19 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. Family-friendly.
Tip: Order an orta-şekerli (medium-sweet) and stay for two; the kahveci will keep refilling water.
Siirt Şeref Büryan ★ 4.5 · Istanbul
fatih · İtfaiye Caddesi No:4, Kadınlar Pazarı, 34087 Fatih, İstanbul
Siirt Şeref Büryan on İtfaiye Caddesi, a Kadınlar Pazarı corner pulling lamb büryan from a tandır pit oven that fires through the night, the Avcı family.
Tip: Order büryan around 11:00 before the lunch crowd; the perde pilavı and a tas kebabı round out a full table.
Papirüs Cafe ★ 4.4 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Bey, Noter Sk. No:10, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Papirüs Cafe sits inside a restored Armenian mansion in Bey Mahallesi, and its vine-shaded courtyard is the quietest table in old Gaziantep.
Tip: Come before noon. By mid-afternoon the courtyard is full and the calm has gone.
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. Located in Beyoğlu.
Tip: Order the hamsi pilav and the muhlama; they only run while supplies last.
Adem Baba ★ 4.4 · Istanbul
arnavutköy · Arnavutköy Mah., Beyaz Gül Caddesi No:2, 34345 Beşiktaş, İstanbul
Adem Baba on Beyaz Gül Caddesi, a 1992-founded Arnavutköy fish lokantası where the catch comes off Bosphorus boats moored outside and the family runs three.
Tip: Walk in for lunch on a weekday; no reservations, and the fried calamari and grilled day-catch go fastest.
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. Located in Sarıyer.
Tip: Come on a weekday morning for the kahvaltı; the terrace fills by 11 on weekends.
Kahveci Seddar Bey ★ 4.3 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Şekeroğlu, Gümrük Cd. No:14/3, 27000 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Kahveci Seddar Bey hides in the courtyard of a Gaziantep han rather than on a street front, which is why the two-colour dibek coffee stays a local secret.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Come before 19:00, when the han courtyard shuts for the day.
Yusuf Ziya Fıstıklı Burma Kadayıfları ★ 4.3 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Düğmeci, Suburcu Cd. Şehir İş Hanı 2/B, 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Yusuf Ziya makes burma kadayıf and nothing else from a han window on Suburcu Caddesi, a Gaziantep speciality the baklava salons treat as a sideline.
Tip: Midday is when the trays come out warm. By evening the syrup has set firm.
Beyoğlu Katmercim ★ 4.3 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Suyabatmaz Mahallesi, Kozluca Caddesi No:6, Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Beyoğlu Katmercim stretches its katmer dough in front of the counter on Kozluca Caddesi, two streets from the famous Gaziantep names and their queues.
Tip: Ask for a corner table so the katmer reaches you while the kaymak is still molten.
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. Located in Beyoğlu.
Tip: Order the Bozcaada Çavuş with a cheese plate; the room only holds about thirty.
Muhsinzade Türk Şiş Kebap ★ 4.1 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Boyacı, Külekçi Çarşısı Sk., 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Muhsinzade grills for the traders of the Külekçi lanes in Gaziantep from six in the morning, and shuts long before the evening kebab crowd arrives.
Tip: The owner will build the plate for you if you do not read Turkish.
İmamoğlu Baklava ★ 4.1 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Karatarla, Eski Saray Cd. No:6, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
İmamoğlu Baklava works out of one small room on Eski Saray Caddesi in Gaziantep, cutting thin trays for a neighbourhood trade rather than the tour buses.
Tip: There is nowhere to sit. Buy a quarter kilo and eat it on the walk home.
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.
Dayının Yeri Kadayıf ve Billuriye ★ 4.0 · Gaziantep
sehitkamil · Değirmiçem, İmam Hüseyin İncioğlu Cd. No:5, 27560 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep
Dayının Yeri in Değirmiçem still lists billuriye, a crystalline Gaziantep pastry that has quietly dropped off almost every other dessert menu.
Tip: Closed Sundays. Everything is made to order, so allow a wait if you arrive with a group.
Katmerci Murat ★ 4.0 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Bey, Atatürk Blv. No:11, 27000 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Katmerci Murat is a family katmer counter on Atatürk Bulvarı in Gaziantep, cheaper and more generous with pistachio than the addresses on every list.
Tip: Add the şam tatlısı if you are ordering for more than two people.
Havara Kitap Kafe ★ 3.9 · Gaziantep
sahinbey · Karagöz, Derekenarı Cd No:39, 27080 Şahinbey/Gaziantep
Havara Kitap Kafe is a women-run book cafe in Karagöz, Gaziantep, assembled from reclaimed material and stacked across several quiet levels.
Tip: Service is partly self-serve. Order at the counter rather than waiting to be found.
Ünsal Lokum ve Şekerleme ★ 3.9 · Gaziantep
sehitkamil · Seferpaşa, Altınoğlu Cad No:3, 27400 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep
Ünsal Lokum ve Şekerleme is a Gaziantep confectioner's own trade counter on Altınoğlu Caddesi, selling the lokum and boiled sweets it makes itself.
Tip: Pistachio lokum survives the flight home better than baklava. Ask for a box, not a bag.
Akınal Gar Restaurant ★ 3.8 · Gaziantep
sehitkamil · İstasyon Meydanı TCDD Gar Binası, 27060 Gaziantep
Akınal Gar Restaurant serves meze inside the working railway station building in Gaziantep, a licensed room hiding behind the platform doors.
Tip: Ask for the platform side. Trains still pass the windows through the evening.