Istanbul food guide
Where to eat in Istanbul, neighborhood by neighborhood
Where you sleep in Istanbul decides more about how you eat than any single list of restaurants. The city is split by a strait, and each shore keeps its own habits: the old city feeds sightseers, Beyoğlu feeds the night, the Bosphorus villages feed people with time on their hands, and the Asian side mostly feeds itself.
We've run small-group food tours here since 2013, never more than 10 guests, led by locals. So this page is organized around one practical question: you're staying in a neighborhood and you want to eat well near it. Each section gives an honest read on the area, then links to our full guides for it.
Start with where you're staying, then borrow an idea from the section next door. The ferries make every neighborhood on this page closer than it looks. And if you want a version that fits in your pocket, the free Istanbul food guide PDF covers the highlights.
The European old city: Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Fatih
Most first-time visitors sleep here, and the restaurants know it. There are genuinely good kitchens in Sultanahmet, and there are tourist traps two doors down, so walk in with a list. Sirkeci sits downhill toward the ferry docks with a short list of its own, and Fatih, a quick tram ride west, is where the old city's own residents go to eat.
- The 14 Best Restaurants in Sultanahmet The vetted list for the blocks around the big sights.
- 6 Best Sirkeci Restaurants A short, mapped guide for the streets around the station and the docks.
- 14 Best Restaurants in Fatih Locals' favorite places to eat, just west of the tourist core.
- Sultanahmet area guide: 10 best things to do The full district guide, including its honest take on the tourist traps.
- Grand Bazaar: best shops and things to buy For the shopping hours between meals.
Beyoğlu and around: Taksim, Karaköy
Beyoğlu is where Istanbul goes out, and the eating runs from old lokantas to rooftop bars. Karaköy, down by the water, fills with local Istanbulites at dinner and sits within a half-hour walk of both Sultanahmet and Taksim hotels. If you book one big dinner on the European side, book it around here.
- 18 Best Restaurants in Taksim & Beyoğlu The working list for the whole district, day and night.
- The 10 Best Karaköy Restaurants Where the tables fill with Istanbulites, an easy walk from most hotels.
- Beyoğlu & Taksim area guide: 18 best things to do Plan the day around the meals, with everything worth seeing in between.
- 10 Best Nişantaşı Restaurants The dressed-up option, a short metro ride north of Taksim.
Bosphorus villages: Beşiktaş and Bebek
Up the European shore the city slows down and turns toward the water. Beşiktaş pairs a busy market quarter with some of the most polished dining rooms in the city, a Michelin star among them. Bebek, a short ride further north, is a bay with a promenade where the view counts for as much as the fish.
The Asian side: Kadıköy and Üsküdar
Cross the strait and the crowds thin out while the eating gets better. Kadıköy has been called one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world, and its market streets are dense enough that you can eat well all day inside a few blocks. Üsküdar, a short ride up the shore, is quieter and more traditional, with the sunset view back over the old city as a bonus.
Let a local walk you through Kadıköy
Our most popular tour ends exactly where this page does. Taste of Two Continents starts with breakfast near the Spice Market, crosses the Bosphorus by ferry, and finishes with tastings in Kadıköy and Moda. It runs daily at 09:30, 10:30, and 11:30, costs US$135, and never takes more than 10 guests. If evenings suit you better, the Kadıköy Street Food tour runs Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 18:00 for US$89. Booking direct has no fees, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.
See the toursQuestions we hear a lot
I'm staying in Sultanahmet. Where should I eat?
Use our Sultanahmet list for lunches near the sights, since the area mixes good kitchens with tourist traps. For dinner, Karaköy and Beyoğlu are 20 to 30 minutes away on foot or a few stops on the tram, and that's where the tables fill with locals.
Is it worth crossing to the Asian side just to eat?
Yes. The ferry ride is short, the crossing itself is worth the fare, and Kadıköy is dense enough with good food that you can eat well all day inside a few blocks. Our Kadıköy guide maps it, and our daytime tour ends there for a reason.
Which neighborhood is best for a first dinner in Istanbul?
Karaköy. It sits within walking distance of both Sultanahmet and Taksim hotels, locals actually eat there, and the range runs from traditional lokantas to seafood.
Where do locals eat on the European side?
Fatih in the old city, Karaköy and the side streets of Beyoğlu, and the market quarter of Beşiktaş. Each one has its own guide on this page.