Refined in Istanbul

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

Brasserie-attached cigar room on the Vadistanbul side

The Stay's small rooftop above Bebek Hotel, intimate, signature cocktails, fairy-tale Bosphorus straight onto the bay.

Kempinski's waterfront aperitivo terrace, Italian spritz ritual over the Bosphorus

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

Grand Tarabya's second-floor bar, a Bosphorus-bay cocktail terrace.

Wide Bosphorus terrace lounge for sundown cigars and the city's best afternoon tea

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

İskele-side brasserie with proper cocktail list under the bridge

Authentic Japanese by Chef Horikoshi with omakase by reservation

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

Glass-domed rooftop cigar room over the historical peninsula

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

Shangri-La's lobby bar, jewel-box interior, sharing plates, signature cocktails until 1am

Forbes 2025 Star Bar set in the palace gardens

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

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

Panoramic CVK lounge with live performers and a proper bar program

Sipping bubbles at the water's edge as the call to prayer echoes

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

Marble columns, Bosphorus terrace, Ottoman cocktails by the sultan's harem hall

Gault & Millau-listed yalı for marinated lüfer and rakı

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

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

Glass jewel-box of vintage champagne with sommelier service

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