CuisineTurkish
Price₺₺
Neighborhoodsarıyer
Last verified

Why locals love it: Right under the Rumeli Hisarı walls, far enough up the Bosphorus that most day-trippers never make it.

Tip: Come on a weekday morning for the kahvaltı; the terrace fills by 11 on weekends.

Location

Address: Rumeli Hisarı Mah., Yahya Kemal Caddesi No:20, 34470 Sarıyer, İstanbul, Istanbul

More hidden gems in Istanbul

Pano Şarap Evi ★ 4.3

Turkish₺₺beyoğlu

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.

Why locals love it: Tiny 1898 wine cellar on a Hamalbaşı side-lane that the Istiklal crowd walks straight past.

Tip: Order the Bozcaada Çavuş with a cheese plate; the room only holds about thirty.

Hayvore ★ 4.4

Turkish₺₺beyoğlu

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.

Why locals love it: Locals fill it for the Black Sea menu, tourists walk past for the larger Istiklal places ten metres away.

Tip: Order the hamsi pilav and the muhlama; they only run while supplies last.

Adem Baba ★ 4.4

Seafood₺₺arnavutköy

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.

Why locals love it: A no-alcohol Arnavutköy mom-and-pop fish lokantası, off the Bebek tourist drag and known mostly to upper-Bosphorus regulars.

Tip: Walk in for lunch on a weekday; no reservations, and the fried calamari and grilled day-catch go fastest.

Antiochia ★ 4.4

Turkish₺₺beyoğlu

Antiochia on a Beyoğlu side street, an Antakya (Hatay) kitchen plating southeastern grills and Levant mezze from a tight Asmalımescit address.

Why locals love it: Tucked on a tight General Yazgan side-street in Asmalımescit, often walked past on the way to bigger meyhanes.

Tip: Order the cevizli biber, the kunefe and the cag kebab together.

Mandabatmaz ★ 4.6

Turkish₺₺beyoğlu

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.

Why locals love it: Tucked inside the Olivya Passage off Istiklal, easy to miss for anyone not looking for the unmarked alley.

Tip: Order an orta-şekerli (medium-sweet) and stay for two; the kahveci will keep refilling water.

See every hidden gems pick in Istanbul →

← Back to Hidden Gems in Istanbul ← Istanbul food guide