Top 10 places to eat in Istanbul

Recommended meal: Lunch

Location: Nisantasi and Bebek

This little place offers some of the most delicious snacks and dishes using only seasonal

ingredients and changing every day. As much as the dishes are familiar, the way they are

prepared is considered revolutionary compared to similar places around the city.

Recommended meal: Breakfast

Location: Karakoy

Acclaimed no.1 breakfast in Istanbul, Namli uses the freshest ingredients to prepare breakfast

as it’s in fact a market that sells those products but has a kitchen and a large seating area

Turkish breakfast is selected over the country like a deli-style.

Recommended meal: Breakfast

Location: Bebek

Love this place! Everyone does. It’s on a rooftop overlooking the street and the Bosphorus, with

a beautiful terrace. I call it, the place to have pancakes in Istanbul and the place to wake up

falling in love with the city. From the name of the restaurant, you can sense its international feel

with a small touch of Turkish hospitality like everywhere in Istanbul.

Recommended meal: Lunch

Location: Dinner

It’s the only place I travel from Europe to Asia, crossing the Bosphorus with

4 lira tickets to the busy district of Kadikoy on the Asian side to enjoy the seasonal dishes from the

many regions of Turkey. It’s an experience by itself that can give a very comprehensive idea

about Turkish cuisine from all of Turkey’s regions.

Recommended meal: Dinner

Location: Harbiye, Lutfi Kirdar Convention Center

It is where Ottoman cuisine is served at its best with silver service and a chic ambiance. The

the restaurant is a classic of Istanbul's elite plate, with business and diplomatic crowds inviting their

guests and business partners visiting Istanbul because they are sure that there is no

compromise in serving authentic Turkish dishes in the most elegant way possible. Highly

recommended trying at least once and then venturing into the city's other Kebab and doner places.

Recommended meal: Dinner

Location: Pera, near Istiklal street

A rooftop, lounge where traditional Turkish mezze is prepared in a modernized style; they

serve some of the most delicious items you can ever have in Istanbul. The view of the golden

horn and the historic peninsula is breathtaking and the crowd is sociable and ready to have

conversations as the tables are near each other and the music is always mood-uplifting.

Recommended meal: breakfast

Location: Rumelihisari

Gaziantep is the city of the most renowned cuisine in Turkey; this place brings to Istanbul

Gaziantep’s delicacies. The breakfast is one of the biggest and most delicious, recommended

for groups and brunch who would like to have a morning Bosphorus experience.

Recommended meal: Dinner

Location: Gumussuyu, near Taksim

Topaz restaurant is known as the Jewel of Istanbul. It serves a neutral fine dining menu that is

appealing to everyone: a good balance between international and ottoman dishes served in a

contemporary way. Amazing ambiance with one of the best views of the Bosporus bridge.

Recommended meal: Lunch and dinner

Location: Kurucemse

Istanbul is cosmopolitan enough to have excellent non-Turkish restaurants run by owners from

different countries. This elegant, cozy winter garden restaurant is located inside the peripheries of

Les Ottomans Boutique hotel. Swiss food at its best served on the Bosphorus for a change,

rather than in a ski resort in the Alps.

Recommended meal: Lunch

Location: Kurucesme

To me, one of the places to eat fish is Turkey, and Park Fora offers one of the best experiences

to enjoy seasonal mezzes and fish in an elegant setting on the Bosphorus. The restaurant is

located in a beautiful park on the Bosphorus. It is a little pricy just like most seafood places with

style, however Park Fora, unlike most of the others, offers great value for money.