10 Best Nişantaşı Restaurants: From Lokantas to Michelin Stars

Nişantaşı is the Turkish equivalent of New York’s Upper East Side. Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel literature laureate, once described it as the place for the highest echelon of Turkish society, and the restaurants live up to the billing. This list of the 10 best runs from elegant lokantas to Turkey’s first two-Michelin-star kitchen, with a Bib Gourmand wine bar and the neighborhood’s favorite breakfast room in between. It is part of our Istanbul neighborhood food guides.

The Best Restaurants in Nişantaşı:

1. Spago Istanbul by Wolfgang Puck

Award-winning Michelin star chef Wolfgang Puck made his Istanbul debut on a rooftop with spectacular views at the St. Regis hotel. The kitchen cooks Californian food with a Turkish twist, and the room has everything from apple martinis to Turkish wines to shawls to wrap around yourself when the rooftop air turns cold.

The flagship here is the salmon pizza, but it would be a shame to miss the spicy duck spring roll with mango, the creamy house-made agnolotti with its ricotta and mascarpone filling, or the almond-crusted salmon soaked in plum wine.

2. Hünkar Lokantası

This place is as elegant as pearl earrings. Think of it as soul food for rainy days, and it works for everyone, vegetarians and vegans included. Fill the table with stuffed eggplants (a vegan version included), Sultan’s Delight, or apricot-flavored celeriac. Pair it with pomegranate juice, and finish with the silky, honeyed quince dessert.

3. Foxy Nişantaşı

Run by Maksut Aşkar, the chef behind Michelin-starred Neolokal, together with wine writer Levon Bağış, Foxy holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and is rated an Excellent Table by Gault & Millau. The signature dish is a sea bass tartare cut à la minute with tangy mayo, grated bottarga and smoked beetroot, backed by a standing menu of lakerda, tarama, topik, hummus and cardamom profiteroles.

The blackboard wine list is dedicated to native Turkish grapes, think Öküzgözü, Narince, Foça Karası and Keten Gömlek, and reviewers consistently praise the modern Turkish small plates alongside the by-the-glass pours that go with them.

4. Turk Fatih Tutak

The beech and bamboo interior sets an otherworldly tone, and the menu follows it with an inventor’s streak. Start with the satin-smooth butter, drizzled with honeycomb, on a slice of plain Turkish pide bread. If the beetroot cultured cream with purple onion tarhana is in season, order it. If it is not, whatever replaces it will come from a perfectionist who knows exactly how to layer flavors.

Even the cocktails arrive on a bed of pink ice, an avant-garde take on the typical Turkish way of cooking from the first course to the last. TURK Fatih Tutak holds two Michelin stars, the first restaurant in Turkey to receive them. One thing to note before you book: it sits in Bomonti, on the Şişli side, a short taxi ride from Nişantaşı proper.

5. Lokanta Kru

If the goddess of the harvest opened a dining room, it might look like this: romantic-era charm with a strict focus on healthy, seasonal food. The ricotta mixed with beetroot comes out red, smooth, and still a little crunchy, and the raw broccoli salad lands zesty and avocado-smooth. You really cannot go wrong here, and every bite carries a touch of tradition.

6. Zula

When a burger craving hits, the gourmet burgers at Zula hit the spot. The decoration is a minimalist yet artistic white, perhaps a neutral backdrop for the colorful food.

If you are really hungry, the B.I.G. has everything you need, from truffle mayo to jack mustard. The Taco Hong Kong combines oven-roasted duck with hoisin sauce and Chinese bean paste.

Their homemade ketchup should marry their fries. That is how well they go together. And we have not even gotten to the creamy Madagascar vanilla-flavored San Sebastian Cheesecake.

7. Mahir Lokantası

Take yourself out on a date to a restaurant that looks upmarket but is easy on the wallet. There are vegan options, but the mumbar dolma, the stuffed intestines, is the dish that converts people into offal fans for good.

For the vegan route, the leeks arrive as a colorful green and yellow plate with a singular, honeyed flavor. Mahir opens for lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday and closes on Sundays, and a second branch now operates in Pera alongside the original.

8. Kozmonot Pub

With its murals of Pacman and kissing astronauts, this place looks more like an artistic friend’s house than an actual pub. It has the comfy, cozy feel for catching up with friends over a boozy brunch or a late night. You can order beer from around the world, including Turkey’s own craft labels, the Pablo and Gara Guzu range, plus local wines, all types of spirits, and serious cocktails. The Vostok I mixes dark fruits with minty prosecco and Beefeater, and it outclasses most of the classics.

Teetotaler friends can settle in with a non-alcoholic beer or a handmade lemonade next to the burgers. Do not leave without trying the bitter orange beef with grilled root vegetables.

9. Nusr-Et Steakhouse Etiler

Home of the Salt Bae chef, where you will be surrounded by different cuts of meat the moment you walk in. Despite the focus on carnivores, a special shoutout goes to the Tulum cheese salad with walnuts, aged cheese, and pomegranates. The heart-shaped meatballs come with a million different types of cheese, but the order to beat is a marvelous steak with nutmeg-flavored mash and extra chips dunked in that classic Heinz ketchup. For more rooms like this across the city, see our guide to the best steakhouses in Istanbul.

10. Delicatessen

Half restaurant, half shop, Delicatessen on Mim Kemal Öke Caddesi makes its own cheese, charcuterie, patisserie, and bread in house, and nearly everything used in the kitchen, from the sauces to the wines, can be bought to take home. The menu keeps things seasonal with a back to basics approach, and the cellar runs to around a thousand bottles.

Reviewers repeatedly call this the best breakfast in Nişantaşı. It opens early and stays open past midnight every day, so it works just as well for a late dinner as it does for that first coffee of the day.

Final words:

Ten restaurants, and a range that runs from stuffed intestines at a lokanta counter to two Michelin stars on pink ice. If you are eating your way across the city district by district, our guide to the best Beşiktaş restaurants covers a nearby neighborhood next.

And if you are lucky enough to be visiting soon, get a working knowledge of Turkish cuisine, from kebabs to baklava, by joining one of our Istanbul food tours. Groups are capped at 10 guests, and booking direct carries no fees.