The 10 Best Italian Restaurants in Istanbul
Ten Italian restaurants in Istanbul worth the trip, from Da Mario's seasonal menu to Aida in Kadıköy, plus the central pick an easy walk from Taksim.
Need a night off from kebabs and pide? Istanbul has a serious roster of Italian restaurants, and the best of them go well past pizza and pasta: swordfish carpaccio, beetroot risotto, lamb baked for three hours. Here are the ten we keep going back to, with the dishes that earn each one its place.
The ten at a glance
| Restaurant | Area or setting | Order this |
|---|---|---|
| Trattoria La Scarpetta | Etiler | Costicine di agnello, quattro formaggi pizza |
| Cecconi’s | Central, Palazzo Corpi building | Chili spaghetti lobster, black truffle pizza |
| Da Mario | Quiet street, rustic room | Seasonal menu, olive oil ice cream with cherries |
| Paper Moon | Etiler | Swordfish carpaccio, ham and mozzarella calzone |
| Aida vino e cucina | Kadıköy | Beetroot risotto, chocolate caprese cake |
| il Padrino Ristorante | Caddebostan | Crespelle agli spinaci, vegetarian pizza |
| Eataly | Zorlu shopping center | Vitello tonnato, cannoli a Gaziantep |
| Serafina | Kanyon and Akmerkez | Carpaccio polpo, Di Sofia pizza |
| Gina | Kanyon | Pizza by the slice, fondente al cioccolato |
| Mezzaluna | Chic dining room | Truffle fusilli, Mezzaluna pizza |
1. Trattoria La Scarpetta
Trattoria La Scarpetta sits in Etiler, the neighborhood locals would name within the wider Beşiktaş district. The fish and lamb dishes carry the menu here. Costicine di agnello, lamb baked for three hours, is the order, and a Pablo Satsuma beer alongside it rounds out the plate.
The pizza list runs long enough that you could mistake the place for a pizzeria. The quattro formaggi, made with white sauce instead of tomato, is the refined pick. The calzone with salami, winter vegetables, mozzarella, and tomato sauce is the comfort pick. Reserve your table here.
2. Cecconi’s Istanbul
Cecconi’s central location means you can visit a local museum, walk to Taksim Square, or check out modern art at Istanbul Modern before or after your meal. The restaurant occupies the 19th-century Palazzo Corpi building, off the busiest street, so it stays easy to reach without the crowds. When the weather allows, you can sit by the olive trees at dinner.
From the long menu, the chili spaghetti lobster closes an evening well. The pizzas stand apart too. One comes with black truffle, zucchini flowers, and ricotta. The wine list is large, and the Terra Rose Pinot Grigio is our pick from it. Service keeps pace with the room.
3. Da Mario
Da Mario was one of the first Italian restaurants to open in Istanbul, maybe the first, and the years show in the cooking. The room has the relaxed, rustic feel of a restaurant set away from the lively streets. The menu changes with the season, the pizza bakes in a wood-fired oven, and the dough comes in a bran option.
Menus are printed in Italian, Turkish, and English, so ordering is simple. Try the extra-virgin olive oil ice cream with cherries if it is on. The insalata di lenticchie nere, a black lentil salad, and the scialatielli alle erbe con gamberi, zucchine e dragoncello, basil scialatielli with shrimp and zucchini flowers, are the two dishes we would not skip.
For birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions, this might be the best Italian restaurant in Istanbul.
4. Paper Moon
Paper Moon has branches worldwide, and the Istanbul one, in Etiler, has a reputation for drawing celebrities and high society. The fish and lamb dishes are the strength. Start with the swordfish carpaccio if seafood is on your list at all.
It sits far from Taksim Square and the Blue Mosque, so plan on a ride. The calzone, with mozzarella and ham, makes the trip worth it.
5. Aida vino e cucina
Aida keeps an elegant room in Kadıköy, the cultural highlight of the Asian side of Istanbul. The whiskey collection is the surprise, and it pairs well with every dessert on the menu. The chocolate caprese cake comes with whipped coffee cream and whiskey caramel. The chestnut cake, with chocolate ganache and tangerines, works next to a glass of The Singleton. The full bar also stocks Turkish, Italian, and rare wines.
If a bookshop or a cinema already has you in the neighborhood, order the vellutata di spinaci dolci, a cream of parmesan with rosemary and spinach veloute. The beetroot risotto is good. The insalata di finocchio, a fennel salad with oranges, grapefruit, and olives, is better. Service is a point of pride here.
6. il Padrino Ristorante
In 2013, the Italian Chamber of Trade and Commerce gave il Padrino an award recognizing it as an authentic Italian restaurant. The menu, printed in Italian and Turkish, runs deep on vegetarian options. The crespelle agli spinaci, cream and spinach folded into a pancake, is hard to stop eating, and the best pizza on the menu might be the vegetarian one: artichokes, spinach, broccoli, and asparagus. For meat eaters, the Cafe de Paris beef pairs well with the Karma Shiraz-Boğazkere wine.
il Padrino is within walking distance of the Caddebostan beaches, so it works as the dinner after a day at the water.
7. Eataly
Eataly sits inside the Zorlu shopping center, surrounded by high-fashion brands. It runs as a full Italian food complex: restaurant, Italian market, and Italian cooking classes under one roof. If you want to cook Italian at home, the market sells the ingredients.
The wine selection is extraordinary for a shop and restaurant in one. The vitello tonnato is the dish to order here: beef tenderloin cooked at 54C, salsa tonnato mousse, demi-glace sauce, and crispy capers. Vegans and anyone with dietary requirements will find plenty of options too.
The kitchen also blends Italian cooking with the Turkish kitchen. The cannoli a Gaziantep, a cannoli filled with Antep pistachio ice cream and finished with saffron creme anglaise, is the proof. Yum.
8. Serafina
Serafina runs more than one Istanbul branch, including one at Kanyon shopping mall and another in Akmerkez, which makes it an easy call after a long shopping day. The full menu takes time to read. The carpaccio polpo surprised us: octopus carpaccio with sea beans, fennel, and beetroot under a citrus sauce.
For pizza, try the Di Sofia. For choice across a whole menu, this is one of the strongest Italian restaurants in Istanbul, and the room is warm and elegant. For dessert, order the dolce di zucca, pumpkin under a buttered caramel sauce with vanilla ice cream.
9. Gina
Gina shares the Kanyon shopping mall with several other Italian restaurants, and the menu is what sets it apart. The salmone alla griglia comes with broccoli, fresh chili, and almonds, and it warms you through.
The pizza al tagliere section lets you order by the slice, so you can test the list before committing to a whole pie. Our slice is the formaggio: a blend of Italian cheeses, walnuts, and balsamic vinegar, savory with a sweet edge that the acid in the vinegar brightens.
The desserts may explain the crowds. The fondente al cioccolato is a warm chocolate cake with orange sorbet, and the appeal is the simplicity.
10. Mezzaluna
Mezzaluna is a chic room with a long list of traditional Italian dishes and handmade pasta that outclasses most spaghetti in the city. The fusilli con portobello arrives with mascarpone, portobello mushrooms, truffle oil, and leek sauce. Any kitchen that makes leeks taste this good has earned a spot on this list.
On the pizza side, the house Mezzaluna keeps it simple: ham, mushrooms, and grilled eggplant, with passionfruit lemonade as the pairing. For dessert, the torta al cioccolato, a flourless almond and chocolate cake, with the Refresh tea (pineapple and satsuma) closes the meal.
Final words
That is our ten. If you are mapping out the rest of your eating in the city, start with our guide to the best food in Istanbul. And if Italian is only one stop in your break from Turkish food, we also cover sushi and the rest of the city’s international restaurants. For the Turkish side of the table, our Istanbul food tours have run since 2013 in groups capped at 10 guests. Buon appetito.
