Refined in Istanbul

Retro-boutique hotel bar at the marina entrance, seasonal cocktails

Boğaz-narrowest fish house with full bar program since 1967

Bar side of Four Seasons' Bosphorus seafood room, terrace to the water, Mediterranean pours

Gül Sultan mansion, Bosphorus, rakı, fish

Wood-panelled clubby signature bar at the Ottoman palace, elite spirits library

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

Artisan macarons and sourdough pastries above Istanbul's standard

After-work cocktail room on Büyükdere for the Levent towers

Cognac, cigar and Friday-night jazz inside the Ottoman shipyard

Historic Refi Pasa Yali turned upscale breakfast with Bosphorus-front setting

Pier-tip bar-lounge with live music surrounded by sea on three sides

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

Glass-domed rooftop cigar room over the historical peninsula

Lobby brasserie and terrace at Hilton Bosphorus, all jewel-box finishes and crafted drinks

Pigalle ve MiniBar ekibinden izakaya esintili Japon tapas barı, vinil geceleri.

Istanbul twist on Raffles Singapore's original Long Bar, nightly live music

Fifth-floor warm dive defending old Beyoğlu's spirit

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

Belle-Époque hotel bar where Agatha Christie drank, literature nights, Friday live jazz, Istanbul-narrative cocktails.

2026 opening in restored 19th-century Hovagimyan Han

The Tarabya fish crescent local without the tourist markup.

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

Panoramic CVK lounge with live performers and a proper bar program

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

14th-floor sushi-and-cocktails bar overlooking both continents

Hilltop Baltalimanı panorama, bar open until 2am.

Water-edge House Café flagship, two terraces, full bar, summer DJ weekends

English gentlemen's-club style bar with whiskey, cognac and live music six nights.

27-storey Ataşehir tower with a proper lobby-bar cocktail hour

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

Gault & Millau-listed yalı for marinated lüfer and rakı

Ottoman-motif velvet lobby bar inside the Akaretler row-house W, late DJ sets

Four Seasons Bosphorus lounge on one of the best terraces on the water

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.

Istanbul's pre-eminent 1980 classic bar – stained glass, live music, real regulars.

Hagia Sophia-and-Marmara cocktail terrace at Four Seasons Sultanahmet

Glass jewel-box of vintage champagne with sommelier service

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

The Nişantaşı 1980s power-lunch institution moved Bosphorus-side, 30-plus crowd, private pier, classic cocktails

St. Regis lobby bar where the Misty Mary is poured under dry ice

138 whiskies, six guided malt tours, one chef-curated pairing