Places in Istanbul

18,000 sqm of cutting-edge contemporary art

Historic 1945 waterfront cafe - the intellectual's haunt

Legendary Anatolian home cooking from a culinary anthropologist

Nordic-style specialty coffee with cult-status brownie

Legendary profiteroles since 1944

Renzo Piano's contemporary art museum on the waterfront

Five generations of baklava perfection

Kadıköy's beloved neighborhood cocktail gem

Three-story bookstore-cafe with 45,000 books and terrace dining

Asian side's specialty coffee destination since 2014

Istanbul's original wine bar championing Turkish wines

Eastern Turkish breakfast specialties from Van

Classic Bosphorus fish restaurant loved by locals

No-menu fish market dining by Galata Bridge

Best lamb burger in Istanbul with smoked ribs

Traditional patisserie and legendary sundaes in Kadıköy

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

Digital arts focus with Bosphorus views from Perili Kosk

Bağdat Caddesi's 30-year award-winning institution

Unlimited Turkish breakfast with legendary bazlama bread

Etiler's new neighborhood gastropub

Global bean selection in Beyoğlu's creative heart

Joyful specialty coffee shop in the heart of Bebek since 2013

Gourmet deli with exceptional burrata and sandwiches

Cihangir's first meyhane with Bosphorus balcony views

Pioneer of Turkish gastropub culture with 70+ craft beers

Authentic New York-style bagels in Moda

Unique fermentation techniques for exceptional pizza

Cihangir's day-to-night neighborhood favorite

Best Turkish delight since 1777

Black Sea regional cuisine with Gault Millau recognition

Huge yet cozy gastropub in the heart of Beşiktaş

Coffee cocktails and creative brews in Karaköy

Celebrity-founded roastery with house-roasted beans

Third-generation family meyhane since 1938

Legendary brownies and 233K Instagram followers on Bağdat Caddesi

Modern twist on traditional Turkish home-cooking

Authentic Gaziantep cuisine in the heart of Karaköy

Beloved lokanta serving exceptional Eastern Turkish cuisine since generations

Bosnian cuisine by famous actor Ilker Ayrik

Specialty coffee pioneer with multiple brewing methods

Street flavors reimagined with fine dining sensibility

Istanbul's legendary breakfast deli since forever

Istanbul's legendary live music venue since 2002

All-day brasserie with exceptional brunch and garden setting

Quality burgers on Istanbul's Anatolian Side

Authentic charcoal grill away from the action

Istanbul's oldest wine house since 1898

Louvre collaborations and Orientalist masterpieces

Fresh croissants and surprise cilbir in Moda

Legendary Beyoğlu meyhane (1954-2020), now closed

Italian stone oven pizza with top-quality ingredients

Fresh homemade pasta in charming Moda

Cihangir's beloved bohemian cafe-bar

One of Turkey's finest artisan ice creams

US-style sourdough perfection on Bağdat Caddesi

1960s Gaziantep lahmacun and kebab institution with vintage charm

Best Guinness in Istanbul with classic Irish atmosphere

Istanbul's craft beer destination in historic Bomonti Brewery

Historic 1919 family lokanta in Kadıköy with timeless Turkish classics

Istanbul's finest craft beer selection with gastropub fare

Tower-foot jazz bar in a former mosaic workshop

Long-running Italian-influenced bar tucked behind Bebek Hamamı

Cocktail-gastropub from the Joker No:19 crew spilling onto the Avenue, garden, relaxed, serious drinks

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

Quiet Jurnal Sokak şaraphanesi pouring small Anatolian producers and Georgian qvevri

Haydarpaşa-station-themed cafe-bar that turns into a wine and beer hangout after dark.

Three-storey 19th-century Greek house turned wine room

Sakız Gülü corner with a hidden garden and rooftop terrace; deep beer pour, neighborhood crowd.

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

Hidden 350m² walled garden of lemon and linden trees

Sofyalı Sokak gastropub crossing serious cocktails with a tight Turkish wine list

Tiny Karakolhane corner pub run by Koray and Elif; deep beer list, zero pretense.

Tekel-fronted natural wine cellar on a Halaskargazi side street

Balyan-brothers building turned bookshop where regulars sip wine after dark

Tiny Tünel wine room famous among regulars for its mulled wine and queer-friendly door

Long-table sidewalk pub on Sakız Gülü with a deep beer menu and weekly events.

Twenty-four-tap craft beer bar on Ferah Sokağı, the Sarıyer original's central outpost

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

Cevdet Paşa cafe-bar with Bebek-old-guard regulars

Ten-tap Somx microbrewery with a vinyl wall and DJ booth on Jurnal Sokak

Kilyos kite-school beach club, family-leaning, summer only.

Cobblestone Mumhane gastropub, outdoor tables, neighborhood crowd

Three-floor 1960s gastropub on Bankalar corner

Tea, light plates and salads on the water beside İstinye iskelesi

Brick-lined snug pub with live blues, rock and jazz seven nights a week

Gile chef's tribute to Marmaris roots, Gault & Millau 2026 Best Street Food

Izmir's cult macaronier on Caddebostan Plaj Yolu

Neighborhood şarküteri where you point and they plate

A pilot-and-stewardess couple's quiet corner off Bağdat

German-style beer garden with Weihenstephaner on tap and a real backyard

Asian side's most serious craft beer list, deep Gara Guzu shelf

Moda side-street all-day bar, proper cocktails at kind prices

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

Neighborhood coffee-and-butter bakeshop

Intimate nightly jazz, blues and soul off İstiklal

Kadife Sokak classic with a downstairs stage and a different band every night

Balat roaster with a Probatino in the center of the shop

Third-wave roaster's 2025 landing on the Anatolian avenue

Barrel-room entrance, 100+ craft beers, garden in back, serious since 2012

The quieter Kilyos alternative, surfing, kiteboarding, sand bar.

Multi-level gastropub with the strongest Turkish craft tap list in Moda, plus serious Belgian and German bottles

Third-wave pioneer of the Asian side, brewing since 2013

Stone-milled organic flour, aged sourdough, open until it sells out

A quiet Aegean-air meyhane behind Beşiktaş fish market

Tight Moda Caddesi bar with a deep beer fridge and a surprisingly serious cocktail menu, distinct from the Şaşkınbakkal Fil

Kadıköy-spirit bistro-bar that happens to sit on the avenue

Alleyway bar run by Turkey and world bartending champion Onurcan Gençer

Caddebostan all-day bakery with serious croissants and egg plates

MSA-trained pastry chef's handmade tarts and sugar-free sweets

Akarsu brick-walled third-wave roastery by day, standing-room cocktail hang by night.

Melbourne-trained founders bringing Australian single-origin standards

Beans scoring 90+ SCA, roasted by a 2025 Türkiye champion

Home-party-style Topağacı bar with assertive cocktails and a real neighborhood crowd.

Nişantaşı sibling of the legendary Beşiktaş gastro-pub with craft beer and whiskey.

Street-level micro-bar on Esat Işık, creative cocktails, vinyl-leaning music, no-frills Kadıköy at its best

Seaside breakfast with small-producer ingredients

Compact meze-first meyhane steps from the marina

Terrace tucked below Rumeli Hisarı's ramparts, shadow of the fortress on one side, the Bosphorus narrowing on the other.

35+ years of pier-side fish, buckets in front of diners

Second chapter from the Urban/Boden team, classic and signature cocktails

Cold War–era Soviet space-program aesthetic on Topağacı Meydanı.

Two-time Turkish Brewers Cup champion's first retail lab

Kronotrop's largest Caddebostan location: three floors, deep garden

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

Tiny family pizzeria with perfect thin crust

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

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

Cihangir duplex tapas bar with a balcony and neighborhood regulars

Kapadokya-rooted wine bar bringing cellared bottles to the avenue

Wood-coal döner with Kepsut thyme and Konya lavash

Three MSA-trained pastry chefs reworking classic European pâtisserie

A Kadıköy balcony meyhane rotating with the market

Owner-run third-wave pioneer that defined Suadiye coffee culture

Direct-trade single origins roasted in-house since 2013

Usla Academy-trained chefs making buns fresh daily

SCA-champion roaster, barista represented Turkey at Worlds

Two women, home-style breakfast since 2008

Pioneer specialty coffee roastery with training center

Pool-deck pub at Watergarden's show-fountain edge, noon-to-2am

Low-ceilinged Kadife Sokak room with a downstairs fireplace, the quiet, cozy counterweight to Barlar Sokağı

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

In-house roasting with rotating guest-roaster program

Cycling culture meets specialty coffee on the Caddebostan coast

Ground-floor hotel bar where the Foxy crowd spills over for DJs and late drinks.

Living-room cocktail den on a Cihangir side-street, foreign correspondents, local hipsters, the Egeli Mojito.

130 years of rakı-table ritual in Yedikule

Yeldeğirmeni corner spot with house-recipe cocktails and craft beers

Şemsettin Günaltay's after-work gastro-pub with a cocktail menu that actually tries

Istanbul's only genuine Irish pub since 1996, off Nevizade

Adana street-kebap heat on an Erenköy side-street

Rimini-trained Veronica Villa's daily gelato

Roaster-first shop from the Küçük Çamlıca workshop

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

Selamiçeşme-end pub from the team that helped define modern Moda, long bar, dim lighting, genuine delicatessen kitchen

Corner pub off İstiklal where free live music spills into the street

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

Three-bridge Bosphorus panorama from Fethi Pasa Korusu hilltop garden

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

French-influenced coffee with signature orange cold espresso and unique cup service

Stone-oven bakery with Balat's best croissants and weekend Turkish breakfast

Cult Izmir-style breakfast with cast-iron tulum cheese and vegan options

Former metal workshop anchoring Karaköy's creative revival since 2011

Garden setting, reusable cups, sustainability-focused by Büyük Sefler group

Turkey's pioneering third-wave roastery, owned by Mehmet Gurs's Istanbul Food & Beverage Group (acquired 2014)

French-inspired patisserie in Çengelköy village with a la carte lunch

Best croissants in Kadıköy: cruffins, Saint Honore, gluten-free options

Bosphorus-view ocakbasi: organic Kars breakfast mornings, charcoal-grilled evenings

Nostalgic meyhane in Bostancı with honest mezes and late-night raki culture

Converted historic boathouse: Moda coast's most scenic all-day venue

Seasonal brunch with non-standard pastries for the Pera crowd

Since 1966 on Moda Caddesi: profiterol, milfoy, cheesecake, never dropped quality

60+ organic Anatolian specialties with Bosphorus views

Ottoman-era confectionery since 1807: Turkish delight and akide craftsmanship

48-hour sourdough and French-inspired pastries anchoring Akaretler mornings

Proper Napoli-style with San Marzano, fermented dough, and standout tiramisu

Three-chef collaboration: egg hummus to gochujang bucatini, all day

360-degree Bosphorus panorama from Istanbul's highest hill, breakfast through dinner

Family-run with 100-year-old antique cups, magical garden, legendary breakfast

Buttered croissants and creative all-day plates with serious ambition

50 varieties of mezze in a 120-year-old building facing Sureyya Opera

Labyrinth of candlelit nooks defining Kadıköy's creative DNA

Newer Moda ocakbasi with generous smoky portions

Cult burger joint with the Jetlag Buster triple-cheddar

Kadıköy's most queued weekend brunch destination

Three sisters' intimate Italian with 72-hour fermented Roman pizza

Cocktails in a stone-walled historic space until 2:30AM

Light-filled brunch with granola bowls and aromatic coffees

Poetry-inspired meyhane in a century-old garden

Southern Italian flavors that put Moda on the gastronomy map

The anchor restaurant inside Kadıköy's historic fish market

Multi-level candlelit bar that shaped Kadıköy's music scene since 1996

Neighborhood anchor in Yeldeğirmeni's evolving food scene

All-day craft beer, street food and cocktails in industrial Kadıköy

Vintage wine house with fireplace on Bars Street

Regional organic breakfast opposite Yogurtcu Park

Weekend pilgrimage for Kadıköy's brunch devotees

Iconic Moda brunch spot with legendary pancakes

Seven regional breakfast sets named after Anatolian villages

Authentic handmade pasta in historic Sultanahmet