Eat in Kadıköy, Istanbul

Çiya Sofrası ★ 4.8

Chef Musa Dağdeviren's culinary-anthropology lokanta in Kadıköy market, plating regional Turkish dishes drawn from his fieldwork since 1998.

Signature: Kebap of the day, Forgotten Anatolian stews, Vegetarian dolma

Çiya Kebap ★ 4.4

Çiya Kebap, the original 1987 sister to Çiya Sofrası on the opposite side of Güneşlibahçe in Kadıköy market, fires kebabs, lahmacun and pide from a single.

Signature: Pistachio kebap, Lahmacun, Pide

Borsam Taşfırın ★ 4.2

Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, a stone-oven lahmacun and pide salon running since 1968 with a counter line that turns over every five minutes at lunch.

Signature: Lahmacun, Kıymalı pide, Yumurta pide

Borsam Taşfırın ★ 4.2

Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, pulling stone-oven lahmacun and pide since 1968 from a glass-fronted counter on the Bahariye side of Caferağa. At Caferağa Mah..

Worth the queue: Sucuklu pide

Mado Caddebostan ★ 3.8

Mado on Bağdat Caddesi, the Maraş-origin Kanbur-family ice-cream brand whose first Istanbul branch opened in Caddebostan, famous for the stretchable salep.

Worth the queue: Kahramanmaraş dövme dondurma

Viktor Levi Moda ★ 4.0

Viktor Levi Moda, the 1914 Beyoğlu wine house revived on the Asian side in 2022, a wooden Ottoman-era room with a long garden and a Turkish list curated.

Signature pour: Viktor Levi house wine

Wine focus: Heritage Turkish wines

Food: Mezze and grilled mains

Borsam Taşfırın Kadıköy ★ 4.2

Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, the 1968 stone-oven lahmacun counter that turns a single 15-minute bake into the city's most reliable lahmacun under 80 lira.

Try: Lahmacun and pide

Bira Fabrikası Kadıköy ★ 4.2

Bira Fabrikası in Kadıköy, the Asian-side beer bar rotating Turkish craft taps from Gara Guzu, Pera, Torch and a small import list, with a tight bar-food.

Kadıköy Çarşısı ★ 4.7

Kadıköy Çarşısı, the Asian-side produce maze threaded through Güneşlibahçe Sokak, the city's most concentrated food market with Aegean fish.

Kadıköy Salı Pazarı ★ 4.0

Kadıköy Salı Pazarı, the Tuesday and Friday neighbourhood bazaar in Göztepe, a covered market floor stacked with cheap seasonal produce, pickles.

Borsam Taşfırın ★ 4.2

Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, an 80-lira lahmacun from a stone oven, three to a person at the lunch peak, in a market-edge counter open since 1968.

Try: Lahmacun

Karga Bar ★ 4.5

Karga Bar on Kadife Sokak in Caferağa has run since 1996 as the Asian-side independent music reference, a multi-level bohemian room with the upstairs kargART.

Tip: Door is unmarked; look for the number 16 and the crow logo. The top floor is the stage; the lower floors are pub seats. Cash bar is fastest.

Arkaoda ★ 4.6

Arkaoda on Kadife Sokak in Caferağa has run since 1999 as the Asian-side listening reference, an unmarked door cafe by day that turns at night to an analog.

Tip: No sign on the door; look for the number 18. The back room is the music seat. Underground DJ programming and small live sets; the schedule moves on Instagram.

The Badau ★ 4.4

The Badau on Duatepe Sokak in Yeldeğirmeni is the Eren Noyan gastro-jazz room founded in 2016 in this Kadıköy quarter, a compact stage hosting Turkish.

Tip: Ticketed concerts; book ahead via the venue. Kitchen serves before the set. Kadıköy ferry is the easiest cross-water route; cab back is fastest later.