Best Kebab in Istanbul: 12 Restaurants Locals Actually Book
The 12 best kebab restaurants in Istanbul, from budget ocakbaşı grills to Bosphorus-view tables, with the signature dish at each and why reservations matter.
There are at least 110 kinds of kebab in Turkey, and almost every city grills its own. This guide narrows the field to 12 Istanbul restaurants worth a table, from low-key ocakbaşı grills that keep a low profile with tourists to a Bosphorus-view dining room. Most are popular enough with locals that you should call ahead.
A drop of fat dripping down the shish that’s sitting, nonchalantly, in the fire. You know you’re being teased; you know the urge to resist has evaporated; you know you’re going to give in to that primal urge. There’s a good reason why the Turks are stereotyped as kebab lovers, and there’s also a good reason why middle-aged Turkish men develop “Turkish muscle” around their belly.
Plenty of well-known restaurants serve good kebab in Istanbul, and a few quieter spots keep a low profile with tourists and out-of-towners. If you want to join in on the crazy that’s too good to miss, just keep reading. For the wider picture, see our guide to the best food in Istanbul.
The 12 best kebab restaurants in Istanbul at a glance
| # | Restaurant | Side / area | Signature dish | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adana Ocakbaşı | European side | Lamb shish, lamb chops | Serving since 1978; little English, low profile with tourists |
| 2 | Develi | European side | Yogurt kebab, Develi meatball kebab | Big meze list |
| 3 | Harbi Adana Ocakbaşı | European side | Adana kebab, ribs | Budget-friendly; long rakı list |
| 4 | Şehzade Cağ Kebap | European side | Cağ kebap | Wood-fired, horizontal döner style |
| 5 | Beyti | Florya, Bakırköy | Grilled meatball, döner, T-bone | Celebrity favorite since the 1950s |
| 6 | Şeyhmuz Kebap Salonu | European side | Lamb kebab on the bone, güveç | Open since 1975; English menu |
| 7 | Hamdi Restaurant | European side | Birecik kebab, clay-pot kebab | Pre-order the sealed clay-pot kebab |
| 8 | Zübeyir Ocakbaşı | European side | Beyti kebab, shish | Popular; large rakı list |
| 9 | 4 Levent Adana Ocakbaşı | 4. Levent | Urfa kebab, liver kebab | Mild Urfa option; moved from Mecidiyeköy |
| 10 | Kaşıbeyaz Bosphorus | Bosphorus | Mixed kebab | Bosphorus view; a little pricey |
| 11 | Yusuf Ustanın Yeri | European side | Adana kebab, lahmacun | Family-run; easy on the wallet |
| 12 | Çiya Kebab | Kadıköy, Asian side | Çiya kebab, Kilis kebab | Chef Musa Dağdeviren |
Get acquainted with the word “ocakbaşı”
You’ve probably never come across the word “ocakbaşı” before. Some kebab restaurants in Istanbul have names that end with “Ocakbaşı,” and you may be wondering what they’re all about.
The rough translation of ocakbaşı is “grill side” or “sit and eat by the barbeque.” At ocakbaşı restaurants, your meats and kebabs are cooked on a huge wood-fire grill in the seating area. A limited number of people can sit around the grill and watch the kebab master prepare and cook the kebabs and meats.
How many kinds of kebab are there?
There are at least 110 kebabs in Turkey alone, and each has its own taste. Almost every city in Turkey has its own style of köfte and kebab.
You may find yourself stumped when it comes to choosing from dozens of options, so a look at our guide to the popular types of Turkish kebabs might help: 20 Best and Most Famous Turkish Kebabs with Photos. If you want to read up by type first, we also cover the best döner kebab, İskender kebab, and cağ kebab.
The 12 best kebab restaurants in Istanbul
Important note: The kebab restaurants below are extremely popular with locals, and reservations are often necessary.
1. Adana Ocakbaşı
You may be wondering how this low-key restaurant has kept regular patrons since 1978. The secret is all in the taste. The kebabs here are good enough that the food critic and professor Vedat Milor has marked this restaurant as one of his favorites. He notes that the owner carefully chooses each cut of meat so that what’s served is the best quality, as fresh as possible.
The mezes are limited, yet the shallots with garlic and pomegranate molasses, with a touch of animal fat, made us wonder why Persephone settled for six pomegranate seeds over this appetizer.
Like most of the other kebabs, the lamb shish and lamb chops fall apart in your mouth. On the side is cumin, thyme, and red pepper to spice it up as much as you want. The staff speak little English, partly because this place keeps a low profile with tourists.
Location of Adana Ocakbaşı:
2. Develi
It’s a good thing they have the banana and honey dessert, because the dishes here will ruin your diet.
The yogurt kebab is a bit like the start of Snow White: a mess of tangy red on top of a snow-like yogurt base. The sirloin steak comes in a creamy sauce that’ll make anyone drool, and the Develi meatball kebab has such brilliant cheddar that you’ll never search for a hamburger again.
When it’s in season, you’ll find it hard to stop eating the loquat kebab. Otherwise, they have a range of mezes to go crazy over. There’s the normal, buttery hummus and the extra-hot one with pastırma (dried, cured beef). The atom is a scorching-hot meze with garlic, hot pepper, and crunchy walnuts. If the spice is too much, the purslane comes in a garlicky yogurt that’ll put out the fire. And if you’re forever debating whether the thicker haydari or the gooey tzatziki is better, you’re in luck: they have both. For more like this, see our guide to Turkish mezes.
Location of Develi:
3. Harbi Adana Ocakbaşı
A budget-friendly ocakbaşı that serves kebabs and ribs so juicy they stain the lavash bread underneath. Even citizens of Adana can’t deny that their kebab is done well here.
The wine list is one thing, but the rakı list seems never to end. This is a great spot to order a bottle of Turkish rakı, maybe because it makes such a good companion to the views. If you’ve had too much, you might share a fruit plate with your family, if you can resist the semolina dessert with ice cream.
Location of Harbi Adana Ocakbaşı:
4. Şehzade Cağ Kebap
Create your own wrap with savory onions sprinkled with tangy sumac, add a touch of spicy ezme, throw in all the succulent meat on the skewer (cağ kebap), and you have the star of your meaty fantasies. If you add too much ezme, order the buffalo yogurt, which is so thick it’s almost cheese.
Like a döner kebab but cooked horizontally in a wood-fired oven instead of vertically in an electric one, this kebab has more meat flavor thanks to fewer ingredients. Just meat, fat, and that’s about it. This place is a meat lover’s paradise.
The Erzurum dessert “kadayıf dolması” is perfection. Feel the calm as you watch people buzzing by.
Location of Şehzade Cağ Kebap:
5. Beyti
With his name branded on a dish, Mr. Beyti has served an impressive list of celebrities since the 1950s. Although he’s in his 90s, the grilled meatball, the döner kebab, the grilled chicken, and the T-bone steak are still cooked to perfection under his oversight at the restaurant’s home in Florya, Bakırköy.
The veal ribeye steak is proof of the chef’s talent, even paired with a less-than-ideal glass of red wine. The mixed Turkish dessert plate is a smart idea for foreign ambassadors, but the crème caramel will have you flying back to this country just to feel it glide in your mouth once more.
Location of Beyti:
6. Şeyhmuz Kebap Salonu
Since 1975, this joint has cooked kebabs to perfection. It may look like a laid-back version of the döner place you have back home, but the difference is in the taste.
Kebabs aren’t the only thing here; the mixed pide is excellent, but the güveç (stewed meat with veggies) tastes as though the gods themselves bestowed it.
Fortunately, the menu is in English with a hint of Russian and Arabic. Less fortunately, the lamb kebab on the bone may unleash your inner predator, and you might even growl at your partner. There are times to steal food, and then there’s food that’s too good to be stolen.
Location of Şeyhmuz Kebap Salonu:
7. Hamdi Restaurant
Call the fire brigade, because the Birecik kebab will knock your socks off with its blistering heat. The restaurant looks far too elegant to provoke such a reaction, but this dish, ready in 10 minutes, comes with flavorful amber-colored bulgur rice and a colorful onion display.
If you can make a reservation in advance, pre-order the kebab cooked in the sealed clay pot. They add a hint of butter, but the non-fat veal with its mix of vegetables is a lighter alternative to the usual fare. It’s more than enough for four people, and quite a show.
If you haven’t pre-ordered, the tomato kebab is an aesthetic ideal. The meat alternating with grilled tomatoes is so luscious that you’ll end up with juices running down your chin. The mezes are no less marvelous, from the bright red muhammara, to fried eggplants and veggies wrapped tightly in tomato sauce, to the haydari that helps ease the spicy kebabs.
Location of Hamdi Restaurant:
8. Zübeyir Ocakbaşı
Is there a tastier way to chase off vampires than the garlicky beyti kebab?
In the center of the beyti bowl is a yogurt dip, around which each flaxen-colored kebab wrap, with a sprinkle of green herbs, sits between grilled veggies like rays of the sun.
The menu hosts a large collection of rakı, all of which go well with the mezes: a creamy zucchini dip, smoky roasted eggplants, sweet grilled onions, and a range of cheeses.
Kidneys have never tasted good, but the shish version is far more entertaining, since you can watch it being grilled over the charcoal fire by the chefs.
The décor is a marvel too. You know you’re entering a classy spot when you’re welcomed by a puce-fuchsia entrance. Zübeyir Ocakbaşı is one of the most popular kebab restaurants in Istanbul and shouldn’t be missed.
Location of Zübeyir Ocakbaşı:
9. 4 Levent Adana Ocakbaşı (formerly Fikret Yılmaz Ocakbaşı)
If the minced-meat Adana kebab has always called out to you but you knew you couldn’t handle its spice, there’s a chili-free version called Urfa kebab. The Urfa kebab is so good here that even locals say they feel like they were just in Urfa. We also wouldn’t be surprised if the liver kebab’s recipe is a state secret, given how out-of-this-world it is.
Each kebab comes with grilled tomato, pepper, sumac resting on the onions, a seasonal salad, and a lavash so you can play chef and build your own wrap. And no matter how meat-crazed you are, the mezes will take your breath away, especially the söğürme eggplants or the onions kissed by a naked flame, which brings a sweetness to the usually savory dishes.
One practical note: the restaurant has left Mecidiyeköy and now operates as 4 Levent Adana Ocakbaşı at Selvili Sokak No:11B/1 in 4. Levent, with the same team and the same flavors.
Location of 4 Levent Adana Ocakbaşı:
10. Kaşıbeyaz Bosphorus
Stunning views in a romantic, proposal-friendly restaurant usually mean the food is substandard, but not here. The lahmacun with pomegranate syrup and walnuts is a satisfying way to whet your appetite. It’s a little pricey, not because this is a celebrity favorite but because they really don’t skimp on expensive ingredients. At first glance, the golden künefe looks green thanks to its pistachio topping.
If you really can’t pick, the mixed kebab will burn you up with its spicy Adana piece, cheer you up with the pistachio kebab piece, hit your five-a-day with its veggie-embedded meat, and dazzle you with its pumpkin-colored chicken and marinated lamb shish. The mixed kebab plate also comes with lively bulgur rice, a tangy sumac onion salad, and the usual grilled veggies.
All the dishes are arranged like a Henri Matisse painting, especially the shepherd’s salad. Even the desserts built on seasonal fruit will have you raving. If you want more tables like this, see our guide to the best Bosphorus restaurants in Istanbul.
Make your reservation here.
Location of Kaşıbeyaz Bosphorus:
11. Yusuf Ustanın Yeri
The Bengal tiger has the same reddish-orange color as the Adana kebab here. Perhaps that’s why it pairs so well with rakı, the aniseed liquor colloquially known as lion’s milk (in other words, strong).
The intensity of the flavors is a marvel when the meat is as soft as cotton. The little lahmacuns and the kibbeh are a good introduction to this family-run business.
The Turkish equivalent of the English pub, this spot has comfortable chairs where you watch the football (or soccer, if you’re American) on the screen. With a menu that’s as easy on your mouth as it is on your pocket, this is the perfect place to bond with friends.
Location of Yusuf Ustanın Yeri:
12. Çiya Kebab
Most restaurants fall into two camps: overly opulent with pretentious dishes, or very humble with nostalgic flavors. This spot on the Asian side sits between the two, with art on the wall that looks like it belongs in The New York Times.
The famous chef Musa Dağdeviren is firmly in control, and you’ll lose yourself in the intensity of flavor in dishes like the fragrant cheese-and-walnut Çiya kebab. The Kilis kebab has the same awe-inspiring taste but with vegetables embedded in the meat. If red meat isn’t your thing, they have an alinazik and babagannuş made from chicken, and their small lahmacun comes with mushrooms.
The salads are also excellent here. This was our first time trying zahter salad, which translates as mountain thyme, in its own spicy salad. The pomegranate molasses adds a sour-sweet kick, ensuring it hits as many tastebuds as possible.
What more could you want, other than the hard-to-find kerebiç dessert, which is a bit like kibbeh: delicate semolina on the outside, crunchy pistachios inside, all served on a frothy cream bed after two days of work to produce one plate. While you’re on this side of the water, our guide to Kadıköy restaurants covers what else to eat nearby.
Location of Çiya Kebab:
Final words
When it comes to food, what’s better than a kebab? The restaurants above serve some of the best kebabs in Istanbul, and you won’t be disappointed.
There are plenty of other tasty Turkish dishes that belong on your list, which is why we run Istanbul food tours where you sample the best of Turkish cuisine with an expert guide. Join us and taste local specialties like baklava, dondurma, tantuni, and İskender kebab. Book your tour here.
