The lights of the Bosphorus Bridge that reach the restaurant, the Bosphorus blue entwined with the green of the park and the elegantly bold ambiance of the place with its soft lighting that envelopes you like velvet, attentive hands which serve braised lamb shanks, fresh Çanakkale lobsters, sea bass from Bosphorus to the tables… As a place named after its location that provides a unique and magical view of İstanbul in golden hours, it is impossible not to be impressed as you step into Sunset, because this special place is specifically designed to take you away from the buzz of the city to spend an amazing evening from the moment you set foot. However, the real special feeling is created by how the Sunset team treats you. This restaurant functions like a spectacular, graceful handmade mechanical watch.
Ebru Tansever, head of business development of Sunset Grill&Bar and Gazi Akyol, restaurant manager, say “It is true that our view is very beautiful, our food is delicious and that we have an impressive atmosphere, but you can find many places with a good view or a delicious menu in a metropolis like İstanbul. What distinguishes us is that we have been combining all these with excellent service for many years”. Indeed, Sunset Grill&Bar has a well-deserved reputation for the quality of service which gets better and better since it was established in 1994. The MICHELIN Service Award offered by Mastercard has strengthened this reputation and proves that they have been doing everything right. Actually, it is not very common for a restaurant this capacious to receive the Service Award, because we are talking about a place which serves both lunch and dinner for almost three hundred people during winter and more than four hundred during summer, and even has two rounds of seating in the evening at 5 pm – 9 pm and 9:30 pm – 12 am; so we are talking about a huge yet meticulous fine-dining restaurant.
The secret to this success reveals itself when you get to know the kitchen and service staff. Restaurant manager Gazi Akyol, maître d’hôtel İsmail Gökmen, and master sommelier Süleyman Şen have all been working here since it opened. Likewise, Erol Arslan, the current executive chef of the restaurant, started working in the kitchen at the same time. This team has been working side by side for 28 years and has naturally reached a perfect synchronization. And the goal is to get every new member to reach the same level: “All our new waiters receive a week's training in the kitchen and learn all our dishes in detail. Furthermore, before changes in the menu are set, all the kitchen and service staff taste the new dishes and share their opinions. This training is also repeated regularly,” says Mr. Akyol. Accordingly, when a customer asks the origin of a certain fish or would like to get information on the cooking process of lamb tenderloin, the waiters can provide detailed information, and ensure the guests will be happier. In this sense, the restaurant doesn’t have strict rules; anything to make the customer feel like home is done, from providing suggestions to making instant alterations to dishes.
As expected, being a well-established place brings some challenges. For instance when the menu is changed, regulars who have been coming here for the same dish should still be able to find these ’classics’, although the team is also aware that they need to adapt to new trends to attract new customers. The same balance is required in their approach to guests: when half the guests are regulars, you need to make them feel special while stealing the hearts of newcomers with impeccable care to turn them into regulars… As the first non-Japanese restaurant to open a sushi bar inside, Sunset Grill&Bar let Istanbulites get acquainted with this style of food back in 1999. Today, it continues to be the one of the best sushi places while still serving their famous steaks and lamb racks while constantly creating new tasting menus. For this reason, customers vary from regulars who have been loyally visiting for 25 years, to those in their early 30s who have recently discovered the place, and first-time visitors to İstanbul who acted on recommendation.
“The secret is to anticipate the customers’ needs and make necessary preparations accordingly,” says restaurant manager Mr. Akyol. In Sunset Grill&Bar, preparation begins way before they arrive. Firstly, when taking the reservation, the demands of the customer are discovered and diligently noted. The dining area is organized every single evening according to the needs of the customers; for example, a couple who want a romantic table are not seated next to a big celebrating table; and someone who needs a quiet table to discuss business knows the restaurant will take care of everything for a smooth experience. Every day, during the staff meeting, the previous day is evaluated, then that evening’s reservation list is studied and certain waiters are appointed to different parts of the restaurant, so that they can serve their regular guests. This way, continuity is established between the customers and waiters. Moreover, waiters convey the comments and feedbacks of the customers regarding the food, atmosphere, and service, which are then processed and turned into statistical data. In short, this is a restaurant where everything is followed thoroughly and nothing is left to chance – and this brings success.
Another factor that put Sunset Grill&Bar on the map is its wide selection of wine, which is managed by one of the most prominent names in his field, Süleyman Şen. With more than 600 different bottles, this selection offers almost 150 different Turkish wines as well as world famous wines like Petrus and Château Mouton Rothschild. Mr. Şen pairs the dishes with local or imported wines upon demands and says that those in Türkiye for the first time often prefer Turkish dishes, and he enjoys guiding them into new discoveries by suggesting Turkish wines to complement the dishes. He is careful about including Turkish boutique producers in his selection, and says elegant wines made from Narince and Emir grapes are generally appreciated, as are wines with strong characters made from Öküzgözü and Boğazkere grapes. Whether you are having world-famous Gillardeau oysters or toro sashimi, you can trust that you will have the most accurate pairings here.
Sip your cocktail made with fresh fruit purees and taste delicately prepared starters or make yourself comfortable at your table and enjoy a long and delicious dinner. Either way, you are sure to have a magical evening in Sunset Grill&Bar. Run by a team of people working together for 28 years, they know exactly how to make you feel special!
