Classic in Istanbul

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

16th-century masterpiece by Mimar Sinan

Heritage seafood since 1952

Legendary 1945 institution, inventor of the Beyti kebab

Elegant French brasserie with retractable roof and live music

Last great Ottoman hammam, built 1741

Sultan's palace on the Bosphorus

Legendary profiteroles since 1944

Legendary Bosphorus seafood since 1966

Legendary Turkish coffee since 1967

Kadıköy's beloved neighborhood cocktail gem

Asian side's specialty coffee destination since 2014

Expert-led carpet education and collection

Turkey's premier whiskey bar with 435+ labels

19th-century Ottoman waterfront mansions reimagined

Modern seafood with signature fish in dough

Former Ottoman bank transformed into boutique luxury

Ottoman imperial cuisine in Ciragan Palace

Reopened 2024 with 10,000 classic-elegant tiles restored

Epitome of Istanbul meyhane culture

Legendary cultural hub and live music venue since 1999

Historic 1945 waterfront cafe - the intellectual's haunt

Four-generation Italian legacy at Park Hyatt Macka Palas

Legendary Anatolian home cooking from a culinary anthropologist

Former Ottoman prison transformed into cozy luxury

Pioneer steakhouse with garden setting on the Asian side

Five generations of baklava perfection

16th-century gem fully restored in Tophane

Modern meyhane reviving classic tavern culture with stone oven mezes

Preserving endangered Turkish recipes in SALT Galata

Art Deco heritage hotel in Giulio Mongeri's 1922 masterpiece

Orient Express heritage since 1892

Istanbul's original wine bar championing Turkish wines

19th-century raki distillery on the Asian shore

Four Seasons rooftop with Hagia Sophia views

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

Upper-tier fish house on Operatör Cemil Topuzlu

Historic Russian restaurant where Ataturk and Agatha Christie dined

Boutique hotel at the marina gate with a chef's kitchen

Classic Bosphorus fish restaurant loved by locals

Traditional Ottoman craftsmanship in the classic-elegant heart

Over-water fish-meyhane on the Baltalimanı seam.

Live jazz, refined cocktails and dining inside Khai Hotel Karaköy

Classic Bosphorus seafood with refined mezes

Old City's finest fish restaurant since 1927

Burgazada's Rum meyhane legacy lands in Bostancı

Garden restaurant and rooftop bar with triple-vista views in Galata

Villa dining in the old Tribeca space, homemade-syrup cocktails, open-kitchen ambition

Three floors of Anatolian wine in a candlelit Asmalımescit townhouse

Intimate nightly jazz, blues and soul off İstiklal

Bağdat Caddesi's 30-year award-winning institution

Thirty-five years of fasıl evenings by Bostancı station

Aegean seafood excellence on the Asian shore

Cem Mirap (Lucca) brasserie at İstinye Park, designed by Roman & Williams

Warm hospitality and live music in historic Asmalimescit

Historic ferry pier dining with unobstructed Bosphorus Bridge views

Istanbul's pioneering Thai restaurant since 2006

Seasonal Italian since 1993 in a villa setting

Istanbul's first true Italian since 1993, on imported flour and stone-oven pizza

Shellfish-forward seafood in a 200-year-old Ottoman elephant warehouse

Legendary kebab institution with 1200-seat marina views since 1997

Classic waterfront brasserie with its own private pier

Renowned Bosphorus seafood with 5 experienced chef-partners

Locally sourced aged meats in cozy atmosphere

A quiet Aegean-air meyhane behind Beşiktaş fish market

Greek-Turkish seafood with Golden Horn views

Since 1979: cilek milfoy, Ibiza pastasi, Kadıköy classic holding the line

Authentic Adana kebab with unique lamb maki style

Sarıyer Çarşı fish-meyhane known for kalkan and meze depth.

Authentic Italian by MasterChef judge Danilo Zanna

İstinye Bay fish lokantası in the old Süreyya Restaurant building since 2004

Turkey's pioneering natural wine bar by Maksut Askar

Chef Alp Çekici's reinterpretation of meyhane culture

The city's flagship Bosphorus-side shisha-and-cocktail lounge, a Kuruçeşme nightlife fixture

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

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

Compact meze-first meyhane steps from the marina

Legendary Antep cuisine with poolside elegance

Marina-facing grill, seasoned Fenerbahçe regulars

Late-night Kireçburnu fish-meyhane open until 02:00.

Aegean-style seafood in Moda

Third-generation family meyhane since 1938

Nevizade's 1941 original, no singing, just rakı

Beyoğlu's long-running blues dive run by Mehmet the Blues

One legendary steak, one unforgettable experience

Asian shore seafood with bridge views

Decades of Ottoman fine dining tradition near Taksim

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

Authentic Gaziantep cuisine in the heart of Karaköy

Old-style neighbourhood meyhane near Akaretler

Bosnian cuisine by famous actor Ilker Ayrik

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

A park-keeper's hut built over the water, windows on three sides, classic mezes and full rakı/wine bar

Kireçburnu waterline fish house, rakı nights the neighborhood still uses.

D-ream's accessible-quality Italian since 1995, wood-oven pizza and signature pasta

Fusion cuisine pioneer by MasterChef judge Mehmet Yalcinkaya

23-year Nevizade meyhane named for a Can Yücel poem

Istanbul's oldest wine house since 1898

Milan's legendary Italian fine dining since 1996

Since 1966 on Moda Caddesi: profiterol, milfoy, cheesecake, never dropped quality

Louvre collaborations and Orientalist masterpieces

Murano chandelier and wood-fired pizzas across from Göztepe Park

Rooftop seafood house with Marmara view

Elegant Mediterranean villa dining with 30+ years of excellence

The Tarabya fish crescent local without the tourist markup.

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

Modern lokanta named for Turkey's first female lawyer

130 years of rakı-table ritual in Yedikule

Bib Gourmand traditional Turkish grill with sea views on Asian side

Gastro-jazz lokanta run by jazz musician Eren Noyan with a proper stage

Old City panoramic views from boutique hotel rooftop

Best Guinness in Istanbul with classic Irish atmosphere

Bosphorus-mouth fish-house where the strait opens to the Black Sea.

1920s meyhane where Yahya Kemal drank rakı

1901 former Franciscan nuns' residence transformed into cozy suites

Gault & Millau-listed yalı for marinated lüfer and rakı

Asmalımescit's ever-new classic since 1977

Heritage meyhane family since 1977, Asian-side branch since 2018

Historic 1919 family lokanta in Kadıköy with timeless Turkish classics

Chef Kaan Kayhan's waterfront meyhane on the Yeniköy pier.

Bosphorus-pier classic since 1949 under century-old plane trees.

33 years of rakı-sunset at the mouth of the Bosphorus

Tarabya marina fish-house with a working bar program.

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

Michelin-listed ocakbasi with Bosphorus views and premium grilled meats

Turkish DJs, live-jazz, and funk in classic-elegant Beyoğlu

Albanian-style liver specialists

Foraged mushrooms and Golden Horn sunsets since 1939

Historic patisserie since the 1800s - now a 400sqm flagship

Venice-born Italian at Soho House Istanbul

Historic patisserie with legendary chocolates

Only Balkan cuisine on Bağdat Caddesi - Chef Murat Bozok menu

Cihangir's day-to-night neighborhood favorite

Brasserie elegance meets Bosphorus charm

Izmir-style sogus specialists

Hidden art-deco izakaya in Bebek

Mediterranean elegance with live music

Beloved lokanta serving exceptional Eastern Turkish cuisine since generations

Istanbul's legendary breakfast deli since forever

Istanbul's legendary live music venue since 2002

Perfect-rated traditional grill in boutique setting

Hidden art-deco in a 1920s Cukurcuma apartment

1895 neo-classical mansion reborn as Luxury Collection hotel

Istanbul's finest classic Korean restaurant

Art Deco elegance with global flavors in luxury Nişantaşı setting

Mediterranean comfort in a 40-year-old Etiler villa with open kitchen