The team behind Da Mario, Zuma, Anjelique, and several other top-notch restaurants has recently opened Carlotta—a concept venue that encompasses a restaurant, deli, and cafe all in one. Located in the business district of Maslak, this weekday-only venue is the ideal place for a quick and healthy lunch for solo diners as well as small groups.

Spread over two floors and a small outside seating area, Carlotta can be summarized with three words: healthy, delicious, and reasonably-priced. They offer a variety of dishes to cater to a wide range of diners. The menu includes sandwiches, wraps, salads, tarts, desserts, and baked goods—including simit (Turkish version of bagel), croissants, muffins, and Turkish-style savory buns. They also sell jams, granola bars, biscotti, and Belgian chocolate. Their jams are made in the southern city of Bodrum, and include such flavors as mastic-apple, Bodrum mandarin, raspberry, and sour cherry. Their Belgian chocolate range also features interesting flavors, such as lavender.

As you enter Carlotta, you’ll see a deli-style display on your right where you can have a look at what’s on offer and pick what you like—which may turn out to be a difficult task as everything on display looks quite appetizing. You can either eat at the small, round tables by the left of the entrance, go upstairs for a more spacious setting (although the view is not much of a sight), and during warm days you can enjoy your food on the benches and tables outside.

The Guide Team has already been to Carlotta twice, and got to try most of what’s on the menu. From the salad section, we had Annemin Buğday Salatası (made with wheat; nuts; pomegranate seeds; and dried figs, apricot, and cranberry), Fidji (made with wild rice, almonds, capers, pomegranate seeds, and fresh oregano), Osaka (made with marinated chicken, Mexican beans, Edamame, almonds, walnuts, and cherry tomatoes), Izgara Sebze (mixed grilled vegetables with balsamic vinegar), and Akdenizli Orzo (made with orzo, dried tomatoes, and fresh basil). All salads were fresh and delicious. The BBQ Tavuk Pita (made with grilled chicken, pickle, tomato, greens, and BBQ sauce) was the healthy version of tavuk döner (roasted chicken sold at Turkish fast-food joints) and was very tasty. We suggest you finish off your meal with an apple crumble pie.

Carlotta offers delivery services in Maslak. But even if you’re not working in the Maslak area, Carlotta is well worth a car ride for either a sit-in or take-away lunch.  For healthy dining at reasonable prices with great flavors, Carlotta is the way to go!