Seafood restaurants in Istanbul
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Sultanahmet Fish House
If you're the fishy type, traditionally there have been only three viable dining options in the Old City: heading down to Kumkapı, grabbing a fish sandwich on the dock at Emininönü or booking a table at the pricey Balıkçı Sabahattin. But now there's this casual restaurant in Cağaloğlu. What makes this joint distinctive are its prices, which are remarkably low for what's on offer. Wine is also well priced, and everything is squeaky clean. Wow.
reviewed
-
Rumeli Iskele
Businessmen (sometimes with girlfriend, sometimes with colleagues) are a permanent lunchtime fixture at this old timber ferry terminal building right on the water, ordering delectable meze such as levrek marine (sea bass in a creamy but piquant lemon sauce) or çıroz (salted and dried thin mackerel). The catch of the day is priced by the kilo (prepare yourself for a hefty outlay) and there are good wine choices by the glass and bottle.
reviewed
-
Poseidon
This place evokes class with a capital ‘C’ – for credit-card danger. If you want some of the best seafood in the city served on a stylish deck overlooking the bobbing boats of Bebek Bay, it’s the perfect place. You’ll be in the company of beautifully groomed women who dote on designer handbags and are often mistaken by their businessman dining partners as said fashion accessory.
reviewed
-
B
Doğa Balik
There’s something very fishy about this place – and the locals love it. On the top floor of a modest hotel in Cihangir, Doğa Balık serves fabulously fresh fish in a dining space with wonderful views across to the Old City. It also has a lavish meze buffet, which is a great idea.
reviewed
-
Alibaba Restaurant
Alibaba is the most popular of the seafood joints on the water near the ferry terminal. The overpriced food is adequate, but nothing more.
reviewed
-
Kiyi Restaurant
This ramshackle place is a favourite of big-city food critics. Start with the mezes (there are plenty of options) and then opt for some simply grilled or fried locally caught fish. To get here, walk left from the ferry terminal alongside the water, passing the row of restaurants and then turning around the bend.
reviewed
-
C
Tarihi Karaköy Balik Lokantası
Walk through the run-down quarter behind the Karaköy Balıkcılar Çarşısı (Karaköy Fish Market) and you’ll come upon this utter gem, one of the few old-style fish restaurants left on the Golden Horn. With seafood being such an expensive proposition in most of İstanbul’s restaurants, it’s incredibly refreshing to encounter top-class, perfectly prepared dishes that are within everyone’s budget – and that’s what’s on offer here. There’s no other word for the food here except fabulous, with the dirt-cheap fish soup possibly being the best you’ll ever eat. The original restaurant is only open for lunch, but the same owners have opened an evening venue, the Tarihi Karaköy Grifin,…
reviewed
-
D
Balıkçı Sabahattin
The limos outside Balıkçı Sabahattın pay testament to its enduring popularity with the city's establishment, who join cashed-up tourists in enjoying its limited menu of meze and fish. The food here is excellent, though the service is often harried. You'll dine in a wooden Ottoman house or under a leafy canopy in the garden.
reviewed