12 restaurants worth the trip across Turkey, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Turkey guides.
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.
Karaköy Lokantası ★ 4.5 · Istanbul
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 · 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 and hot mezze.
Sofyalı 9 ★ 4.5 · Istanbul
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 · 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 to Galatasaray Lycée.
Refik Restaurant ★ 4.4 · Istanbul
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 · Istanbul
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 · 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 charcoal grill.
Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı ★ 4.3 · Istanbul
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.
Lokanta 1741 ★ 4.3 · Istanbul
fatih · Alemdar Mah., Profesör Kazım İsmail Gürkan Caddesi No:34, Cağaloğlu, 34110 Fatih, İstanbul
Lokanta 1741 beside the 300-year-old Cağaloğlu Hammam, a Michelin-listed modern Turkish dining room with a terrace overlooking the hammam domes and seasonal Anatolian plates.
Asmalı Cavit ★ 4.3 · Istanbul
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.