Istanbul Grill Virginia

I work nearby and come here pretty often for lunch. I’ve always had a good experience. The food is good, the atmosphere is nice, and the service has been solid every time. It’s a bit pricier than some other spots, but that’s pretty standard for Turkish restaurants in the DC area. Today I tried something different and ordered the mixed cold meze platter without meat, and it was not bad.

Honestly, this place is a gem! We’ve tried so many things here — Chef’s Mix grill, grilled octopus, Hünkar Beğendi, the chefs Mix meze, Iskender, ezme — and every single dish has been amazing. Add an Efes beer on the side and it feels just like being back home in Turkey. As a Turk who really misses the food, this spot is our go-to every couple of months. Always tasty, always satisfying!

While the food here is fairly good, there’s essentially one dish that really grabs me, and that’s the iskender kebab. I’ve had a few other dishes, and while there’s plenty of meat / food, I don’t think the flavors “Wow” me. On top of this, I think given the environment, service, and flavor profiles, I do believe the prices are high. Service is ok, but again, given the prices, I think service is lacking. This last trip my wife and I split our meals, sharing an iskender kebab and an arugula salad, partly due to price and partly to balance our meal with having some greens. My son had the Adana kebab. Solid food. Relatively good service and this place can get busy. The environment is very nice, and the staff are very friendly. Parking is free but based on how many people are at the restauran

The donor kabob meat 🍖 is what brought me here and I gotta tell you, I was extremely impressed. For me, the taste 👅 is perfection in and of itself. Service was fantastic. Parking 🅿️ is decent. Atmosphere is ok, but it can afford some facelift at some point (but I have to say it’s an older building. I can highly recommend for sure! 👍

On 01.19.25 my friend said. We need to eat some real food. I can go without eating alot but I know she can't be like me... so I said, I'll treat you order what u want. She ordered and I added lentil soup to have delivered . Oh my gosh, the soup was so good. So the next evening we said let's go and enjoy it in person. That's what we did. We ordered delicious food and of course the lentil soup. Then we got an array of desserts and enjoyed.... the Turkish coffee... I think i was in the 7th heaven!! My goodness. I love Turkish food. My friends loved it, too. I'm dreaming of it. The owner is exceptionally nice!!! You have to try it.