Where to eat and drink in İstanbul

İstanbul is a microcosm of the entire country, an edible kaleidoscope of Türkiye’s diverse regional specialties, flavors and ingredients. From its neighborhood markets, abundant with seasonal and regional products, to its classic eateries that have been churning out the same excellent dishes for generations, and its backstreet joints famous for their distinct specialties, İstanbul’s food scene is seemingly endless.

More recently, the Michelin wave, which bestowed its infamous stars on eight of Istanbul’s restaurants, has also infused the city with fresh motivation. A new kind of modern dining has emerged focused specifically on Anatolia’s palatal diversity and history; the traditional turned into haute cuisine paired with indigenous Turkish grapes made into boutique wines.

Whether old or new, classic or reinterpreted, here are İstanbul’s best places to eat.

Go to Beşiktaş for the best Turkish breakfast

The serpme kahvaltı (traditional Turkish breakfast spread) has become rather iconic in Istanbul and Çakmak Kahvaltı Salonu is a solid and very friendly spot among the Beşiktaş neighborhood’s “breakfast street.” Your table will be covered in an array of regional cheeses, olives, tomatoes, spreads, egg dishes, and pastries, accompanied by unlimited refills of Turkish tea. For the city’s best kaymak (clotted cream) you’ll have to make the trip to Kumkapı to visit Boris’in Yeri to start the day with soft white bread topped with heaps of fresh kaymak and honey, plus Turkish tea and maybe some eggs with sucuk (spicy veal sausage) if you’re still hungry. 

Eat in a canteen-style esnaf for traditional Turkish food on a budget

Istanbul’s esnaf lokantaları can best be described as workers' canteens serving up good value and delicious homestyle Turkish dishes such as karnıyarık (stuffed eggplants), lahana sarması (cabbage rolls), kadınbudu köfte (fried meatballs), or kurufasulue pilav (beans stew with rice). Kanaat Lokantası has been around since 1933 and hasn’t changed a bit in terms of the quality of its classic esnaf dishes and the nostalgic feel of its decor. Right by the Grand Bazaar, Aslan is another esnaf institution that has been serving classics such as Hünkar Beğendi (eggplant and cheese puree topped with soft meat stew) true to the original recipes. In Karaköy NATO Lokantası has been the premier esnaf since 1952 and on the Asian side, Yanyalı Fehmi is the main option for homestyle dishes in the sprawling Kadıköy Market.

Try Turkish food with a modern twist at a contemporary esnaf 

As expected, a cosmopolitan city like İstanbul loves to give traditional Turkish food a modern twist and the classic esnaf has also seen a few updates. One of the oldest and most consistent is Hünkar Nişantaşı, an upscale version of the classic esnaf, which has been serving its loyal customers their favorite dishes since 1950. More recent but equally consistent venues include the modern esnaf Yeni Lokanta by the well-known chef Civan Er (who also opened a sister restaurant in London) and Karaköy Lokantası. The newer Mahir Lokantası quickly became a favorite with its Anatolian stews and freshly prepared lahmacun (Arabic-style pizza) from the stone oven, going on to open a second venue in the Pera neighborhood.

Eat a kebap – an essential İstanbul experience

It’s reductive to assume that Turkish cuisine is only kebap, because it certainly isn’t. But it’s also important to acknowledge its importance. Kebap is everywhere in İstanbul, but Beyti (which also impresses with its fantastic Ottoman-modernist building) has been an institution since 1945 and is one of the main places to eat real kebap. Another important institution is Adana Ocakbaşı, a classic restaurant centered around an open-hearth charcoal grill where you can watch your kebap being expertly prepared. Tatbak in Teşvikiye has been a kebap (but also pide-topped flatbread) favorite for locals since 1960. Çiya Kebap (as well as its sister restaurant Çiya Sofrası serving Anatolian dishes) is another institution on the Asian side, famed for its founder Musa Dağdeviren, a leading expert on Türkiye’s regional cuisines and author of the 500-page Turkish food bible, The Turkish Cookbook. For some of İstanbul’s best döner, look no further than Dönerci Engin Usta`nın Yeri, an unassuming little eatery with very authentic and delectable döner kebap.

Drink rakı in a meyhane 

Istanbul is synonymous with its meyhane, or taverns where rakı (an anise-flavored spirit) is enjoyed with a slew of classic meze dishes such as lakerda (pickled bonito), fava (broad bean puree), or köpoğlu (roasted eggplant dish with yogurt and tomato sauce). A lot of locals head straight to Asmalı Cavit when they’re in the mood for rakı meze, a solid and delicious choice in the central Beyoğlu neighborhood. However, for those yearning for a bit more nostalgia, the historic Safa Meyhanesi, which has a history going back to 1895, is the place to sit under the antique chandeliers, surrounded by old Kulüp Rakı bottles and enjoy chilled glasses of rakı. Equally nostalgic is Balat Sahil Restaurant, a meyhane that has stood the test of time, as well as Madam Despina, named after its owner, İstanbul’s first female meyhane proprietress. For a modern twist on the classic meyhane, the upscale Lokanta Limu and Nuran Teşvikiye offer the tavern feeling with updated and more creative meze dishes and a more contemporary decor.

Dine on fish fresh from the Bosphorus

Parted by the famous Bosphorus, İstanbul’s fish markets, fishers and fish restaurants are also iconic. Classics include Balıkçı Sabahattin inside an Ottoman-era wooden house in the Old City, Rumeli Hisari Iskele Restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus, Ismet Baba in the beautifully renovated Kuzguncuk neighborhood, and Bebek Balikçı in the wealthy Bebek neighborhood. Order a few meze dishes before choosing from the seasonal fish, preferably grilled and served with a slice of lemon. For something a bit more casual, grab a table at Suna’nin Yeri to watch the sun set over the Bosphorus whilst eating grilled seabass and fried calamari, and drinking a cold beer or rakı.

Don't miss modern Turkish fine dining

Modern Turkish dining has evolved greatly since the days of classic and respected upscale restaurants like Borsa Kandilli, which has been around since 1927. New chef restaurants, focused wholly on the multitude of Türkiye’s regional cuisines and their history, have altered Istanbul’s culinary landscape for the better. Apart from the renowned two Michelin-starred TURK by chef Fatih Tutak, Turkish haute cuisine can be found at Herise, a tasting menu restaurant by Bahadır Boğatır and Asude Akınlı Boğatır delving beautifully into traditional Anatolian dishes that were almost forgotten. Similarly, chef Sinem Özler is cooking dishes from the centuries-old Anatolian civilizations and staying true to its original form at Seraf Vadi.

Restaurants like Neolokal, Aheste, Hodan, Serica, and Mürver are redefining the modern Turkish kitchen, experimenting with techniques, old flavors, and new outlooks, in kitchens and dining rooms that match international standards of fine dining. On a side street in the Beyoğlu neighborhood, Gün Lokantası impresses with its New York City-style bistro interior and its “local food with Istanbul soul” paired with boutique Turkish wines. While Lokanta Hayvore presents classic Karadeniz (Black Sea region) food in a modern setting, Alaf explores the nomadic cuisines of Anatolian lands. And a bit outside the city center (but very much worth the metro rides) chef and author Ömür Akkor’s Natolia also celebrates and revives Anatolia’s indigenous dishes, as well as his special cafe Otto Bite, serving Turkish coffee with patisserie-grade halvah desserts.

Sample wines from Turkish grape varieties

Exploring Istanbul’s modern dining scene wouldn’t be complete without delving into its new wave of wine bars that are focused on boutique vineyards passionate about reviving endemic Turkish grape varieties. Head to Foxy, founded by the wine expert Levon Bağış and famed chef Maksut Aşkar, to get an introduction to Turkish wines, including Bağış’s own wine label, Yaban Kolektif (set on reviving ancient vines) and to nibble on excellent appetizers specially created by some of the city’s best chefs. The newly opened Bağ Pera is another education in Turkish wines in a candle-lit atmosphere surrounded, wall-to-ceiling, by local vintages. Solera, one of İstanbul’s first real wine bars, as well as Comedus and 316 Wine Bar, are also important venues expressing the city’s newfound love for local wine.

Make a weekend of it with a gourmet stay at The Barn

If you have the time and a rental car, head about an hour's drive from İstanbul to The Barn, chef Buğra Özdemir’s zero-waste, farm-to-table restaurant whose dishes extend from Thrace to the Western Black Sea region as well as Scandinavia. Book a room in the boutique hotel, and enjoy dishes such as Karadeniz Turbot, from the chef’s fishers in Silivri, with earthy mushrooms, lemon verbena, and crisp vine leaf from the restaurant’s own garden.