10 Best Beşiktaş Restaurants: Palace Dining to Bosphorus Terraces
The 10 best restaurants in Beşiktaş, from Michelin-starred sushi at Sankai to Ottoman palace dining at Tuğra and waterside Bosphorus tables in Bebek.
Beşiktaş hosts some of the best and most luxurious restaurants in Istanbul. The district runs along the Bosphorus, so the dining rooms come with the views to match: hotel terraces over the strait, an 1871 palace kitchen, and the city’s first Kaiseki and Edomae sushi room. This is the dress-up chapter of our Istanbul neighborhood food guides. Make a reservation first; these tables go fast.
The 10 restaurants at a glance
| Restaurant | The food | The setting |
|---|---|---|
| Sankai by Nagaya | Kaiseki dining with Edomae-style sushi | Third floor of the Bebek Hotel, 24 seats |
| Summit Bar & Terrace | Cocktails, Turkish wines, dinner menu | Terrace at the Conrad Istanbul, skyline view |
| Tuğra | Ottoman cuisine in copper pots | 1871 Ottoman palace, Çırağan Palace Kempinski |
| Ulus 29 | International dishes, stone-oven pide and lahmacun, sushi | Hilltop bar-restaurant, dancing on weekends |
| Divan Brasserie Bebek | Turkish and international, patisserie on site | Waterside tables in Bebek |
| Chalet | Rösti, cheese fondue, chocolate desserts | 120-year-old wooden chalet at Swissôtel, winter season |
| Banyan | Thai and Asian | Open-air terrace near Ortaköy Mosque |
| Scarlet | Steak | Garden, large indoor bar, valet parking |
| IST TOO | International plus Turkish kebabs and pide, vegan options | Shangri-La terrace overlooking two continents |
| Şans | Mediterranean, steak, seafood | Two-floor villa with a garden by the financial district |
1. Sankai by Nagaya
Sankai by Nagaya holds one Michelin star, retained in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Türkiye, and sits on the third floor of the historic Bebek Hotel with views over the Bosphorus. It is the first restaurant in Turkey to combine Kaiseki dining with Edomae-style sushi.
The room is intimate, with just 24 seats, and the kitchen is a partnership between Michelin-starred chef Yoshizumi Nagaya and head sushi chef Hiroko Shibata. Reviewers consistently mention the Bosphorus view and the Japanese precision of the tasting experience, and the restaurant runs a free luxury shuttle for guests.
2. Summit Bar & Terrace
Summit Bar & Terrace sits inside the Conrad Istanbul hotel, with a terrace that looks out across the Istanbul skyline. The bar mixes flawless cocktails, pours drinks from around the world, and keeps a strong selection of Turkish wines next to its dinner menu.
On a lucky night there is live music. The service is the kind where you remember your server’s name by the end of the evening.
3. Tuğra Restaurant
Tuğra occupies the first floor of an Ottoman palace built in 1871, above one of Istanbul’s most scenic stretches of waterfront. The award-winning kitchen specializes in dishes inspired by Ottoman cuisine.
The recipes are cooked with organic products in palace-style copper pots and pans, earthenware pots, and casseroles, the same way they were prepared in the old times.
Tuğra sits inside the Çırağan Palace Kempinski hotel, and reservations are necessary. You can book a table here. For more dinners on the water, our guide to the best Bosphorus restaurants in Istanbul goes deeper.
4. Ulus 29
“29” is a bar and restaurant on top of one of Istanbul’s hills. Dinner runs daily from 6:30 pm and lunch on weekdays from noon to 3:00 pm, and on weekends the music takes over and people dance.
The menu covers iconic dishes from around the world, traditional Turkish plates including pide and lahmacun baked in a stone oven, and sushi prepared in-house.
5. Divan Brasserie Bebek
Divan Brasserie Bebek sits right by the water. Snag a waterside table and it can feel like your plate is touching the Bosphorus. The menu runs from traditional Turkish food to international dishes, built on fresh ingredients and backed by an extensive wine cellar.
The patisserie deserves its own stop, with a case of cakes and desserts finished with colorful glazes and nut and fruit drizzles. Bebek itself rewards a slow afternoon; our Bebek guide covers the waterfront beyond the restaurant.
6. Chalet
Chalet sits on the grounds of Swissôtel The Bosphorus, inside a 120-year-old authentic wooden Swiss chalet decorated with vintage skis and clocks around a fireplace. It is a winter-season restaurant, known for Swiss dishes: rösti potatoes, cheese fondue, and chocolate desserts.
It is pricey. It is also one of the few places in Istanbul cooking this menu, and the focus on detail, the quality of the food, and the customer-focused team make the elegant, romantic room worth planning a winter visit around. In summer, the same grounds operate as Chalet Garden, with stone-oven pizzas, a summer-adapted fondue, and live-music nights.
7. Banyan
Banyan blends Thai and Asian spices on a menu built for eating beside the Bosphorus. The open-air terrace works in two directions: one side looks over the water toward Ortaköy Mosque, the other gathers around a fireplace built for winter nights.
The food is as good as it gets here, the plates composed with real care, and the room and waitstaff hold up their end.
8. Scarlet
Hungry for meat? Scarlet is one of the best steakhouses in Istanbul, with a small garden for outdoor tables, an enormous bar inside, and valet service to make parking easier. The staff is amiable, and the music suits whatever is in your glass.
The steaks are reasonably priced for what they deliver. You will be back.
9. IST TOO
IST TOO sits inside the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel Istanbul and cooks from everywhere at once. Pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and salads share the menu with traditional Turkish kebabs and pides, Middle Eastern and Asian flavors, and an impressive vegetarian and vegan selection.
The outdoor terrace is the reason to linger. It looks out over the skyline where Europe and Asia face each other, the view known as “two continents between two seas.”
10. Şans Restaurant
Şans serves its customers in a two-floor villa with a garden, an upscale modern dining room right next to Istanbul’s busy financial district. The fine-dining menu focuses on Mediterranean cooking, steak, and seafood.
The service is fabulous. The waiters know the menu and recommend well, and the pleasant, tidy decor registers the moment you walk in. If you have time to head here, do it.
Final words
Beşiktaş, Istanbul’s modern and chic district, holds some of the city’s best restaurants, and any of the ten above will carry a big night out. Book your table, dress up, and let the Bosphorus do the rest.
For the other side of Istanbul eating, the everyday side, join one of our Istanbul food tours. We have run them since 2013 in groups capped at 10 guests, and they hold a 4.95 out of 5 average across 7,800+ reviews. Dates and times are on the tour calendar.
