Wolf Junior is the brainchild of Daniel Richardson and Arman Sen, who started their journey in Brooklyn in 2011 with Waffle and Wolf before deciding to open up another restaurant in Istanbul. Their new eatery in Sishane, where the Autoban office used to be located, is a space dominated by wooden and metal décor, with the mosaics on the floor kept as is. Those who are able to find a place to dine beside the window are quite lucky. Only complaint would be the ventilation issue, since it would be nice if the smell of food didn’t sink into our pores.
The owners define the menu at Wolf Junior as “Refined American Cuisine,” which features two important components: waffles and mac & cheese. These comfort food staples come with a variety of ingredients, and we feel it’s important to note that the waffles aren’t the sugar-laden treats you often come across in Turkey but are generally savory dishes meant to serve as a main course. When ordering waffles, don’t be surprised if you’re asked whether you’d like them regular or made with gluten-free buckwheat or corn flour. We opted for the original (i.e. white flour) waffle with bresaola and mozzarella. The flavor was just right, but we couldn’t help thinking it would be better suited to breakfast than dinner. All of the mac & cheese dishes come with gruyere, Turkish white cheese and goat cheese, with other select toppings. The flavorful mac & cheese with ground beef certainly passed our test. The American waffle sandwiches range from 13 to 19 TL and the mac & cheeses from 14 to 24 TL. The menu also features main courses with seafood and red meat as well as shareable appetizers, soups, salads and desserts.
Wolf Junior is also a good alternative for those looking to have Sunday breakfast or take a brief midday coffee break. The tea and coffee menu is a treat on its own; we recommend disregarding the winter chill and indulging in the sugar-free iced teas, which come with syrup so you can adjust the flavor to your liking.