Authentic in Istanbul

The turquoise-tiled Karaköy institution, lokanta by day, meyhane by night, Bib Gourmand 2026.

The corridor's literary meyhane, keeping a guest-book tradition since 1967.

Authentic Greek taverna with Bosphorus views and Thessaloniki flavors

Underground pit-roasted lamb since 1892

A three-storey mansion off Kadıköy's beaten track, meze-first, with a garden of old Turkish records.

Chef İsmail's Cunda-Greek fish house at the Kızıltoprak end of the Cadde, the corridor's rakı-balık default.

Koşuyolu's Aegean meyhane, a proper meze cabinet and a neighborhood that keeps it to itself.

Efkan Kara's Aegean taverna in a Şaşkınbakkal cul-de-sac, meze-first and unbothered by fashion.

Pouring under the Cumhuriyet name since 1923, a hundred mezes a day in the middle of Balık Pazarı.

Burgazada's Rum meyhane legacy lands in Bostancı

Thirty-five years of fasıl evenings by Bostancı station

The original: Chef Khun Nuch, ex-Thai royal family chef, since 2006

20+ years bringing Ayvalik-Cunda flavors: Aegean herbs, olive oil mezes, fresh catch

Authentic Adana kebab with unique lamb maki style

Chef Alp Çekici's reinterpretation of meyhane culture

Michelin-listed culinary archaeology reviving forgotten Anatolian dishes

A hidden meyhane under a 70-year fig tree, Vedat Milor's pick

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

Nevizade's 1941 original, no singing, just rakı

Old-style neighbourhood meyhane near Akaretler

Historic 200-year-old han with lokanta lunch and meyhane evenings

23-year Nevizade meyhane named for a Can Yücel poem

Turkey's first authentic Vietnamese restaurant with genuinely excellent pho

Modern lokanta named for Turkey's first female lawyer

1920s meyhane where Yahya Kemal drank rakı

Asmalımescit's ever-new classic since 1977

Modern Anatolian cuisine by chef-owner Civan Er in Beyoğlu

Bahariye's beloved meyhane in a French-bistro-style room

If it doesn't taste nice, we don't eat it

Turkish-Greek meze heritage in a historic 1896 Pera landmark

Old Style New Generation Meyhane with chef-driven seasonal menus

Bib Gourmand Anatolian cuisine celebrating Five Seas regional traditions

Michelin-listed modern lokanta with fire-focused open kitchen