Best Places to Eat Foreign Food in Seoul: Istanbul Cafe

Korean food is delicious, but sometimes you just aren't in the mood for Korean food. If you are looking for a fresh, kim-chi free, alternative to Korean food in Seoul, you should try Istanbul Cafe. The Istanbul Cafe is located in the neighborhood next to Itaewon, aka "The Won," called Noksapyeong and is easily accessible by subway. Istanbul Cafe offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.

I recently went to Istanbul Cafe for lunch and ate a delicious and flavorful falafel. The falafel is served in either a tortilla wrap or on a Middle Eastern style fresh roll that offers a welcome change to the usual pita. The falafel is accompanied by a mix of fresh lettuces and cabbages with a savory seasoned yogurt mayonnaise sauce. Istanbul also serves shwarma, kebabs and a chicken in tomato sauce sandwich, along with some other items I have yet to try. These delicious meals cost approximately $4 to $6 USA dollars.

Istanbul Cafe's varied beverage selection consists of fountain soda including Coke and Sprite; alcoholic beverages including wine, imported beer and cocktails. You can dine inside or outside (weather permitting).

The Istanbul Cafe is cozy, clean and inviting. The owner of Istanbul is not from Turkey but from Australia. He is handsome, buff, bald and tattooed. He is also a congenial guy and is happy to tell you the story of how he has come to own the Istanbul Cafe.

It's easy to find the Istanbul Cafe. You can take the Seoul subway line number 6 (tan in color) and get off at Noksapyeong. Use exit number 2, at the top of the stairs walk straight ahead and cross the street at the closest crosswalk. Once you cross the street you should see the sign for Istanbul Cafe, it's next to Buddah's Belly and to the left of Taco Taco. The walk from the top of the subway stairs to the Istanbul cafe should take you approximately 3-5 minutes. Please take a look-see at the picture that accompanies this article so you know what the sign looks like.

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