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Neolokal Taksim Reviews
Exceptional experience
Truly a five star experience. The food was absolutely delicious. Sometimes food looks pretty but the taste is a disappointment. That is not the case here. The food is beautiful and it tastes even better than it looks. Each dish was expertly crafted and explained to us in detail. One better than the next. Such a wonderful way to experience a modern twist on Turkish cuisine.
Disappointing
I agree with some of the reviewer here. It's a mixed bag. We had a wonderful experience at Nicole a couple of nights before. Neolokal is disappointing compared to Nicole. The good: - Ambience, great view. - Good communication before the appointment - Food presentation is lovely. The OK - Music selection is great, but the volume get louder over time to a point its hard to have a conversation across the table - Service is very formal and mechanical, lack any warmth and the feeling that you're welcome. The Bad - The food - some of the food is overly salted, especially the vegetarian tasting menu. - Half the food menu is very good, which means the other half Is borderline OK. Its edible but not what I expect from a fine dining restaurant. In shot, Nicole win in service, and food taste. Neolokal win in view, ambience and presentation. I will go back to Nicole the next time but will skip Neolokal.
Monty Python comes to Istanbul fine dining
Yes, this is a one star. And yes, some of the dishes are first rate. But it is a model of just how silly (or pretentious, or fussy) some contemporary restaurants can be. The technique behind every dish is impressive (and time consuming and very very expensive). But the technical accomplishments seem less important than the taste. For one dish, for example, an iPad is brought to your table and you are required to watch an overblown video on “The soil. The fire. The dish” and such. Great view. Great wine choices. And a waiter that is the spitting image of Uriah Heep. There are better choices all around in Istanbul.
Neolokal: totally overpriced, never again
Neolokal: Totally disappointed: overpriced meal, not well tasting, uninspired service. Never again. We had very high expectations and were really unsatisfied.
A dinner worthy of a michelin star!
We went to Neolokal for dinner because it has a 1 Michelin Star and a Michelin Green Star. We got the vegetarian tasting menu for reference. Overall, it was great food - the presentation and flavors are everything you would expect from a Michelin restaurant. That also includes the service. The food was tasty and so were the drinks. I'd say the only critique I have is I wish our server took more time explaining the ingredients of the dishes - often time he would mention what the dish's name was and serve. Also, there is one part of the tasting menu where they give you a tablet to watch a video on how the dish they are about to serve is made. This part of the tasting menu felt a little gimmicky. Also, the price of this dinner is on par with Michelin restaurants in the US - be prepared to pay $200+ for 2 people. It's a restaurant worth going to and the food, service, and overall quality shows why it has a Michelin star.
A delicious experience
It was a fantastic experience from start to finish. Especially the mushroom plate is a delicacy worth talking about. We would like to express our gratitude to the entire kitchen team and Mr. Ziya, who conveyed this experience to us with his kind service🙏🏼
You can do it here!
The location is good and the food is Turkish in a good way. There are only three dishes on the tasting menu, but they serve them quickly and I think every dish will suit Japanese tastes. The presentation is unique and interesting, and the wine seems relatively reasonable.
A Gastronomical journey through Turkish cousin
Neolokal's Tasting Menu is a gastronomic journey that seamlessly blends traditional Turkish flavors with modern culinary innovation. The experience begins with the enticing aroma of their SOURDOUGH bread, served with parsley-marbled butter and cep mushroom powder—a delightful start to the meal. The Amuse Bouches showcase the chef's creativity, with standout dishes like SINKONTA, featuring olive oil-braised pumpkin and zucchini varieties, complemented by a pumpkin and mandarin sauce, onion, and vegetable foam. BONITO presents an olive oil-braised spotless black-eyed pea 'pilaki' with tarragon and fish sauce, delivering a harmonious fusion of flavors. The MOREL DUMPLING is a culinary masterpiece, combining mushroom sauce and emulsion with sautéed morel and isot oil. The BLUEFISH with CHARD, accompanied by a shrimp sheet and shrimp sauce, offers a delicate balance of textures and tastes. A refreshing interlude comes in the form of the SORREL SORBET, cleansing the palate for the next culinary delights. The main course features the SLOW COOKED LAMB, accompanied by a unique combination of meatball and 'kokoreç,' served with sweet bean 'piyaz.' The dish exemplifies Neolokal's commitment to incorporating traditional Turkish elements into their contemporary creations. For dessert, the REVANİ WITH ROSE is a sweet symphony, showcasing rose milk ice cream, rose delight, and coconut meringue—an elegant and fitting conclusion to the meal. To add an element of surprise, the Neolokal team presents an array of delightful desserts, rounding off the dining experience on a high note. The Tasting Menu at Neolokal is a testament to the culinary prowess of Chef Maksut Aşkar and his team. Each dish is a work of art, skillfully combining flavors, textures, and presentation. The restaurant's commitment to showcasing the diversity of Turkish cuisine, coupled with a touch of surprise in the desserts, makes dining at Neolokal a memorable and delightful experience This is more than a meal; it's a celebration of culinary ingenuity.
A must in Istanbul
Great restaurant with wonderful food. Service is impeccable. Very creative coctails using local and seasonal ingredients. A must visit in Istanbul!
Everything is good
The quality service of the waiters. The taste of the food was worthy of this place. All the food was fresh and delicious. He deserves his money's worth😊
Ummmmmm……
We enter a beautiful building a few minutes from the Galata Tower. Going up to the first floor, there is a mezzanine. You enter directly into the restaurant, or rather a completely open space with a visible kitchen. There is no one at the entrance, which gives you the feeling of being in a canteen. From the kitchen you go up a flight of stairs and only at the top is anyone there to greet you and escort you to your table. We asked for a nice table with a view and were satisfied. So far so good, they help us to sit down, take our coats and immediately present us with the menus, food, wines and cocktails. We had already chosen the menu, we had been asked to do so by email in the days before our arrival in Istanbul. We ask for two cocktails, very good and well made, but to accompany them they only bring us some salted gherkins and roasted hazelnuts. They could do much better! I choose the wine with the help of the maitre sommelier, who gives me good advice. There are plenty of waiters and maitre sommeliers, as well as guys with trays bringing food from downstairs to the room. All the staff were dressed formally, with an alternative twist of white trainers. The service is quite attentive (we are in a Michelin starred restaurant! let's not forget! ), but you feel like a number, not a guest. To underline this, the chef and co-owner, despite being in the room several times and interacting and sit with only one table ... completely forgetting about all the other guests seated there. He had no regard for the other diners in his restaurant. This is a serious omission in a Michelin Star restaurant. As we had a tasting menu, we did not feel taken on a culinary journey. Some dishes, refined in their presentation, bat all lacked something... a pity. Personally, I expected much more given the level of the restaurant. Overrated. Bad idea to use a tablet and headphones to explain a dish....Where is the Chef?? Note: if you run out of the little bread they give you at the beginning, they don't bring it . We appreciated the petit four they gave us at the end. Price: very very expensive for the experience we had. I don't intend to go again
Very nice evening out
Atmosphere and view were perfect. We had a specific waiter and help for our table which is always very nice. Service was professional and at the same time friendly. Presentation of the food and drinks was original. We even got a video to explain a dish. The food had the quality of a star restaurant with all local ingredients. The pairing wines were too expensive. You take better one or two nice bottles of wine
100% overrated
Ok trust me, i have been eating at many restaurants in the world top 50, in my hone town and around the world, but this restaurant is overrated. 500$ is wayyy to expensive for the food served. The service and the view were amazing but honestly the food was a profound let down. Overcooked fish, wet pastry, dry meet, lack of seasoning and salt, overall not good at all. Only 5 service which was equivalent to a normal entree, we needed to buy pides on our way home, which, again, was better seasoned than the whole menu. Would never go there again, save your money and enjoy way more Turkish food else where…
Disappointed
Disappointed. We have eaten in many Michelin one star (and two star) restaurants in a number of countries and therefore expected a better level. Pricing - was middle to high for this level. Euro 305 without drinks for 6 course tasting menu, including automatic 12% service charge for two people. Location - upper floor with a very good view for approx half the dinners. Staff - ok but not great. Polite and plenty of them but not switched on. Very basic presentation and explanation of dishes. Had to ask them to repeat explanations. One excellent point was a little booklet that gave background on each dish on the tasting menu. Although the ingredients didn’t alway seem to match what was actually on the plate. I would not complain about the service but equally it was not professional enough. For instance the first time we were asked if we were enjoying the meal was as we were paying the bill. Food - for us this is the key element and this is why we can only score them at 3 out of five. Presentation on the plate was very good. Variety of tastes, intensities and textures was not at the right standard. Vegetables in particular were disappointing - too many beans and nothing much else to balance it. Two main courses - black bass and shredded beef. The fish was blended into a purée consistency and lacking identifiable flavours while the beef was very rich without sufficient balancing flavours and texture. So overall the food was good, just not at the expected level. Staff were pleasant and lots of them but also not at the correct professional level. To put it in context we had an excellent meal the previous evening at 40% of the cost in a great setting, with a similar level of service.
Delicious tasting menu paired with Turkish wines
In a lovely setting overlooking the old city, we enjoyed a delicious tasting menu of 6 courses nicely interspersed with a selection of subtle amuse bouchée, a pumpkin based palate cleanser and an intensely flavoured sorbet. Each course was beautifully presented and perfectly sized - not a crumb was left. The pairing of white, rose and red wines from Turkey was a revelation and expertly matched to each course. The team welcomed us warmly and professionally delivered and explained each course and every wine. The whole evening was both a delight and an experience. The cost for two tasting menus and one wine pairing was just over TL4000 per head.
Magikal ;)
Everything about our dinner at Neolokal was magical. The room is beautiful and well lit. The service is outstanding and friendly. Every course was delicious and the selection of local wines was amazing. Best of all, they understand food allergies inside and out - I was very comfortable there as a Celiac.
Great Let Down!
My wife and I come here to celebrate my 50th birthday. She choose the place. Without me knowing she booked this Michelin Star restaurant. To be clear, I did not know it was Michelin starred until the end if the meal. The views from the restaurant are espectacular. Definitely a great place to go for a cocktail. The staff were courteous but like fish out of the water. The description of the dishes was a courageous one for their level of spoken English. However, the knowledge from the maitre d’ of the wines served by the house, or better said his level for recommendations, was rather poor. We did notice that they would ask or say something to be courteous but they would not stay to listen to your reply. Very weird. When it comes to the food is when we need to het properly serious. I was amazed and petrified when my wife,just before dessert was brought to us, mentioned it was a one star Michelin restaurant. I could not believe it. The food menu was not properly put together. Lots of different flavours that dis not marry. Each items was alright, but the moment you mixed them the dissatisfaction arises. I was not too bothered but I did mention to my wife that there must be a rocky chef at the helm. It is like they were trying too hard to make something special by mixing different flavours. But at the end it was a “tutti frutti”. The best dish for was the sourdough bread with the scarce blob of olive and parsley infused butter. In short, this is a place to avoid but most importantly, a place for Michelin to go back and review.
Fine dining quality food without high quality service
We were very excited to visit Neolocal especially after hearing about chef Maksut Aksit such great reviews. In my definition of fine dining the dining experience starts when you enter the restaurant. Neolocal did not meet this definition. We made our reservation 6 weeks ahead of time. We had very limited time in İstanbul and wished to maximize our experience. I contacted both the chef and the restaurant to find out their menu and wine selection ahead of time. I was told that they update their menu weekly and I can find out the weekly menu by calling them. The restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesdays. After calling several times and leaving several messages a week prior finally a person told me to check their website on Wednesday morning which was the day we had our reservation. The menu looked great. We went as a group of six. Me and my husband are pesceterian and we selected our six course menu. One very important thing about Neolocal is that they serve only Turkish wines. Since we were not very familiar with many of the Turkish vineyards, we researched abut these vineyards and ask selected our wines ahead of time. The location of the restaurant is mesmerizing. It is in a historical building with wonderful view. We were lucky to have a fantastic sunset in a rainy day. When we went to the restaurant there was not ready. They were doing last minute table set up. People were shouting each other to get ready for the service. The view was so beautiful that we did not pay attention to that. When we sat down we were informed that the menu they listed in their website was old. They have changed the menu completely. When I showed them the website they apologized and said they were sorry. And the new menu was predominantly red meat based. To accommodate me and my husband they improvised it with new items. The dishes were individually well prepared. Each plate was like art piece. Very impressive. They were all very tasty. Since our meal was all mixed up, the sequencing was a little odd. The second disappointment was on the wine list. They had only limited quantity (one bottle each) for the wines we selected. We were six of us so we had to switch wines twice. The service was also a little confusing. There were too many diffferent waiters walking around. The main waiter was very knowledgeable but the others appeared that they were in training. For six of us they were not able to serve at the same time. In summary, Neolocal offers great food but service is mediocre. The location is great.
Amazing New Years Eve Dinner
This meal was worse the New Years trip to Istanbul from New York. This evening the menu was a fixed tasting menu. This was modern Turkish food with the option of a matching wine menu. Each dish was a pleasure for the eye and palate and made from a selection of local produce. The wine menu was a discovery journey into the fine Turkish wines. The service was impeccable, The different dishes came streaming in at a perfect pace, The atmosphere was warm and friendly. The views through the restaurants panoramic windows were unforgettable. The restaurant was in a landmark building, SALT in Karakoy. At midnight the waiters moved me to a table at the corner window so that I had first row view of fireworks over the waters and the bridge over the Bosperus between Europe and Asia.
Ugh, another pile of money lit on fire
My wife and I were looking forward to this being that we try to visit as many Michelin starred restaurants as we can when traveling abroad. We were waiting for Ashton Kutcher to come out of the kitchen and punk us. This was not Michelin star quality food. 6 bland courses of food that I can’t even remember because I used the memory eraser from men in black to delete this nonsense from my brain. I am not knocking the servers or wait staff I know they’re just doing their job, but the quality and taste of the food served needs to improve if this restaurant wants to survive. Do not spend your money here. What a joke. Your money is better spent on street vendors or local restaurants. Skip this one.
Beautiful Food and Wonderful 5 course Meal
This was a very romantic, fun dining experience. We opted in for multiple course tasting with wine pairing. Wonderful view and limited seating. Great for a special nightout.
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Let's say Peter has a great morning and decides to take his three friends to Neolokal Taksim at 6 PM the same day.
He checks the restaurant's website and sees that no reservations are available. He then looks at the Neolokal Taksim page on AppointmentTrader, but finds that there are no user postings either.
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1.) Setting a Reward (Bid)
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* Peter really wants to go, so he increases the bid (or reward) to $200.
* At this stage, the reservation does not exist yet.
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* PerceptiveWash44 now uses their connections at Neolokal Taksim to secure the table.
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* Peter can now enjoy the dinner with his friends at Neolokal Taksim!
* As with all transactions on AT, disputes and no-show fees are handled through the platform's community-driven resolution system. Users with a strong track record are incentivized to fulfill bids successfully, and community members can report issues to maintain trust in the marketplace.
