if you're tired of the tourist restaurants and kebabs during a stay in istanbul, zencefil is a refreshing change. And a gem for vegetarians (although there were 2 non-vegetarian options on the menu, it's not exclusively a vegetarian place). comfy and quiet atmosphere, a lot of character in the decoration as in the menu.

I went with three of my friends. It took more than 15 minutes for us to get the menu card. Then we were waiting and waiting and ordered soup for one person and the server brought three. When we want to try so called home made lemonade, we were told it is not available. Suddenly some other waiter came and... More

beautiful interior and exterior space and clean, good food at reasonable prices. The owner, Funda, has studied at McGill and understands Canadian tastes which she combines with Turkish cuisine

I was actually looking forward to this restaurant. My friends told me that this one and the Parsifal are well known..... First off, the setting, atmosphere and the location are very nice. They even have a small garden (which I'm sure will be nice in the summer time). The interior is nicely done and the overall feeling is, that you... More

We were actually looking for Parsifal and ended up finding this one first & stayed. The decor is just lovely & we did not notice any surliness from the staff! The menu was small but after having the same Turkish veggie meals it was such a welcome change. We had the lentil patties, potato pie & home made mulled wine.... More

The restaurant is cute and has a nice atmosphere, but overall, this place isn't really worth seeking out. As a vegetarian/vegan couple in Istanbul for almost two weeks, we looked forward to eating at Zencefil, and eagerly sought it out. However, the menu is far from purely 'vegetarian', and it wasn't exactly vegan-friendly either. For someone that doesn't want to... More

A delicious change from Turkish food. This vegetarian restaurant is in the New City. We had lentil patties, veggie lasagna, and homemade ginger ale. All good.

If You want to have a quick vegetarian meal then this is the right spot. However if you're looping for a nice and cosy restaurant then look further. After we ordered from the menu we got served within 5 minutes. The quality of the food was oke, but service and atmosphere below expected. So 2 stars...

I don't normally write reviews, but in this case I feel rather compelled to do so. The menu here is limited, in fact when they give you the menu you wonder if this is really a restaurant. I ordered the 'lentil patties' with salad. What came was what I call 'knuckle paste' because it is squeezed by hand as if... More