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Istanbul Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
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Istanbul Hawaii

$31 to $50
Mediterranean

Make a booking

2 people
10:00 pm
Booked 71 times today
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
In our Mediterranean & Hawaiian sanctuary, you become part of our ohana. Led by Chef Mom Nili, Baba Aydin, and Chef Ahu, you're invited on a culinary journey infused with Turkish and Mediterranean essences. Our recipes, a blend of diverse cultures, are nurtured with locally-sourced ingredients, reflecting the heart of our family-run and woman-led venture.

Every interaction, whether in our restaurant's warm embrace, the vibrant energy of local events, or amidst the rich array of farmers' lands, is cherished. Each meeting is a chance to intertwine stories, laughter, and a piece of our heritage.

Come, celebrate the art of dining with us, where every dish is a passage to the Mediterranean, caressed by the Hawaiian sun. We look forward to serving you, merging our narratives in meals that go beyond mere flavors. Here, every dining experience is an adventure, a discovery, and a celebration of togetherness, nurturing through food next to the Hawaiian ocean.

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: Mom Chef Nili and her daughter Chef Ahu

From the OpenTable editors: This three time Hale 'Aina Award-winning spot, one of the rare Turkish restaurants in all of Hawaii, comes from mother and daughter duo Nili Yildirim and Ahu Hettema, who recreate foods from their homeland. Go for the meze platters that look like works of art filled with dips, phyllo pastries, and sourdough pide and pair it with larger plates of local seafood and lamb chops all served in a a rustic space filled with colorful tagines and hanging herbs. Round out your meal with one of the exciting Mediterranean-inspired cocktails.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean, Turkish, Middle Eastern
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Wed–Sun 11:00 am–2:30 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–2:30 pm Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Catering
    Indulge in personalized dining experiences, from intimate dinners to lavish receptions, catered to perfection by our chefs. Elevate your event with our Istanbul cinema projector and enchanting garden trellis. On-site or off, create unforgettable moments with us. Discover and customize your experience at "Bespoke Events" on our website!
  • Private party facilities
    Craft unforgettable moments with our bespoke menus and dining experiences, tailored to your desires. From intimate dinners to grand receptions, every detail is perfected. Elevate your event with our Istanbul cinema projector and enchanting garden trellis. Your perfect occasion awaits. Customize your experience at "Bespoke Events" on our website!
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Area
    Honolulu
  • Cross Street
    Kamakee and Queen street
  • Parking details
    Enter Istanbul Hawaii parking lot from Queen street. Parking available at any Ward Village parking structure for our guests, including the Whole foods parking lot. Parking is free.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, High Tea, Kosher, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 3,081 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Oahu

    Healthy

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Istanbul Hawaii offers a magical dining experience with "exquisite" Turkish and Mediterranean flavors. Guests rave about its "authentic" dishes, attentive service, and vibrant ambiance. The meze platters, lamb dishes, and house-made dondurma stand out. Although some mention noise and service delays, the overall experience is highly recommended.
3,081 Reviews
  1. Me VIP

    Hawaii16 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Istanbul is an amazing restaurant food is great it’s always one of our favorites for special occasions

    Is this helpful?

  2. Colleen

    San Diego2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Istanbul is without a doubt one of our favorite restaurants on the island. We’ve been a handful of times and always thoroughly enjoy our food and the service!

    Is this helpful?

  3. Christine

    San Diego45 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I love the ambiance and the service! Our waiter was amazing. Food was ok in my opinion. Maybe because I had better Mediterranean food. My lamb sish was overcooked. The only thing that I love from our dinner was the sourdough bread and the hummus and other dip. Their cocktails were ok. I feel the food could have been better. We came here to celebrate a bday.

    Is this helpful?

  4. Susan

    Hawaii1 review

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Food and service were great as always! Don’t miss Meze platter and Kunefe!!!!

    Is this helpful?

  5. Holly

    Hawaii7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lovely relaxing lunch. Too many good options so I need to go back more often because the food is delicious

    Is this helpful?

  6. M

    Hawaii1 review

    3.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Hot honey chicken wrap contained burnt, hard pieces of chicken. It really shouldn't have been served. Pitas were good, but not enough vegetables and chicken for the price of $22 for a wrap. Honestly, an overrated restaurant. I see lot of good reviews, however I didn't enjoy my food with my first visit.

    Is this helpful?

  7. Joe

    Hawaii1 review

    2.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    Generally our experience is great, but we brought family with tonight and had a poor service experience. TL;DR: Our waiter was slow to refill drinks, lacked expertise or recommendations for our guests with the menu, lacked knowledge about the wine offerings, and forgot a drink order. Overall disappointed in the service tonight for a restaurant at this price point. My wife and I order from the planet based menu when we are there (which is awesome), but our family does not. It was clear that they had not been here before and our server let them struggle with the menu before we asked if he could make some suggestions as they have not been here before and we generally don’t order form the main menu. Our family was also looking for wine options as well and when asking if they had a wine available the server said, “No” and just moved on with orders. We had to ask him if he had any recommendations or similar type tastes to what they were asking for. It was clear that he had little to no experience with the wine selections. Later in the evening, we had noticed that our drinks had been empty for some time and I was finally able to flag him down and ask for another drink. A while later he comes out asking about dessert and we ask for a menu. We order and more time passes before I am able to ask if I’ll be able to get this drink before the dessert arrives. He then apologizes as he forgot what I had ordered. He then lets me know that they are out if that drink tonight. By this time the dessert is about to arrive and makes it poor time to order another drink. We had a similar experience with our dessert— after ordering he returned after some time to inform us that the dessert wasn’t plant based. He left us with no time to order anything else to arrive with the other food and offered no additional recommendations. Overall was a poor service experience for a $300+ bill.

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    Portland1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Definitely something unique and fresh. Must try!!!

    Is this helpful?

  9. Renee

    Hawaii1 review

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was delicious. We all had a good time. There were 8 of us in the party. Although, the server forgot 2 baklava orders of desert and the crem brulee was unavailable that night, we still had a lovely experience and Istanbul made my son's birthday memorable.

    Is this helpful?

  10. EllenS

    Seattle7 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was our first visit to Istanbul. The service was timely and attentive, the ambiance pleasant, and the food exotic and delicious. We are looking forward to our next visit!

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

Istanbul Hawaii offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (808) 772-4440.

Istanbul Hawaii is rated 4.6 stars by 3081 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
10:00 pm
Booked 71 times today
Google Map for Istanbul Hawaii

1108 Auahi St, Honolulu, HI 96814

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    Kamakee and Queen street
  • Area
    Honolulu
  • Hours of Operation
    Lunch Wed–Sun 11:00 am–2:30 pm Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00 am–2:30 pm Dinner Wed, Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:30 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Mediterranean, Turkish, Middle Eastern
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Enter Istanbul Hawaii parking lot from Queen street. Parking available at any Ward Village parking structure for our guests, including the Whole foods parking lot. Parking is free.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, High Tea, Kosher, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeaway, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    Indulge in personalized dining experiences, from intimate dinners to lavish receptions, catered to perfection by our chefs. Elevate your event with our Istanbul cinema projector and enchanting garden trellis. On-site or off, create unforgettable moments with us. Discover and customize your experience at "Bespoke Events" on our website!
  • Private party facilities
    Craft unforgettable moments with our bespoke menus and dining experiences, tailored to your desires. From intimate dinners to grand receptions, every detail is perfected. Elevate your event with our Istanbul cinema projector and enchanting garden trellis. Your perfect occasion awaits. Customize your experience at "Bespoke Events" on our website!
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