10 best restaurants in Istanbul: most delicious culinary hotspots

Top 10 restaurants for an amazing dinner in Istanbul

Where to eat in Istanbul? Here is a complete guide to the top 10 best restaurants in Istanbul! Here you will find the best restaurants for a high-class experience. To enjoy Turkish cuisine with its authenticity you should also try the best street foods in Istanbul. Discover the culinary hotspots at the Bosphorus now!

📍Quickly jump to the map of best restaurants in Istanbul!

360 Istanbul

  • Address: Tomtom Mah. İstiklal Cad. No:163 K: 8, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey
  • Website: https://www.360istanbul.com/
  • Opening hours: Every day from 12 pm to 2 am

Located on the top floor of the historic Mısır Apartment Building, 360 Istanbul is a renowned rooftop restaurant, bar, and nightclub in a 19th-century apartment building overlooking the former embassy building on Beyoğlu’s famous Istiklal Street. The restaurant offers a breathtaking 360-degree view of Istanbul and has won many international awards for its cuisine. Open for lunch and dinner, 360 offers a different interpretation of traditional Turkish cuisine and modern Turkish appetizers blended with international cuisine, as well as an exclusive wine selection. Many of the main courses are based on original recipes combining influences from Turkish and international cuisines, while there is also an extensive wine and dessert menu that is expertly designed. 360, which turns into a Club after 22:00 on weekends, has solidified its place among the best Istanbul restaurants in the last 10 years.

Mikla Restaurant

  • Address: Asmalı Mescit, The Marmara Pera, Meşrutiyet Cd. No:15, 34430 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey
  • Website: http://www.miklarestaurant.com/
  • Opening hours: Daily from 6 pm to 2 am, closed on Sundays

Located on the top floor of The Marmara Pera Hotel in Beyoğlu, Mikla Restaurant has been running from success to success under the management of its co-founder and chef Mehmet Gürs since 2005. Mikla is a unique place where the simplicity of Scandinavian Cuisine blends with the traditional flavors of Turkish Cuisine. It is a contemporary Istanbul restaurant that reflects its own style with carefully selected ingredients from every corner of Anatolia and the ‘New Anatolian Cuisine’ concept created in 2012. Mikla Restaurant is an award-winning restaurant with Chef-Owner Mehmet Gürs’ excellent Anatolian cuisine, breathtaking views, and inspiring music. Recognized as one of the best restaurants in Istanbul, it offers beautiful views of the city and its most valuable buildings, such as Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace.

Sunset Grill & Bar

  • Address: Kuruçeşme Mahallesi Ulus Park, Yol Sokağı No:2, 34345 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Turkey
  • Website: https://www.sunsetgrillbar.com/
  • Opening hours: Daily from 12 pm to 12 am, Sundays from 6 pm to 12 am

Sunset Grill & Bar has been located in Ulus Park since 1994 and has not lost its popularity and quality for 25 years. The restaurant offers you different flavors accompanied by a magnificent view of the Bosphorus. It has a Sushi Bar and a wine menu that you will not find anywhere else in Istanbul. In the first years of its opening, the restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus, which served ‘California Cuisine’ and grilled steaks, added different flavors from Turkish cuisine to its menu upon the demand of foreign guests. The daily menu of Sunset Grill & Bar, which also serves lunch, includes Mediterranean, Turkish and Japanese cuisines.

Ajia Restaurant

  • Address: Kanlıca Ahmet Rasim Paşa Yalısı, Halide Edip Adıvar Cd. D:No:27, 34810 Beykoz/İstanbul, Turkey
  • Website: https://www.ajiahotel.com/
  • Opening hours: Daily from 7 am to 12 am

Ajia Restaurant, part of the Ahmet Rasim Pasha Mansion, has been serving in Kanlıca since 2004. The chef of the restaurant, İzzet Ayva, and his team combine flavors from the Mediterranean and international cuisines in their exclusive menu and offer you authentic dishes accompanied by the Bosphorus view of Kanlıca. The restaurant also has a bar that has received the ‘Five Star Diamond’ award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences. The bar serves great drinks until late at night. There is private transportation to Ajia by boat over the sea every day except Mondays. Ajia is located in such a great location with a magnificent view that it has a strong position among the best Istanbul restaurants.

Zuma 

Zuma, London’s famous Japanese restaurant, first opened in Ortaköy in 2008. Today, it serves Japanese food in İstinye Park with its remarkable decoration. Zuma Restaurant, which also has a branch in Hong Kong and has become a worldwide brand, offers real Japanese flavors in a traditional Izakaya-style environment. The decoration and even the plates come from Japan and the restaurant offers a wide selection of seafood, meat dishes, grilled meats, and of course Zuma specialties, sushi, vegetables, soups, and rice. Zuma also offers set menus for lunch and has an embracing ambiance with its minimalist style.

Nusr-Et Steakhouse

  • Address: Etiler, Nispetiye Cd No:87, 34337 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Turkey
  • Website: https://www.nusr-et.com.tr/
  • Opening hours: Daily from 12.30 pm to 1.30 am, Sundays from 12.30 pm to 1.30 am

Nusr-Et Steakhouse, one of the favorite places for meat lovers in Istanbul, has been serving since 2010 with its first restaurant in Etiler. The restaurant and its owner have gained worldwide fame with the gesture of sprinkling salt on the meat. The menu, where you can find every option of beef and lamb, brings a different interpretation to the steakhouse culture. Nusr-et, which stands out with its meat quality and cooking methods, carries this experience to burgers. You can taste Nusr-et’s special burgers at Nusr-Et Burger branches in Nişantaşı, Bebek, Kanyon, Galata and İstinye Park.

Endam Istanbul (before Leb-i Derya Restaurant)

  • Address: Şahkulu, Kumbaracı Ykş. No:57 Kat:5, 34425 Tünel/Beyoğlu/Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey
  • Website: https://www.endamistanbul.com/
  • Opening hours: Daily from 2 pm to 2 am

Endam (also known as Lebi-Derya) is a restaurant that stands out for its views and unique cocktails. Located on a rooftop in Beyoğlu, the restaurant offers one of the best luxury dining experiences in Istanbul, allowing visitors to enjoy inspiring views of the city. The menu offers a variety of cuisines to suit guests’ taste buds, including Turkish delicacies such as lamb skewers with plums, fresh and spicy pilaf with pomegranate molasses, fresh thyme, and pine nuts. Breathtaking views of the Bosphorus and a DJ performance accompany the dining experience. Living up to its name, this restaurant combines sea views with fine dining and entertainment.

Mürver Restaurant

  • Address: Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Kemankeş Cd. No:57-59, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey (in Novotel Istanbul Bosphorus)
  • Website: http://www.murverrestaurant.com/
  • Opening hours: Daily from 12:30 pm to 15:00 pm and 18:00 pm to 23:00 pm

Located on the terrace of Novotel in Karaköy, Mürver Restaurant promises a magnificent view of Istanbul. The delicacies on the menu are cooked on a wood-fired open grill and in a wood oven. In addition to the meats resting on the grill after being cooked in the oven, the octopus served with roasted Aegean herbs is also cooked in ashes. In short, everything is as delicious as if cooked in a wood fire. Yılmaz Öztürk Mürver, known for his restaurants Mancar and L’Escargot in Alaçatı, plans the menu under the consultancy of Mikla’s chef Mehmet Gürs.

Vogue Restaurant

  • Address: Vişnezade Süleyman Seba Caddesi No:134 A Blok Bjk Plaza, Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Turkey (located in BSK Plaza)
  • Website: http://www.voguerestaurant.com/
  • Opening hours: Daily from 12:00 pm to 12:00 am

Opened in 1997 on the terrace floor of BJK Plaza in Akaretler, Vogue Restaurant offers special flavors of world cuisine accompanied by the Bosphorus view. The restaurant has a simple, elegant and comfortable atmosphere and offers a wide range of unique dishes from sea bass to roasted lamb shank. You can also taste Japanese flavors from the sushi menu of Vogue Restaurant, which offers a wide variety of dishes from Thai-style fish to artichoke tortellini. If you want to eat authentic food with a view, Vogue Restaurant is the place for you. 

Viktor Levi Şarap Evi

Viktor Levi Wine House, which you will see on the left as you walk down from Kadıköy’s famous Rexx Cinema, is a wine house that produces its own wines. Even the name of this wine house, whose wines are famous throughout the country, means “House of Wine” in Turkish. Here you will be offered homemade wines to match your meal. In addition to liver and meat, there are many specialties to suit imported and local cheese plates. Viktor Levi’s winemaking journey, which began in Bozcaada, continues at the current Viktor Levi Wine House in the garden of a historic mansion, which was restored about 20 years ago and has an ambiance that wine lovers will appreciate.

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Image credits/source: Restaurant’s websites

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  1. Thanks for finally tallking abbout > Top 10 Resttaurants inn Istanbyl | Istanbulish < Loved it!