12 Absolute Best Seafood Restaurants in Istanbul
Balıkçı Kahraman for turbot, Tarihi Ali Baba for one of the friendliest bills, and 10 more of the best seafood restaurants in Istanbul, with what to order at each.
Twelve restaurants made this list, and the one worth planning a whole evening around is Balıkçı Kahraman, up at the city’s northern edge with the Black Sea in view, where turbot season in January and February is the main event. Tarihi Ali Baba keeps the bill among the most reasonable of the twelve. Balıkçı Sabahattin puts a proper fish dinner within a half-hour walk of the Sultanahmet hotels. The rest run from a Greek tavern in Beyoğlu to a Balat meyhane that has appeared in 286 Turkish movies.
Here is the whole list at a glance. A short guide to the local fish comes first, then the detail on each place.
| Place | Area | What to order | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balıkçı Kahraman | Northern tip, Black Sea | Turbot in season (January and February) | Special occasion |
| Bebek Balıkçısı (Tarihi Bebek Balıkçı) | Bebek | Sea bass, mixed seafood grill | Ask the waiter |
| Sur Balık Sarayburnu | Sarayburnu, Eminönü | The day’s local fish, seasonal mezes | Special occasion |
| Balıkçı Sabahattin | Near Sultanahmet | Stuffed mussels, jumbo shrimp, crab salad, sea bass | Ask the waiter |
| Eleos Restaurant | Beyoğlu | Roasted lobster, saganaki, grilled octopus | Ask the waiter |
| Kıyı Restaurant | On the Bosphorus | Grilled turbot, sea bass tartare, oysters | Ask the waiter |
| Tarihi Ali Baba | - | Fish ravioli, fish soup, sea bream in salt | Among the most affordable |
| Karaköy Lokantası | Karaköy | Mezes and the day’s fish | Ask the waiter |
| Del Mare Restaurant | Asian side | Turbot tandoori, mussel linguine, sea bass soup | Ask the waiter |
| Agora 1890 | Balat | Tarama, fish pastrami, almond-flavored zucchini | Ask the waiter |
| Adem Baba Restaurant | Arnavutköy | Fish meatballs, fried mussels, fried calamari | Ask the waiter |
| Cibalikapı Balıkçısı Haliç | Cibali, Golden Horn | Marinated sea bass, parmesan mussels | Ask the waiter |
Before the list, two questions we get asked a lot.
What are the popular local fishes in Istanbul?
Ask your waiter what fish is in season. The cooking style changes with the season too.
Bonito (Palamut)
This cousin of the tuna is a fierce predator. During its season it becomes one of the most affordable fish in Istanbul. The strong, harsh flavor and oily texture divide opinion; most Istanbul locals find palamut absolutely delicious.
Bluefish (Lüfer)
Bluefish are voracious feeders and fierce fighters, which earned them the name “predator of the Bosphorus” among fishermen. The flavor is rich and full, the meat coarse and moist, and the skin is edible. The larger the fish, the more pronounced its taste and the higher the bill.
Sea Bream (Çipura)
Chefs widely consider Mediterranean sea bream one of the tastiest fish of all. It has a wonderfully clean taste and a satisfyingly meaty texture, and even the farmed version tastes good when cooked properly.
Mackerel (Uskumru)
Mackerel is a strong-flavored, fatty fish that tastes similar to salmon. The famous fish sandwiches sold all around Istanbul are usually made with Norwegian mackerel and come with fresh onions, parsley, and a squeeze of lemon to balance that strong flavor.
Sea Bass (Levrek)
Sea bass suits anyone who dislikes a strong fishy taste. It has a mild, sweet flavor, high fat content, and a full, meaty consistency that wins over even reluctant seafood eaters.
Red Mullet (Tekir or Barbun)
Red mullet often gets filed under white fish, though it tastes stronger than most of that group. It is usually lightly fried and served whole. The fish are small, so expect five or six on the plate to make a filling meal.
Anchovies (Hamsi)
Anchovies rarely headline the menus at Istanbul fish restaurants. At home it is another story: hamsi is by far the most popular fish cooked in Turkish kitchens.
Forget what canned anchovies taste like back home. Fresh hamsi, fried, is a different fish entirely, and plenty of locals eat them whole, head, tail, bones and all.
Turbot (Kalkan)
Turbot is a highly prized flatfish, usually regarded as the best of that group, with great flavor and firm white meat. This elegant fish is a delicacy in Istanbul and one of the most expensive at the market. It earns the price.
Swordfish (Kılıç)
Swordfish is one of the meatiest fish, with a subtle sweet flavor, and the texture keeps its moistness through cooking. Kitchens here usually skewer it and serve it as shish kebab.
Gray Mullet (Kefal)
Gray mullet has a distinctive, earthy, nutty flavor and stays popular across Turkey as a quick, reasonably priced lunch or dinner. The fishermen you see on Galata Bridge usually end up reeling in this common fish.
What is the pricing like in seafood restaurants in Istanbul?
Fish in Istanbul runs from very pricey to practically a steal. Menus print set prices only for farmed fish and small fish like anchovies, gray mullet, red mullet, and whiting. For everything else, confirm the price with your waiter before ordering so the bill brings no surprises. To get a feel for what the day’s catch costs before you ever sit down, walk through one of the city’s fish markets.
List of best fish restaurants in Istanbul:
1. Balıkçı Kahraman
Balıkçı Kahraman sits at the very north of Istanbul with a view of the Black Sea. The staff treats you like family, and hot and cold appetizers crowd the table before the fish course even arrives.
The reason to make the trip is turbot. This cold-water flatfish has long been a delicacy of Turkish cuisine, and while Kahraman serves every fish the season offers, this is the one the house is known for. Come around January and February, when good-sized turbot are fatty, fresh, and at their best.
Weekend tables are hard to get, so book ahead. You may find Turkish celebrities sitting next to you. This is one of the most expensive fish restaurants in Istanbul, and a medium-size turbot alone is a special-occasion order.
2. Bebek Balıkçısı
This is the one for a good view. Perched right on the water’s edge in Bebek, the restaurant brings in fresh catches of the day from all over Turkey, with some imports to keep the menu interesting. The room feels clean and refreshing, the service is prompt without being pushy, and there is something for everyone on the menu.
Sea bass is the standout order. The mixed seafood grill offers variety in every bite, with rice pilaf or a green salad on the side. You may also see the place listed these days under its current name, Tarihi Bebek Balıkçı. More waterfront tables like this one are in our guide to the best Bosphorus restaurants in Istanbul.
3. Sur Balık Sarayburnu
Sur Balık is one of Istanbul’s established seafood names, and its Sarayburnu branch sits right on the water at Kennedy Caddesi in Eminönü, where the Golden Horn meets the Sea of Marmara.
Visitors consistently praise the fifth-floor terrace, which looks straight out over the sea, along with the fresh fish and attentive service. The meze selection rotates with the seasons, so ask what is on the counter that day before you settle on a main course.
It is on the pricey side, and reviewers tend to agree it is worth it. Come in the evening for the view, and let your waiter point you toward whichever local fish is in season.
4. Balıkçı Sabahattin
Proximity counts at dinner time, and Balıkçı Sabahattin sits 20 to 30 minutes on foot from the hotels of Sultanahmet. You walk back after dinner without thinking about traffic once, which matters in a city famous for its jams.
The menu is packed with fresh local seafood and fish. Stuffed mussels, jumbo shrimp, crab salad, and sea bass are a few of the options, and the Turkish wines match the fish so well that one bottle has a way of turning into two.
5. Eleos Restaurant
Eleos is a Greek tavern in Beyoğlu where you can feel the Aegean air in the white walls, the blue-and-white checkered tablecloths, and the wooden chairs. Locals fill the room for a reason.
The appetizers carry the reputation: saganaki, grilled squid, grilled octopus, shrimp stew. The roasted lobster stands above them all, cotton-soft and worth crossing the city for. The view and the service hold the same standard as the kitchen.
6. Kıyı Restaurant
Kıyı sits right by the water with some of the best Bosphorus views of any table in this city. The menu runs from grilled octopus, lobster salad, and sea bass tartare to fish soup, fried shrimp, and grilled turbot. The freshly shucked oysters are quite good here. So are the fried and stuffed mussels, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside; stuffed mussels hold their usual place as the local favorite.
Come at sunset, when the city lights start to come on and a cool breeze moves through.
7. Tarihi Ali Baba
Tarihi Ali Baba is the value pick of the twelve. The service is quick, the fish is as fresh as anywhere on this list, and the prices are among the most affordable on this list. Try the fish ravioli and the fish soup, order sea bream in salt as a main course, and work through the fresh mezes and cold appetizers.
8. Karaköy Lokantası
Karaköy Lokantası is one of the best-known dining rooms in Karaköy, listed in the current MICHELIN Guide Istanbul and instantly recognizable by the turquoise tiles that cover its walls on Mumhane Caddesi.
It runs as an esnaf-style lokanta at lunch and turns into a meyhane in the evening, with a spread of mezes and whatever fish came in that day. Dinner tables reportedly book out about a week ahead, so reserve early or come at lunch, when walk-ins are easier.
If you want seafood and mezes within easy reach of Karaköy’s vibrant nightlife, this is a dependable place to start the evening.
9. Del Mare Restaurant Istanbul
Del Mare pairs modern presentation with traditional flavors. Antakya salted goat yogurt and Konya double-roasted tahini share the menu with seafood and fresh fish, supplied daily and in its most natural form from regions like Babakale, İskenderun, and Çanakkale.
The turbot tandoori is the most assertive dish on the menu, slow-cooked for fifty minutes over a light grill fire so it stays juicy with a crisp finish. Handmade linguine with carefully selected Çanakkale mussels is the order for wine drinkers.
Sea bass from the Black Sea region is one of the most popular fish in Turkish cooking, and the special soup made from its head and bones, prepared this way for centuries, stays on the menu year-round at this Asian-side restaurant.
10. Agora 1890
Agora 1890 keeps the Turkish tavern culture of the pre-Republican era alive, with 60 different appetizers prepared by Chef Ahmet Arı. The favorites include fried liver, almond-flavored zucchini, fish pastrami, and tarama, the Greek meze also called taramosalata, made from the salted and cured roe of cod, carp, or gray mullet.
Greek captain Asteri Dulidis opened the meyhane in Çıfıtçı Çarşısı, and the room has appeared in 286 Turkish movies and many poems and songs since. Today you will find it at Mürselpaşa Caddesi No: 185 in Balat, still a meeting point of culture the way it was in the 19th century.
11. Adem Baba Restaurant
Adem Baba is one of the old, well-established fish restaurants of the city. In 1994, two fisherman brothers set up their business on a small boat at Bebek Bay so locals could eat seafood fresh off the water, then moved to nearby Arnavutköy, where the restaurant still operates today.
Fried mussels, kippers, squid stuffed with breadcrumbs, fried calamari, fresh local fish: the menu covers all of it. Whatever else lands on the table, do not skip the fish meatballs.
12. Cibalikapı Balıkçısı Haliç
Cibalikapı Balıkçısı sits right next to the historic Cibalikapı gate in the old neighborhood of Cibali on the Golden Horn. The room is shabby in the best way, clean and spacious with wooden floors, tables, and chairs, and the large window frames a panorama that stretches from Hasköy past the Galata Tower toward Topkapı Palace.
Order the marinated sea bass and the parmesan mussels. Then finish with the artichoke dessert, a dish you will struggle to find anywhere else in the city and one whose taste is hard to put into words.
Final Words
Twelve restaurants, two seas, and one rule: ask what is in season. For the rest of the city’s table, start with the classics of delicious Turkish food, then plan your meals district by district with our Istanbul neighborhood food guides. And if you would rather taste the city with a local leading the way, our Istanbul food tours run in groups capped at 10 guests; the Taste of Two Continents tour starts with breakfast near the Spice Market and crosses to Kadıköy by public ferry.
