8 hidden gems worth the trip across Turkey, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Turkey guides.
Mandabatmaz ★ 4.6 · Istanbul
beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., Olivya Geçidi No:1A, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Mandabatmaz in Olivya Geçidi, a one-table Beyoğlu Turkish coffee bar running since 1967, the cup of foam so dense the buffalo doesn't sink.
Tip: Order an orta-şekerli (medium-sweet) and stay for two; the kahveci will keep refilling water.
Hayvore ★ 4.4 · Istanbul
beyoğlu · Turnacıbaşı Sokak No:4, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Hayvore off Istiklal, the Black Sea steam-table cooking corn-bread anchovies and smoky bean stews for whoever knows the side street.
Tip: Order the hamsi pilav and the muhlama; they only run while supplies last.
Antiochia ★ 4.4 · Istanbul
beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., General Yazgan Sokak No:3, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Antiochia on a Beyoğlu side street, an Antakya (Hatay) kitchen plating southeastern grills and Levant mezze from a tight Asmalımescit address.
Tip: Order the cevizli biber, the kunefe and the cag kebab together.
Sade Kahve ★ 4.4 · Istanbul
sarıyer · Rumeli Hisarı Mah., Yahya Kemal Caddesi No:20, 34470 Sarıyer, İstanbul
Sade Kahve below the Rumeli Hisarı battlements, an all-day Bosphorus terrace where ash-brewed Turkish coffee meets a full kahvaltı board.
Tip: Come on a weekday morning for the kahvaltı; the terrace fills by 11 on weekends.
Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı ★ 4.3 · Istanbul
karaköy · Makaracılar Caddesi No:3, Karaköy, 34421 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı in Perşembe Pazarı, the 1923 fish counter inside an old hardware market, grilling sole and bonito on skewers for twelve seats.
Tip: Aim for 12:30 to grab a table; the kitchen closes when the morning catch sells out.
Asitane ★ 4.3 · Istanbul
edirnekapı · Kariye Camii Sokak No:6, Edirnekapı, 34087 Fatih, İstanbul
Asitane in Edirnekapı, an Ottoman palace-cuisine specialist working from 16th-century archives, a 45-minute taxi from the tourist core and worth it.
Tip: Book a day ahead and try the goose dolma; only a handful of kitchens in Turkey still cook it.
Pano Şarap Evi ★ 4.3 · Istanbul
beyoğlu · Hüseyinağa Mah., Hamalbaşı Caddesi No:12, 34435 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Pano Şarap Evi on Hamalbaşı, an 1898 Greek-Turkish wine house with a doorway-deep cellar and a Bozcaada bottle list nobody else pours.
Tip: Order the Bozcaada Çavuş with a cheese plate; the room only holds about thirty.
Bahar Restaurant ★ 4.1 · Istanbul
fatih · Beyazıt Mah., Çarşıkapı Nuruosmaniye Caddesi, Yağcı Han No:13, 34126 Fatih, İstanbul
Bahar Restaurant inside a Yağcı Han courtyard, an esnaf lokanta feeding bazaar working merchants from steam-table stewpots that empty by mid-afternoon.
Tip: Get there before 14:00 or the stewpots are empty.