Authentic in Istanbul

The turquoise-tiled Karaköy institution, lokanta by day, meyhane by night, Bib Gourmand 2026.

The corridor's literary meyhane, keeping a guest-book tradition since 1967.

Authentic Greek taverna with Bosphorus views and Thessaloniki flavors

Underground pit-roasted lamb since 1892

Bosphorus-view ocakbasi: organic Kars breakfast mornings, charcoal-grilled evenings

Nostalgic meyhane in Bostancı with honest mezes and late-night raki culture

The çarşı's oldest working meyhane, pouring since 1974, topik in the case and fasıl kept upstairs.

A three-storey mansion off Kadıköy's beaten track, meze-first, with a garden of old Turkish records.

Chef İsmail's Cunda-Greek fish house at the Kızıltoprak end of the Cadde, the corridor's rakı-balık default.

Koşuyolu's Aegean meyhane, a proper meze cabinet and a neighborhood that keeps it to itself.

Efkan Kara's Aegean taverna in a Şaşkınbakkal cul-de-sac, meze-first and unbothered by fashion.

Pouring under the Cumhuriyet name since 1923, a hundred mezes a day in the middle of Balık Pazarı.

50 varieties of mezze in a 120-year-old building facing Sureyya Opera

No-menu fish market dining by Galata Bridge

Burgazada's Rum meyhane legacy lands in Bostancı

Thirty-five years of fasıl evenings by Bostancı station

Three sisters' intimate Italian with 72-hour fermented Roman pizza

Unlimited serpme kahvalti with homemade bazlama bread

The original: Chef Khun Nuch, ex-Thai royal family chef, since 2006

20+ years bringing Ayvalik-Cunda flavors: Aegean herbs, olive oil mezes, fresh catch

A quiet Aegean-air meyhane behind Beşiktaş fish market

Authentic Adana kebab with unique lamb maki style

Poetry-inspired meyhane in a century-old garden

Chef Alp Çekici's reinterpretation of meyhane culture

Black Sea regional cuisine with Gault Millau recognition

Michelin-listed culinary archaeology reviving forgotten Anatolian dishes

Southern Italian flavors that put Moda on the gastronomy map

A hidden meyhane under a 70-year fig tree, Vedat Milor's pick

1951 iskele-side meyhane, Can Yücel and Nazım Hikmet's haunt

Authentic Japanese by Chef Horikoshi with omakase by reservation

Compact meze-first meyhane steps from the marina

Nevizade's 1941 original, no singing, just rakı

Turkey's first female-run meyhane, Tatavla's living memory since 1946

Old-style neighbourhood meyhane near Akaretler

Historic 200-year-old han with lokanta lunch and meyhane evenings

Fifth-floor Taksim meyhane where Tatavla Keyfi plays rebetiko Fri-Sat

Japanese chefs at counter: kaiseki and omakase praised as Istanbul's best

A Kadıköy balcony meyhane rotating with the market

Seven regional breakfast sets named after Anatolian villages

23-year Nevizade meyhane named for a Can Yücel poem

Turkey's first authentic Vietnamese restaurant with genuinely excellent pho

Authentic charcoal grill away from the action

4th-generation Neapolitan pizza with 24-hour leavened dough

Late-1800s building, seasonal mezes, Greek-Turkish soul

Modern lokanta named for Turkey's first female lawyer

Proper Napoli-style with San Marzano, fermented dough, and standout tiramisu

Almond mushroom cookies since 1929: a living piece of village life

130 years of rakı-table ritual in Yedikule

1960s Gaziantep lahmacun and kebab institution with vintage charm

1920s meyhane where Yahya Kemal drank rakı

Family-run with 100-year-old antique cups, magical garden, legendary breakfast

Asmalımescit's ever-new classic since 1977

Historic 1919 family lokanta in Kadıköy with timeless Turkish classics

Modern Anatolian cuisine by chef-owner Civan Er in Beyoğlu

Bahariye's beloved meyhane in a French-bistro-style room

Gourmet seafood delicacies with spectacular Bosphorus views

If it doesn't taste nice, we don't eat it

Turkish-Greek meze heritage in a historic 1896 Pera landmark

Old Style New Generation Meyhane with chef-driven seasonal menus

Bib Gourmand Anatolian cuisine celebrating Five Seas regional traditions

Newer Moda ocakbasi with generous smoky portions

Vanishing-genre offal meyhane: heart skewer, tongue fries, liver

The anchor restaurant inside Kadıköy's historic fish market

Dead-end alley meyhane with vinyl records and cinema nostalgia

Expert Anatolian grill on Fener Kalamış Caddesi

Fine dining chef's irreverent German street food kiosk

Michelin-listed modern lokanta with fire-focused open kitchen