Eating out in Turkey at its best ranges from a two-Michelin-star tasting menu in Istanbul's Şişli district to a tiled dining room above the Spice Bazaar and a pay-by-weight Anatolian canteen in Kadıköy. This guide covers eight Istanbul restaurants that show that range, explains what each one does best and how to book, and closes with how Turkish restaurant culture works outside the big city.
Most visitors start in Istanbul, so pair this list with our guide to things to do in Istanbul, or with honeymoon ideas for Turkey if you are planning a romantic trip.
How these restaurants were chosen: the list mixes the Michelin Guide Istanbul selection with long-running local institutions, so that every budget is covered. Michelin status was checked against the 2025 selection announced in December 2024; the guide is updated every year, so confirm current awards before you book. Prices change fast in Turkey because of inflation, so this guide gives price levels, not lira figures.
The eight Istanbul picks span two continents, and the top of the list, TURK Fatih Tutak, holds two Michelin stars; the guide itself covers three regions of Türkiye.
Restaurants in Turkey compared at a glance
Three of the eight Istanbul restaurants in this guide are fine-dining rooms with Michelin stars in the 2026 Türkiye selection: TURK Fatih Tutak with two, and Mikla and Neolokal with one each. The rest are lokantas, kebab houses and a baklava shop where you can usually walk in. The table sorts all eight by style and price level; each one is described in full below.
The $$$$ places are the tasting-menu and fine-dining rooms. In the 2026 Michelin Türkiye selection, published in December 2025, TURK Fatih Tutak kept its two stars and also holds a Green Star for sustainable practice, while Mikla and Neolokal each kept one star, and Neolokal also kept its Green Star. These three need a reservation, especially for weekend dinners. The $ and $$ places are lokantas, kebab houses and a baklava shop, where you can normally walk in, although Hamdi's terrace tables and Develi at weekends are worth booking. A sensible week in Istanbul mixes one splurge with several of the cheaper places, which show more of everyday Turkish cooking.
| # | Restaurant | Area | Style | Price level | Book ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TURK Fatih Tutak | Şişli | Tasting menu | $$$$ | Yes |
| 2 | Mikla | Beyoğlu | Modern Anatolian, rooftop | $$$$ | Yes |
| 3 | Neolokal | Karaköy | Modern Turkish | $$$ | Yes |
| 4 | Çiya Sofrası | Kadıköy | Regional Anatolian | $ | No |
| 5 | Pandeli | Eminönü | Classic Ottoman | $$ | Lunch rush |
| 6 | Hamdi | Eminönü | Kebab with views | $$ | For a terrace table |
| 7 | Develi | Samatya | Southeastern kebabs | $$ | Weekends |
| 8 | Karaköy Güllüoğlu | Karaköy | Baklava shop | $ | No |
8 best restaurants in Istanbul, Turkey, reviewed
TURK Fatih Tutak
For a special occasion, this two-Michelin-star tasting menu is the top of the list. Chef Fatih Tutak cooked in Asia before returning to Istanbul, and his restaurant in Şişli reworks Turkish home and street dishes into a long tasting menu. In the 2025 Michelin selection it was the only restaurant in the country with two stars.
Expect a set menu only, served over several hours, with dishes built on Anatolian ingredients and techniques such as fermentation and wood-fire cooking. This is a booking-weeks-ahead restaurant. Be aware that it is the most expensive meal on this list by a wide margin, and dietary changes need to be requested when you reserve.
- Area: Bomonti, Şişli (European side)
- Price: Top-tier tasting menu
- Service: Dinner, set menu
- Cuisine: Contemporary Turkish
Save it for a once-in-a-trip dinner. Reserve as soon as your dates are fixed.
Mikla
A Michelin star and rooftop views make Mikla a date-night favourite. The restaurant, from chef Mehmet Gürs, sits on the top floors of The Marmara Pera hotel in Beyoğlu, with a terrace that looks over the Golden Horn to the old city. The kitchen calls its style "new Anatolian": regional produce cooked with Scandinavian precision, reflecting the chef's Turkish and Scandinavian background.
It held one Michelin star in the 2025 selection and has long been listed among the World's 50 Best extended list. A drink on the terrace bar before dinner is the classic order of events. Window and terrace tables go first, so ask for one when booking.
- Area: The Marmara Pera, Beyoğlu
- Price: High-end, tasting or à la carte
- Service: Dinner
- Cuisine: New Anatolian
Couples come for the sunset. Book a time 30 minutes before sunset for the terrace light.
Neolokal
Near Galata, Neolokal, led by chef Maksut Aşkar, cooks Anatolian recipes with a focus on heritage ingredients and seasonal produce. It was the first restaurant in Türkiye to receive a Michelin Green Star, and in the 2026 selection it kept both its star and its Green Star for sustainable practice.
The restaurant is in Karaköy, close to the Galata Bridge, which makes it easy to combine with an evening walk across to Eminönü. Menus change with the season, so it rewards a repeat visit. Book ahead, especially for weekend dinners.
- Area: Karaköy, near Galata Bridge
- Price: High-end
- Service: Dinner
- Cuisine: Modern Anatolian
Food lovers curious about where Turkish cooking is heading should put it on the shortlist.
Çiya Sofrası
On the Asian side, the best value on this list is Çiya Sofrası, on Kadıköy's market street. It is the work of Musa Dağdeviren, who has spent decades collecting recipes from across Anatolia. The counter changes daily with the season: stuffed vegetables, lamb stews with fruit, wild greens and soups that rarely appear on Istanbul menus.
Cold dishes are sold by weight, so you can build a varied plate cheaply. Ordering is simple: point at what you want. Getting there is half the fun; take a public ferry from Eminönü or Karaköy to Kadıköy and walk up through the produce market.
- Area: Kadıköy market streets (Asian side)
- Price: Budget to moderate
- Service: Lunch and dinner
- Getting there: Ferry to Kadıköy, then a short walk
Curious eaters on a budget will be happiest here. Go at lunch, when the counter is fullest.
Pandeli
Since 1901, Pandeli has served Ottoman-era dishes from rooms above the entrance of the Spice Bazaar in Eminönü. The turquoise İznik-style tiles make it one of the most photographed dining rooms in the city.
The menu sticks to classics such as aubergine dishes, sea bass baked in paper and slow-cooked lamb. It is mainly a lunch place, which suits a morning in the bazaar and at the New Mosque next door. Quality reviews vary more than at the starred restaurants; go for the room and the setting as much as the food.
- Area: Spice Bazaar entrance, Eminönü
- Price: Moderate
- Service: Mainly lunch
- Cuisine: Ottoman and classic Turkish
Book it for a historic lunch between sights in the old city.
Hamdi Restaurant
Groups do well at Hamdi, a large, long-running kebab restaurant near the Spice Bazaar, best known for pistachio kebab, lahmacun and the view of the Golden Horn and Galata Tower from its upper floor and terrace.
Service is fast and the restaurant handles groups well, which makes it a reliable choice for families. It is busy at both lunch and dinner. Ask for an upper-floor window table when booking; lower floors lose the view.
- Area: Near the Spice Bazaar, Eminönü
- Price: Moderate
- Service: Lunch and dinner
- Cuisine: Southeastern kebabs
Come for kebabs with a view, and reserve the terrace for sunset.
Develi Samatya
A local favourite off the tourist trail, Develi has served Gaziantep-style kebabs and southeastern dishes in Samatya since 1912. Samatya is a quiet, residential seaside quarter west of Sultanahmet, so most diners are Istanbul families.
Order a spread of meze, then a mixed kebab or the house speciality kebabs, and finish with künefe or baklava. A taxi from Sultanahmet is the simplest way to get there.
- Area: Samatya, Fatih
- Price: Moderate
- Service: Lunch and dinner
- Getting there: Taxi from Sultanahmet
Pick it for a local-style kebab dinner away from the crowds.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu
Open all day for a quick stop, Karaköy Güllüoğlu is the city's most famous baklava shop. Gaziantep is the home city of Turkish pistachio baklava, and this shop follows that style. Order by the portion at the counter: pistachio baklava, şöbiyet and the carrot-shaped havuç dilimi are the usual choices, with Turkish tea.
It is a busy self-service shop, not a sit-down restaurant, so plan 20 minutes. Shops sell boxed baklava to take home; ask for it to be packed for travel.
- Area: Karaköy, near the ferry pier
- Price: Budget
- Service: All day
- Cuisine: Baklava and desserts
Drop in for something sweet after crossing the Galata Bridge.
Eating out beyond Istanbul: Izmir, the Aegean and Cappadocia
The Michelin Guide launched in Istanbul in 2023 and then added Izmir, the Muğla province (which includes Bodrum) and Cappadocia; in April 2026 it announced that inspectors now cover the whole country, with the first nationwide selection expected at the end of 2026. The Aegean already has its own stars: in the 2026 selection Vino Locale in Urla, near Izmir, became only the second two-star restaurant in Türkiye, and Teruar Urla and Orfoz in Muğla hold Green Stars. On that coast, meyhane-style seafood dinners with olive-oil meze are the standard evening out.
In Cappadocia, many restaurants are built into caves and serve testi kebabı, meat slow-cooked in a sealed clay pot that is cracked open at the table. In the southeast, Gaziantep is the place for baklava and kebabs, and Adana gives its name to the spicy minced-meat kebab. A trip that crosses regions eats very differently from one spent only in Istanbul.
Tips for eating in Turkish restaurants
- Check Michelin each year. The Türkiye selection is announced every December, so look up the newest list before booking a starred meal.
- Expect menu price changes. Inflation in Turkey means printed prices change often. Check the menu on the restaurant's own site close to your visit.
- Ramadan evenings. During Ramadan many restaurants serve a set iftar at sunset and are full; reserve or eat earlier.
- Tipping. Around 10 percent is a common tip in sit-down restaurants. Since early 2026 Turkish rules ban restaurants and cafés from adding service, cover or table charges to the bill, so any tip is voluntary, and price lists must be shown at the entrance and on tables, by QR code if the venue prefers.
- Use the ferries. Crossing to Kadıköy by ferry is cheap, scenic and often faster than driving.
- Alcohol. Many traditional kebab and lokanta places do not serve alcohol; meyhanes and upscale restaurants do.
Ready to plan? Search flights to Istanbul and compare hotels near the neighbourhoods you want to eat in.
Planning a trip to Istanbul? Read our Istanbul travel guide, compare hotels in Istanbul or search flights.
{{item.get_author.first_name}} {{item.get_author.last_name}}
{{item.comment_txt}}
{{item_reply.get_author.first_name}} {{item_reply.get_author.last_name}}
@ {{item_reply.reply_to}}, {{item_reply.reply_txt}}