Istanbul - Oslo

So the hubs and I have ate the occasional falafel and kebab in the states but haven 't ate any since moving to Norway. We didn 't want to grab our first kebab on a fast food joint so we did a bit of research and found Instanbul has some great reviews. It was packed when we went Saturday evening, it was around 8pm. We were quickly acknowledged and sat at a table for two. We ordered lahmacun (49kr) which they described as a Turkish pizza of sorts, it was ok, I wouldn 't get it again. For our entrees we ordered beyti kebab (144kr) and the mix grill (149kr). Both of these were really good, especially the mix grill which included chicken, lamb and beef. They beyti kebab sort of looked like a burrito, my husband said it was really good, I didn 't get a chance to try it before he gulped it up. Great food, service was good, the place appeared nice and clean, so I definitely would go back in the future!

If you eat Oslo kebabs too often, you'd think of frozen diced meat that gets burnt sitting on a hot plate for hours. But! Luckily, there are places like Istanbul that reminds us that kebab is a wonderful dish when freshly prepared. Istanbul is a great outlet for typical Turkish kebabs beef, lamb, chicken etc along with other interesting Turkish menu items like rice and meat dishes, lahmacun, lentil soups etc. For vegetarians there are falafels. It's cheap enough to be a quick late night doner takeaway (69kr), but also nice enough for dining in and enjoying a complete meal. I was very satisfied with the 3 skewer sis kebab (160kr), a generous portion complete with bulgur, grilled peppers, yoghurt, salad and free bread. The beef may be a touch too chewy, but that's kinda given for the price. Probably doesn't get better value than this in Oslo.

The menu is all in Norwegian so you need to do a bit of guess work and use your google translate, but it's well worth the work as the food is fantastic and by Oslo price standards it's almost like they are giving it away free of charge. It's a no frills kebab shop type restaurant. Nothing fancy here, just a authentic Persian/Turkish menu doing amazing bread and wonderful kebabs. With lots of salad and dips on the side. I had the mixed grill and loved it. The food was tasty and arrived quickly. The staff were friendly and efficient. We left completely stuffed! We went on a Saturday night and it was mobbed, but they still managed to squeeze us in. Two things worth mentioning. There is no alcohol and you pay at the till at the end rather than them bringing you the bill. Neither are a big deal and when the food is so good you don't nind about either of these things!

Istanbul is the O.G. of Turkish food in Oslo. I am always dumbfounded by Norwegian 's love of kebab. In my book, if you cannot identify the animal used in most kebab joint, stay far away from it. Istanbul was the joint that introduced me to real kebab. Unlike the fast food kebab joints, the meat did not taste like luncheon meat. It actually tasted like lamb. Veggies used are fresh and gives their doner kebab a nice crunch. Great food at affordable prices and definitely worth a visit for authentic Turkish food!

This place was highly recommended by a friend. I got the mix grill (139kr . Great choice if you can 't decide what to order. My favorite was a the lamb skewer. It is a lot of food you could easily split the mix grill between two people (unless you are a very hungry individual! .