Best Burgers in Istanbul: 12 Serious Burger Spots
The best burger in Istanbul: Virginia Angus in Fatih, Route Burger House in Karaköy, and Zapata in Kadıköy, plus Taksim's famous islak wet burger.
Istanbul does burgers well. Locals fill the tables at Virginia Angus in Fatih, Route Burger House feeds Karaköy until 2 AM most nights, and reviewers keep naming Zapata in Kadıköy the best burger they have eaten in this city. After a few days of working through Turkish food, wanting a taste of home needs no apology, even in a country famous for its cuisine. Maybe you are traveling with someone who only eats the familiar. That works too. This guide covers 12 places worth your appetite, plus the wet burger, the one burger Istanbul can call its own. For everything beyond beef patties, start with our guide to the best food in Istanbul.
A taste of home: international burger chains in Istanbul
If you are hoping for international boutique burger chains, Istanbul may let you down.
You will have no trouble bumping into a McDonald’s or Burger King. They are scattered around evenly, and the menus bend more local than you might expect: McDonald’s Turkey keeps ayran on the drinks list, the beef is halal-certified, and Turkish items like the Köfteburger have rotated through the menu over the years.
Carl’s Jr. keeps several branches around the city, including a counter at the Cevahir mall and one at Istanbul Airport. New York’s Shake Shack runs a handful of Istanbul branches as well, nearly all inside shopping malls, with İstinye Park on the European side and Akasya on the Anatolian side among them.
None of these chains made our list of the best burgers in Istanbul.
A local delicacy: the wet burger
The islak burger, Istanbul’s own wet burger, is a small bun drenched in seasoned tomato sauce, usually with a hint of garlic, then left to steam. No towering stack of toppings here. The minimal build is the point: soft, garlicky, and gone in four bites. It is one of the classics of Turkish street food.
The best part? It counts as student food, so it costs far less than anything gourmet on this list and belongs with the city’s best cheap eats.
Best burger in Istanbul: local places
For the burgers worth planning a meal around, join the Istanbulites at these twelve places. Here is the list at a glance, with the wet burger counter included so every price level is covered:
| Place | Area | What to order | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Angus | Fatih | The “Fantastik Four” mini-burger sampler | Mid-range |
| Route Burger House | Karaköy | A lamb burger with the house sauces | Mid-range |
| Nusr-et Burger | Bebek | A burger at lunch, before the crowds | Special occasion |
| Zula | Harbiye | The signature burger with truffle mayo | Mid-range |
| Muhit | Karaköy | A burger, then a menengiç coffee | Mid-range |
| House of B | Akaretler | The Dr. Hob with cheddar sauce | Mid-range |
| The Grungy | Teşvikiye | A burger with the 4-hour onions | Mid-range |
| Biber Burger | Beşiktaş | The Romesco | Mid-range |
| Akali | Akaretler | Build your own, 240 g patty, fried egg | Mid-range |
| Zapata Burger | Kadıköy | Anything with the handmade sauces | Mid-range |
| Mr. Hamza PLUS | Nişantaşı | The signature closed HAMZA | Mid-range |
| Ohannes Burger | Across Istanbul | Build your own on the brioche bun | Mid-range |
| Kızılkayalar | Taksim | The islak wet burger | Cheap eat |
1. Virginia Angus, Fatih
A favorite among locals, which means getting a table in this busy, American-style diner can take some patience. The quaint, unassuming room may set your expectations low. The burgers reset them fast; this is one of the best in Istanbul. The menu leans on gourmet burgers from around America, with a selection of steaks alongside.
Struggling to choose? The “Fantastik Four” gives you four different mini burgers on one plate. There is a vegetarian option too, useful if you bring a friend who skips meat.
Dinner times and Sundays tend to be quieter. Just note the kitchen closes at 9 PM, so plan for an early dinner rather than a late one.
Location of Virginia Angus:
2. Route Burger House, Karaköy
The menu covers beef and lamb burgers alongside chicken and vegetarian options, with house sauces and a short list of appetizers to round it out. There is no way you walk away from here hungry. If the best burger in Istanbul is somewhere else, the second-best is here.
The setting earns points too. Tucked at the entrance of a small passageway, the room and the alley both have a back-pocket, slightly rebellious feel. Open until 2 AM most nights, though we would still recommend getting there early.
Location of Route Burger House:
3. Nusr-et Burger, Bebek
Their slogan: “We don’t make meat. We make art.”
The burger side of the Nusr-Et brand lives in Bebek, on Cevdet Paşa Caddesi by the Bosphorus, and the menu here keeps the focus on burgers. The Bebek branch is open daily from noon until 12:30 AM, and anything carrying the Nusret name draws a crowd, so grab lunch rather than fight for an evening table.
Location of Nusr-et Burger:
4. Zula, Harbiye
Zula is Turkish slang for a hidden stash, and the name fits the address: a backstreet corner of Harbiye, a short walk from Nişantaşı’s shopping streets. The room is small and welcoming, the menu short and confident, and the burger still ranks among the city’s best. The signature build keeps it simple: a 100 g patty under cheddar, caramelized onions, pickle relish, and a truffle-scented mayo.
The brand has since grown into shopping malls across the city, Vadi Istanbul and Emaar among them, but the Harbiye original keeps the tucked-away charm that named it.
Location of Zula:
5. Muhit, Karaköy
Muhit has the most extensive menu on this list. Beyond the burgers there are toasts, salads, pasta, and breakfasts, and even the coffee list runs deep: you can order a red-eye here, or a menengiç coffee, made from a plant that is genetically close to the pistachio.
It sits in a busy alley packed with eateries and stands out for its modern vibe, the vast menu, the burgers, and the cats that patrol the street outside. There is a good-looking bar too, for when you have walked Istanbul all day and want to sit down with a drink.
Location of Muhit:
6. House of B, Akaretler
Walking in feels like stepping into 1950s America. The diner styling runs through every detail. No vegetarian options here; the menu sticks to classic American diner burgers.
You will find it in Akaretler, a short walk up from Dolmabahçe. The patties are ground fresh daily and the buns are baked in house. Reviewers consistently point to the Dr. Hob burger with its cheddar sauce, and the mac and cheese and the cheese fries get steady mentions too.
Location of House of B:
7. The Grungy, Teşvikiye
Freshly baked buns. Onions caramelized for four hours. High-quality meat under a sweet-and-sour house sauce. If that sounds good to you, this is the place. Pay no attention to the name; the owner’s obsession with burgers comes through in everything this artisanal joint serves. They do offer pork and bacon, prepared separately from the other ingredients.
The fries deserve their own sentence. Brits who miss their salt and vinegar and Americans who miss Cajun seasoning are both covered. If you take burgers seriously, visit The Grungy and meet owner Alex Dekesoglu, who is happy to talk you through what he builds.
Location of The Grungy:
8. Biber Burger, Beşiktaş
The menu is short and focused: a handful of charcoal-grilled burgers, from the Classic to the Romesco with its roasted almond and red pepper sauce. Dried biber peppers sit on every table, which explains the name. The room draws a crowd of younger and middle-aged faces.
Reviewers consistently praise the bread, the caramelized onions, and fries that come out crispy on the outside. The service is great, the space is small, and the value is hard to argue with.
Location of Biber Burger:
9. Akali, Akaretler
Akali is the home of the customizable burger. Pick the patty size (80, 160, or 240 grams), pick the sauces, pick the ingredients, and voila: a tailor-made burger. Extras run from smoked beef and burger cheese to a fried egg, and the fries come plain or Cajun-spiced.
The original Akaretler spot now leans into its pub side and trades as Akalipub. If you feel like a beer with a burger built exactly your way, this is your spot.
Location of Akali:
10. Zapata Burger, Kadıköy
Young, free-spirited burger hunters, gather round: there are burgers here with bacon, pineapple, tartar sauce, spicy jalapeños, even eggplant. The vibe is more casual and low-key than the other burger joints on this list. The traditional condiments are on hand, and the sauces are handmade.
Many reviewers have called this the best burger they have ever had in Istanbul. The service is great too, and the brand now runs a second shop in London Fields. If you are eating your way through the Asian side, our guide to Kadıköy restaurants covers the rest of the neighborhood. One warning: get there early, because a crowd usually forms at the door.
Location of Zapata Burger:
11. Mr. Hamza PLUS, Nişantaşı
Hamza is a common Turkish name, but here it stands for something else: HAM from hamburger and ZA from pizza. The signature is a closed burger, the patty and toppings wrapped fully in thin pizza dough so it eats almost like a pastry. They call it the HAMZA.
The fusion HAMZA selection is wide and includes vegan versions, still a rarity in Istanbul. The menu is long enough to paralyze first-timers or keep regulars coming back, and the low lights and warm room make it easy to settle in. And if it is the pizza half of the equation you actually want, we wrote a separate guide to the best pizza in Istanbul.
Location of Mr. Hamza PLUS:
12. Ohannes Burger, across Istanbul
Ohannes started out in 2009 in Bornova, İzmir, where founder Mehmet Yazıcıoğlu opened the first shop, and it has since grown into a gourmet burger chain with branches all over Istanbul. The formula is simple: butter brioche buns, handmade patties, and sauces prepared fresh every day.
This is also the one to pick when you have kids in tow, since the chain leans family-friendly across its branches. Reviewers consistently call out the sauces and the long list of toppings, which lets everyone at the table build the burger their own way.
Location of Ohannes Burger:
Final words
Twelve burger joints, one wet burger, and a city that keeps both traditions running side by side. We hope this list points you to the right counter the next time the craving hits.
And when you are ready to trade the patty for the food this city is actually famous for, that is what our Taste of Two Continents tour is for: small groups of 10 at most, eating the Turkish classics with a local guide on both sides of the Bosphorus.
