Classic in Istanbul

Sultan's palace on the Bosphorus

19th-century Ottoman waterfront mansions reimagined

Former Ottoman bank transformed into boutique luxury

Former Ottoman prison transformed into cozy luxury

Five generations of baklava perfection

Art Deco heritage hotel in Giulio Mongeri's 1922 masterpiece

Orient Express heritage since 1892

19th-century raki distillery on the Asian shore

Upper-tier fish house on Operatör Cemil Topuzlu

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

Traditional Ottoman craftsmanship in the classic-elegant heart

Boğaz-narrowest fish house with full bar program since 1967

Burgazada's Rum meyhane legacy lands in Bostancı

Istanbul's legendary patisserie since 1923, home of Kup Griye

Intimate nightly jazz, blues and soul off İstiklal

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

Historic ferry pier dining with unobstructed Bosphorus Bridge views

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

A quiet Aegean-air meyhane behind Beşiktaş fish market

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

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

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

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

Compact meze-first meyhane steps from the marina

Marina-facing grill, seasoned Fenerbahçe regulars

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

Nevizade's 1941 original, no singing, just rakı

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

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

Old-style neighbourhood meyhane near Akaretler

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

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

23-year Nevizade meyhane named for a Can Yücel poem

Rooftop seafood house with Marmara view

The Tarabya fish crescent local without the tourist markup.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Istanbul's legendary breakfast deli since forever

1895 neo-classical mansion reborn as Luxury Collection hotel

Inside Zuma's old Bosphorus mansion, slow-cooked baby octopus, oysters on ice, real cocktail program

Armenian mezes on Nevizade, topik, midye dolma, patlıcanlı pilav

Ferit Sarper's anthracite-walled modern meyhane with a proper bar