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Gabile
A circus atmosphere prevails in Gabile's three floors and rooftop terrace. Circuit clones, fey young things, lipstick lesbians and straying straights mix to enjoy the amateurishly staged drag and erotic shows. It's unbridled fun to the max.
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Garibaldi
Garibaldi is tucked into the side alley of an old Armenian Catholic church in Odakule, along the same street side as the big Collezione store. Its set menu means that you don't have to make any decisions other than to enjoy yourself, something that is ensured by the pleasing six-member fasıl group. There's a garden area if you don't feel like joining the action in the dining hall.
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Ghetto
Décor-wise, this three-story club behind Çiçek Pasajı makes a bold postmodern statement, with Renaissance-style painted high ceilings and a long, back-illuminated bar with bottles that seem to glow in the dark. The musical program is equally interesting, comprising creative foreign or local live acts. At Ghetto Terras (reached via a back staircase) techno and house music rule.
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Haco Pulo
Set in a picturesque cobbled courtyard, this was one of original tea-and-nargileh joints to open in the side streets off İstiklal Caddesi. Locals love it, and we hazard a guess that you will, too.
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Il Porto
There are a number of ways to observe the glam Bebek set at play: you can dine at the mega-pricey Poseidon, have a coffee on the terrace at Starbucks or enjoy a casual summer lunch on the terrace here at Il Porto. Built right over the water, this is a good spot to see and be seen - the food is perfectly acceptable, but that's not why the crowds are here. Wear casual designer togs and have a botox shot before you go.
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İstanbul Jazz Center
Owner Kerem Görsev, a popular Turkish jazz icon, has a free hand when it comes to booking the jazz world's who's who. The club's stylish setting makes up for the dinner plus music plus drinks bill, which is steep (domestic beer around YTL13.00 ).
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James Joyce Irish Pub
The only authentic Irish bar in town, this popular place is a good spot to enjoy a pint and a craic . There's a mixed crowd and a popular all-day breakfast. It occasionally organises live sessions of traditional Irish folk music and performances by Irish singers.
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Jazz Café
Bathed in mood lighting, this mellow place boasts expat hosts and loads of 30-something jazz-heads. Live music kicks off at . The programme changes and isn't always jazz. Beer costs around YTL6.00 .
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Karga Bar
Karga is one of the most famous bars in the city, offering up cheap drinks, loud music and avant-garde art on its walls and in the upstairs gallery. It doesn't have a street sign - look for a green and cream building with a wooden door. There's a small courtyard downstairs that's a great spot to enjoy a late-afternoon beer. Nearby Isis and Bahane Kültür are also good bets.
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KeVe
Is this the most atmospheric bar in the city? In a plant-filled Belle Époque arcade just opposite the Tünel station, KeVe is invariably full of thirty-somethings who've just been to a gallery opening on İstiklal and need a drink before moving on to see a new arthouse release at the cinema. The twinkling lights and wrought-iron tables add mightily to the atmosphere.
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Klub Karaoke
It had to happen. Some bright spark knew Turks would take to karaoke like ducks to water and recently opened İstanbul's first sing-a-long venue. Locals come in large gaggles and book out the huge private rooms, but the 'İstanbul Central' room is a free-for-all, so check your pride in at the door and enjoy. Rock the house with Rod Stewart's 'Young Turks'.
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Kokosh By Asmali
This place opposite the Pera Palas Hotel is famous for its entrancing sounds created by the zither and kettledrum, which supply the background for serious drinking and vociferous singing.
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Kybele Hotel Bar
The lounge bar at this charming but vaguely eccentric hotel is chock-full of antique furniture, richly coloured rugs and old etchings and prints, but its signature style comes courtesy of the hundreds of colourful glass lights that are suspended from the ceiling. It's a wonderfully atmospheric spot for a pre-dinner drink.
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Lale Bahçesi
In a sunken courtyard that was once part of the Süleymaniye külliye (mosque complex), this charming outdoor teahouse is always full of students from the nearby theological college and İstanbul University, who come here to sit on cushioned seats under trees and relax while watching the pretty fountain play. It's one of the cheapest places in the area to enjoy a çay and nargileh.
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Leb-İ Derya Richmond
This glam younger sister of perennial favourite Leb-i Derya has managed to wheedle her way into many hearts since she opened in 2007. The views are to die for, and the surrounds are incredibly chic. A wonderful spot for a pre-dinner cocktail or two.
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Levendiz Greek Meyhane
Part of the luxury supper club complex, Blackk, and offering a great Bosphorus view to accompany its inspired Greek cuisine, Levendiz is easily the most upscale meyhane hereabouts for the money-is-no-object crowd. Come dressed accordingly.
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Leyla
The bar de jour in trendy Cihangir, Leyla has a casually stylish interior, a DJ who really knows his stuff (every night except Sunday) and a reasonably priced drinks list.
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Love Dance Point
Going into its eighth year and wresting the plum as the major player in the gay club scene, Love DP often partners with major London/Amsterdam/Berlin clubs to host wild, pan-European circuit parties. Here, gay anthems are thrown in with hard-cutting techno and Turkish Pop. This place attracts the well-travelled and the un-impressionable, even some straight hipsters from nearby Nişantaşı. The cover charge includes one drink.
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Nardis Jazz Club
Just down the hill from the Galata Tower, this venue named after a Miles Davis track is where the real jazz aficionados go. Run by jazz guitarist Önder Focan and his wife Zuhal, a director of the local magazine Jazz, Nardis is small but big in atmosphere. Its line-up of performers is exceptionally good; some come from the winners' ranks of its yearly amateur contest and others are visiting international artists. Book ahead.
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Nu Teras
With its glass bar, tables full of beautiful people dining alfresco and panoramic views, Nu Teras is one of the places to be seen in town. Go at sunset and frock up.
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Orient House
There are a number of touristy 'Turkish Shows' around town providing a snapshot of Turkey's folk dances (with belly-dancing). Shows are usually accompanied an expensive dinner and the food can be mediocre, at best. Still, if you're keen, these are the only places you'll be able to see folk dancing. One of the most popular is Orient House.
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Pano
You'll have to fight your way through the throngs at this extraordinarily popular wine bar on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night. Serious drinkers prop themselves on the high bar tables at the front and swig the cheap house wine; others take a table at the back or upstairs and pace themselves while sampling good-quality hot and cold meze.
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Pasific House
There are loads of bars on this side of town, but not too many that are both cheap and well located. Ultra-casual Pasific scores on both of these counts, so there's no wonder that it's constantly packed. The fact that it's on one of the city's most happening streets is a plus, too.
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Q Jazz By Les Ottomans
This luxury hotel on the Bosphorus, which aims to replicate an Ottoman pasha's splendiferous surroundings, offers the chance to enjoy first-rate international jazz vocalists for a small cover charge. The bar menu isn't outrageously priced, either.
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Reina
One of İstanbul's most successful nightclub-restaurants, Laila is a huge outdoor club filled with cashed-up beautiful people doofing until the wee hours alongside spectacular views of the Bosphorus. Food is available and the dress code is high glamour darlings. Kuruçeşme is about 7km from Sultanahmet; get there by taxi.
