/vegan food available in Istanbul, Nice atmosphere
Cons: Disorganised, Limited vegan choices, Needed to check food really was vegan.
Guest
micu
Points +137
Delicious! - Edit
Last week, we vistited this wonderful city and we went to Taksim just for having dinner at this restaurant, which we found via Happy Cow: It was definitely worth it -- very delicious! The service was very friendly, the atmosphere in the restaurant is elegant and very pleasant (with some nice artsy-fartsy fitments).
Read moreBTW: The Google Maps place marker given by happyCow is wrong -- OpenStreetMap shows the right place: http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=41.03632&mlon=28.982463&zoom=18&layers=M
Guest
filippodibari
Points +1963
veggie classy - Edit
Good food, nice atmosphere and kind service. The atmosphere was like an old Parisienne cafe'. Prices were "ok".
Read morePros: food, location
Guest
dsparakh
Points +210
A vegetarian oasis! - Edit
Turkey has a lot of vegetarian food. However, if you are used to spice and variety, things get dry pretty quickly (every restaurant in the tourist areas seems to have the same five or six vegetarian dishes). Parsifal had a very extensive menu. They don't make everything well (the stir-fry seemed barely Asian) but there is tremendous variety, good-quality ingredients, and helpful staff. Many of the dishes have egg and/or dairy which the staff will point out. A bit hard to find (it is on a side-street of Istiklal), even with our guide (although to be fair, we might have found it more quickly without the guide...). The atmosphere has a nice vibe and the food is not overpriced. There is another vegetarian restaurant close by, which looked interesting. Overall, worth a meal when on Istiklal street.
Read moreGuest
shedonteatnomeat
Points +32
Not what I expected - Edit
The restaurant is in a prime, easy-to find spot in Taksim and the restaurant is cozy and inviting but the food was lackluster. When I said my original order, the waiter urged me to avoid it and suggested a dish of potato patties filled with soy meat. Such highly processed vegan foods aren't my preference.
Read morePros: location, cozy, non-vegans would like
Cons: fake meat use, oily, not raw-friendly
Guest
Manuela
Points +89
PARSIFAL ISTANBUL - Edit
Very good totally vegan/vegetarian restaurant. The food is simple and very tasty, the place is cosy and familiar. Try the mixed salads and the aubergine Greek style...
Read morePros: Good food, Nice place
Cons: Whtie bread only, The waiter did not speak English
Guest
judgecal
Points +155
Bland and Disappointing - Edit
On the plus side the vegan options are clearly shown on the menu which is in English, but the food is sadly lacking in any flavour. We visited twice (the second time because the restaurant we wanted to visit was closed), trying the potato pies (quite nice), "Apple style potato wedges" (or chunky chips, quite nice as far as chips go), Greek style vegetables (luke warm sick on a plate), Grilled Vegtables (sloppy luke warm veg with Italian seasoning), and Soya Burgers (bizarrly deep fried mashed potato patties with an uncooked soya mince filling). The staff don't speak English and are uninterested in even faking an interest in serving with a pleasant nature. Avoid if you can.
Read morePros: Vegan food, Menu in English, Nice chips
Cons: Bland food, Uninterested staff, Hard to find
Guest
gourmande
Points +25
Best bread in Istanbul! - Edit
This is a fantastic restaurant, warm and welcoming with delicious food, plus it is good value for money. The staff is very friendly and the chef accommodating. We had dinner twice during our week-long stay in Istanbul and the meal was delicious both times. The bread is freshly baked and you are served both corn bread and wheat bread - both are wonderfully soft and melt in your mouth. The decor is simple, but stylish. The main courses are particularly good value - not to mention hearty, wholesome and nutritionally balanced - as, combined with the delicious warm bread, they can be a meal in themselves if you are on a tight budget. If I ever come back to Istanbul, I will definitely return to Parsifal! Keep up the great work!
Read moreGuest
raluca
Points +43
Nice bistro-type food - Edit
We ate here twice. The menu is huge, the food very tasty, the portions generous and the staff quite easy on the eye ;)
Read moreHighly recommended!
Pros: tasty food, extensive menu
Cons: not cheap, but it is very central
Guest
Jepulis
Points +126
Stylish - Edit
I visited Parsifal in the end of December 2010. A stylish place. My salad tasted "too healthy" so it did not have any special for being tasty.
Read morePros: good location, stylish
Cons: a bit expensive
Guest
Laudi
Points +362
Good food - BUT ... - Edit
After having read all the good reviews about this restaurant, I had very high expectations. The food was good, BUT ... it reads "VEGETARIAN & VEGAN" at the shop's sign, and the staff gets their food at McDonald's during lunch break and eat it right in front of the people who try to enjoy their delicious vegan meal. This was a huge disappointment.
Read morePros: Good food, Prices are okay, Location relatively easy to find
Cons: Staff eats meat in front of customers
Guest
efecemelci
Points +46
Great! - Edit
This is a restaurant I frequent a few times a month, and I can easily say it is my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Istanbul. The atmosphere in nice and quiet, the servers helpful and the cook goes out of her way to ensure that customers are happy. The menu is completely vegetarian-friendly with about a third of the items being vegan-friendly. If you're in Istanbul, make sure to drop by and try some of the local vegetarian dishes!
Read morePros: Good atmosphere, Good food, Affordable
Cons: Could add more vegan dishes
Guest
Liah
Points +59
Great Selection, Worth seeking out ! - Edit
Me and my partner spent a few days in Istanbul last week and as usual did a bit of research on Happy Cow beforehand.The 1st time we tried to find Parsifal we were unsucessful as the google map was wrong(also powercut and fire at the top of Iskidal Caddesi added to the confusion)Rough Guide has a clearer map so the next night we found it no problem.The interior is pleasant with some good photos hanging up.The waiter was helpful and attentive, the restaurant was very quiet.The menu had an excellent selection, that made it hard to choose what to get.We had starters and mains.I had a delicious pasta with cheese which was very filling.We ordered a salad with it, which was delicious and very fresh.The bill was really cheap for all the food we got.I would recommend this restaurant for Veggies travelling to Istanbul, its hard to find but the food and service were good.
Read morePros: huge portions, cheap, Great Service
Cons: hard to find from google map
Guest
xJasperx
Points +106
The best in Istanbul - Edit
My girlfriend and I were in Istanbul for a week and ate here most of the time. We tried other restaurants too and though some were good the number of options and variance in the food at Parsifal made it our favorite. The staff is very friendly and proficient enough in English. The food itself was delicious, as was the free olive bread. All in all a great place to eat.
Read morePros: Vegan options, Friendly staff, Lots of choices
Cons: Vegan dishes sometimes contain yoghurt
Guest
Jemima
Points +484
Good place to chill - Edit
It has a big awning with a few tables under it on pleasant Kurabiye Sokak.
Read moreInside it reaches back quite far with yellow walls hung with lots of pictures/ photographs. When I took a look at the pictures they were an odd mix, some showing heritage shots from other parts of the world, others animals.. There is wifi and the general atmosphere is calm and pleasant and is good for chilling.
The menu is fairly extensive with different vegetarian standbys including a couple of Chinese styled dishes such as stir fry.
First I had bread with olive oil. The mustard seed and olive bread was especially good.
I had the artichoke salad which came without the dressing listed on the menu. It was made up largely of iceberg lettuce. Very plain tasting.
They have an enticing list of fresh juices but they were out of most of them except for the basics such as orange. This seemed strange as the fruits were in season. They had plum juice though and it was really yummy.
The food was basic so that it made it definitely expensive at between YTL15-20
Pros: chilled space with wifi, central
Cons: food
Guest
Pasha
Points +32
Çok güzel - Edit
I love this little cosy restaurant on one of the side streets of İstiklal. The place is nice and calm and you can realy enjoy your meal. I preferd the burgurs but everyting that I've tasted was [censored] güzel, as the ruks would say.
Read morePros: Tasty food, Good price, Nicely decorated
Cons: Expencive and small water bottles
Guest
kmorgens
Points +21
Less good than anticipated - Edit
After having read the reviews here, we looked really forward to visit this reataurant, but were somewhat disappointed by the taste of the food. It is a relieve to find one place in Istanbul that serves vegetarian food, but in fact the made for us vegetarian options in the non-vegetarian places had much more taste than this one.
Read moreGuest
cdrk
Points +898
Great place - Edit
The food is really good, people working there were always extremely kind and happy to see that I am a vegan.
Read moreGetting free internet was nice too.
Pros: vegan food, friendly, tasty
Guest
simsar
Points +33
delicious place - Edit
the place is a nice homey restaurant with a good selection of vegetarian dishes at good price.
Read moreThe staff is very kind.
They have three or four vegan dishes, all are delicious and we really enjoy the vegan homemade bread and the salads are simply great!
Guest
sarahsvati
Points +299
Nice vegetarian and vegan selection - Edit
This restaurant is still called 'Parsifal' and is still 100% vegetarian. I'm not sure what the previous reviewer was talking about.
Read moreThe menu is written in English and Turkish and about 1/3 of the items are vegan. I recommend trying the more traditional Turkish dishes like chard dolma and veggies baked in a clay pot. Entrees run about 12 TL maximum.
I enjoyed Parsifal. It's a great vegetarian oasis in an often meat-centric Istanbul.
Pros: Yummy, filling bread, Traditional Turkish dishes
Cons: Can be smoky
Guest
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