5. Kat Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Waterfront 5. Kat Cihangir $$$ Cihangir rooftop institution since 1993 with a real Bosphorus view
Ağaç Ev Bar Bar Confronta Casual Live Music Ağaç Ev Kadıköy $$ Brick-lined snug pub with live blues, rock and jazz seven nights a week
Berlin Platz Pub Bar Bar Confronta Casual Local Berlin Platz Pub Kadıköy $$ German-style beer garden with Weihenstephaner on tap and a real backyard
Bira Fabrikası Bar Bar Confronta Casual Local Bira Fabrikası Kadıköy $$ Asian side's most serious craft beer list, deep Gara Guzu shelf
Boden Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Boden Moda $$ Moda side-street all-day bar, proper cocktails at kind prices
HuQQa Kuruçeşme Bar Bar Confronta Classic Waterfront HuQQa Kuruçeşme Kuruçeşme $$$ The city's flagship Bosphorus-side shisha-and-cocktail lounge, a Kuruçeşme nightlife fixture
Karloff Bar Bar Confronta Speakeasy Vintage Theatrical Karloff Nişantaşı $$$ Former antique shop turned speakeasy: billiards, vintage decor, theatrical cocktails
Klein Garten Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Waterfront Klein Garten Beyoğlu $$$ Tepebaşı rooftop with Golden Horn view and ethno-house program
Kompartıman Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Kompartıman Yeldeğirmeni $$ Second chapter from the Urban/Boden team, classic and signature cocktails
Le Fumoir at Georges Hotel Galata Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Le Fumoir at Georges Hotel Galata Galata $$$$ Velvet-curtained rooftop over Galata with French bistro kitchen
Liminal Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Liminal Suadiye $$$$ 2024 World Class Turkey champion's sustainability-led cocktail room
Mellow Cihangir Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Mellow Cihangir Cihangir $$ Cihangir duplex tapas bar with a balcony and neighborhood regulars
Ney'le Mey'le Bar Bar Confronta Classic Authentic Traditional Turkish Ney'le Mey'le Beyoğlu $$$ 23-year Nevizade meyhane named for a Can Yücel poem
Park Fora Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Park Fora Kuruçeşme $$$$ Michelin-listed seafood institution whose sunset cocktail bar is a genuine Bosphorus ritual
Rooftail Galata Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Rooftail Galata Karaköy $$$ Jigger Istanbul's flagship, signature cocktails with Turkish bitters
Ruuz Bar Bar Confronta Marina Creative Social Ruuz Kalamış $$$ Kalamis Marina views with creative cocktails and proper kitchen
The Badau Bar Bar Confronta Live Music Cozy Classic The Badau Yeldeğirmeni $$$ Gastro-jazz lokanta run by jazz musician Eren Noyan with a proper stage
The Cure Yeldeğirmeni Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern The Cure Yeldeğirmeni Yeldeğirmeni $$ Yeldeğirmeni corner spot with house-recipe cocktails and craft beers
The James Joyce Irish Pub Bar Bar Confronta Casual Live Music The James Joyce Irish Pub Beyoğlu $$ Istanbul's only genuine Irish pub since 1996, off Nevizade
Ziba Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Ziba Beyoğlu $$ Corner pub off İstiklal where free live music spills into the street
Finn Karaköy Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Finn Karaköy Karaköy $$ Alleyway bar run by Turkey and world bartending champion Onurcan Gençer
Gina Bar Bar Confronta See & Be Seen Modern Gina Kuruçeşme $$$$ Gault & Millau-awarded Italian with a refined Bosphorus-side bar