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Istanbul Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
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Istanbul Hawaii

$31 to $50
Mediterranean

Make a reservation

2 people
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
10:00 PM
Booked 43 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
    (808) 772-4440
  • Website
    http://www.istanbulhawaii.com/
  • 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
    Order direct
  • Location
    1108 Auahi St, Honolulu, HI 96814
  • Neighborhood
    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, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, High Tea, Kosher, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Menu

View menu on restaurant's website

What 3,087 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

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

  • Oahu

    Healthy

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Istanbul Hawaii offers a delightful fusion of Turkish and Mediterranean flavors, highlighted by dishes like the "Meze platter" and "Kunefe." Guests appreciate the "authentic, bursting flavors" and a "warm, inviting atmosphere." While some service issues are noted, the "amazing food" and "excellent ambiance" make it a must-try dining destination.
3,087 Reviews

  1. Jeni VIP

    San Francisco27 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Still one of my very favorite restaurants. Our waiter was great, I think his name was Tyson. He had to deal with a nightmare table outdoor next to us and handled it calmly and with class. I can’t believe the customer treated his so poorly over something he had no control over. Also I love the new fresh naan that comes with the meze platter

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  2. Joseph

    Hawaii5 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 4
    Our reservation was for 7:30; we were seated at 8:15pm. Explanation was that there were two large parties (our was 12, the other was 10) and tables were not opening up to make room.. Once seated, we had to wait about 10 minutes for our waitress to attend to us. Instanbul has a rather large menu and a few (5?) items were not available. The food was very good but overpriced. Despite the above difficulties were were still charged the automatic 20% gratuity for parties over 8.

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  3. Robert

    Hawaii4 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and flavors. Fair amount of choices including a plant=based menu. Love the atmosphere and decor. It is on the louder side. Unfortunately, they had run out of several menu items including the baclava (we went on a Sunday night at 5pm)..

    Is this helpful?

  4. Jenny

    Hawaii5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had our Sunday lunch at here and loved it. Food was good as always. This time even my toddler liked their soup. Just one thing that I did not like was menu. It was too many words on the menu so hard to read and catch.

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  5. Andrea

    Orange County1 review

    2.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    Our group of 4 dined here 2nights ago. We had wagyu kebab, lamb chops, lamb shank and appetizer platter. We paid $400 for food that were mediocre at best. I was expecting salad but it was not part of entree. The serving size for the beef kebab was underwhelming- meat was cubed 1x1inch, so it was easily overcooked, was very tough and chewy. Had high hopes for Lamb chops but they were not that good either and very overpriced. The only item on the menu that was great was the turkish coffee that is served with turkish delight. Paid $400 for an appetizer platter, 4 entrees and 2 coffee. Spend your hard earned money elsewhere. I cant believe people waiting hours to dine here.

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  6. Christine

    Hawaii3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Always consistently good! Wagyu Shish (first husband ordered, usually goes for the lamb) was excellent! Also, first time trying the labne with dukkah. SO good!

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  7. Me VIP

    Hawaii16 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days 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?

  8. Colleen

    San Diego2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days 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?

  9. Christine

    San Diego45 reviews

    3.0

    Dined 4 days 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.

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  10. Susan

    Hawaii1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 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?

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 3087 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

Booked 43 times today
Google Map for Istanbul Hawaii

1108 Auahi St, Honolulu, HI 96814

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Kamakee and Queen street
  • Neighborhood
    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, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, High Tea, Kosher, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Vegan, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Delivery & takeout
    Order direct
  • Website
    http://www.istanbulhawaii.com/
  • Phone number
    (808) 772-4440
  • 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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