Places in Istanbul

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

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

Chef with Ramsay & Robuchon pedigree meets Istanbul wine cellar

Heritage seafood since 1952

Elegant French brasserie with retractable roof and live music

Last great Ottoman hammam, built 1741

Homemade liqueurs and inventive cocktails in Beyoğlu

Rooftop cocktails with panoramic Marmara views

Berlin-inspired industrial techno temple

360° panorama of Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Golden Horn

Panoramic Princes Islands views with sunset cocktails

Authentic Greek taverna with Bosphorus views and Thessaloniki flavors

Turkey's premier whiskey bar with 435+ labels

Creative hub in classic-elegant Palazzo Corpi

Electronic music festivals on the Black Sea

Modern seafood with signature fish in dough

Former Ottoman bank transformed into boutique luxury

London pub ambiance with craft cocktails

408 wines from 72 producers on the Asian side

Michelin Bib Gourmand Italian in Kadıköy

Epitome of Istanbul meyhane culture

Legendary cultural hub and live music venue since 1999

Sophisticated cocktails from the Paolina creators

16th-century gem fully restored in Tophane

All-day brunch haven with Bosphorus panoramas

Modern meyhane reviving classic tavern culture with stone oven mezes

TV chef Arda Turkmen's rooftop meyhane with Golden Horn views

Michelin Bib Gourmand seafood on the Asian side

19th-century raki distillery on the Asian shore

Michelin Bib Gourmand rooftop with Golden Horn and historic skyline views

Global fusion brasserie by Happy Group on Bağdat Caddesi

1881 Camondo legacy in a restored stone cellar

Historic 1914 wine house with garden oasis

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.

Morgans Original in a restored warehouse

Craft cocktails in Caferağa's creative heart

All-day venue that flips into a cocktail bar with workshops and guest DJs after sunset.

Swissotel's see-and-be-seen rooftop with DJ sets

Boutique hotel at the marina gate with a chef's kitchen

Fixed-menu meyhane with live musicians between tables, winters Kalamis summers Yalikavak

Late-2025 waterfront bar with a beachfront terrace

Cihangir rooftop institution since 1993 with a real Bosphorus view

World cuisines meets Antakya aromatic culture in Akaretler row house

1890 Greek-captain meyhane on the Golden Horn shore

Slow food philosophy meets Middle Eastern meze in historic Beyoğlu

Industrial-chic grill house with Bib Gourmand recognition

Traditional Ottoman craftsmanship in the classic-elegant heart

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

Michelin-noted bistro where even the inspectors mentioned the young hip crowd

Nordic-minimalist side-street bar with a seasonal menu and serious cocktail list.

Ex-Periferi chef's own kitchen: bold menu, intimate room

Live jazz, refined cocktails and dining inside Khai Hotel Karaköy

Bosphorus garden classic since 1997, brunch by day, full bar and cocktails after dark

Seasonal kitchen and an opinionated Turkish wine cellar on the quiet Mühürdar slope, adults-only, no menus in seven languages

Historic charm meets modern cocktails in Bebekoy

Turkish viticulture by the glass at the Tünel mouth, 85 boutique producers, no foreign-name flex

Classic Bosphorus seafood with refined mezes

Asmalımescit sixth-floor terrace with Golden Horn sunsets

Dry-aged specialty with dryage cabinets on display

Compact neighborhood cocktail bar behind the avenue

Burgazada's Rum meyhane legacy lands in Bostancı

Garden restaurant and rooftop bar with triple-vista views in Galata

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

Fifty-year-old Bebek Hotel bar where dressed-up locals watch the Bosphorus

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

Villa dining in the old Tribeca space, homemade-syrup cocktails, open-kitchen ambition

Cocktails + rakı/meze + live music on the Akaretler row-house strip

Gül Sultan mansion, Bosphorus, rakı, fish

Three-story Kadife Sokak townhouse with a garden pool and a stone lion

Chef Marcello Micci's Tuscan kitchen on Bağdat Caddesi with 120-person garden

Michelin Guide 2026 new entry inside the Ataturk Cultural Center

Beyoğlu's serious 400-cap live room, international bookings (Sextile, Hugo Kant), no tribute bands

Chef-driven fine-casual seafood with daily catch and creative small plates

Tucked-in Sakız Gülü wine bar with a tight, evolving Turkish-focused list.

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

Sea-view rooftop meyhane reworking Greek, Sephardic and Turkish meze with a real bar.

Best breakfast near Galata Tower

Thirty-five years of fasıl evenings by Bostancı station

Cem Mirap (Lucca) brasserie at İstinye Park, designed by Roman & Williams

500+ bottle local-focused wine room next to Göztepe Park

Authentic Antioch heritage cuisine in atmospheric Cihangir setting

Warm hospitality and live music in historic Asmalimescit

Square-side Ortaköy classic since 1988, meze, rakı and a renovated upper terrace under the bridge

34th-floor rooftop: Japanese bites, creative cocktails, jazz nights

Emre Şen / Morini team's all-day Mediterranean at İstinye Park

Istanbul's pioneering Thai restaurant since 2006

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

Living-room-sized wine bar with charcuterie that punches above the General Yazgan address

Twenty-year-old Asmalı cocktail room with Tuesday Turkish-music nights and a regulars-only feel

Restored building opposite Beymen with refined Italian cuisine

French-inflected kitchen with seasonal local producers capturing Moda's bohemian spirit

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

Seasonal Italian since 1993 in a villa setting

Istanbul's first true Italian since 1993, on imported flour and stone-oven pizza

Turkey's first female-chef-led ocakbaşı, Bosphorus-facing terrace, 8m fire

Cafe by day, hi-fi cocktail bar by night on Şakayık

Legendary kebab institution with 1200-seat marina views since 1997

Onur Balk's award-winning mixology with global street food

Classic waterfront brasserie with its own private pier

Harbor-side brasserie with marina views and weekend live music

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

Fifty-plus years on Bağdat, the Anatolian side's classic pub

Mediterranean brasserie with garden setting and original flair

New-generation meyhane with Golden Horn views and 80s vibes

Watergarden havuz katında meyhane-pub melezi; küratörlü şarap, ekspert kokteyl.

Dancing and cocktails in fashionable Nişantaşı

Renowned Bosphorus seafood with 5 experienced chef-partners

Locally sourced aged meats in cozy atmosphere

Greek-Turkish seafood with Golden Horn views

Charming Greek-style seafood tavern near the marina

Berlin-feeling daylight cafe with Dutch babies and serious coffee

Authentic Adana kebab with unique lamb maki style

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

Authentic Italian by MasterChef judge Danilo Zanna

İstinye Bay fish lokantası in the old Süreyya Restaurant building since 2004

Artisan macarons and sourdough pastries above Istanbul's standard

Dimly lit Esat Işık room pairing classics-first cocktails with a short, serious kitchen

Day-to-night high-fidelity bar and bakery on Hüsrev Gerede

Reservation-only contemporary dining with cocktail focus

Maksut Askar and Levon Bagis pair Anatolian grapes with endangered regional plates.

Turkey's pioneering natural wine bar by Maksut Askar

Selectist's harbour-side hi-fi house with Funktion One sound

Expertly crafted cocktail menu refreshed every ten days

Microphone-free fasıl ensemble in a restored 20-year house, the real version of what Sultanahmet sells tourists

After-work cocktail room on Büyükdere for the Levent towers

Where creative design meets fantastic food in Topagaci

Topağacı neighborhood bar with a sharp cocktail list and a proper local crowd.

Historic waterfront yali next to Anadoluhisari fortress with fresh daily catch

Chef Alp Çekici's reinterpretation of meyhane culture

Small Bebek room with 20+ wines by the glass, Bosphorus-edge tables, and the early-evening crowd that owns the neighborhood.

Bosphorus-side live-rock institution out at Burunbahçe

1871 Pera wine house in the Hazzopulo Pasajı arcade, intellectuals' canteen, not a museum

Art Nouveau Ottoman pavilion in Cubuklu forest with Bosphorus views and garden dining

70-seat fish house at the Göksu estuary

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

Michelin-recommended chef reinterpreting Turkish gastronomy in a garden oasis

Spanish tapas and curated DJ nights in the old Rua room

Glass-enclosed rooftop at DoubleTree Moda

Small Teşvikiye cocktail room with a considered signature list.

The city's flagship Bosphorus-side shisha-and-cocktail lounge, a Kuruçeşme nightlife fixture

Small family trattoria with Michelin 3-pearl mention

The Asian side's oldest real Italian, since 1990

Chef Utku's southern Italian in a Caddebostan villa garden

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

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

Neighbourhood listening bar on Ahmet Fetgeri with vinyl-only program

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

Bohemian backstreet cocktail den off Necatibey

Modern twist on traditional Turkish cuisine with daily-changing market menu

Former antique shop turned speakeasy: billiards, vintage decor, theatrical cocktails

Legendary Antep cuisine with poolside elegance

Marina-facing grill, seasoned Fenerbahçe regulars

Cihangir garden-club where DJs push funk, disco, chill house past midnight

Modern meyhane in historic brewery walls with lentil 'ice cream' signature

Tepebaşı rooftop with Golden Horn view and ethno-house program

Aegean-style seafood in Moda

Nevizade's 1941 original, no singing, just rakı

New-generation kebap rethinking ocakbasi culture

Bosphorus bistro elegance from morning to night

One legendary steak, one unforgettable experience

Rooftop dining with stunning Bosphorus views near Galataport

Narrative-driven cocktail room on Moda Caddesi where each drink is a paragraph, not a prop

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

Chef-driven lokanta by day, modern meyhane by night on the Bosphorus

Bosphorus-front institution: elaborate breakfast plus fresh-catch seafood

Old-style neighbourhood meyhane near Akaretler

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

A park-keeper's hut built over the water, windows on three sides, classic mezes and full rakı/wine bar

Gault&Millau Top 500 Bars list, bartender-driven Etiler outpost of the Alaçatı original

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

The former Babylon Kilyos, now curated music festival beach.

Reimagined '5 Cocktails & More', craft cocktails with sushi pairing

Michelin-starred chef Michael White's handmade pasta since 2013

Spanish tapas reimagined with Anatolian flavors at Galataport

Fusion cuisine pioneer by MasterChef judge Mehmet Yalcinkaya

Exclusively Turkish-sourced: octopus orzo and lamb shank on farmers' pasta

Intimate Fenerbahçe-park-side cocktail room tucked off Bağdat on Faruk Ayanoğlu, the quiet alternative to Suadiye

23-year Nevizade meyhane named for a Can Yücel poem

Turkey's first authentic Vietnamese restaurant with genuinely excellent pho

House Cafe stable's tiny day-to-night cocktail room on Atiye Sokak

House Cafe's neighborhood-bar sibling, coffee by day, DJ nights Thu-Sat

Moda's most arty cocktail bar with mixology that takes itself seriously without being precious

In-house sourdough, brioche, granola, breakfast until 5pm

New-generation Teşvikiye meyhane – contemporary meze, raki, serious pours.

The Moda sushi favourite on a quiet Erenköy side-street

Rooftop Aegean seafood with marina panoramas and live music

White-tablecloth modern meyhane on a Kurtuluş back street, run by veteran Bülent Bey

Refined Aegean fish and raki house across from Kalamis Marina

Lobby-floor jazz room at The Marmara Pera, four nights a week of local and international sets.

Revived heritage brand with contemporary ambition, expanding to Bodrum

5x Turkey champion barman brings Paris to Suadiye