Kahvedan Cafe & Bar & Restaurant (Istanbul)

After having a snack and beers at Cafe Smyrna. We walked around the neighborhood to find another restaurant for dinner. We found a very cozy looking restaurant called Kahvedan Cafe & Bar & Restaurant. All the tables were taken on the sidewalk so we got a table inside (which was empty); however, all the doors were open, so we felt like we were still part of the fun outside.


The decor of the restaurant was simple; bistro like. Wooden floors and furniture with a bar as the main focus. Strange but quirky photos of women smiling and posing on the walls. Nice staff who were attentive.


Of course, we started with Efes draft for our drink.


Our first dish was octopus. A very fresh and tender octopus with olive oil, lemon and herbs. The dish was very good. This was what I was looking forward to in Istanbul; fresh seafood, cooked simply & perfectly.


The second dish was deep fried chick peas. For some odd reason, I have always liked this dish. Deep fried to a dark brown. I liked the crunchy outside and soft inside texture.


The third dish was home made pasta with local cheese and walnuts. I have to say, this dish was excellent. The home made pasta was made & cooked perfectly. The dish was very tasty with a walnut butter & olive oil. The mix of textures; soft, crunchy, creamy, was another very nice aspect of this dish.


The fourth dish was lamb kebab with side of roasted potatoes and a giant chili. The lamb was cooked just right. Tender inside and tasted very good. I was lucky that the chili was not too spicy. Apparently, this type of chili, you gamble when eating it. You can either get one that is mild or you can get one that is so deadly spicy.


We had a good evening at Kahvedan. The food was not the 'best' food I ever had; but the combination of good atmosphere, good food & good service made Kahvedan a very nice place to go. No wonder the place was packed when we arrived.