Best Scenes of Local Eating in Istanbul

Our Local Expert Says:

Best Ottoman Palace cuisine

Description:

Housed in a 19th-century Ottoman mansion (now converted into the Kariye Hotel), the Asithane Restaurant is big diversion from the mainstream Turkish and Ottoman Cuisine Restaurants in Istanbul -a.k.a kebab houses or doner / tacos buffets as the stereotypical Turkish food. Asitane Restaurant is a highly recommended restaurant to get a feel of the real historical taste of the Turkish culture. The menu changes seasonally - although some typical dishes don't, such as almond soup, stuffed calamari, seasonal salad with beetroot and hibiscus, hassa böreği (aged skin bag cheese from goat's milk, yogurt, green olives, walnuts and tarragon wrapped inside wafer), muntancana (stewed lamb served with pearl onion) and mahmudiyye (chicken flavored with honey served with almond, apricot, cinnamon, dried grape and flavored rice). Asitane Restaurant has a gorgeous summer terrace and an aromatic rose garden overlooking the Chora Church (Kariye Church). Enjoy your şerbet and / or wine, whilst sampling the small dishes (hot and cold appetizers). Go for sharing everything - as there is so much that is so good. The staff is overly well-behaved, kind and they speak very good English. Share your appetite with them and they will arrange your meals' size such that you will get to taste everything you want. 

Description:

Avail of the many facilities at the hotel, including a spa, health club, golf and tennis, or have an elegant meal at their in-house restaurant. Contact the Four Seasons today to work out an arrangement that suits you and your family best.

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With a trendy and sought after locale, Feriye Lokantasi has a few things to brag about; delicious traditional cuisine, historic setting in Ortakoy, and a beautiful view of the Bosporus Bridge. This gourmet restaurant is a great place for a romantic night out on the town as you overlook the breathtaking views of gorgeous Istanbul. Don't forget to dress up!

Our Local Expert Says:

One of the oldest "bol-kepce" artisan restaurants / diners of Istanbul.

Description:

Kanaat Restaurant is one of the oldest diners in Istanbul, serving traditional Turkish / Ottoman cuisine samples. Given that there are few other points of interest in Üsküdar and around this restaurant, you normally wouldn't make a special trip to come and dine here unless you happen to be on this side of town for business or special sightseeing -such as visiting a unique mosque, hammam or palace. Nonetheless, it is also said among the locals that "there are only two reasons to go to Üsküdar: 1. to take the ferry 2. for Kanaat Restaurant". Indeed, locals on the Anatolian side visit this bustling, semi-historic eatery quite often for a quick lunch or an informal dinner and dine on pre-prepared main courses. It must yet be noted that some locals also lament in nostalgia that Kanaat as it is today is incomparable to its original establishment back in 1900s. There are some fairly ambitious and oily dishes such as Elbasan Tava—large chunks of juicy beef with melted local cheddar cheese, farm fresh eggs and a combination of seasonal vegetables-, Stuffed Onions -a specialty of Kanaat, unlikely to be found anywere else-, Özbek Rice -rice cooked together with lamb-chomps and dried onions-, Milk Pudding or Custard with ice-cream, Pumpkin Pie and more. You are advised to carry cash as you arrive, they are unlikely to accept credit cards.

Description:

When in Istanbul, head to Hunkar for some of the best traditional Turkish food. Located in the upscale shopping district of Nisantasi, this establishment is pretty much high-end, in keeping with its surroundings. The trendy decor and mouth watering cuisine make it worth a visit. Try the Crunchy Lamb (on a bed of mashed eggplant) or the specialty, Hünkar Beğendi. Make sure you sample their palatable homemade jams and desserts too.

Description:

The best seats are around the brass and copper Ocak, an open glowing coal grill where chunks of tender marinated lamb are grilled on skewers. Served on huge metal skewers, the idea is to wrap the thin freshly baked Lavash bread around the meat with your fingers, grip firmly and withdraw the skewer, leaving you with the Türkish equivalent of a lamb sandwich. There's not a lot of elbow room as all three floors are crammed full most nights. The atmosphere here gets pretty boisterous, and alcohol is served. It's also one of the best places in town to watch a frantic live football match on satellite TV.

Our Local Expert Says:

Typical eatery / diner in the Sultanahmet with tradition and history

Description:

Sultanahmet is painfully short of high-quality eateries, but Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi has a constant stream of locals and tourists queuing out the door and down the street. It's strictly a fast food-style köfte restaurant. The tasty walnut sized meatballs are grilled to perfection over a great open-flame ocak (grill). Waiters literally run from table to table serving huge helpings of köfte accompanied by crusty bread, crispy green salad, fluffy rice and excellent white-bean salad (piyaz). The restaurant has been around 80 years, hence its name which means, "Historical Sultan Ahmet Köfte Restaurant."

Our Local Expert Says:

Best Southeastern meals ever -for a just price as well.

Description:

Çiya Sofrası is a simple, artisan restaurant -much like a Turkish style diner- owned and managed by a young and educated couple: Zeynep and Musa Dağdeviren. This couple, recognized as "Food Engineers" by many, collect culinary secrets from out of the way areas to create innovative daily menus. The menu changes every single day and is posted online on their Web site, where one will see both a variety of kebab dishes and traditional Southeastern home dishes. There are indeed two kitchens at Çiya; and also in fact two different restaurants across from one and other for these different kitchens. The kebab house is at number 48 / B on the same street as that of the open-buffet Çiya Sofrası (Çiya Table) at No: 43. Musa Dağdeviren explains this distinction by referring to his childhood. He was born in Gaziantep, a gourmet city that has become especially well-known and important thanks to its kebab kitchen. When Mr. Dağdeviren quited his former employment as a baker and set out to find his own unique business in 1987, he also wanted to go beyond the classic notion of Gaziantep kitchen / restaurant. It is thus that he opened also the Çiya Sofrası, where he can focus on his unique culinary interests and create out-of-the-book Southeastern culinary delights. Some of these delights includes lamb stew with eggplant, stuffed eggplants, cracked-wheat rice, dried pastrami (cured beef) with chickpeas and minced meat and interesting desserts like candied pumpkin and a variety of baklawa.

Description:

A manti house open 24 hours, serving breakfast in the morning and traditional Turkish food all day long -including the delicious Turkish dumplings, the manti…

Our Local Expert Says:

Best location, very good food

Description:

Iskele Restaurant is very much liked by the local (well-to-do) folks for its unique location on the water front along the Rumeli Hisari coast; and the quality of its services and freshness of the seasonal fish. The best seats in the house are probably those that are outside on the wooden deck, commanding a view across the straits to the castle on the hilltop - Anadolu Hisari. In the winter, tables by the window are second best. The interior décor is unornamented, simplistic and traditional, but still very elegant. The extremely attentive staff are unobtrusive and very friendly, yet still polite and efficient. The service overall is extremely unpretentious. The variety of food is actually not very different from other mainstream fist restaurants. However, Iskele manages to differentiate itself through the quality of its food offer: fresh seasonal fish and delicious seafood meze. Marinated sea bass, Mackarel special from the cold plates; Iskele special from the hot dishes are highly recommended. Locals' choice for business meals and quality time with friends & loved ones. Definitely a place to take your foreign friend and bewilder him during his visit to Istanbul.