Restaurants in Istanbul

Matbah

Ottoman 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.

Meze by Lemon Tree

Turkish 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.

Banyan

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.

Çiya Sofrası

Foodie-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.

Buhara Ocakbasi Restaurant

This 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).

Saray Muhallebicisi

Make 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).

Hocapaşa Pidecisi

In 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.

Canim Ciğerim

This 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.