Aheste - Istanbul

Ahesté was a most pleasant surprise in Istanbul! We were expecting a lovely meal but the creativity and craftsmanship of the plates exceeded every expectation. From the lamb heart to the beef tongue to the bread and butter(with parsley oil) prepared to perfection. Highly recommend this innovative mezze (meze) restaurant with creative cocktails and a lovely ambiance. Cannot say enough good things about the FOH as well:knowledgeable, kind, thoughtful, and patient. Thank you for a wonderful culinary experience. The one thing I did not like is the entrance off the street: it has a step up and then three steps down. Very unsafe.

Aheste was exactly what we needed. Refined, relaxing, amazing food, intelligent and educated service, stunning wine, a real treat. Eylul, our server was brilliant, helpful, knowledgeable, and so welcoming and warm. She spoke perfect English, which was so nice as we had so many questions about the food and wine. On the food, it was all wonderful, but the Tuna Kadayif was the star of the show for me. We have the tasting menu and got a taste of 12 dishes over a 2 hour period. Was wonderful. Can't say a bad thing about the whole experience. We will return.

A very nice experience. Went for menu tasting and was able to try from everything. Portions were great and makes you full. Their bread and butter is amazing. Their service is out of this world, the people and servers were so nice. A must try

If you book and restaurant got your trip to Istanbul let it be Aheste. I walked in without a reservation but they managed to find me a table and boy, was I happy they did… the menu is better suited to groups as you get to try everything but they kindly offered to serve me half portions so I still got the chance to sample various dishes. I started with the sea bass in yuzu, tuna in a crispy shell and a tomato salad with grilled fennel. All excellent! Then I had the vine leaves and the miso glazed pumpkin, the latter was really out of this world. Finally I had the grilled octopus which was done to perfection. I was convinced to have some dessert and again the pumpkin with tahini was a highlight. They have lovely local wines by the glass, cocktails and don’t let me forget the bread they serve is some of the best I have had this year! Lovely waiting staff as well and this place deserves a Michelin star though it might get harder to find a table then! Loved every minute here.

If you are a tourist with limited days in Istanbul, this should be one of your stops for sure! Also heavily frequented by locals, Aheste is great for an amazing culinary experience. Been here many times on dates, with friends, with bigger tourist groups etc. You can’t go wrong! Realized I don’t have many photos from my last visit but we did the tasting menu. It’s great if you want to taste everything. Obviously the portions are tasting size but you get somewhat full as you spread it over time. They have a nice wine menu and also all cocktails on their menu are their specialty they said. Service is impeccable. All waiters speak fluent English and they know the menu to a T. Before dinner we got cocktails. Amazing. For dinner we chose Kuzubag’s kalecik karasi if I remember correctly. Perfect. Turns out they do 1/2 glasses of wine too which I didn’t know was a thing. All in all, PERFECT for dates and intimate dinners. Works for groups too. The price for the tasting menu is great actually, definitely worth it. Make sure you reserve ahead and enjoy!