I live there. I also go out there. But where do I avoid and where do I go (so you can avoid me)?

Loving:
Miss Pizza - great pizza (recommend the tuna one and roka/ham), wine served off menu
Kays - cheap Italian wine and free cured hams and cheese
Susam Cafe - more relaxed than it sister place Smyrna but getting busier, try salmon tagliatelle
Porte - steak sandwiches - say no more
Vegetable store by the central mosque - got loads of variety, of later to get some limes and celery
Carrefour - bit pricey compared to others I've been told but sells my favourite pasta
Big mosque behind Sok on my street - yes there are two mosques - fabulous views

Hating:
Leyla - full of old men at the bar trying to pick up women or each other
Smyrna - can never get a seat and can be slightly silly
Besinci Kat - bar guys like to hit on you and they have that stupid policy of drink prices increasing at night/weekends
Punters - people who just sit around all day tapping into laptops and chuffing - why can't that be me?

- Near Leyla- the restaurant doğa balık (yu have to take the asansör) = very good food -especially the salads-you can choose your starters-good service- fantastic view but horrible lights- (for the price I dont know I didn t pay)
- and one level upstair this restaurant= the bar= nice music view and people- crowded but not too much on week end-

- Smyrna is not so bad, you can reserve and it s good to go with turkish friend, as there are always one or two "TV star"- I ate spaghetti with rokefort and mushrooms it was delicious

- for buying meze there is one "traiteur" near beşinci kat, and one other after leyla = cheap and better than in "carrefour" (ex Gima)

oh yes, miss pizza is brilliant. and i also go to the vegetable guy sometimes (hope we're talking about the same guy, opposite of akbank...), but i buy more from the guy who comes by with his truck full of fresh stuff, he's also very patient and plays along in the guessing game...(guess, what i'm trying to say...)
I like to drink tea at the open air tea garden there. and next to the vegetable guy there is this bakery, called "komsu firina" (not quite sure...), they have very nice baguette. all their other breads are great as well. and i like the little restaurant around the same area called "rafineri". simple, but nice. and when we're too lazy to cook, we order from közde kebap, best urfa!
Good butcher by the little mosque, just when you come down from taksim. also great the bakkal in our street....
hate---nothing yet, haven't been to 5. kat yet however

I still like Leyla for a late morning breakfast outside -- weather permitting.

Besinci Kat -- from a guy's perspective, there are still some interesting (Turkish) women to be met there -- although you obviously have taken yourself out of contention.

i dont live in C but i have to add my two cents anyway!

Cuppa- wheat grass shots to start the day (if not at Saf in Tunel)
Smyrna- yes, hard to find seats sometimes, but cozy atmo
porte- good, relatively inexpensive
Taj Mahal- not THE BEST indian food I've ever had, but certainly does the trick when i'm craving it. Yogurt curry my fave

I think Smyrna is snooty and like Susam much better. Porte is nice and has an edible hamburger. Miss Pizza, yum.

Kays? Meh. I high expectations for more german food/beer and was disappointed with only Efes. The decor at besinci kat is a little too 1994 pottery barn for me, and the drink price increase is a deal killer.

Doga Balik is great fish and mezze, but WTF is up with the lights? atmosphere doesn't match substantial prices. Service is great though. I actually like Savoy Balik a little better, though I think I got a fish-rip off there once.

Rafineri is good for a casual lunch.

I love the pastry shop across from the mosque and tea garden -- friendly dudes, potentially pleasant outdoor seating, though the tea garden is nice too, and a lot of times you get to go to the funerals.

Ayse, the owner of PatiPet is super nice and speaks great english.

I like breakfast at Kafe Fotograf, though the construction site is a bit of a buzzkill.

The fish place just up from Cihangir Square on Siraselviler, first street on the right next to the car park (great directions Charly) is meant to be great. Obviously the name escapes me.

just been to Leyla and Doga Balık in Cihangir.
want to try Miss Pizza asap...

Accepts these bloody Sodexho tickets too which is great news.

[quote user="cequirk" post="82842"] Doga Balik is great fish and mezze, but WTF is up with the lights? atmosphere doesn't match substantial prices. Service is great though. I actually like Savoy Balik a little better, though I think I got a fish-rip off there once. [/quote]

Food great (the choice of green stuff alone was v.impressive - not awfully impressed with the calamar though) but it's like sitting in a canteen. Also need to make sure you get a table with A) A view and B) No draft. Nuff said.

Charly -- the restaurant near the car park is Savoy Balik. Good grilled calamari and good service.

[quote user="Bodrum Chic" post="82861"][quote user="cequirk" post="82842"] Doga Balik is great fish and mezze, but WTF is up with the lights? atmosphere doesn't match substantial prices. Service is great though. I actually like Savoy Balik a little better, though I think I got a fish-rip off there once. [/quote]

Food great (the choice of green stuff alone was v.impressive - not awfully impressed with the calamar though) but it's like sitting in a canteen. Also need to make sure you get a table with A) A view and B) No draft. Nuff said.[/quote]

really wish someone would point out to them that the brighter the lights are, the LESS you can see the city view...

I stayed there for a week last summer. Loved it! Loved the flat I stayed in with fantstic views and proximity to all the good places mentioned here by insiders. I wish I knew Charly lived so close to me then..

I tried Smyrna and Susam Cafe. Both were good.
Cuppa - good ambiance, great for snacks and healthy drinks a la Jamba. My sandwich was a little dry.
Alteration shop in front of Taj Mahal does a good job at reasonable prices.
Taxi stand on Cihagir Sokak - convenient and there are always taxis any time of the day. All have been honest cabbies too.

Could you tell a new Cihangir neighbor what his options are for gyms, and if you have any good recommendations for a cleaner? Many thanks.

I love kay's, I've had the best pizza there, as some of you know.
Leyla is quite good, don't care for the food, but still a nice place to see hot chick. Şener Şen goes there quite often, which is always good.