25 Must-Visit Restaurants in Istanbul, Turkiye (Turkey)

Istanbul is one of our favorite destinations in the world. Personally, it’s in my top three.

It’s an awe-inspiring city with breathtaking mosques, a fascinating history, and museums that stir the imagination. Spend a week in this incredible city and you’re sure to be charmed by its many interesting neighborhoods that stretch along both sides of the Bosphorus.

There are many reasons to fall in love with Istanbul but in my opinion, traditional Turkish cuisine is one of the biggest. Turkish food is one of the greatest cuisines in the world and there’s no better place to experience that than in Istanbul.

From durum stalls to vegan restaurants and centuries-old lokum shops, if food is a big reason why you travel, then this list of the best restaurants in Istanbul will be very useful to you.

THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN ISTANBUL FOR TRADITIONAL TURKISH FOOD

To help organize this list of the best restaurants in Istanbul, I’ve categorized them by location. Click on a link to jump to any section of the guide.

Fatih Beyoglu Besiktas Kadikoy

FATIH

If you’re visiting Istanbul for the first time, then chances are, you’ll be staying in Fatih district. It’s the historic center of Istanbul and where you’ll find most of the city’s top tourist attractions like Hagia Sophia, Sultanahmet, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, and more.

However, with so many tourist attractions concentrated in one area, Fatih is home to an abundance of tourist traps, restaurants that will charge you over TRY 500 for the same levrek (grilled sea bass) that you could get for less than TRY 200 at more local restaurants.

Personally, Fatih – especially the Sultanahmet neighborhood – isn’t my favorite area for restaurants in Istanbul but we have found a few places worth going to.

1. Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta

We visited this restaurant a few years ago and it’s nice to see from their Google reviews that they’re still going strong. I guess that isn’t surprising considering Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi Selim Usta has been serving some of the city’s best kofte since 1920.

Kofte refers to Turkish meatballs. You can find different types of kofte in Turkiye but what this restaurant specializes in is izgara kofte or grilled meatballs. If you’re fond of meat dishes, then you’ll probably want to sink your teeth into these smokey and deliciously springy meatballs.

Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi is conveniently located near Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. It’s a great restaurant to visit for a quick meatball lunch after visiting two of Istanbul’s top tourist attractions.

Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta

Address: Alemdar, Divan Yolu Cd. No:12, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 10:30AM-11PM, daily
What They Offer: Kofte

2. Kasap Osman

Turkish cuisine is a meat-heavy cuisine. We were looking for a good place to have doner kebabs in Sultanahmet and found this restaurant through a local food blog. Open since 1964, Kasap Osman serves a range of Turkish food but what they’re really known for are their doner kebabs and grilled meat dishes.

Pictured below is a doner durum. It’s a type of Turkish wrap filled with potatoes, vegetables, and thinly shaved slices of meat (typically lamb) cooked on a vertical rotisserie. The doner kebab is a popular Turkish street food that’s said to have inspired similar dishes like Greek gyros, Arabic shawarmas, and Mexican tacos al pastor.

Aside from their doner kebabs, there are plenty of other dishes you can try at Kasap Osman, like this delicious platter of tavuk sis or grilled chicken skewers. It’s a filling meal served with a side of pita bread, vegetables, and bulgur pilaf.

Kasap Osman also offers steaks, lamb chops, grilled chicken wings, and ground meat kebabs like urfa and adana kebab.

Kasap Osman is located in the busy Sirkeci neighborhood of Fatih. This area is a labyrinth of restaurants so it can be hard to spot. You can refer to our location map to see exactly where it is.

Kasap Osman

Address: Hoca Pasa Mh Hocapaşa sokak no8/A FATİH SİRKECİ, İstanbul Türkiye
Operating Hours: 9AM-9PM, daily
What They Offer: Kebap, durum

3. Kral Kokoreç

If you’re a daring eater and like street food, then you should definitely try kokorec. It’s an interesting dish consisting of grilled lamb intestines wrapped around seasoned offal like sweetbreads, kidneys, hearts, and lungs.

Kokorec can be sliced and served as is on a plate, but I prefer it chopped into itty-bitty pieces and prepared as a sandwich filling. Kokorec is tasty but it does have a strong flavor – mineral-y and gamey – so you may want to start with a smaller portion at first.

This is what the kokorec looks like as it cooks on the grill. Like doner kebab cones, these rotating intestine rolls are a common sight in Istanbul. It’s definitely one of the most interesting (and daring) street food dishes you can try in Istanbul.

I found Kral Kokorec on a local food blog when searching for the best kokorec in Istanbul. Open since 1992, it’s located in Sirkeci, about a 5-minute walk from Kasap Osman.

Kral didn’t have them that day but kokorec restaurants typically serve midye dolmas as well. It’s another interesting street food dish consisting of mussels stuffed with herbed rice, pine nuts, currants, and spices.

Kral Kokorec

Address: Hobyar, Büyük Postane Cd. No 26/1, 34112 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 8:45AM-8:30PM, daily
What They Offer: Kokorec, midye dolmas

BEYOGLU

Fatih may be the most convenient area to stay for first-time visitors to Istanbul but I prefer Beyoglu district. It’s home to Galata Tower and the famous Istiklal Street (Istiklal Caddesi), but what I really loved about this area are its charming neighborhoods like Cihangir, Firuzaga, and Karakoy.

Hilly and European in feel, I enjoyed walking around aimlessly in these neighborhoods to see what restaurants and cafes I could find.

4. Antakya Mutfağı

Antakya Mutfagi is a gem hidden in plain sight. The restaurant is just a stone’s throw from Istiklal Street but you’d probably never know it was there unless you were looking for it. I’ll show you what I mean in a bit.

Antakya Mutfagi serves a wide menu of traditional Turkish food but what stood out to us were their mezes (appetizers). They offer over a dozen different types of hot and cold mezes, like this tasty hummus flavored with garlic, sesame oil, and lemon.

What you’re looking at here is the coban salatasi, a bright and refreshing Turkish salad made with tomatoes, onions, cucumber, pepper, and parsley.

Tavuk sis is one of my favorite comfort foods and the version at Antakya Mutfagi was delicious. It’s served on a bed of tomatoes, onions, and parsley.

This is what I meant about Antakya Mutfagi being hidden in plain sight. It’s located on the fourth floor of this building so unless you were looking for it, then you’d probably never know it was there.

Just navigate to the area using our map and look for the sign above this doorway.

Antakya Mutfagi

Address: Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Küçük Parmakkapı Sk. No:9 D:4, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 12:30-11:30PM, daily
What They Offer: Traditional Turkish dishes

5. Tekin Kebap Dürüm Evi

If you enjoy working a little harder for your food – meaning going to restaurants that are a bit farther away from popular tourist areas – then you may want to trek to Tekin Kebap Durum Evi. It’s located about a 10-minute walk north of Istiklal Caddesi and offers a focused menu of durum and kebap dishes.

For starters, I asked the owner for a salad and this is what he gave me. It’s made with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and a generous dusting of sumac.

As you’ll see in this restaurant guide, I had tavuk sis often in Istanbul and this was one of my favorites. Served with pita bread, bulgur pilaf, and grilled vegetables, it was absolutely delicious.

I enjoyed the tavuk sis so much that I got this equally delicious kuzu durum or meat wrap to go. “Meat” in Turkiye typically refers to lamb.

Tekinn Kebap Durum Evi isn’t located way out in the boonies but it’s far enough from high-traffic tourist areas that it feels like a find. It’s located about ten minutes north of Istiklal Street, in an area that fewer tourists get to visit.

Tekin Kebap Durum Evi

Address: Kemer Hatun Mahallesi Aynalı Çeşme Caddesi, Tepebaşı, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 12NN-12MN, daily
What They Offer: Kebap, durum

6. Tomtom Kebap

I went to a lot of kebab shops in Istanbul but Tomtom Kebap was probably the one shop I was most excited to visit. They have stellar TripAdvisor and Google reviews and are known for serving various skewered meats grilled over an open mangal (Arabic barbecue).

As usual, I started my meal with a salad, this time a beautiful mevsim salata made with seasonal vegetables.

How gorgeous does this tavuk sis look? Smokey, juicy, and charred in parts, it was served with grilled vegetables and a fresh onion salad.

If you think the tavuk sis looked good, then how about this plate of tavuk kanat or marinated and grilled chicken wings? Aside from chicken kebabs, Tomtom Kebap also makes skewers made from seasoned ground meat, lamb, and beef steak.

Tomtom Kebap is located in the charming Firuzaga neighborhood, just around the corner from one of Istanbul’s best-kept secrets – The Museum of Innocence. In my opinion, it’s one of the best restaurants in Istanbul for skewered grilled meats.

Tomtom Kebap

Address: Firuzağa, Yeni Çarşı Cd. 39 A, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 1-10PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)
What They Offer: Kebap, durum

7. Ulaş Balıkçılık

Up to this point, I’ve been featuring a lot of kebap shops in Istanbul but another dish you’ll probably have often is fresh fish.

Being a uniquely located city with shores along the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosphorus Strait, you’ll find over twenty different kinds of fish and seafood dishes served at restaurants throughout the year. We went to many fish restaurants in Istanbul but in Beyoglu, one of our favorites was Ulas Balikcilik.

Before we get into the seafood, here’s a look at their mevsim salata or seasonal salad. Like coban salata, it’s one of the most common salads you’ll find on restaurant menus in Istanbul.

I mentioned this dish earlier. These are midye dolmas or stuffed mussels.

This tasty dish is widely available as street food but you can also find them at some seafood restaurants as well. They’re absolutely delicious and another must-try in Istanbul.

Ulas Balikcilik offers many types of freshly caught fish like levrek (Turkish sea bass), salmon, sea bream, blue fish, and mackerel. I usually get whole grilled levrek but this time, we tried the sea bass skewers. Moist and incredibly tender, this was one of the best fish dishes we had anywhere in Istanbul. My god was this good!

Ulas Balikcilik is located in one of our favorite neighborhoods in Istanbul – Cihangir. It’s a humble fish restaurant that serves excellent seafood at very reasonable prices.

Ulas Balikcilik

Address: Firuzağa, Türkgücü Cd. No:27/A, 34420 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 11AM-12MN, daily
What They Offer: Fresh seafood dishes

8. Guney

Guney isn’t the type of restaurant that we usually add to our food guides. It’s one of those restaurants that serves everything and is located in a prime tourist hotspot.

However, their glowing TripAdvisor and Google reviews couldn’t be all wrong so we decided to give them a try. We’re happy that we did because not only do they serve good food, but they offer what has to be the best view of Galata Tower anywhere in Istanbul. More on that later.

Guney has an extensive menu that features breakfast dishes, mezes, salads, grilled meats, pizzas, and burgers. To start, we went with this beautiful grilled halloumi salad made with mixed greens, roasted vegetables, and a vinaigrette dressing.

Grilled fish is one of my favorite dishes to eat in Istanbul. As previously mentioned, you can enjoy many types of fresh fish in Istanbul but at the top of that list is levrek or Turkish sea bass.

Many restaurants serve grilled levrek whole – with the head and tail intact – but at Guney, you’ll get two clean fillets served with a side salad and black rice. Personally, I enjoy doing the work myself but people who don’t like dealing with fish bones will appreciate this.

This is the view I was talking about. You are, quite literally, enjoying your meal under the shadow of Galata Tower. Based on its reviews and this spectacular view, Guney has to be one of the best restaurants in Istanbul.

With that said, Guney is pricier than other restaurants on this list but not like many of the touristy restaurants you’ll find in Sultanhamet. For example, levrek at Guney set us back TRY 396 (August 2023). At local restaurants, it costs about TRY 200. At tourist traps around Hagia Sophia, you’ll pay over TRY 500.

Guney

Address: Şahkulu, Şahkapısı Sk. No:2 D:B, 34421 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 8AM-12MN, daily
What They Offer: Traditional Turkish dishes, fresh seafood

9. Dürümzade

We first ate at Durumzade in 2015. This humble wrap shop will always be near and dear to our hearts because it was one of the places that we learned about through the late great Anthony Bourdain. As their name suggests, Durumzade is known for their durum and kebabs.

It’s nice to see that the place is still as popular as ever. Pictured below is a plated portion of their tavuk or chicken skewers.

Here’s a shot of Durumzade’s famous kuzu or lamb durum.

If you closely, you can see a picture of Uncle Tony on the wall. Durumzade is just one of many retsaurants around the world that we’ve visited because of that man.

Durumzade

Address: Hüseyinağa, Kamer Hatun Cd. 26/A, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 10AM-11PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)
What They Offer: Durum, kebap

10. Kızılkayalar

Kizilkayalar is another restaurant that we learned about through Anthony Bourdain. They’re known for serving late night drunk food like wraps, sandwiches, and burgers, but what they’re really famous for is their islak burger.

Meaning “wet burger”, an islak burger is this orange mess of a burger that gets its radioactive coloration from being dunked in a garlicky tomato sauce seasoned with paprika. The burgers are then left to steam in a glass hamam-style box.

Located in Taksim Square and open through the night, I wonder how many drunken food cravings these ugly but oddly satisfying burgers have satiated over the years? I got restaurant recommendations from a friend at Turkish Munchies and according to him, Kizilkayalar’s islak burgers are as popular as ever.

Kizilkayalar has grown into a chain with branches throughout Istanbul but I believe their Taksim outlet is still the most popular. Considering how many bars and restaurants there are in Beyoglu, is that really surprising?

Kizilkayalar

Address: Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Sıraselviler Cd. No:2/C, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 8AM-5AM, Sun-Thurs / 8AM-6:30AM, Fri-Sat
What They Offer: Islak burger, durum

11. Susam Cafe

I love this neighborhood cafe. If we were to move to Istanbul, then we’d probably go to Susam Cafe for brunch every weekend. Located in Cihangir, it’s a charming restaurant cafe that serves a good range of breakfast dishes, salads, pasta dishes, comfort food, and healthy options.

What you’re looking at here is the artichoke asparagus bowl. It’s made with quinoa, tomato confit, grilled peaches, broccoli, and a citrus vinaigrette dressing.

People looking for healthier vegetable dishes will have a few options at Susam Cafe, like this simple starter of grilled vegetables. It’s made with roasted eggplant, carrots, and peppers served with a spicy chili-based sauce.

If you like cephalopods like I do, then you’ll definitely want to try this grilled calamari served on a bed of salad greens, herbs, and baby potatoes. The squid was tender and super delicious!

For dessert, we had this sugar-free flourless chocolate cake with throat-soothing cups of ginger tea.

We ate here for lunch but you may be interested to learn that Susam Cafe offers a good range of alcoholic drinks as well like beers, raki, Turkish wine, whiskey, vodka, and gin.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Cihangir was walking around aimlessly and finding hidden gems like Susam Cafe. I loved this neighborhood!

Susam Cafe serves delicious food and has that local neighborhood vibe that we look for in restaurants when we travel.

Susam Cafe

Address: Cihangir, Susam Sk. No:11, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 10AM-2AM, daily
What They Offer: Breakfast, comfort food, healthy options, Turkish wine

12. Karaköy Güllüoğlu

As previously mentioned, I asked a friend at Turkish Munchies for restaurant recommendations. Being in the snack business, the first places he suggested all served dessert. Ha!

One of the places he recommended was Karakoy Gulluoglu, an iconic pastry shop that’s known for serving some of the very best baklava in Istanbul. They have many different types to choose from so I opted for the assortment box and let the server pick for me.

Seriously, how good does this box of pistachio baklava look?

Karakoy Gulluoglu has been some of the best baklava in Istanbul since 1843. Aside from Turkish delight (lokum), what better food souvenir can you buy in Istanbul than their baklava?

Packaged in these handsome white or black boxes, you can buy them per kilo or in sets of four to six pieces (depends on the type of baklava).

Here’s a look at all the delicious baklava they make at Karakoy Gulluoglu. It was so hard to choose so I let my server do the thinking for me.

I had already read from a local food blog that Karakoy Gulluoglu makes the best baklava in Istanbul so my friend recommending them to me only served as confirmation. Two locals can’t be wrong!

Here’s what the inside of Karakoy Gulluoglu looks like. It’s a large traditonal shop located in the heart of Karakoy.

Karakoy Gulluoglu has two branches in Karakoy. This is the bigger outlet so I suggest going to this one.

This smaller branch is located about a block or two away.

Karakoy Gulluoglu

Address: Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Kemankeş Cd. No:67, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 7AM-1AM, Mon-Sat / 8AM-1AM, Sunday
What They Offer: Baklava

BESIKTAS

We haven’t spent too much time in Besiktas district, the area to the northeast of Beyoglu. First-time visitors will probably find themselves there to visit Dolmabahce Palace, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Istanbul.

13. Beşiktaş Çıtır Pide Lahmacun Salonu (Delicious Food and Meat Dishes!)

I absolutely loved this restaurant. Located in Besiktas, about a 15-20 minute walk from Dolmabahce Palace, they’re known for their tasty kebabs and two of our favorite dishes in Turkish cuisine – lahmacun and pide.

More on those dishes in a bit but first, check out these delicious mezes they served me at the start of my meal. Unless I’m mistaken, the tomato and cucumber salad in the back is coban salatasi while the one in the foreground is ezme salad, a zingy Turkish salad or dip made with a variety of mashed vegetables and herbs like peppers, tomatoes, onions, and parsley.

Here’s another fantastic tavuk sis to whet your appetite for Istanbul. As delicious as this was, it wasn’t the best kebab we had at this restaurant.

That distinction goes to this plate of et sis or grilled lamb skewers.

Turkish kebabs are usually made with leaner meats but the lamb skewers at Besiktas Citir Pide Lahmacun Salonu were made with a decent amount of fat. They were seriously delicious and outshined even the tavuk sis.

As good as their kebabs are, they may not even be the best thing you can have at Besiktas Citir Pide Lahmacun Salonu. They’re also known for their pide and lahmacun which you can think of as Turkish versions of Italian pizza.

We didn’t have the pide but we did try their lahmacun. Although it looks like a cheese-less pizza, it’s actually more like a flatbread topped with minced lamb, herbs, and spices. Crunchy along the edges but soft towards the middle, you roll it up like a wrap to eat.

If you’re a fan of pizza (which basically makes all of us), then you definitely need to try this.

If you plan on visiting Dolmabahce Palace, then Besiktas Citir Pide Lahmacun Salonu is a great place to have lunch. It takes a bit of walking to get there but it’s absolutely worth it.

Besiktas Citir Pide Lahmacun Salonu

Address: Türkali, Altıntaş Sk. No:34, 34357 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 11AM-4AM, daily
What They Offer: Pide, lahmacun, kebap, durum

KADIKOY

Like the more residential neighborhoods of Beyoglu, Kadikoy on the Asian side is a great place to stay in Istanbul. There aren’t any tourist attractions of note here, which is a good thing if you’re more interested in experiencing daily local life in Istanbul. It’s a great area with plenty of non-touristy restaurants, bars, and cafes.

14. Çiya Sofrası

We used to think that Ciya Sofrasi was one of the most amazing restaurants in Istanbul. In fact, some locals have even declared it “the best restaurant in Istanbul”.

Ciya Sofrasi has been featured on more than one travel food program because the restaurant’s owner and chef – Musa Dağdeviren – has been hailed as a Turkish culinary anthropologist of sorts. Not only does he serve delicious food, but he collects recipes from across the country and serves obscure regional dishes that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Many years have passed since our last meal at Ciya Sofrasi but the restaurant is still as popular as ever, perhaps even more so now. Based on what we’ve read, it’s become a stop on many Istanbul food tours which may have had an effect on the restaurant’s prices.

We didn’t go to Ciya Sofrasi on our most recent visit to Istanbul but I’ve kept it on this list based on our previous experiences. Reviews tend to be more mixed these days but based on a few comments, it’s still a great place to experience the richness of Turkish cuisine.

Pictured below is my “tasting menu” of Turkish mezes from a few years ago.

What you’re looking at here is a tasty dish made with lamb shoulder paired with quince, a pear-like fruit native to western Asia.

From the looks of it, Ciya Sofrasi has grown in popularity since our last visit (being featured on Netflix can have that effect). This is the original restaurant but another place called Ciya Kebap has opened just across the street from this one.

Based on people’s reviews, prices have gone up in recent years but it’s still worth visiting for the quality and uniqueness of its food which has been described as “Eastern Mediterranean” cuisine.

Ciya Sofrasi

Address: Caferağa, Güneşli Bahçe Sok, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 11:30AM-10PM, Sun-Thurs / 11:30AM-10:30PM, Fri-Sat
What They Offer: Traditional Turkish food

15. Meşhur Menemenci

Menemen is one of our favorite breakfast dishes in Turkish cuisine. Similar to shakshouka, it refers to a traditional breakfast dish made with scrambled eggs cooked in olive oil with tomatoes, green peppers, and spices.

You’ll find menemen on most restaurant menus that offer Turkish breakfast but what better place to have it than at a local establishment that specializes in the dish? At Meshur Menemenci, you’ll find over a dozen variations of menemen, like this delicious version made with mushrooms.

Enjoy it with some crusty bread and you’ve got a breakfast dish made in heaven.

Meshur Menemenci is a popular restaurant that’s almost always buzzing with locals. Do give them a try for a simple but delicious breakfast in Istanbul.

Meshur Menemenci

Address: Osmanağa, Pavlonya Sk. No:14/a, 34714 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 7AM-8PM, daily
What They Offer: Menemen

16. Ekspres İnegöl Köftecisi

If you’re in the mood for kofte in Kadikoy, then this restaurant is a great place to visit. Open since 1963, Ekspres Inegol Koftecisi offers a focused menu of grilled meat skewers but as their name suggests, what they’re really known for are their Inegol-style meatballs.

To start, we shared this plate of piyaz or white bean salad. They offer a couple of other salad dishes as well like coban salata and yesil salata (green salad).

No, this isn’t my favorite tavuk sis but something similar. It’s called pilic sis, which is a similar dish made with younger chickens.

The pilic sis was nice but the clear star at this restaurant is the Inegol kofte.

Inegol kofte refers to a type of Turkish meatball that hails from Inegol district in Bursa province. Smokey and deliciously springy, it’s known for being made with no seasonings other than salt. These meatballs are absolutely delicious and a must-try if you like kofte.

Ekspres Inegol Koftecisi is located in a busy part of Kadikoy, not too far from the ferry port.

Ekspres Inegol Koftecisi

Address: Caferağa, Muvakkıthane Cd. No:13, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 11AM-9PM, daily
What They Offer: Kofte

17. Balıkçı Lokantası

As previously described, we went to many fish restaurants in Istanbul. Ulas Balikcilik was our favorite restaurant in Beyoglu but if you’d like to enjoy a fresh fish dinner in Kadikoy, then the place to go is Balikci Lokantasi. This neighborhood favorite serves delicious fresh fish dishes at a fraction of the price you’d pay at touristy restaurants.

As a starter, they served me this plate of ezme salad and eggplant puree with a basket of crusty bread.

It’s important to note that Balikci Lokantasi doesn’t have a menu (you’ll see why later). I asked for a salad so they gave me this simple but satisfying salad made with fresh greens, grated carrots, and tomatoes.

Levrek or Turkish sea bass is one of my favorite dishes in Istanbul and Balikci Lokantasi served me one of the best I’ve had so far in the city. A good-sized fish grilled to perfection, it was tender, flakey, and absolutely delicious. You can taste the freshness of the fish at this restaurant.

This is why Balikci Lokantasi doesn’t have a menu. What they serve is determined by what type of fresh fish and seafood is available on that day.

At first, I was nervous about ordering whole fish without a menu but as it turns out, this restaurant offers some of the best prices for fresh fish in Istanbul. Everything I ate – including a big bottle of water – set me back just TRY 200 (August 2023). What a deal!

Turkish food reminds me of Mediterranean cuisine in some ways. Fresh fish seasoned simply and cooked perfectly features prominently in the local cuisine and Balikci Lokantasi is a great place to experience that in Kadikoy.

Balikci Lokantasi

Address: Rasimpaşa, Teyyareci Sami Sk. No:20 D:B, 34716 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 12NN-9PM, daily
What They Offer: Fresh seafood

18. A.Ç.T. Dürüm ve Meze

It isn’t hard to tell from this restaurant’s name what their specialty is. Located in the Rasimpasa neighborhood, A.C.T. offers a good selection of cold mezes, wraps, and kebabs. They even offer vegetarian and vegan durum as well so it’s a great place to go if you’re looking for healthier Turkish comfort food in Kadikoy.

A.C.T. offers delicious-looking vegetarian meze platters that look big enough to feed three or four people. I would have loved to try that but unfortunately, I was alone today so I went for this fasulye piyazi or white bean salad instead.

A.C.T. offers different types of grilled meat wraps. I went for the tavuk durum which you can get with or without bulgur.

Here’s a closer look at those juicy pieces of chicken breast inside my tasty durum. You can get them with adana or urfa kebabs as well.

A.C.T. Durum ve Meze is just one of many delicious durum and kebab shops we visited in Istanbul. What makes this place stand out is that they offer vegetarian and vegan options, which isn’t something you see too often at durum shops in Istanbul.

A.C.T. Durum ve Meze

Address: Karakolhane Caddesi Rasimpaşa Yurttaş Sokak b D:no 2, 34716 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 11AM-12MN, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)
What They Offer: Durum, mezes

19. Borsam Taşfırın

If you think the lahmacun I showed you earlier looked good, then you definitely have to try pide as well. It’s another pizza-like Turkish dish that’s shaped like a boat and topped with different ingredients like cheese, tomato, onion, pepper, egg, and sucuk (spicy Turkish sausage).

I googled “best pide in istanbul” and a local food blog led us to Borsam Tasfirin, a pide and lahmacun shop in Kadikoy that’s been in business since 1968.

Like any pizza shop, you can get pide with different toppings at Borsam Tasfirin. Pictured below is the kiymali pide, a type of pide topped with ground meat and vegetables. We’ve had pide many times throughout Turkiye and this was arguably the best one yet. Their pide crust is awesome.

You’ll find two Borsam Tasfirin branches within minutes of each other in Kadikoy.

Borsam Tasfirin

Address: Caferağa, Güneşli Bahçe Sok No:22, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 10AM-10PM, daily
What They Offer: Pide, lahmacun

20. Bütme Evi

Turkish comfort food is awesome. You already know about durum, lahmacun, and pide but another dish you should definitely try is gozleme. It’s a type of Turkish pastry made with two sheets of unleavened dough stuffed with different fillings like meat, vegetables, and cheese.

Butme Evi is a small restaurant in Kadikoy that specializes in gozleme. But before we get into their gozleme, we started off with another interesting dish that you may want to try called cig kofte.

In the past, cig kofte was made with raw ground lamb or beef mixed with bulgur, herbs, and spices. Consuming raw meat was obviously a health concern so traditional cig kofte was banned in 2009. Today, it’s made mostly with bulgur.

This version served at Butme Evi is made with lentils so I believe it’s known locally as mercimek kofte.

Here’s our delicious gozleme. You can get it filled with a variety of ingredients like feta cheese, leeks, zucchini, mushroom, minced meat, and sucuk. We went with one of the most popular combinations – spinach and feta cheese.

At Butme Evi, you can get your gozleme filled with two to five ingredients. It’s a light and tasty snack that can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

I did a search for the best gozleme in Istanbul and their stellar reviews convinced us to go to Butme Evi. All those people weren’t wrong.

If you decide to sit at one of the outdoor tables at Butme Evi, then be sure to take a peek inside. You can watch these women stuff and cook your gozleme on a sac (griddle) inside the restaurant.

Butme Evi

Address: Caferağa, Sarraf Ali Sk. No 16 /A, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 10AM-10PM, Tue-Sun (closed Mondays)
What They Offer: Gozleme

21. Bi Börek

Speaking of delicious Turkish comfort foods, another dish that you should definitely try is borek. It refers to a family of pastries made with a thin and flaky phyllo or yufka dough stuffed with different ingredients like cheese, meat, vegetables, and potatoes.

Like durum and kebab restaurants, you can find borek shops everywhere in Istanbul but in Kadikoy, one of the best places to go is Bi Borek. It’s a small shop that makes terrific borek in the Osmanaga neighborhood.

Turkish borek comes in many different regional varieties like kol boregi, cig borek, gul boregi, and sigara boregi. Pictured below is one of our favorites – su boregi. Meaning “water borek”, it’s a lasagna-like borek made with boiled sheets of dough layered with greens and feta cheese.

Here’s a shot of our server preparing our takeaway order of su boregi.

The coiled pastries on the right – kol boregi or “arm borek” – are among the most common types of borek you’ll find in Istanbul. It gets its name from its long, arm-like shape that’s typically filled with cheese, meat, potatoes, or spinach.

As of this writing, Bi Borek has a perfect 5-star rating on Google reviews. One bite of their borek and you’ll quickly see why.

Bi Borek

Address: Osmanağa, Hasırcı Başı Cd. no42 a, 34714 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
What They Offer: Borek

22. Kumin Vegan Lezzetler

If you like to eat healthy, then you’re going to love Kadikoy. It’s home to some of our favorite restaurants that serve vegan and vegetarian food in Istanbul. If you’re a vegan, then you need to go to Kumin Vegan Lezzetler. It’s a cute vegan restaurant that serves creative and tasty dishes like seitan burritos and soy mince meatballs.

Kumin offers a few tasty-looking starters but as we often do, we went with our favorite homemade hummus served with whole grain bread.

If you’re in the mood for a salad, then this green lentil salad with garlic tahini is a solid choice. It’s made with lettuce, purple cabbage, mint, basil, purple basil, and peppers.

This gluten-free zucchini spaghetti served with a cashew basil pesto sauce was absolutely delicious. I definitely need more creative vegetable dishes like this in my life! Note the cute zucchini “mushroom” in the back.

Durum filled with grilled meats is one of my favorite things to eat in Istanbul but sometimes, it’s nice to have healthier options as well. That’s exactly what you’ll get with these mushroom wraps filled with oyster mushrooms, caramelized onions, purple cabbage, peppers, and a garlic beet sauce.

Here’s a peek inside my beautiful oyster mushroom wrap. Lavash is my new favorite type of bread for wrap sandwiches.

Located in the quieter Rasimpasa neighborhood, you could easily walk by Kumin Vegan Lezzetler without realizing it was there. It’s located in what looks to be the owner’s home. You can refer to our location map to help you find it.

Reservations aren’t required but as the signs says, you do need to ring the bell to be allowed into the restaurant.

Kumin Vegan Lezzetler offers seating indoors…

…and outdoors in their backyard garden. Isn’t this space cute? When you eat here, you really do feel like you’re part of the neighborhood.

All things considered, Kumin Vegan Lezzetler has to be one of the best restaurants in Istanbul for vegan food.

Kumin Vegan Lezzetler

Address: Rasimpaşa, İzzettin Sk. 55/1, 34716 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 12:30-9PM, Mon-Sat (closed Sundays)
What They Offer: Vegan food

23. Baylan

If you enjoy the sweeter things in life, then you’ll definitely want to try kup griye at Baylan, a patisserie that’s been around since 1925. This decadent dessert was invented by the son of Baylan’s owner in 1954 and has been a beloved Istanbul dessert ever since.

Kup griye is a heavenly concoction made with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, finely ground pistahcios and almonds, toffee, creme chantilly, and a cat’s tongue biscuit. It was originally named “coupe grillée” in reference to the burnt caramel (grillée) and the glass goblet (coupe) it was originally (and continues to be) served in.

We’ve enjoyed many delicious desserts and sweets in Turkiye but this kup griye was easily one of our favorites. It’s sinfully delicious.

The kup griye is a must-try but Baylan offers many other types of cakes, pastries, and desserts as well.

We only had room for kup griye today but we’ll definitely be back to try more of their heavenly desserts. Those chocolate eclairs are next!

Baylan was another restaurant that was recommended to me by my friend at Turkish Munchies. If I remember correctly, Baylan’s kup griye was the first thing he recommended to me. The man clearly knows his Turkish desserts!

Baylan

Address: Caferağa, Muvakkıthane Cd. No: 9/A, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 7AM-10PM, daily
What They Offer: Kup griye, pastries

24. Kadıköy Saray Muhallebicisi

This fascinating dish was another dessert that was recommended to me by my friend at Turkish Munchies. It’s called tavukgogsu. If you understand the language, then you’ll know that it’s made with an ingredient that you wouldn’t normally find in any dessert – chicken (tavuk) breast. How interesting is that?

Tavukgogsu is a type of Turkish milk pudding made with finely shredded chicken breast, milk, sugar, cracked rice, and cinnamon. A delicious example of royal Ottoman cuisine, the exact origins of tavukgogsu are unclear, but it’ may’s believed to have originated either from the Arab region or the Roman recipe collection known as Apicius.

Whatever its true origins, tavukgogsu is a delicious and fascinating dessert that any food-curious traveler needs to try in Istanbul.

When you take apart the pudding, you can still see strands of shredded chicken breast. The meat is softened by first boiling the chicken breast and then pounding or shredding it into ultra thin strands. So interesting!

My friend suggested we try tavukgogsu at Saray Muhallebicisi. We had it at the similarly named Kadikoy Saray Muhallebicisi. Restaurants often have confusingly similar names in Istanbul.

Open since 1954, we enjoyed this restaurant’s tavukgogsu but I don’t think this was the exact restaurant my friend was referring to.

I believe this restaurant – a chain that’s been open since 1935 – is the one he meant. Saray Muhallebicisi has several branches throughout Istanbul but this outlet along the famous Istiklal Street is the most conveniently located.

Kadikoy Saray Muhallebicisi

Address: Osmanağa, Bahariye Cd. No:60,34710, 34714 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
What They Offer: Tavuk gogsu, breakfast, traditional Turkish food

25. Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir

As previously described, there’s no better food souvenir you can bring home from Istanbul than Turkish delight. Known locally as lokum, it refers to a colorful family of gelatinous confections flavored with different ingredients like rosewater, bergamot orange, lemon, cinnamon, or mint.

The uniquitous Hafiz Mustafa shops are an excellent choice for lokum but we wanted something a little less known (at least to tourists) so we went to Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir instead. Open since 1777, this impressive lokum shop is known for being the oldest producer of Turkish delight in the country.

Walk into their shop in Kadikoy and you’ll feel like you’ve taken a step back in time. The Hafiz Mustasa shops are the same way.

If you’re in a hurry or just want some casual box of lokum to bring back home, then you can choose from one of these pre-made boxes of Turkish delight.

But if you’d like something more special, then you can select the flavors yourself and have them packaged in one of their higher end boxes. Boxes of the more premium lokum cost around double the ready-made boxes pictured above.

I don’t remember the quantity but we paid TRY 250 (August 2023) for our premium box with three flavors of lokum.

Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir

Address: Osmanağa, Muvakkıthane Cd. 6/A, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 8AM-9PM, daily
What They Offer: Turkish delight, pastries

BONUS: Moda Aile Çay Bahçesi

This bonus entry isn’t a restaurant but an outdoor cafe. They don’t have anything except Turkish coffee, tea, and soft drinks, but they do offer one of the most spectacular views of the Sea of Marmara in Kadikoy.

After lunch at any restaurant in the Moda neighborhood, we’d often come here and just while away the time over a book and some Turkish tea. Such a beautiful and peaceful setting!

This outdoor cafe is located on the southern tip of Moda. On a breezy sunny day, there’s no more relaxing place to be in Kadikoy than here.

Moda Aile Cay Bahcesi

Address: Caferağa, Park İçi Yolu, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Operating Hours: 7AM-12MN, daily
What They Offer: Turkish coffee, tea, soft drinks

LOCATION MAP

To help you find these restaurants in Istanbul, I’ve pinned them all on the map below. Click on the link for a live version of the map.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN ISTANBUL

Aside from his favorite dessert shops, my friend from Turkish Munchies recommended some of the city’s best fine dining restaurants as well. If tasting menus and contemporary Mediterranean cuisine are your thing, then the restaurants he suggested are Mikla, Neolokal, Nicole, and Turk Fatih Tutak. Turk Fatih Tutak, a fine dining restaurant with two Michelin Stars, looks especially promising.

Being a hugely popular tourist destination, it’s staggering how many restaurants you’ll find in Istanbul. From traditional Turkish restaurants to fast food joints to establishments serving international cuisine, there’s almost too many to choose from which is why there’s no reason for you to settle on the first restaurants that you find.

If you walk into the first restaurant you see after visiting the Basilica Cistern, then chances are, you’ll wind up at a touristy restaurant. There’s no shortage of tourist traps in this city so I hope this guide to some of the best restaurants in Istanbul leads you to many delicious (and fairly priced) meals.

In any case, thanks for reading and have a blast eating your way through Istanbul. I know for sure it won’t be long before we find ourselves in this magnificent city again.

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