If you live in Virginia, I would definitely stop by to see Mr. Ismet and try his delicious food. Thanks Ali👍
Nancy
I went with 4 other people. Everyone's food was delicious, hot and made just for us. And very abundant. My diner sandwich was excellent. Waitress was a young woman. Not great. She forgot people's drink orders. Couldn't keep straight who ordered what food. Served each person's meal separately so they either ate alone when it was served or waited for everybody to be served while their food got cold.
Mark Kimmitt
Wonderful food! Chef Ismet serves the best Mercimek and Adana Kebab in DC area! Try it!
Jessica Khurana
Fantastic food and adorable ambience. We will be ordering from them many times. So glad to find a great place in Vienna for kebabs!
Nalya Mur
Excellent 😍
emre ozkan
Best lahmacun in the DC-VA area. I recommend lintel soup before the lahmacun. . You can also try tulumba, baklava or kazabdibi for the desert. Chef is an awesome gentleman!
Aysan Yazdanpanah
We decided to do Mother’s Day brunch here, once we are settled and ready to order they inform us that they do not have brunch that day. This is something that needed to be stated from the beginning when making the reservation at 11AM or as soon as we are sat down.
The food was okay, we ordered a bunch of appetizers and the veggie pide. Turkish coffee was good and staff seemed friendly. The place itself seemed a bit run down. I doubt we are going to go back here.
David
Went for Mother's Day Brunch late morning - it was prominently advertised on their website, and when seated, also on their menus. Alas, they weren't serving brunch, only sandwiches or dinner. Food was a solid 3 stars. Service was iffy (20% automatically added to all bills), especially as the upstairs began to fill.The chairs are massive wooden seats, quite comfortable but using a lot of space between tables. The upstairs quickly became a maze of patrons, chairs and tables as the servers tried to accommodate large parties. As far as I recall, the menu said nothing about an automatic service charge, and the server's card reader conveniently suggested _additional tips_ of 20, 25, or 30% on top of the cost of meals,state & local taxes, and the 20% automatically added in. in all, there are several other better Turkish restaurants nearby in Arlington & McLean.
Ranny
We used to dine at the predecessor restaurant frequently, but had moved away. In passing thru Vienna last week we noticed the new sign and made note. Made reservations and drove 20 miles to discover it was the same chef, just now he is the owner and he had owned it for some time. Waiter admitted it was his first week, but he was excellent and knowledgable. Bread, hors d'oeuvres and main course all very good. The home made cheese cake and tea were a welcome ending. Will return.
Tamara
Went to Istanbal Blue with two girlfriends for lunch - it was our first visit. It's a charming restaurant with a very nice vibe. I appreciated that they still use white tablecothes! The atmosphere felt a tad elevated but far from stuffy or fancy. The service was prompt and effecient, The food came quickly and was very good. My only minor complaint was that the music seemed too loud for the small space. I would have preferred that it be turned down as I found it distracting.
This was an excellent dining experience! Everything was great and reminded us of some of the fine meals that we experienced in Turkey when which we visited last year. The lack of customers on a Saturday night was concerning and I hope this was an anomaly. Istanbul Blue deserves to thrive!
Alan
Absolutely wonderful! Five stars across the board. The chef/owner came out to talk to us and recommended his specialty, salmon with crab stuffing. The flavors were amazing - subtle, unique, and delicious. On a cold rainy day the atmosphere and warmth of the restaurant created a marvelous dining experience. We have dined here several times and are always amazed how ordinary ingredients can be turned into something so special.
Rosario
The food at this place was good, but the service was awful. It was not the servers fault, they were clearly understaffed. One couple even got tired of waiting and left before their order was taken. You'd think they would‘ve made more of an effort on Valentine's Day.
Brian
The place got to busy for the staff. It took forever to get drinks. Then we were served our main course without the side and then the rice took another 15 minutes... almost finished the main course without it. Not a good experience.
adele
5 stars were it not for the service... Food was fresh and delicious. Our server was unconcerned, did not clear the table between courses, and was not knowledgeable of the menu. Other servers were much more engaged and professional, so seemingly our experience was not the norm.
If you live in Virginia, I would definitely stop by to see Mr. Ismet and try his delicious food.
Thanks Ali👍
I went with 4 other people. Everyone's food was delicious, hot and made just for us. And very abundant. My diner sandwich was excellent. Waitress was a young woman. Not great. She forgot people's drink orders. Couldn't keep straight who ordered what food. Served each person's meal separately so they either ate alone when it was served or waited for everybody to be served while their food got cold.
Wonderful food! Chef Ismet serves the best Mercimek and Adana Kebab in DC area!
Try it!
Fantastic food and adorable ambience. We will be ordering from them many times. So glad to find a great place in Vienna for kebabs!
Excellent 😍
Best lahmacun in the DC-VA area. I recommend lintel soup before the lahmacun. . You can also try tulumba, baklava or kazabdibi for the desert. Chef is an awesome gentleman!
We decided to do Mother’s Day brunch here, once we are settled and ready to order they inform us that they do not have brunch that day. This is something that needed to be stated from the beginning when making the reservation at 11AM or as soon as we are sat down.
The food was okay, we ordered a bunch of appetizers and the veggie pide. Turkish coffee was good and staff seemed friendly. The place itself seemed a bit run down. I doubt we are going to go back here.
Went for Mother's Day Brunch late morning - it was prominently advertised on their website, and when seated, also on their menus. Alas, they weren't serving brunch, only sandwiches or dinner. Food was a solid 3 stars. Service was iffy (20% automatically added to all bills), especially as the upstairs began to fill.The chairs are massive wooden seats, quite comfortable but using a lot of space between tables. The upstairs quickly became a maze of patrons, chairs and tables as the servers tried to accommodate large parties. As far as I recall, the menu said nothing about an automatic service charge, and the server's card reader conveniently suggested _additional tips_ of 20, 25, or 30% on top of the cost of meals,state & local taxes, and the 20% automatically added in. in all, there are several other better Turkish restaurants nearby in Arlington & McLean.
We used to dine at the predecessor restaurant frequently, but had moved away. In passing thru Vienna last week we noticed the new sign and made note. Made reservations and drove 20 miles to discover it was the same chef, just now he is the owner and he had owned it for some time. Waiter admitted it was his first week, but he was excellent and knowledgable. Bread, hors d'oeuvres and main course all very good. The home made cheese cake and tea were a welcome ending. Will return.
Went to Istanbal Blue with two girlfriends for lunch - it was our first visit. It's a charming restaurant with a very nice vibe. I appreciated that they still use white tablecothes! The atmosphere felt a tad elevated but far from stuffy or fancy. The service was prompt and effecient, The food came quickly and was very good. My only minor complaint was that the music seemed too loud for the small space. I would have preferred that it be turned down as I found it distracting.
Restaurantji Recommends
This was an excellent dining experience! Everything was great and reminded us of some of the fine meals that we experienced in Turkey when which we visited last year. The lack of customers on a Saturday night was concerning and I hope this was an anomaly. Istanbul Blue deserves to thrive!
Absolutely wonderful! Five stars across the board. The chef/owner came out to talk to us and recommended his specialty, salmon with crab stuffing. The flavors were amazing - subtle, unique, and delicious. On a cold rainy day the atmosphere and warmth of the restaurant created a marvelous dining experience. We have dined here several times and are always amazed how ordinary ingredients can be turned into something so special.
The food at this place was good, but the service was awful. It was not the servers fault, they were clearly understaffed. One couple even got tired of waiting and left before their order was taken. You'd think they would‘ve made more of an effort on Valentine's Day.
The place got to busy for the staff. It took forever to get drinks. Then we were served our main course without the side and then the rice took another 15 minutes... almost finished the main course without it. Not a good experience.
5 stars were it not for the service... Food was fresh and delicious. Our server was unconcerned, did not clear the table between courses, and was not knowledgeable of the menu. Other servers were much more engaged and professional, so seemingly our experience was not the norm.
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