Places in Istanbul

Michelin-listed ocakbasi with Bosphorus views and premium grilled meats

Cretan family restaurant with 20-meze fixed menu and unlimited drinks

Spanish tapas reimagined with Anatolian flavors at Galataport

Bib Gourmand traditional Turkish grill with sea views on Asian side

1890 Greek-captain meyhane on the Golden Horn shore

Boğaz-narrowest fish house with full bar program since 1967

Over-water fish-meyhane on the Baltalimanı seam.

Sea-view rooftop meyhane reworking Greek, Sephardic and Turkish meze with a real bar.

Square-side Ortaköy classic since 1988 — meze, rakı and a renovated upper terrace under the bridge

Watergarden havuz katında meyhane-pub melezi; küratörlü şarap, ekspert kokteyl.

Aegean meze and charcoal grill on Yeniköy's Köybaşı strip.

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

Microphone-free fasıl ensemble in a restored 20-year house — the real version of what Sultanahmet sells tourists

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

Old-guard yalı seafood and rakı bar — salt-baked levrek, Bosphorus directly underfoot

White-tablecloth modern meyhane on a Kurtuluş back street, run by veteran Bülent Bey

Modern Anatolian meyhane with a strong drinks program

Bağdat Avenue branch of historic Beyoğlu Pano; fasıl music, straight rakı, serious wine cellar

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

Gault & Millau-listed yalı for marinated lüfer and rakı

Candle-lit meyhane in a stone building beside the Armenian church.

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

Tarabya marina fish-house with a working bar program.

Spanish tapas and curated DJ nights in the old Rua room

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

New-generation Teşvikiye meyhane – contemporary meze, raki, serious pours.

The Tarabya fish crescent local without the tourist markup.

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

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

New-gen meyhane inside 110-year-old Ragıp Paşa Mansion