Where to eat in Istanbul, neighborhood by neighborhood
Istanbul eats differently district by district, and where you stay shapes your eating more than any list. Find your area below.
Start here: choosing your base
Where you sleep decides what you eat. Six areas compared by food, not by monuments.
The European old city: Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Fatih
Sultanahmet, Sirkeci and the bazaar streets: eating well in the most touristed square mile.
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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
Taksim, İstiklal and Karaköy: meyhanes, late-night counters and the new-wave cafes.
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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
Beşiktaş and Bebek: market mornings and waterside evenings.
The Asian side: Kadıköy and Üsküdar
Kadıköy and Üsküdar: the market streets locals cross the water for.
