Cafe Istanbul is a Mediterranean restaurant right by my house. My husband and I go here often since it’s convenient and their food is SO good! They have a beautiful patio in the summer that overlooks the nasty Scioto River. Ha! Seriously though, it’s a beautiful restaurant.
Here we go!
- Presentation – .5 Crumbs
I really hate to give them half a crumb, but here’s why! Although the basket is a bit unique, they just served the bread in a basket with a piece of paper at the bottom. This is how bread is served at Applebees (or something?? That was probably a bad example since they don’t have bread service)..point being, there was no thought behind it. The oil is in an appropriate sized container, and the spoon placed with it has care behind it. Not enough care for a full crumb though.
- Bread Variety – 1 Crumb
Even though there is only one variety of bread, it was enough. The restaurant is Mediterranean, so naturally they serve Turkish pita. It’s so good that nothing else is needed.
- Quality of Bread – 1 Crumb
The Turkish pita was dense, but also airy; the bread was thick, but not chewy. Poppyseeds were thrown on the top giving the Turkish pita a nice look. The pita almost looks like a split donut at first glance, but there isn’t a hole in the donut. Really, it’s a perfectly round loaf cut in half. As with everything at Cafe Istanbul, its homemade bread and without a doubt deserves a full crumb.
- Quantity & Quality of Butter, Jam, etc. – 1 Crumb
Alongside the Turkish pita, they served a sun-dried tomato and herb dipping oil. MMMM! There’re an abundance of sun dried tomatoes at the bottom of the oil, plenty of spices and flavor. I’ve been to Cafe Istanbul many times, and have never had a bad thing to say about this oil. They’re consistent with the ratio of tomato to oil to spice and it doesn’t disappoint. The Turkish pita soaks up the oil, leaving a good amount of tomato and spice in each bite. If I could give 2 crumbs here, I would.
- Cost – 1 Crumb
Did I mention this is a complimentary bread service?!?!?! As if the dense, spongy pita and the flavorful tomato oil were enough. Of course this warrants a full crumb. 🙂
Overall – 4.5/5 Crumbs
Cafe Istanbul is the type of place anyone would enjoy. They have a large menu, great atmosphere, superb service and a bread service worth coming back for. Their bread service ended up losing half a crumb for presentation, which duh, has nothing to do with taste. SO, I highly recommend going to Cafe Istanbul to experience their homemade Turkish pita and perfectly mastered sun-dried tomato and herb dipping oil.
Check out Cafe Istanbul HERE!
Cafe Istanbul –
3 Locations:
Dublin – 6125 Riverside Dr. Dublin, OH 43017
Easton – 3983 Worth Ave. Columbus, OH 43219
Bexley – 2455 E Main St. Columbus, OH 43209