Vegan
International
Middle Eastern
Turkish

Fully vegan Middle Eastern restaurant serving a range of traditional cuisine such as stuffed grape leaves, Turkish rice, seitan doner wrap, dumplings and more. Walk-ins accepted on Saturdays. WhatsApp 00905385032736. Relocated from Tomtom mh kumbaracı Yokuşu No 18. Open Fri-Sat 12:00pm-10:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-9:00pm. Closed Mon-Thu.


298 Reviews

First Review by Sacha

Aktotik

Points +11

Mostly Veg
25 Nov 2018

Cats in the kitchen

We had no chance to try food, cause cats were in the kitchen, walking on cooking surface. I understand vegans love animals, but it shouldn’t be to an extend to allow them to walk over or near food.

Pros: Location

Cons: I doubt sanitary

vaseleka

Points +44

Raw
19 Nov 2018

Would not visit again

It is a family run small place with everything being claimed to be vegan. No menu, just what's on the board - iskender kebab, burger and some other vegan junk food. Having read the reviews I definitely had higher expectations. Went for iskender kebab, just because there were only 3-4 options and wanted to try something local. It was basically lots of spiced seitan, tomato sauce and moist bread pieces - didn't like it at all. Don't like vegan junk food actually, for me vegan food should be mostly fresh vegetables and not meat-like substitutes. This is more of a place for those transitioning and missing meat meals I guess. When we were there the elder son was preparing granola raw cakes or something like that right beside us with his hands without gloves and long hair - I know that food is typically prepared with hands, but perhaps it's better not to see it or if demonstrated, then with compliance to health and safety standards. Tbh I lost my appetite at all. There were also three cats inside, which is very typical for Istanbul and although I love animals, I do not like when they are around when I eat. In fact I do not like animals to be kept by people, this is not their natural habitat. The place is not in the center, and is on a steep road, so be prepared to climb up/down
Can't give a lower rating because of apps stupid policy

Pros: Everything is vegan

Cons: Health and safety issues/concerns, Very limited menu of 3-4 dishes, Junk food lacking veggies

Marek75

Points +35

Vegetarian
12 Nov 2018

Home made lovely chaos

Nice place, very nice people. The food is ok, it’s fresh and home made. I don’t think I would go a second time.

Pros: Vegan, very nice people.

ZoëLeclercq

Points +40

Vegan
07 Nov 2018

Love

Good food, nice people, and cute cats.

Pros: 100% vegan

Cons: Pas cher

ACCVeg

Points +1369

Vegan
07 Nov 2018

Cannot recommend

This is a tough review for me to write, as I am predisposed to be pretty enthusiastic about any vegan eating establishment and tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, my visit to this place makes me want to give warning to anyone planning a visit there so they know what they are in for. First off, when we arrived, one of the staff members was doing some food prep at one of the guest tables and seemed confused as to why we were there (it was about 6PM on a Saturday). We explained that we would like a table, and asked to have the menu, at which point we were shown a black board with three menu options, two of which were kabob. Ok, so a limited menu, we could deal with that, but there was an overriding sense of "what are you doing here?". Maybe it was because we were American? Not sure, but there was no friendliness, no interest in the fact that we had managed to seek out a vegan place in out this out-of-the-way corner of Istanbul. So the staff person went back in the kitchen and yukked it up with the other staff person for a looonnnggg time, and eventually came out with two plates of lukewarm kabob and room temperature fries. It.was.bad. We ordered two kabab and two cups of tea, tea never showed up. A visit to the bathroom was a disaster, as the smell of urine (human? cat? there were lots of cats running around) and the general lack of hygienic conditions made me almost lose my lunch. Just such a bad experience, I can't recommend. I wish I'd thought to ask further about the limited menu options as it is out of sync with their description, which makes it sound as if a plethora of options are available.

Cons: Food was terrible, Unfriendly staff, Bathroom not clean

HannaTillberg

Points +62

Vegan
03 Nov 2018

Homemade and delicious!

Cosy little place run by a sweet lady. Very tasty kebab followed by vegan baklava. I would really recommend going here!

JavidBakhtiar

Points +38

Vegan
03 Nov 2018

Delicious vegan foods

very kind owner
funny cats :)
and very very Delicious vegan foods
try turkish coffee with baklava

Pros: Delicious, near taksim, kind owner

Jonathon67

Points +209

Vegetarian
02 Nov 2018

Friday night feast!

The vegan buffet on Friday was amazing! There was a good selection of food including soup, vine leaves, roasted cauliflower, burek and other assortments. All was healthy and delicious. The hosts are super sweet and friendly. Will 100% be back!

Pros: All vegan , Reasonably priced , Friendly hosts in nice area

clark

Points +293

Vegetarian
23 Sep 2018

best food, friendly owner

First off, be aware that if you come here by tram, it's a good 5-10 minute walk uphill to get here. My legs ached from the climb but it's worth it!

Community Kitchen was the best food I had while I was in Istanbul. The owner speaks excellent English and, as I couldn't eat seitan, made a special aubergine and potato meal just for me. It was a rather large meal for one person but oh so good! Also worth mentioning is the very friendly cat who watches over the premises. I really enjoyed my time here and only wish I could have eaten here more than just once.

Pros: delicious food, friendly owner, english spoken

Cons: a bit far

Vegantraveljunkie

Points +1866

Vegan
31 Aug 2018

Found my vegan manna in Istanbul!

I discovered that Community Kitchen offered all you can eat buffet Fridays using my Happy Cow app so headed over the Bosporus to check it out. What a feast! Can’t imagine how giddy I was to have an array of all vegan dishes at an buffet! I tried it all and it was all super tasty and delicious! The owner was so friendly and kept bringing out more dishes that were being cooked! Yes as mentioned on Happy Cow, she has three cats which are so friendly and adorable and spayed and neutered!😊👍 Piece de resistance was the dessert- baklava and brownies which were yummy plus never thought could ever enjoy the former! Finished off with a chilled hibiscus tea. Chilled, relaxed atmosphere with alike minded people can chat with there. I even got a little doggy bag of sweets to take away!😊All round a must try amazing vegan cafe in Istanbul!

Pros: Inexpensive, Offer vegan desserts, Friday buffet is a great option to try an array

susuysd

Points +50

Vegan
24 Aug 2018

Wonderfull food

We looked for vegan food in Istanbul and were happy to find this place so close to our hotel.
They had delishious vegan ayran (turkish yoghurt drink), vegan chocolate brownie which was fantastic.
Also the vegan lahmacun was good.
Cute cats playing in and in front of the cafe!
Thanks for the good food!

Pros: good food, cute cats, good service

Cons: none

skalsaqer

Points +537

Vegan
21 Aug 2018

Amazing food

After a long trip from Eskişehir, I was fasting, tired, and VERY hungry. We searched on happy cow for a good vegan place which was also open since its already late at night. Fortunately, we found this place! The woman there was very friendly and there were adorable cats sleeping. The place was all designed with vegan art. We ordered vegan burgers and I’m glad We did!! The burger was the tastiest vegan burger I’ve ever tried. It also came with tasty potatoes on the side. We finished up eating cupcakes and baklava. The cupcakes tasted heavenly. I recommend this place very much!

Pros: Friendly lady, Tasty food, Nice atmosphere

Cons: None

JessIndeedy

Points +97

Vegan
13 Aug 2018

If you love cats and vegan food, this will be your dream restaurant

This restaurant makes vegan renditions of Turkish dishes, and the food was delicious and plentiful. They also serve vegan baklava! The owner was super friendly and she had a little kid assistant who was polite and adorable. There were two cats roaming the place, which will be a delight to some - but not for me as I’m so allergic to them.

Pros: Vegan Iskender , Friendly service, Quiet, off-the-beaten-track location

Cons: I’m allergic to cats, and there were two!, Could use some music for atmosphere

Catri

Points +31

Vegetarian
26 Jun 2018

Friendly, cozy, delicious

I had a vegan döner salad, which was delicious! It had seitan and a great smokey barbecue sauce. The brownie muffin was awesome too. Very friendly staff (including the cats). A place to come back to!

BeniKöhler

Points +22

Vegan
24 Jun 2018

Full of love

Very warm and loving welcoming. This is how we change the world.

Pros: Wonderful owner 😻🙏🏻, Tasty vegan kebab (seitan), Vegan desserts were incredibly good

Cons: Not all items on menu were available

SashaGabrielaTanase

Points +40

Vegan
16 Jun 2018

Traditional Turkish dishes made vegan

The owner is a very very adorable person and the food is delicious. We ate a vegan kebab made out of seitan and it was the best seitan I have eaten so far! If you pass by say hi to Shirin the most talkative cat

Pros: Good prices, Nice atmosphere, Tasty food

Tip-Top

Points +16

Vegan
05 Jun 2018

Gorgeous Turkish vegan food

My fave vegan eaterie ever!

Pros: fresh food and cosy atmosphere

planb

Points +50

Vegetarian
03 Jun 2018

Friendly and cosy restaurant

Had a seitan döner for 32 Tl which was nice. Water is included. Friendly atmosphere an street cat friendly x) would go there again

hayley.ls

Points +144

Vegan
17 May 2018

Good food, HUGE servings.

Go here if you're starving. The servings are massive. Share a plate of you can. That being said, the food is very good. I got a seitan burrito sort of thing. The stuffed aubergine is good too.

Pros: 100% vegan Turkish food.

Cons: Servings too large for one person., Cats wander in and out, possibly unsanitary.

Metin

Points +119

Vegan
15 May 2018

Great iskender

I only had the opportunity to try the vegan iskender which was really nice. The vibe was really nice and there was a vegan donut workshop as I visited. They also have a really cute cat :)

TeresasOusa

Points +18

Vegan
12 May 2018

Just lovely

Not only the food was amazing (I had a spinach burek) but the atmosphere was so inviting and cozy... I had also hibiscus tea which was so nice that I had to ask for a 2nd one. The owner takes care of a lot of cute cats who blend in very well. Must be even better in Summer! Loved it, and when I return to Istanbul I'll visit again :)

Pros: Cozy, awesome food, awesome tea, awesome cats

GrantCritchley

Points +38

Vegan
27 Apr 2018

Friendly

Great little venue luvly owner pure vegan and delicious 😋

mariaa_maria

Points +49

Vegetarian
07 Apr 2018

nice place

Sweet place in the heart of Istanbul. The food is great, the owner is lovely. Highly recommended

oleh.n

Points +96

Vegan
02 Apr 2018

AwEsOmE

I don't know what I've ordered (I guess it was seitan in a wrap), but anyway it was veery yummy!! Plus their tea is also good.
As in comparison to other all-vegan places in Istanbul it is much cheaper while having a solid quality at the same time.

mannyp

Points +24

Vegan
31 Mar 2018

Dolma is the best

The title says it all.

LaylaDarian

Points +74

Vegan
29 Mar 2018

vegan iskender

This is literally amazing and a must go!!! Had vegan iskender and stuffed aubergine. It was amazing. Also had a brownie and baklava. Just good. The sage tea was really really good as well. Owner is very nice and speaks english as well. She has cats roaming around inside which I loved but my mom did not. So that could be a problem for some people. The prices of the dishes are also not listed on the board so i guess you have to ask. I think its reasonably priced for very very good food.

Pros: amazing food , owner speaks english, cats roaming around

Cons: cats roaming around

tksalopian

Points +21

Vegan
25 Feb 2018

Great spot

Great Vegan food along with service with a smile, tried the iskender and rice based ayran, finished it off with baklava and Turkish coffee, we were impressed I must say, will be back on my next visit to Taksim Istanbul

Pros: Cat residents , Home made food , Like minded ethical vegan environment

Cons: Could do with a good scrubbing / cleaning




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