Istanbul Lounge & Gourmet

A very quaint warm cosy restaurant with a friendly owner. Hubs had the Turkish Kofte which was pretty good, beef was juicy. The potato salad was delicious. I had the chicken Sauté which was spiced nicely, but the a little dry and not very warm (it had obviously been re-​heated/​cooked earlier) everything was very tasty, so we will be back to try it again, maybe earlier in the day it will be fresher? We had tea and a tiny slice of turkish delight after dinner, which was really nice. I’ll definitely give this place another go!

Lovely. Warm. It’s like walking into someone’s dining room with a variety of tables, and Turkish ceramics and colors that create a comfortable place to be.
The food is simple, flavorful and gently served by the owner-​cook– server. The meal begins with a small glass of pomegranate juice… not sweet but not tart. An amazing taste. Then one can order from a surprisingly varied menu: chicken, lamb, many vegetable options. Their are appetizers, soups, and side dishes that can be added to any meal or put together to make a meal.
Gracious, friendly and good prices.

Friendly atmosphere and service, good food. I had the red lentil soup to start, which comes with a cheese filled pastry. Both delicious. My main was the kofte plate (flattened meatballs with rice, salad and hummus), my partner had a custom-​made vegetarian concoction not on the menu. Both were pretty good. Prices were reasonable.
Decent place for a Sunday afternoon lunch date, will very likely go back to try other dishes (I hear Turkish breakfast is delicious).
I recommend if you like Mediterranean food. Very hearty and almost feels home made.

Simply wonderful.
From the moment I stepped in the door, I got a warm welcome, and they started remembering me and my partner at the second visit! Their hospitality can’t be beat, unless it’s by the amazing food that they serve. Whenever I order, they say, «okay, I can make that for you», then they disappear into the kitchen for a little while and return with something to make you glad you came out to eat. The food is always so fragrant and flavourful.
Looking forward to trying their Turkish breakfast sometime soon!

I thought this resto would be amazing and it didn’t seem that way. I was here for family dinner earlier and no server was available, but saw customers waiting for food at 2 tables. We waited for long and thought of going elsewhere since service would be slow. Later the owner came out to serve one table next to us. He kept helping that table because they’re owner’s friends or relatives.
It took maybe 15 – 20 mins to get our water. Owner did all the serving and cooking. Too obvious to tell it’s short staffed. Two other customers came in and left thinking service would be slow. We didn’t get our water refill.
Food was alright not amazing. My parents ordered roast lamb and roasted chicken which came out lukewarm. I got Beef Kebab and my sister ordered eggplant which tasted okay. They were lukewarm as well. Rice Pilaf was plain. Vegetable sides were fresh at least. Pita breads were soft and delicious. My parents thought the food here was quite bland and they can handle spicy food well. Their food itself looked and tasted healthy.
I don’t know if I’ll ever go back. Owner was very nice, but service was very slow.

This is an authentic Turkish restaurant. The food is amazing, the service is excellent, the atmosphere is relaxing and it’s just a great little place. I felt like I visited Istanbul even though I’ve never been to Turkey. I will recommend this place to all my friends and I will go there again when I am back in Vancouver.

Merhaba! Hallo everyone! Am yenge! Before the owners moved to this location in Victoria Dive, they used to have their business in East Hastings Street, but that was very far! So now they found this nice small spot location in Vancouver! I came to this place many times already. I mostly like the salad, lentil soup, cheese and egg plant some carbs. Service is okay. Nice small place to eat and people just come and go.

This place is awesome, I’ve been going since it was up near Kootenay Loop.
The boreks are very tasty especially with the garlic sauce and the other red sauce.
I usually get the chicken entrée (can’t remember what it’s called) and it is always delicious and plentiful — sometimes enough to save and have a meal later.
This cuisine always appeals to me because it is comfort-​style food but exotic enough that it is exciting.

Best turkish food in town.
Soups are delicious
The mezes (starters, tapas) are very good as well.
For main course we had their special kebab and karniyarik they were both very good.
The price range is a little above the other turkish places but its definitly worth.
I m going to celebrate my bday here as they accept groups and give special prices.

I hope this place survives. It’s so delicious, friendly, and has generous portions. Please try it!
I’ve dined in once, got Mushroom Sauté. Photo uploaded. It was so good. So many sides. I took home a huge container, and gobbled it down the next day. Despite there being a lot of oil in the dish that you can see, it’s not heavy in any way. Just eat around the oil (I used the pita to soak up some, it was delicious and light). I’d give this dish a ¹⁰⁄₁₀. Mmmmm
I also tried the Chicken Sauté as take away. I was craving the potato salad, but got a warm shrimp pasta instead. Note to those with shellfish allergies, may want to ask. I love shrimp, and gobbled them up. The mound of chicken was huge, and the sides were great. I’d give this dish a ⁷⁄₁₀.
Others order meat dishes, and said they were amazing.
Please try them, you won’t be disappointed!

I only had take out and both times the food was really flavorful and delicious. I must say I really enjoy their cheese borek more than their spinach one just because it has a flakier puff pastry.
The chicken donair plate is really filling and the mashed potatoes was mmm good and the salad had a nice mixed of different veggies.
I am not a big fan of baklava as it is too sweet for my liking so I already have a bias not to like it but I did like the pastry part of it.
I would like to try out their breakfast offerings next and this place seems like it would be okay to dine by yourself.

Went here with family and friends. Food was delicious! Huge portions and really yummy vegetarian appetizers. Really good value. Staff was very friendly and welcoming of toddlers. The only reason for four stars is because they did not offer a drink menu which I assume means they have no liquor license. But we did get free pomegranate juice. Overall, great new addition to the neighborhood.

The owners are super friendly and hospitable. The place is very clean but because of the location, they don’t have much clientele. My sister mentioned (before the food came) that it felt like we were eating in their home.
We all ordered individual dishes, but to our surprise, the food came out family style. I prefer to have what I ordered on one plate so that I don’t have to move food around while juggling to feed 2 kids. However having said that, having the dishes family style, you get to try other people’s food.
We ordered 3 appetizers at $ 5 each. 1) hummus came with tortilla shells which is odd to me b/​c I was expecting pita bread. Or at least if the tortilla shells are crispy, it would have been better because their hummus was watery. 2) potato salad — flavourful 3) lentil «burgers» — oddest thing I’ve tasted to date. For some reason I thought it was going to be warm and deep fried, but it was cold and mushy. Healthy, but odd.
For entrees, we ordered 1) Turkish Kofte Plate ($ 9) — first batch was dry but the 2^nd batch was better. lots of cumin. 2) Chicken donair plate ($ 10) — lots of spice but tasty 3) Beef Donair plate ($ 10) — lots of spice again. I guess we were expecting more «greek» donair taste. but it’s nothing like that. 4) 2 instabul gourmet mixed plate ($ 18) — chicken leg wasn’t that tasty. The eggplant with ground beef was good though. Again, if you are used to turkish spices, you would like this place.
The rice was very tasty on its own. The salad was fresh. The roasted vegetables was flavourful as well. Dolmades was done well. And the white bean salad was also very fresh.
Because everything was served family style, it was hard to see if individually the plates were big portion or not. We were all very full at the end but we also had 2 small eaters with us. It is decent priced.
Oh and I forgot to mention that the chef gave us complimentary pomegranate juice half way through dinner. Very tasty!
Overall, I would give them 3 stars for food, but definitely a 5 for service.

I came here with my my family tonight and we all had a really really lovely dinner; the setting made it feel as if we were invited into a private Turkish home, so nice, clean and comfortable.
I was with my hubby, mom, sister, brother in law and their two little kids, 2 and 4. We ordered mixed platters, beef and chicken donairs and beef patties. The hostess (owner) was prompt and attentive. She brought us a really nice mixed appetizer plate, complimentary! Also gave us pomegranate juice, again free. I mean, who does that anymore? The (free) appies were delicious: tsasiki, potato salad and bean salad. And the juice so refreshing.
Then everything came in family style including a really nice light fresh salad and great hummus. All of the food was really tasty, tasted really freshly made, and was nicely seasoned. Even the kids who’d never had Turkish food loved it! Also, portions were very generous, they gave us so much we couldn’t finish the food, which is rare for us!
I left thinking this was probably one of the nicest, if not the nicest, meals I’ve had out in a long long looooong time. And I’ve eaten out a Ton all over the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia. The food was great but above all the whole experience was so mellow and relaxing. This is how every meal should be. Absolutely wonderful.
I would think if this restaurant were in a more non-​Chinese ethnic area, like Commercial Drive, it would be very very popular. Go here while you can, before they get too busy! I hope they stick around for a long time!

The food here is authentically Turkish with an original twist. It’s not the usual — lots of meat skewers and sauces — instead they feature vegetable dishes and rice as well as very different types of desserts. Be sure to ask for the specials. There was plenty of non-​wheat fare for my gluten-​free friend, too. The service is superb, too.

The folks here are very friendly! The moment you step in the door, the owner presents you with the widest smile that I’ve ever seen! I think the best way to describe the décor is «homey». With the photo placemats of Turkish scenery and the living room table lamps, it really feels like you’ve stepped inside somebody’s house.
The food itself is tasty! Had the chicken donair (9.95) and it was not only juicy but FLAVOURFUL AS HECK! Watch out though, they LOVE to douse everything with a healthy dosage of paprika.

Amazing in every way!
A great new addition to the neighbourhood. Fresh home-​made style Turkish food. Big portions and very decently priced. Will definitely be going back. So tasty!!!

Just opened earlier this week, after a 2 month hiatus renovation. Moved all the way from the PNE area, so this is good for me ;)
same usual great food, here are their favourites: eggplant with minced meat, and roasted chicken.
It’s a bit smaller but still has that same coziness with IKEA-​like décor and lots of orange going on.
Coffee’s good.
Free street parking all around.
they offer catering.