Casual in Istanbul

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

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

Café by day, a loose Arnavutköy bar with DJ nights by dark, the most informal room on the strip.

Paris-bistro-in-Bomonti, Kojo Hospitality's French-Turkish fusion with a kitchen that gives the bar a reason to exist

Neighborhood bistro that turns into a late cocktail room, the kind of address Bebek residents list when asked for 'somewhere normal'.

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

Cult burger joint with the Jetlag Buster triple-cheddar

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

Gayrettepe English-pub-style brewpub, 8 house taps of real ales and lagers, the craft-beer brewery for Levent's after-work crowd

Kadıköy's most queued weekend brunch destination

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

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

Divan Group's gastropub in a historic Akaretler row-house

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

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

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

Two-floor bistro-bar a few steps off Ortaköy pier, Bosphorus view, locals over tourists

Artisanal Bronx-inspired burgers with daily-ground beef

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

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

All-day Mediterranean kitchen turning into a cocktail-led night spot

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

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

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

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

Creative sushi and ramen on the Asian side

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

Modern Neapolitan with imported San Marzano tomatoes

4th-generation Neapolitan pizza with 24-hour leavened dough

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

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

Black Truffle Burger and Parmesan Frites

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

Turkey's original craft brewery in a three-story seaside Bebek mansion, Kölsch, Smoked Lager, and a full kitchen.

1960s Gaziantep lahmacun and kebab institution with vintage charm

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

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

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

Cobblestone Mumhane gastropub, outdoor tables, neighborhood crowd

Three-floor 1960s gastropub on Bankalar corner

Pioneer of Turkish gastropub culture with 70+ craft beers

Istanbul's finest craft beer selection with gastropub fare

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

Newer Moda ocakbasi with generous smoky portions

Pioneer of Kadıköy's third-wave coffee movement

The anchor restaurant inside Kadıköy's historic fish market

Iconic Moda brunch spot with legendary pancakes

Expert Anatolian grill on Fener Kalamış Caddesi