13 mid-range rooms in Istanbul, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good rooms in Istanbul — no surprise on the bill, real cooking. All Istanbul food.
Çiya Sofrası ★ 4.8
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.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu ★ 4.7
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 reference.
Karaköy Lokantası ★ 4.5
karaköy · Kemankeş Mah., Kemankeş Caddesi No:57, 34425 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
The teal-tiled Karaköy Lokantası, Bib Gourmand listed in the Michelin Guide, runs an Ottoman-leaning lunch lokanta downstairs and a meyhane upstairs at night.
Antiochia ★ 4.5
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 and hot mezze.
Sofyalı 9 ★ 4.5
beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., Sofyalı Sokak No:9, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Sofyalı 9 in Beyoğlu, an Asmalımescit meyhane Michelin-listed for 20-plus years of rakı, hot and cold mezze and Greek-Turkish records on the speakers each night.
Develi1912 Samatya ★ 4.4
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.
Refik Restaurant ★ 4.4
beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., Sofyalı Sokak No:10-12, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Refik on Sofyalı Sokak, a 1954-founded Asmalımescit meyhane keeping the rakı table going past midnight with mountain greens, lakerda and grilled lamb.
Krependeki İmroz ★ 4.4
beyoğlu · Hüseyinağa Mah., Nevizade Sokak No:16, 34435 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Krependeki İmroz on Nevizade Sokak, a 1941 Beyoğlu meyhane built around fresh Aegean fish, mezze plates and the long rakı table that defines this strip.
Çiya Kebap ★ 4.4
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 charcoal grill.
Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı ★ 4.3
karaköy · Makaracılar Caddesi No:3, Karaköy, 34421 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Hidden in the hardware-market arcades of Perşembe Pazarı, Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı has grilled fish on skewers since 1923 to about a dozen seats inside the old Griffin Han.
Asmalı Cavit ★ 4.3
beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., Asmalı Mescit Caddesi No:16/D, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Asmalı Cavit on Asmalı Mescit Caddesi, a 1990s-opened Beyoğlu meyhane where proprietor Cavit Bey works the room nightly over a mezze list led by smoked eggplant.
Hafız Mustafa 1864 ★ 4.2
eminönü · Hobyar Mah., Hamidiye Caddesi No:84, 34112 Fatih, İstanbul
Hafız Mustafa 1864 on Hamidiye Caddesi, the original Sultan Abdülaziz-era candy shop at the Eminönü viaduct, now a multi-floor stop for baklava, lokum and Turkish delight.
Pandeli Lokantası ★ 3.9
eminönü · Rüstem Paşa Mah., Mısır Çarşısı No:1, 34116 Fatih, İstanbul
Pandeli above the Spice Bazaar gates, the 1901 blue-tiled Bib Gourmand lunch room still cooking Ottoman dolma and courgette-flower fritters into the Eminönü afternoon.