Restaurants in Istanbul
Istanbul has a wide range of restaurants to suit every taste and budget. Apart from budget places, reservations are recommended wherever possible, particularly in the case of upscale restaurants and especially at weekends.
The Istanbul restaurants below have been grouped into three pricing categories:
Expensive (over TL80)
Moderate (TL50 to TL80)
Cheap (up to TL50)
These Istanbul restaurant prices are for a three-course meal for one, excluding alcohol, tax and service. Tipping is optional.
Expensive
Banyan
Cuisine:Much like the city itself, Banyan's cuisine is a delicate blend of East and West. Their sumptuous menu offers a veritable array of Asian fusion dishes that reside under the slogan 'food for the soul'. Whether dining inside or sipping on cocktails on its beautiful terrace, the glimmering lights of the surrounding city offer a dramatic backdrop to this one of a kind restaurant.
Address: , Salhane Sokak 3, Istanbul, 34347Telephone: +90 212 259 9060
Website: http://banyanrestaurant.com
Matbah
Cuisine: TurkishOttoman cuisine, often incorporating sweet and savoury flavours into stews and meat dishes, is a must-try for foodies. The recipes hail from the sultans' kitchens and have been given a rebirth in recent years. Matbah, in the heart of the old city, is the top place to tuck in.
Address: Sultanahmet, Ottoman Imperial Hotel, Caferiye Sokak 6/1, Istanbul,Telephone: +90 212 514 6151
Website: http://www.matbahrestaurant.com
Meze by Lemon Tree
Cuisine: TurkishTurkish cooking is given a contemporary overhaul with interesting meze (shared plates) dishes such as börek (pastry pie) stuffed with aubergines and cheese, and calamari tava (stir fry) topped with walnut sauce. There are interesting kebab and seafood dishes for mains but the meze are where this place really shines.
Address: Beyoğlu, Asmalımescit Mahallesi Meşrutiyet Caddesi 83/B, Istanbul,Telephone: +90 212 252 8302
Website: http://www.mezze.com.tr
Moderate
Buhara Ocakbasi Restaurant
Cuisine: TurkishThis unassuming Sultanahmet restaurant is the spot for classic kebab meals. The meat here is always grilled to perfection; succulently tasty yet crisply charred. Choose an Adana kebap (delicately-spiced minced beef kebab) or dig into the calorie-laden İskanderkebap (sliced lamb on bread, topped with a tomato, yogurt and butter sauce).
Address: , Nuru Osmaniye Cd 9 A, Istanbul,Telephone: +90 212 513 7424
Çiya Sofrası
Cuisine: TurkishFoodie-favourite Çiya Sofrası is worth the trip across the Bosphorus for. This simple restaurant is renowned as the city's place to come to tuck into Turkey's spicier specialities that hail from South-eastern Anatolia. For hearty, full-bodied Turkish cooking, bursting with flavour, and all well-priced, it can't be beaten.
Address: Kadiköy, Güneşlibahçe Sokak 43, Istanbul, 34710Telephone: +90 216 330 3190
Website: http://www.ciya.com.tr
Cheap
Canim Ciğerim
Cuisine: TurkishThis tiny, modest cafe dishes up some of the best liver you’ll ever taste. Simple but delicious; just skewered livers served with crispy fresh salad and bread. There’s a real local vibe here, particularly during weekday lunches when workers pack into the place for their liver-fix.
Address: , Minare Sokak 1, Asmalimescit, Istanbul,Telephone: +90 212 252 6060
Website: http://www.canimcigerim.com
Hocapaşa Pidecisi
Cuisine: TurkishIn business since 1964, this always bustling pide (Turkish pizza) joint has plenty of fans who regularly swing by to munch on tasty, crispy and piping hot pide. A top choice for cheap, filling meals with friendly, no-fuss, fast service, within easy strolling distance from Sultanahmet.
Address: Sirkeci, Hocapaşa Sokak 19, Istanbul,Telephone: +90 212 512 0990
Website: http://www.hocapasa.com.tr
Saray Muhallebicisi
Cuisine: TurkishMake a beeline for this pastry and honey cream shop even if you don't have a sweet tooth. Keeping Istanbul's dentists in business since 1935, Saray Muhallebicisi is a city institution and has several branches. Come here for künüfe (sweet cheese cake topped with syrupy pastry)and fırınsütlaç (rice pudding).
Address: , Kuloğlu Mh 107, Istanbul,Telephone: +90 212 999 2888
Website: http://www.saraymuhallebicisi.com