Konak

What a wonderful dining experience! Excellent food, great service — so glad I came! Every dish was a delight. We were treated to an almond pudding by the management — I’ve never tasted a pudding so delicate in consistency before.

Definitely recommend. Used the ‘Dealon’ coupon here. Tried assorted cold starters. all were good. Altogether the quantity is huge. 4 of us hardly had any appetitite left after eating this. Loved the hummus. Also tried ‘raki’ — the Turkish spirit – was so so for my taste– tasted like fennel seed drink. Didn’t have the time to try falafel or the entrees. For desert, had tried baklawas before, so tried almond pudding — was alright.

I came in for the lunch special because I was impressed with the price and variety when I found it online. Unfortunately, I wasn’t overly impressed with anything else there.
Décor was good — very old world. I wondered how they configure the room to accomodate belly dancers in the evenings.
I liked my food «ok» but didn’t LOVE it –I’ve had better on a number of occasions. The mediocrity is further evidenced by the fact that I don’t remember exactly what I ate.
The server automatically brought us to the back room during a lunch hour, gave us menus and water and walked away. Only when asked for the «lunch menu» did she tell us that the lunch specials are only served in the front of the house. Two girls, dressed in work attire, arriving at noon should have tipped her off that I was there for LUNCH. That aside, we were the only people there and had a terrible time trying to get her attention.
It was an okay experience but not worth a repeat visit to me.

The hummus was very good, but that is the end of positives.
This place is a dive. I figured it being at 2^nd and Vine that it would have been nicer, but I was wrong. The waiter/​manager was watching TV while we were eating and didn’t tend to us like most restaurants do. If you open up a restaurant and don’t want to really work, hire people so you can watch TV.
Will not go back there ever again, but would eat the hummus if someone bought it for me.

Konak means home in English and you feel like you are in someone’s home when you eat there. I found the food to be very delicious and reasonably priced.
The help was very friendly and full of suggestions. We went on a Saturday night and had reservations but there were many open tables available. Also, there is a belly dancer the was quite entertaining… we will be going back in the future. Lastly, I would say this place would be good if you are going with a large party.

Great location in old city with free parking after 5pm!
The décor seems very authentic, the ceilings are incredibly high, and the atmosphere is very relaxed overall. A great location for a date or group of friends. Plenty of good dishes for meat/​potatoes eaters making the transition to an extended palette.
For starters, dip the pita bread they give in the sundried tomato sauce it comes with. It was very, very good for just a basic bread-​with-​your meal accoutrement.
I had the Manti for an appetizer which was a lamb dish and it was alright. I am not a fan of the sourness of yogurt sauces so it wasn’t all that exciting.
The Moussaka on the other hand is phenomenal. Never had it before. Reminded me a bit of Paella, in that it is just a whole lot of foodiness in whatever shape it decides to be, but tasted a whole lot of good. It was lamb, beef, eggplant, and rice all in a wonderful slop. I’d see slop as a negative, but it just tasted so delightful. I will be coming back here very soon for the moussaka alone!

This is an awesome dining experience. Live belly dancers with live music is a neat way to spend your evening. The food is very good, and I was pleased with the service. There is also a FREE parking lot, and in the city that is very special indeed.
If you have not done so, you must go to see Raina dance. She is immensely talented; a sight to behold. I highly recommend paying Konak a visit.

I’ve been to Konak a few times, and the food has been consistently delicious. The massive space that this restaurant has is remarkable. The high ceilings in this Old City restaurant are just fabulous, and it gives the feeling of being in the Mediterranean as opposed to a busy overcrowded metropolis.
The servers have always been helpful and attentive. While they sometimes do run out of their Turkish wine, when they do have it in stock it’s well worth trying. Due to the import schedule, they do not always have the same bottles available, as we’ve learned.
Its not the best Turkish food I’ve ever had, but it is still VERY good. I absolutely recommend this place, and will be sure go visit again.

Refreshing restaurant we have been meaning to go to for at least a year. Surprised no one has reviewed recently. It’s back to Konak (for a second time it seems).
Much larger than expected — great location for a large dinner party or rehearsal dinner. Appears to be family owned and the staff couldn’t be nicer.
Best calamari I can remember having in a while and the entrees were also good. But the atmosphere and staff are what won me over.
Great for a date or dinner with friends before hitting the bars (or your couch) in Old City.

I went with Katherine C on ⁸⁄₁₅. I wanted to add that the place has now changed its name to Istanbul. Their new website is here:
I think the name change is great, because unlike «Konak,» Istanbul immediately evokes thoughts of Turkey. Their menu is now much shorter and more focused. It seems like this is now a grill/​café by day, hookah bar by night type of place.
I think the food is improved as compared to the previous owners, with the small exception of the bread, which is now more like pizza dough bread rather than Afghan-​style light and fluffy bread.
We got the lunch special for $ 9.95. Although the portions were a bit small, they were appropriately sized for lunch. (I don’t know if the size is different for dinner.) I had the Doner Kebap, which was great! There was plenty of meat, and I certainly walked away feeling full. I’d recommend going for a lamb-​based dish. You can get chicken or beef anywhere, but lamb is mostly limited to Afghan and Turkish cuisine in my experience.
The service was good, but it seemed like our waitress had limited command of English. Everything worked out fine, though.

My family and I had been going to Konak for a couple years, but it is now under new ownership and called «Istanbul Fish and Grille.» The new food is even better. The falafel is ABSOLUTELY delicious. The herbs and spices mixed into the chick peas pack a lot of flavor, and it’s not too heavy for being fried — it’s light and airy on the inside. The lunch special was reasonably priced for the food we got. All in all, I’m happy that the new owners have kept the restaurant alive, because the cuisine is delicious!

Konak is under new ownership. I think it was just re-​done this past week, as I was given a handwritten menu. The prices seem a bit lower than in the past, but the food is just as good. At least for now, the menu is a bit simpler/​shorter. Also,
coupons are no longer valid. All in all, a tasty experience. However, I ordered the chicken kabob and must have only been served 4 oz. of meat (for $ 14). I’ve seen children’s meals with more chicken than what was on my plate. That being said, the food was good and the atmosphere was pleasant.

Konak is really easy to miss when looking for something a little different in Old City. Although the front of the restaurant is nothing spectacular, the inside is spacious and feels like you’ve left Philadelphia all together. The staff is very nice, giving this place an at-​home feeling. The portions are generous (something we didn’t take into account, whew) and the food is solid. It is a BYO (except Saturdays I think. there is a full service bar in the front), so don’t forget to bring a wine with you to save a little money. I wish the prices were slightly better; with so many interesting options in Old City, it probably wouldn’t hurt them to be a bit more competitive. (Granted, they are the only Turkish restaurant that I am aware of). This is a great location for a group; meals can be shared so that everyone can try a little of everything. Definitely worth returning to in the future!

I just took a big group here, and had a really good experience. We had to schedule way ahead of time, and the staff was always helpful and responsive no matter how many times we called back to switch things around or ask questions. They were also thoughtful enough to provide us with vegetarian appetizers, and the main meal was made up of several large plates (beef/​chicken kabob, yummy grilled veggies, couscous and rice) that we all shared from. Most everyone agreed that the food was very tasty with the exception of one or two dissenters, and the meal had obviously been prepared with care.
Maybe I’m just speaking from a college student budgeting perspective, but the standard prices did seem pretty high to me (they were kind enough to give us a generous one-​time discount), but I suggest looking at the menu and making your own assessment. The great service is what puts this place into the four star range IMO. I’m definitely interested in going back and seeing what other dishes they have to offer.

2.5 stars.
me and a few friends wanted to try something different for dinner. we went during winter, so parking was almost impossible to find (Snow storm that week, so all the cars stayed park — and their free parking lot was full).
it was pretty eventful that night. they had belly dancers (who was gorgeous) and some performers playing the drums/​bongo/​string instrument thing. that kept the diners in that festive mood. but at times, it was a bit «loud» for me.
the place was pretty packed but we were seated immediately (reservations for 6). the wait staff was a bit slow. drinks came in a decent time, but the server coming to take our order didn’t have a welcoming tone – probably because we were a bit indecisive, but come on… it was our first time having Turkish! we ordered a few appetizers. hummus, ezme, babaganush, cacik, falafil — hummus was best out of all, but not the greatest.
one of my friends ordered the vegetarian platter – which is an ENTREE OF THE APPETIZERS that we ordered. so that was a bit of a disappointment. the kabobs were a bit dry and some bland – you needed a lot of the yogurt sauce to get some flavor… i went as far as to use hummus and other stuff to get some flavor out of the entrees.
Between all of this, the waiters and kitchen were terribly slow. we had reservations at 8pm but our dinner came around 9:45pm. this was definitely a LONG DINNER EVENT. i think it was over 3 hours!!!
overall, the food is nothing special (manhattan’s turkish cart food is tastier IMO), the service isn’t the greatest – slow and not that friendly (maybe just our server). be prepared for a long dinner! good for those that want to hang out and just bs for the night at one spot.

Came here with a friend during restaurant week 09. The restaurant was well decorated and had one of the cleanest bathrooms I’ve ever seen – sorry, it was pretty shocking how clean it was so I had to mention it.
Anyway, the restaurant week menu had a good selection of items to choose from. We ordered sigara boregi (rolled filo dough fried with feta filling), falafel, Iskender Kabob, (forget the other entrée), Rice Pudding, Baklava, Apple Tea, and Turkish Coffee.
The service was good and the food was fantastic. Their Sigara Boregi is delicious. I would totally go back there for that. The baklava was the best baklava I’ve ever had. I know that this version did not have honey (which I believe is how Greek’s make baklava). Not that I don’t like honey, but there was something about this baklava that made it stand out beyond the rest I’ve had. The rice pudding however, ehh… I don’t like my rice pudding’s rice to still be kinda stiff, it should be soft, like pudding. The apple tea and Turkish coffee were perfect drinks to close the meal.
I definitely recommend checking out this place if you’re in the area.

Konak claims it is located in a mansion-​like environment. In reality, it is one of the worst restaurant environments I have seen in years. The room feels cavernous and lonely. It is freezing cold inside the restaurant in the winter.
The service was generally poor and the food was very good. As a fan of Turkish food, I was upset by the quality of the dishes they served us. I can understand that it may be worthwhile when they have special deals, but outside of those nights it is not worth the price.

What a hidden gem! This place has great food, and some of the best Felafel I’ve ever had in my life! Some of their specials:
Tuesdays — Turkish Tapas ($ 2 plates of great foods). If you’re not too familiar with Turkish food, this is a great night to go because you can sample a wide variety of foods — Hummus, Babaganush, Kabobs, Kafka, etc.
Wednesdays — 3 Course Meal for $ 25!
Fridays — Live Music and Belly Dancing!
Walking from the bar area to the dining room, you pass through a shimmering veiled arch way. The dining room is immensely high and vaulted, the floor is decorated in a basic mosaic, and the appointments of the walls feature beautiful art, Islamic Proverbs, and other Turkish delights! At any moment you’d expect the wait staff to break out into a Whirling Dervish in the middle of the dining room floor! It’s a great place to go for great food and atmosphere!

Konak is a beautiful Turkish restaurant on Vine St. Between 2^nd and 3^rd. There is a lot down the street, but it can get full, so you may have to look for on street parking if you go at a busier time.
When we got there, from the outside and the neighborhood, all I could think was «O shit, where are they taking me now»… but once we walked inside, it’s beautiful, big and open.
The service was so-​so. One of the ladies was incredibly nice, but the rest of them spent the evening giving us evils. There was also live music. Which we wanted to stop so desperately. It was horrible. We sent him a piece of my friend’s birthday cake hoping that he’d stop to eat it. But no, he just kept playing.
The food was alright. Nothing spectacular, but nothing horrible. I had chicken kebab and the chicken was kind of dry, but the tomatos were good. The hummus was pretty good also.
Basically, it could go either way. Konak wasn’t good enough for me to go back — but not bad enough to say mean things. It’s just there.

My boyfriend and I are always looking to try new places to eat, and we especially like to seek out non-​American food. So we tried Konak, a charming Turkish restaurant tucked away at 2^nd and Vine. It was a cold winter night, and Konak was warm and inviting. The dining area is large, with cathedral ceilings, which befits the place’s name because Konak (pronounced co-​naak) means «mansion» in Turkish.
My boyfriend and I cozied up at an intimate, candle-​lit table across from a party of older folks who seemed to be celebrating someone’s anniversary or retirement. They were a lively bunch, and they made us feel right at home, since they were regulars. Our server, too, was very friendly and on-​the-​ball.
The food was even better than the atmosphere. My boyfriend and I got a flight of Turkish wine samples, all of which were very very good. I especially liked the red wine because it is dry and smooth. Turkish food is similar to other Mediterranean cuisine and is just as tasty. We started off with the skewered mussels and the spicy ezme (a spicy onion, pepper, tomato, and garlic sauce) with flatbread. My boyfriend then got the Lamb Shish Kebab, which was so tender it was like eating filet mignon (I stole a bite of his dinner), while I dug into a stuffed eggplant. We ended our meal with Turkish coffee, which is bitter and sweet at the same time, and a dessert special of baked pear stuffed with walnuts and cinnamon. The dinner was truly worth venturing out into the cold, arctic night.
What made our experience even more delightful was that we happened to go on a night when they had a Turkish band and a belly dancer, which apparently is every Friday. I was a little embarrassed when the dancer tried to get me to dance with her, but the old men at the table next to us seemed to really enjoy her gyrations. All in all, this is a classy joint with a genuine Mediterranean flair that is difficult to find in the city.
They also have $ 2 dishes on Tuesday nights for people seeking to sample Turkish cuisine. Check out their website for more weekly specials.
There is parking at a lot halfway down the street, and we didn’t need reservations the night we went because it was the dead of winter and hardly anyone else was crazy enough to venture outside. I’d recommend making a reservation if you plan on going at prime dinner hours on the weekend. I’d also recommend checking out the menu online beforehand, and remember to bring a couple of $ 1 bills in case the belly dancer is there…