30 turkish restaurants worth the trip across Turkey, editor-ranked. All cuisines in Turkey.
Turk Fatih Tutak ★ 4.9 · Istanbul
şişli · Cumhuriyet Hacıahmet Mah., Silahşör Cad., Yeniyol Sk. No:2, 34440 Şişli, İstanbul
Two Michelin stars, a Green Star and a 12-course seasonal tasting menu of chef Fatih Tutak's reworked Anatolian cooking, served to 30 guests a night in Şişli.
İmam Çağdaş ★ 4.8 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Şekeroğlu Mahallesi, Uzun Çarşı Caddesi No:49, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
İmam Çağdaş has cooked kebab and rolled its own baklava on Uzun Çarşı in Gaziantep since 1887, and the founding family still works both counters.
Tip: Sit upstairs, order the Ali Nazik, and buy baklava on the way out rather than eating it at the table.
İmam Çağdaş ★ 4.8 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Şekeroğlu Mahallesi, Uzun Çarşı Caddesi No:49, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
İmam Çağdaş is the benchmark kebab house of Gaziantep, running since 1887 and still judged on its Ali Nazik and on its havuç dilimi baklava tray.
Tip: Prices sit above the bazaar average. That is the trade for the address and the age of the kitchen.
Çiya Sofrası ★ 4.8 · Istanbul
kadıköy · Caferağa Mah., Güneşlibahçe Sokak No:43, 34710 Kadıköy, İstanbul
Chef Musa Dağdeviren's culinary-anthropology lokanta in Kadıköy market, plating regional Turkish dishes drawn from his fieldwork since 1998.
Neolokal ★ 4.8 · Istanbul
karaköy · Bankalar Caddesi No:11, SALT Galata, 34420 Karaköy, İstanbul
Chef Maksut Aşkar's Michelin-starred kitchen inside SALT Galata, reviving forgotten Anatolian ingredients on a tasting menu that won the 2026 Michelin.
Metanet Lokantası ★ 4.7 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Kozluca Mah, Kozluca Cd. No:11, 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Metanet Lokantası in Gaziantep opens at 05:00 and sells beyran until the pot runs dry, which is why locals queue before the bazaar wakes up.
Tip: Get there before 09:00. The beyran is gone by early afternoon and the kitchen will not make a second batch.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu ★ 4.7 · Istanbul
karaköy · Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mah., Rıhtım Caddesi No:3-4, 34425 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Karaköy Güllüoğlu has rolled phyllo baklava since 1949 at one Rıhtım Caddesi counter near Galataport, Nadir Güllü's pistachio version the canonical Istanbul.
Mikla ★ 4.7 · Istanbul
beyoglu · Meşrutiyet Caddesi No:15, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Mehmet Gürs's rooftop room at the Marmara Pera, holding a Michelin star and a Gault Millau ranking on its New Anatolian Kitchen across a Golden Horn skyline.
Kebapçı Halil Usta ★ 4.6 · Gaziantep
sehitkamil · Karşıyaka Mah. Tekel Cad., Ocukoğlu Sk. No:6, 27500 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep
Kebapçı Halil Usta grills küşleme over charcoal in Şehitkamil, and the Gaziantep lunch crowd empties the tenderloin allocation most days by 15:00.
Tip: Closed Sundays and shuts mid-evening. Book the terrace if you want the cooler upstairs tables in summer.
Kebapçı Halil Usta ★ 4.6 · Gaziantep
sehitkamil · Karşıyaka Mah. Tekel Cad., Ocukoğlu Sk. No:6, 27500 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep
Kebapçı Halil Usta charges fine-dining money for one thing in Gaziantep, küşleme, and shuts the grill once the day's lamb tenderloin has gone.
Tip: Arrive by 12:30. The tenderloin allocation is the whole business and it does not last.
Araka ★ 4.6 · Istanbul
yeniköy · Yeniköy, Kapalı Bakkal Sokak No:8, 34464 Sarıyer, İstanbul
Chef Zeynep Pınar Taşdemir's one-star Yeniköy room, a vegetable-led modern Turkish kitchen on a cobbled lane behind the upper Bosphorus marina.
Yeni Lokanta ★ 4.6 · Istanbul
beyoğlu · Kumbaracı Yokuşu Sokak No:66, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Civan Er's first Istanbul kitchen, off Istiklal in Beyoğlu since 2013, doing wood-oven Anatolian plates and a long-running 50 Best Discovery listing.
Çulcuoğlu Et Lokantası ★ 4.5 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Suyabatmaz, Kalender Sk. No:6, 27410 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Çulcuoğlu Et Lokantası sits at the exit of the coppersmiths' bazaar in Gaziantep, opposite the Suriye Pasajı, and the family has run it since the 1920s.
Tip: There is often no printed menu. Ask what the grill has and let the waiter build the order for you.
Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi ★ 4.5 · Gaziantep
sehitkamil · Gazi mah. Zübeyde hanım blv No:39, Şehitkamil/Gaziantep
The municipal Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi in Gaziantep cooks a weekly changing set menu of regional pot dishes and runs workshops in the same building.
Tip: Walk in for lunch without a reservation, but book by phone if you want a place on a workshop.
Çulcuoğlu Et Lokantası ★ 4.5 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Suyabatmaz, Kalender Sk. No:6, 27410 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Çulcuoğlu Et Lokantası is the esnaf lokanta of the Gaziantep bazaar, serving kebab, pide and bottomless soup to coppersmiths and shoppers alike.
Tip: Complimentary fruit and soup arrive unasked. Do not over-order the starters.
Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi ★ 4.5 · Gaziantep
sehitkamil · Gazi mah. Zübeyde hanım blv No:39, Şehitkamil/Gaziantep
Mutfak Sanatları Merkezi is the Gaziantep municipality's culinary centre, cooking a weekly set menu from geographical-indication regional produce.
Tip: The building also runs cookery workshops, so the dining room can be busy with course groups.
Antiochia ★ 4.5 · Istanbul
beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., General Yazgan Sokak No:3, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Antiochia in Asmalımescit cooks the kebabs and mezze of Antakya, Turkey's Levant border city, on a tight Beyoğlu side-street menu of southeastern grills.
Apartıman Yeniköy ★ 4.5 · Istanbul
yeniköy · Yeniköy, Köybaşı Caddesi No:153, 34464 Sarıyer, İstanbul
Chef Burçak Kazdal's Michelin-listed Bosphorus bistro in Yeniköy, mixing Mediterranean verve with Middle Eastern spice and an orange-wine-heavy Turkish.
Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı ★ 4.4 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Şekeroğlu, Hamdi Kutlar Cd. No:51/1-B, 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı cooks the home dishes the kebab houses skip, from yuvalama to alaca çorba, a short walk downhill from Gaziantep Castle.
Tip: Half portions are available, which is the way to taste four regional dishes in one sitting.
Bayazhan ★ 4.4 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Akyol, Atatürk Blv. No:119 D:1, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Bayazhan pours rakı and grills küşleme inside a Silk Road caravanserai on Atatürk Bulvarı, one of the few licensed rooms in central Gaziantep.
Tip: The upstairs meyhane runs live fasıl music. Reserve the küşleme when you book, it sells out.
Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta ★ 4.4 · Gaziantep
alleben · Alleben, Kemal Köker Cd. No:25 A, 27500 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta grills nothing but lamb tenderloin on Kemal Köker Caddesi in Gaziantep, and the founder's son now works the charcoal himself.
Tip: Portions are small because the cut is small. Order two if you have walked the bazaar all morning.
Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı ★ 4.4 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Şekeroğlu, Hamdi Kutlar Cd. No:51/1-B, 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Yesemek Gaziantep Mutfağı plates regional home cooking near the castle, and half portions make it the easiest place in Gaziantep to taste widely.
Tip: Vegetarian dishes are listed separately. The kuru patlıcan dolması is meat-free on request.
Bayazhan ★ 4.4 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Akyol, Atatürk Blv. No:119 D:1, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Bayazhan turns a Silk Road caravanserai in Gaziantep into a meyhane, a winter dining room and a bar, with live fasıl music on most nights of the week.
Tip: The non-alcoholic family section is separate from the meyhane. Say which you want when booking.
Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta ★ 4.4 · Gaziantep
alleben · Alleben, Kemal Köker Cd. No:25 A, 27500 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Küşlemeci Mehmet Usta is a single-dish kitchen in Gaziantep, grilling lamb tenderloin over charcoal and serving it with churned yayık ayran.
Tip: Small portions, high price per gram. That is what the cut costs, not a tourist mark-up.
Develi1912 Samatya ★ 4.4 · Istanbul
samatya · Koca Mustafapaşa, Gümüş Yüksük Sokak No:5, Samatya, 34098 Fatih, İstanbul
Develi has fired Gaziantep kebabs at its Samatya address for decades, the canonical Istanbul pistachio kebap stop behind the old Marmara walls.
Hayvore ★ 4.4 · Istanbul
beyoğlu · Turnacıbaşı Sokak No:4, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Hayvore tucked off Istiklal, cooking the corn-bread, anchovies and smoky bean stews of the Black Sea since 2009 in a noisy steam-table lokanta close.
Yakup 2 ★ 4.4 · Istanbul
beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., Asmalı Mescit Sokak No:21/B, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Yakup 2 on Asmalı Mescit Sokak, the Yakup Arslan meyhane founded in 1977 after seventeen years at Refik next door, multi-time winner of best-meyhane awards.
Çiya Kebap ★ 4.4 · Istanbul
kadıköy · Caferağa Mah., Güneşlibahçe Sokak No:44, 34710 Kadıköy, İstanbul
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.
Hışvahan ★ 4.3 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Karagöz, Handan Bey Sk No:23/1, 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Hışvahan serves Antep cooking inside a restored 16th-century han beneath Gaziantep Castle, which now works as a hotel, restaurant and shop in one.
Tip: Develik is the dining room and Susamhane the event space. Ask for a courtyard table in spring.
Sakıp Usta Paça Beyran Kebap ★ 4.3 · Gaziantep
alleben · Alleben, Kemal Köker Cd. No:55 D:53, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Sakıp Usta serves beyran and paça on Kemal Köker Caddesi in Gaziantep from 05:30 until the small hours, which covers both the dawn bowl and the late one.
Tip: The kitchen runs from 05:30 to 02:00, so this is the one beyran counter that suits either end of the day.