Best Restaurants in Istanbul
One of the best ways to understand the culture of a country goes through its culinary. Even though when people think about Turkish Cuisine, they mostly think kebabs. Yes, we indeed have a variety of delicious kebabs; we will also surprise you with our traditional Anatolian Cuisine. There are many best quality restaurants in Istanbul with a historical atmosphere.
Deraliye Ottoman Cuisine Restaurant
Once you visited Topkapi Palace, which was the house of the Ottoman sultans, you learn a lot about their lives. But what about the dishes they ate? How did these dishes taste? You don’t need a time machine J . You can go to Deraliye Restaurant to taste these Ottoman dishes from the 15 to 17th centuries. Necati, the restaurant owner, got these Ottoman Palace dishes from the archives and cooking them for you today. Here at Deraliye Restaurant, you can even learn how to cook these dishes by coining their cooking classes. After joining one of these classes, you can cook honeydew melon, Mehmet II’s favorite, for your friends.
Yeni Restaurant
Yeni means “new” in Turkish. As this is a new restaurant, it also brought a fresh taste to the dishes we already knew. Chef, Civan Er, is on the right path with his touch to Anatolian dishes like dried eggplant, hummus, green beans cloaked in yogurt, and the other dishes he has on his rich menu. Especially manti, Turkish ravioli. This is the favorite dish of the writer of this page. He always thought his mum’s ravioli was the best until having ravioli here (don’t tell his mum). So, if you are at Beyoglu and got hungry, now you know where you can go.
Pandeli Restaurant
This beautiful decorated historical place is hidden in Spice Bazaar. You need to find the entrance (which is right next to the main gate from inside) and follow the beautiful turquoise-colored Iznik tiles up through the stairs. Try to get a table by the window to enjoy the Bosphorus view and chaotic atmosphere of Eminonu with its people.
It is hard to believe that this restaurant starts at a hole in the wall kind of a place. Through the years, it became one of the most popular restaurants in Turkey. From writers to poets, singers to actors, lots of people lined up to eat here. But, the most important customer of the restaurant was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who became a friend of Mr. Pandeli later on.
The dishes on the menu have the experience of years. We believe you will love them all. But you should leave room for Oven-baked Quince in Thick syrup & clotted Buffalo cream. The restaurant is only open until 18:30, and they don’t serve alcohol.
Sunset
As you can tell, this is one of the best places to see the sun setting over Istanbul. Being here during a full moon is also breathtaking. Before ordering meals, we suggest you have a look at the drinks—Turkish wine, whisky, champagnes and of course raki. With a view like this, a glass of raki will make you like longer. Thanks to Japanese chef Hiroki Takemura and Turkish chef Huseyin Aslan, you’ll need time to decide when you get the menu. You will have sushi, Turkish and international selection on the menu. We have to say Sunset is one of the best sushi restaurants in Istanbul. We have to remind you again, leave some room for dessert. Sakızlı muhallebi (milk pudding with mastic) and kabak tatlısı (pumpkin dessert with syrup and walnuts) are our suggestions.
Mikla
At Mikla Restaurant, chef-owner Mehmet Gürs reflects his Turkish-Finnish heritage to the menu. His sophisticated combination followed by some other restaurants as well. While you enjoy these forward-thinking and delicious dishes, you will also enjoy the stannic view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus. Try the cherrywood-smoked loin of lamb or the pistachio-crusted lamb chops and finish up with a plate of artisanal cheeses from the east. The restaurant’s 40 pages wine list gives us an idea about the development of Turkish winemaking.
Ciya Sofrası
When it comes to local food, Kadikoy, located in the Asian part of Istanbul, is the place to visit. But don’t get full with street food. Because when you get to Ciya Sofrasi, you want an empty belly. Musa Dagdeviren, the chef-owner, has a great menu that offers you dishes from all over Turkey and forgotten recipes of Anatolian cuisine. He uses seasonal fruits and vegetables for his dishes. So, going to this restaurant every couple of weeks is quite an excitement. Sour cherry kebab, fresh garlic kebab, stuffed pumpkin with rice and walnut, loquat kebab, and Gaziantep truffle kebab are some of the dishes we suggest.
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