Bar in Istanbul

Curated wines near Galata Tower

1km of Black Sea beach with concerts and pools

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

Restored 1924 White-Russian salon where Atatürk had a permanent table

Late-2025 waterfront bar with a beachfront terrace

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

1890 Greek-captain meyhane on the Golden Horn shore

Boğaz-narrowest fish house with full bar program since 1967

Over-water fish-meyhane on the Baltalimanı seam.

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

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

Tower-foot jazz bar in a former mosaic workshop

270° rooftop terrace above Gümüşsuyu, Bosphorus and peninsula at once

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

Brasserie-attached cigar room on the Vadistanbul side

Lal Dedeoğlu's French Passage hideout, kitchen counter, candlelight

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

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

Inside Zuma's old Bosphorus mansion, slow-cooked baby octopus, oysters on ice, real cocktail program

Long-running Italian-influenced bar tucked behind Bebek Hamamı

Glass jewel-box of vintage champagne with sommelier service

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

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

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

40-year-old Etiler villa reborn as cocktail-led comfort kitchen by chef Hüseyin Kılıç

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

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

Aegean meze and charcoal grill on Yeniköy's Köybaşı strip.

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

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

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

MediterrAsian club-restaurant with DJ Aksak's nu-jazz program

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

Quiet Jurnal Sokak şaraphanesi pouring small Anatolian producers and Georgian qvevri

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

Two-floor Karaköy bar-lounge with serious wine list

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

After-work cocktail room on Büyükdere for the Levent towers

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

Bosphorus-side live-rock institution out at Burunbahçe

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

Three-storey 19th-century Greek house turned wine room

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

İskele-side brasserie with proper cocktail list under the bridge

Upper-floor vinyl room above a Bosphorus nikkei kitchen

Neighbourhood listening bar on Ahmet Fetgeri with vinyl-only program

Bohemian backstreet cocktail den off Necatibey

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

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

Glass-domed rooftop cigar room over the historical peninsula

1980 Sıraselviler wine cellar, Cihangir's reference for natural pours and serious staff advice

Yalı bar literally under the FSM bridge, Med kitchen, serious wine list

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

Hidden 350m² walled garden of lemon and linden trees

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

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

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

Fifth-floor warm dive defending old Beyoğlu's spirit

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

Old-guard yalı seafood and rakı bar, salt-baked levrek, Bosphorus directly underfoot

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

Tekel-fronted natural wine cellar on a Halaskargazi side street

Bistronomie gastropub from the Küff team: long brass bar, kidney pappardelle, late nights.

Wood-fire rooftop with peninsula view, Michelin-recommended

Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi terrace bar under century-old plane trees

Balyan-brothers building turned bookshop where regulars sip wine after dark

Turkey's only rooftop dedicated to reggae, dub and dancehall

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

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

Bodrum-born seafood room with a serious Hi-Fi bar inside

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

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

Pink yalı next to the fortress with a quiet pier-side bar

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

Athinagoras Kostakos kitchen, three bars by Alex Kostenyuk, Belenko design

Long-table sidewalk pub on Sakız Gülü with a deep beer menu and weekly events.

Cemil Topuzlu'da 30 yıllık kurumsal-canlı müzik adresi, soliste kadeh kaldırılan yer.

Red-velvet audiophile bar with craft cocktails and vinyl, beneath the Listening Room.

House-music rooftop facing Galata Tower

Summer-only rooftop above Maçka Palas with skyline-and-Bosphorus sweeps

Twenty-four-tap craft beer bar on Ferah Sokağı, the Sarıyer original's central outpost

Late-night jazz bar with live trios and curated vinyl at the renovated Hilton Bosphorus

Modern Anatolian meyhane with a strong drinks program

9th-floor 360° Bosphorus terrace at the JW

Panoramic CVK lounge with live performers and a proper bar program

Bağdat Avenue branch of historic Beyoğlu Pano; fasıl music, straight rakı, serious wine cellar

Cevdet Paşa cafe-bar with Bebek-old-guard regulars

Mexican small plates, mezcal-forward cocktails, late music on Şair Nedim

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

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

Modern Anatolian kitchen with serious cocktail bar and hidden Teşvikiye garden

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

Tomtom side-street cocktail lab with bartender-led menu

Hi-fi listening room above Michelin-star Arkestra; rotating record collectors, low-lit cocktails.

Seventy-bottle wine bar tucked into Giulio Mongeri's 1922 Art Deco palas

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

Hand-built tiny Şair Nedim cocktail room, speakeasy live music Fridays, smoke inside

Kilyos kite-school beach club, family-leaning, summer only.

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

Cobblestone Mumhane gastropub, outdoor tables, neighborhood crowd

Dim, music-first Sofyalı cocktail room from the new wave, opens late, closes at 02:00

The cognoscenti's mixology lab, sustainable program, workshops, bottle takeout

Three-floor 1960s gastropub on Bankalar corner

Gault & Millau-listed yalı for marinated lüfer and rakı

Candle-lit meyhane in a stone building beside the Armenian church.

Bosphorus-pier classic since 1949 under century-old plane trees.

Tarabya marina fish-house with a working bar program.

Boutique wine and olive house on Emirgan's prettiest backstreet

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

Cihangir rooftop institution since 1993 with a real Bosphorus view

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.

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

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

Istanbul's most prestigious live-music stage, jazz, funk, electronic, indie in an ex-brewery, the Robert-College-kids' institution

Asmalımescit sixth-floor terrace with Golden Horn sunsets

Top-floor terrace bar with arguably the best Bosphorus Bridge + Ortaköy Mosque view in the city

Compact neighborhood cocktail bar behind the avenue

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'.

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

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

Right across from the Bostancı ferry, where locals wait for the Prens Adaları boat

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

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

Gül Sultan mansion, Bosphorus, rakı, fish

Three floors of Anatolian wine in a candlelit Asmalımescit townhouse

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

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

Moda side-street all-day bar, proper cocktails at kind prices

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

Open-air terrace with private Bosphorus-front cabanas

Kadife Sokak classic with a downstairs stage and a different band every night

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

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

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

The quieter Kilyos alternative, surfing, kiteboarding, sand bar.

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

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

Sunset terrace at the marina's edge, classic cocktails and white sails

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

Fatih Akerdem's Hemingway room inside the old American Consulate, 150 Negroni twists and Turkey's only Rakı Cocktails book.

Tight Moda Caddesi bar with a deep beer fridge and a surprisingly serious cocktail menu, distinct from the Şaşkınbakkal Fil

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

Alleyway bar run by Turkey and world bartending champion Onurcan Gençer

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

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

Expertly crafted cocktail menu refreshed every ten days

Waterside mansion cocktails for the Yeniköy yalı row.

Akarsu brick-walled third-wave roastery by day, standing-room cocktail hang by night.

Gault & Millau-awarded Italian with a refined Bosphorus-side bar

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

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

Small Teşvikiye cocktail room with a considered signature list.

Home-party-style Topağacı bar with assertive cocktails and a real neighborhood crowd.

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

Marina-side rooftop with a bartender-led cocktail program

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

Street-level micro-bar on Esat Işık, creative cocktails, vinyl-leaning music, no-frills Kadıköy at its best

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

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

Tepebaşı rooftop with Golden Horn view and ethno-house program

Second chapter from the Urban/Boden team, classic and signature cocktails

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

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

Velvet-curtained rooftop over Galata with French bistro kitchen

Forbes 2025 Star Bar set in the palace gardens

Sloped-alley rooftop on Kumbaracı, once on World's 15 Best Bars, Bosphorus-to-Historic-Peninsula panorama.

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

2024 World Class Turkey champion's sustainability-led cocktail room

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

Gault & Millau-awarded mixology in a minimal, modern Kadıköy room

Cihangir duplex tapas bar with a balcony and neighborhood regulars

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

Kapadokya-rooted wine bar bringing cellared bottles to the avenue

The former Babylon Kilyos, now curated music festival beach.

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

Ferit Sarper's anthracite-walled modern meyhane with a proper bar

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

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

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

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

Aegean meze terrace with live fasıl and a proper raki-ouzo program

Michelin-listed seafood institution whose sunset cocktail bar is a genuine Bosphorus ritual

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

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

Three-storey corner building on the Moda tram line, evening-favourite room with sharing plates and a confident cocktail list

Jigger Istanbul's flagship, signature cocktails with Turkish bitters

The Tarabya fish crescent local without the tourist markup.

Tapas-style plates and a tight cocktail menu on one of Karaköy's busiest lanes.

The Black Sea's original beach-club institution, open June–September.

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

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

Living-room cocktail den on a Cihangir side-street, foreign correspondents, local hipsters, the Egeli Mojito.

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

Hilltop Baltalimanı panorama, bar open until 2am.

Palazzo Corpi ground-floor lounge, the only Soho House bar open to the public, meze-and-cocktail anchor of Meşrutiyet.

Gastro-jazz lokanta run by jazz musician Eren Noyan with a proper stage

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

Yeldeğirmeni corner spot with house-recipe cocktails and craft beers

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