10 Best Meze Restaurants in Istanbul, From Meyhanes to Michelin

Meze is where Istanbul’s dinner table slows down. Small hot and cold plates arrive in rounds, the table fills, and the meal becomes the whole evening. This guide covers 10 meze restaurants and meze bars across the city, from Turkish classics to modern takes on the tradition. For the wider picture of the city’s table, start with our guide to the best food in Istanbul; the Bosphorus dining rooms get a list of their own.

What is meze?

A meze is a small dish, hot or cold, traditionally served before the main course. One spread can run from olives to fried zucchini to marinated fish. The format is shared across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkans, where meze usually plays a supporting role next to the mains. Istanbul treats it differently. Here, meze is the meal.

The usual setting is a meyhane, a Turkish tavern that runs far livelier than its British or American counterparts. Plates land in waves, glasses get refilled, and the table becomes the point of the night. Meze here stands for bonding and friendship as much as for the Mediterranean kitchen behind it. If you want a primer on the dishes themselves before choosing a room, our guide to Turkish mezes covers the classics plate by plate.

The 10 at a glance

1. Meze by Lemon Tree

Meze by Lemon Tree sits on Meşrutiyet Caddesi in Asmalı Mescit, in the heart of touristic Beyoğlu. The kitchen’s motto is “good and honest flavors,” and the cooking moves between traditional and inventive, sometimes within the same meal. The plate that proves it: a meze built on bananas, topped with cream, honey, nuts, and chili sauce.

The cold mezes wait in a refrigerated display, and you choose by pointing. The lineup changes daily; expect marinated fish, bean and grain dishes, and pickled vegetables.

Address: Asmalı Mescit, Meşrutiyet Cd. 83/B, Beyoğlu

2. Barba Vasilis

Behind an elegant white Greek facade, tucked under a hard-to-miss hotel in Fatih, Barba Vasilis is a Greek tavern with a friendly, inviting vibe. Graffiti left by past visitors covers the walls and ceilings, and live music keeps the room warm.

The Greek-leaning menu rewards a long sit. Our favorites here are the grilled octopus, the cheese saganaki, and the seafood wrapped in chard.

Address: Yavuz Sultan Selim, Abdülezelpaşa Cd. No:97, Fatih

3. Duble Meze Bar

Duble Meze Bar is the upscale pick on this list. It now operates exclusively in Karaköy, on a rooftop terrace above the Chamber of Architects building, with views over the Bosphorus. Beyond wine, the bar runs deep: an expansive cocktail list and a shelf of serious whiskeys.

The meze draws on Middle Eastern, Anatolian, Greek, and Balkan cooking. Order the turmeric-infused fava, the spicy butter shrimp, the mustard seabass, the lakerda, and the beetroot tabbouleh.

Address: Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Kemankeş Cd. No:31, Karaköy

4. Antiochia Concept

Antiochia hides in a tight alleyway off Asmalı Mescit, and its name keeps landing in magazine after magazine for a reason. The kitchen cooks the food of Antakya, the corner of Anatolia famous for its Turkish-Arab fused cuisine, and the mezes change how you think about eggplant, meat, and even yogurt.

Cold and hot mezes are equally strong; the Antiochia meze platter is the smart first order if you want to try several. The kebabs are exceptional, the içli köfte, pides, and lahmacun hold their own, and the künefe is the house dessert specialty.

The restaurant now trades as Antiochia Concept, and note that it is closed on Sundays.

Address: Asmalı Mescit, General Yazgan Sk. No:3, 34200 Beyoğlu

5. Barba Yani

Burgazada, one of the islands off the city, makes a half-day escape from central Istanbul, and it is reachable only by ferry. A good island loop: visit the house of Sait Faik Abasıyanık, the great Turkish writer of the 1940s and an honorary member of the International Mark Twain Society, walk past the ruins of a 9th-century monastery, then sit down at Barba Yani by the ferry pier.

The restaurant takes hygiene, taste, and service seriously, and it is a heavyweight for seafood. The mezes rank among the best in Istanbul: haydari (yogurt, garlic, and dill), stuffed zucchini flowers, tarama (red caviar), and stuffed mussels. From the rest of the menu, the stuffed calamari stands out next to the standard Turkish seafood dishes.

Address: Burgazadası, Yalı Caddesi, by the ferry pier, Adalar

6. Yakup 2

Yakup 2 sits a stone’s throw from the Museum of Illusions, on a narrow cobbled alley packed with meyhanes. Historic alarm clocks, art, photos of artists, and newspaper clippings cover the walls, and the room feels like it has been collecting them for decades.

Our favorite mezes here are the hummus, the ezme (a hot, spicy salad), the eggplant salad, and the köpoğlu (smoked vegetables with yogurt). Plenty of eateries crowd the same alley; this is the one we send people to first.

Address: Asmalı Mescit, Asmalı Mescit Cd. No:21 D:B, Beyoğlu

7. Giritli Restaurant

Giritli sits on a cobbled backstreet in Cankurtaran, on the old city side, with an understated, elegant dining room and a courtyard that reminds you this is a Mediterranean country. The specialty is wild Mediterranean herbs and plants: stinging nettle, dandelion, and fennel, plus cheeses, all turned into mezes, salads, and main courses.

The English menu explains the fish that locals actually order, and every fish on it is fresh; nothing comes from a freezer. Vegetarians and vegans get real choices here too, which is rarer than it should be in a fish house. Save room, because the desserts close the meal well.

Address: Cankurtaran, Keresteci Hakkı Sk. No:8, Fatih

8. Tuana Meze Evi

Tuana Meze Evi in Kurtuluş is a takeaway meze shop with no seating. The buffet counter holds the traditional finger food you would find in any meyhane, at a more reasonable price, so you pack your meze, head home, and build your own spread with friends.

The range lets you set the tone yourself. Go Turkish with stuffed vine leaves, pair the octopus arm with rakı, or drift French with mustard gouda and red wine, or Italian with prosciutto and white wine.

Address: Bozkurt, Kurtuluş Cd. No:58/A, Şişli

9. Aheste Pera

Set inside a historic cistern building on Meşrutiyet Caddesi, Aheste has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand since the guide arrived in Istanbul. The restaurant has been operating since 2015, and chef Didem Çetin serves modern meze as a procession of small tasting plates.

The cooking takes risks that pay off. Michelin highlights an original dish built around four different preparations of rice, served alongside barbecued lamb heart, and there are strong vegetarian options throughout the menu.

The room is part of the draw too. The candlelit setting and wine-friendly menu suit a slow, plate-by-plate evening. Bring a date or a friend to sip wine with.

Address: Asmalı Mescit, Meşrutiyet Cd. No:107/F, Beyoğlu

10. Sakar Zeybek

The name translates as the Clumsy Zeybeks, after the bandit-guerrilla fighters of the Aegean in the late Ottoman era, and the décor leans into the theme. Even the streets outside play along; they feel like a coastal town from the region where the Zeybeks once operated. Since that era shaped the area’s kitchens, the menu carries Greek and Armenian touches.

Creative plates like the Sour Apple Chicken share the list with the standards, and fixed menus cover both drinkers and teetotalers. It is one more reason Kadıköy keeps pulling eaters across the water.

Address: Koşuyolu Mah, Kalfa Çeşmesi Sk. No:20, Kadıköy

Plan your meze night

Start in Asmalı Mescit if you want options within a few streets, book ahead for Duble’s rooftop or Aheste’s tasting plates, and leave a ferry day free for Barba Yani. Meze is one branch of a much bigger Turkish table, and the meyhane is only one way to eat it.

If you would rather have a local handle the ordering on your first night, our Istanbul evening food tour runs three hours through Taksim on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings at 18:00, with a maximum of 10 guests. We have been running food tours since 2013, and booking direct comes with no fees.