Fodor's Travel

"This charming restaurant is all dark wood and nostalgia, and specializes in buttery rice with either slow-cooked lamb or kuru fasülye (white beans in a tomato sauce). Wash it down with a frothy ayran (salty yogurt drink) or the house speciality: a sweet, refreshing drink made from sun-dried apricots. Located close to the bazaar district and run as a family business, it has been serving up the same dishes since 1856. You get the impression it hasn't changed one bit, and is all the better for it.... Read more

Stephanie Huston

"If you want to try the traditional tastes, try Ottoman Sultans’ chef’s bean & pilaf recipe at Tarihi Kalkanoglu Pilavcisi."

Istanbul on Food

"Anyone who hates beans will change their mind with the classy approach. Perhaps it’s because their recipe has been passed down from generation to generation, or perhaps it’s because the owner is such a wonderful host that he’ll take each guest’s joy as a serious endeavor. Kuru fasulye at Tarihi Kalkanoğlu Pilavcısı is likely to be the best thing you’ve had all week, especially if you pair it with the legendary rice, pickles, and the frothy ayran which comes in a traditional Ottoman-style cup."

Oğuz Yenihayat

"Pilav is appealing to both the eye and the palate."

Di Minardi

"If you only have time to try one of these Istanbul cheap eats, I strongly recommend ordering the meat, rice, and beans at Tarihi Kalkanoglu Pilavcisi. If it doesn’t blow your mind, you can come back and chastise me in the comments below (but I know it will)."

Ansel Mullins

"Our love affair with kuru fasulye, this one in particular, is more like a marriage well past the honeymoon stage. As much as we’ve come to rely on these beans, we try not to take them for granted. At lunchtime, at least, they still complete us."

The Grazing Elk

"The beans are soft and delicious as a result of a long cooking process. The kavurma (braised meat), finally, falling to pieces-tender complete the unpretentious delight."

Kemal Keskin

"Pilaf lovers should try this place."

Melis Eren

"Kalkanoğlu pilaf was cooked with the meat and bone broth and Trabzon's famous tasty butter, after hours of boiling the rice absorbed it all and that brought out one of the best rice you will ever eat."

Ece Er

"It is fascinating to know that the Pilaf you will eat in this small shop on a side street on Istiklal Street dates back to 1856, even to the Ottoman Palace. The tiny shop has 160 years of history and simple yet amazing flavors."