| The Old City
Sultanahmet The Four Seasons
The Seasons restaurant, in Istanbul’s best hotel, delivers impeccable service. The dining room is a conservatory in a beautiful courtyard, and every dish is a visual feast. Tevkifhane Sok 1, Sultanahmet;
+90 212 638 8200 Yesil Ev
The attraction at this ‘restoration’ hotel between the Blue Mosque and Ayasofya is its lovely shady garden. A good place to recoup your strength after sightseeing over a light lunch or tea. Kabasakal Cad 5, Sultanahmet;
+90 212 517 67 85 Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi
Saucer-sized plates of perfectly grilled meatballs at Sami Usta’s shop arrive with a clatter onto the marble tabletops alongside a piyaz of white beans and onion doused in vinegar. Sweet semolina irmik helva with pine kernels follows. Divanyolu Cad 12;
+90 212 520 0566 Rumeli Cafe
Housed in a renovated print works a brief stroll from Ayasofya, Rumeli doesn’t overdo its Old City charm: clean white tablecloths, stone walls, wood fires in winter, a wide pavement in summer. The food, Turkish with an Aegean bias, is good and fresh. Ticarethane Sok 8,
Divanyolu Cad;
+90 212 512 0008 Sabahattin Balikçisi
A successful fish restaurant in an old wooden house between the Four Seasons Hotel and the sea. Cankurtaran,
Sultanahmet;
+90 212 458 1824 Kumkapi meyhanes:
Kumkapi, down from the Hippodrome on the Sea of Marmara, is a fisherman’s district inside the Sea Walls, jam-packed with smoky, noisy restaurants.
Kör Agop
Ördekli Bakkal Sok 7; +90 212 517 2334) is a reliable name. It is also fun to buy fresh fish at the stalls next to the city fish market on the other side of the coast road. Ask one of the small seaside restaurants there to cook it for you any way you wish. Develi
The first of a wildly popular chain of restaurants serving Gaziantep grills, Develi overlooks a pretty square 10 minutes’ drive from Sultanahmet. Balikpazari, Samatya;
+90 212 529 08 33 Around the Grand Bazaar The best lunch venues cater to hungry shopkeepers and dealers who demand proper home cooking at reasonable prices. White-coated waiters juggle plates of delicious dishes on silver trays high above the crowds. Subasi Lokantasi
The Bazaar’s busiest lokanta is just outside, under the foundations of the Nuruosmaniye Mosque. Delectable seasonal home food eaten at shared tables, at a snappy pace to match the service. Nearest loo is at the Nuruosmaniye Gate. Çarsikapi, Nuruosmaniye;
+90 212 522 47 62 Sark Kahvesi
The sight of tea drinkers playing backgammon beneath swirling fans and neon lighting gives this vaulted café in the heart of the Bazaar the air of old Cairo. Everyone, from Shirley Maclaine to Queen Elizabeth, has had tea here. Yaglikçilar Cad 134, Kapaliçarsi Café Fes
This smart new café-restaurant in the Bazaar’s carpet section serves sandwiches, cheesecakes and cakes and is famous for its cappuccinos. Halicilar Cad 62, Kapaliçarsi;
+90 212 528 1613 Dârüzziyafe
An architectural gem in the courtyard of the Süleymaniye’s 16th-century kitchens, a short walk from the Bazaar. Good range of Turkish dishes. No alcohol. Sifahane Cad 6, Süleymaniye;
+90 212 511 8414 Kanaat
A hole in the wall (although the wall is again 16th-century) and a place to clean your plate of kuru fasulye, a perfectly cooked bean stew in tomato sauce, with a slice of crusty bread all in the shadow of the Süleymaniye Mosque. Prof Sőddők Onar Cad 7/3, Süleymaniye Vefa Bozacisi
This immaculate 1930s café with glittering mosaic columns serves two mildly fermented drinks: sira, from grape juice, in summer; boza, from millet, in winter. You can buy Vefa’s vinegar, 3 degrees proof rather than the usual 6, a secret of good Turkish cooking. Katip Çelebi Cad 104, Vefa; +90 212 519 4922 Spice Bazaar Pandeli
Always being voted people’s favourite restaurant but more for the atmosphere than the food. Situated upstairs in the tiled and vaulted gatehouse of the Spice Bazaar the tiles are spectacular. A speciality is seabass en papillote. Misir Çarsisi 1, Eminönü;
+90 212 527 39 09 Hamdi
Hamdi, outside the Spice Bazaar, introduced Istanbul to the spicy flavour of southeastern kebabs, along with salads dressed with sour pomegranate molasses and flat breads that balloon in the oven. Try the meatballs with pistachio and a buttery crepe called katmer for dessert. Kalçin Sok 17,
Tahmis Cad, Eminönü;
+90 212 528 0390 Konyali
Opposite Sirkeci railway station, Konyali feels like a bad motorway café but serves good Turkish food all through the day. Börek and ayran (yoghurt drink) make a great snack at any time. Great breakfasts of cheese, jams and kaymak (thick water buffalo cream). They also run the restaurant and café in the Topkapi Palace. Mimar Kemalettin Cad,
5. Vakif Han, Sirkeci;
+90 212 527 1935 | | Golden Horn Rahmi Koç Museum
Dining by moonlight on the once smelly Golden Horn would have been unthinkable a decade ago. No more. The water is clean, and the Koç Museum takes cultural feasting to new heights. Enjoy brasserie food and scrumptious cakes and tarts at the Café du Levant. The waterside Halat restaurant is for delicious fusion food. Open for lunch and dinner. Hasköy Cad 27, Sütlüce;
+90 212 235 6328 Zeyrekhane
Traditional food given a modern twist in a beautiful setting with fine views of the Süleymaniye and Valencian aqueduct. Next door is the Church of the Pantokrator. Zeyrek Camii, Fatih;
+90 212 532 2778 Asitane
The food is rather faux Ottoman almond soup and lamb or fowl baked with honey and dried fruit but this hotel restaurant makes a good retreat after visiting the mosaics of the Kariye Camii (the Church of the Chora) next door. Kariye Hotel,
Kariye Camii Sok 18, Edirnekapð;
+90 212 534 8414 Arnavut Köftecisi
The outdoor tables of Ali Istay’s little köfte shop in Balat there is no name outside are within an inch of the main road, yet the grilled meatballs are succulent beyond belief. Mürselpaþa Cad 155, Köprübasi, Balat;
+90 212 531 6652 Kömür Lokantasi
The best lokanta on the Golden Horn attracts the university crowd. Well prepared home-cooking. Mustantik Sok 33,
Küçük Mustafapasa;
+90 212 631 0192 The New City
Beyoglu Tünel
Tünel Square, ultimate destination of the Istiklâl tram, is the heart of the regenerated downtown. Tiny streets winding off it have a down-at-heel artistic ambiance and are a primary target for those in the know looking for a good night out. Cafés, bars and clubs offer everything from traditional meze to chic fusion cuisine. KV
KV (pronounced kah-veh) has slowly consumed the end of a tiny street in Tünel, with café tables set about with plants and fairy lights. The ambiance is Parisian up-market boho. Good for coffee or jazz at weekends, but the food can be disappointing. Meet there, don’t eat there. Tünel Geçidi 10, Tünel;
+90 212 251 4338 Lokal
A tiny temple to retro kitsch frequented by local artists. There are wind-up toys on the tables and the menu comes in an LP cover. The inexpensive Asian-fusion menu is ambitious, mostly with excellent results. Music is loud and contemporary. Müeyyet Sok 9, Tünel;
+90 212 245 5744 Refik
A Beyoglu fixture, popular, sprawling Refik has venues on both sides of the street. Charming service, good meze, nice minced-meat börek and, in season, wonderful fried anchovies. Sofyali Sok 10, Tünel;
+90 212 243 2834 Sofyali
Meyhane food in a brasserie setting. Sofyali pays attention to seasonal produce, with meze that includes dressed chard stalks with walnut tarrator sauce. Staff are extra-nice. Booking essential. Sofyali Sok 9, Tünel;
+90 212 245 0362 Yakup II
The owner of Yakup II (there is no Yakup I) is a brother of Refik around the corner. The atmosphere is more working man’s club than Sex in the City. Art critics argue over the blare of TV football in between mouthfuls of aubergine fritters and gulps of rakő. Asmalőmesçit Sok 35, Tünel; +90 212 249 2925 Simdi Café
An elegant escape-hole in a covered courtyard, Þimdi is one of Istanbul’s most beautiful modern cafés. The menu is simple (breakfasts, pastas and salads), the coffee Italian, the pasta home-made. Currently unlicensed. Asmalimesçit Sok 9, Tünel; +90 212 252 5443 Markiz
Closed for years, Beyoglu’s quintessential café has now reopened its doors. Head upstairs for unexceptional brasserie-style fare in modern surroundings, downstairs for coffee and tea, pastry and art nouveau nostalgia. Istiklâl Cad 360, Beyoglu;
+90 212 246 8394 Galata House
This 1904 British lock-up serving Caucasian dishes was restored by two of the architects of Galata’s revival, Mete Göktug and his wife Nadile, who may be persuaded to sit at the piano to play songs from her Crimean homeland. Galatakulesi Sok 61, Galata;
+90 212 245 1861 Enver Usta’nin yeri
A tiled subterranean chamber invisible from the street. Order the tavuk beyti highly spiced minced chicken grilled on a wide, flat skewer. Eat it with meyhane pilavi (peppery bulgur) and thick yoghurt. Erkâniharp Sok 15, Tünel;
+90 212 252 2941 Galatasary
Once upon a time, Istanbul society would desert Beyoglu in the summer, but now the neighbourhood hums 24/7 x 12. Many of the city’s more sophisticated restaurateurs are returning to the city centre from the drear of wealthy suburbia. Nu Teras and Lokanta
Nu Teras rules Istanbul’s more sophisticated evening scene in summer, when the chef Mehmet Gürs moves upstairs from Lokanta, his ground-floor restaurant. The grilled shrimp with spinach and chilli is fabulous, as are the lamb dishes. But the real breath-stealer is the view taking in both sides of the Golden Horn. Müeyyet Sok 9, Tepebasi;
+90 212 245 6070 | | Leb-i Derya
On a rooftop just off Istiklâl, by night the place is packed to hear the in-house DJ. At lunch you’ll find a half-empty restaurant and a view of ships on a sparkling sea. The food will never rock the world, but even its critics keep returning for the view, the vibe and the beautiful people. Kumbaraci Yokusu 115/7, Beyoglu;
+90 212 293 49 89 Limonlu Bahçe
Five minutes from Galatasaray Square, a discreet doorway and a series of corridors lead to the paved garden, where beautiful young things lounge about in hammocks and tortoises amble between tables. It’s buzzing at night, but for a late breakfast you’ll have the place to yourself. Yeniçarsi Cad 98, Galatasaray;
+90 212 252 1094 360
On the eighth floor above Istiklâl Caddesi, with a view that goes all the way round hence the name this all-day drop-in, the work of South African chef Mike Norman, is pop-sleek but easy-going. The menu is seasonal meze and tapas with Asian flavours. Istiklâl Cad 311, Beyoglu;
+90 212 244 8192 Rejans
Hidden up a flight of steps in an alley off Istiklâl Caddesi, little has changed at Rejans since the 1920s, when it was set up by White Russian ballerinas. The borscht, piroschki, stroganoff, kievski and lemon vodka are as much a part of Istanbul as the Turkish bath. Almost empty at lunchtime, it’s overflowing at 8pm. Emir Nevruz Sok 17, Galatasaray;
+90 212 244 1619 Haci Salih
No restaurant serves better Turkish food. This Istanbul institution is hidden in a dark alley between Galatasaray and Taksim. Everything is cooked by the late Haci Salih’s son Abdullah. Try be€endili tavuk (chicken on a bed of aubergine purée) in summer, or the mastic-flavoured milk pudding, (sakizli muhallebi). The cherry bread (viþne tiridi) alone is worth the trip. Istiklâl Cad 201, Beyoglu;
+90 212 243 4528 Cihangir
This district has a small but fabulous café scene. Almost the whole of Akarsu Sokak and streets around it have have been given over to places that stay open round the clock. Cihangir embodies the cosmopolitan spirit of new Istanbul. For women travelling alone, it is a great area to unwind. Alti Cafe
One of the finest breakfast spots in town, the Altő Cafe is hidden behind a vintage clothing store. It’s a tiny perfumed garden where guests are lodged on cushion-lined platforms and soothed with herbal teas and oven-warm breads. Anahtar Sok 15, Cihangir;
+90 212 293 0849 Nev’i Pasta Atölyesi
For afternoon tea try this eight-seater establishment that bakes on the premises about two feet away from your head, so you eat the chocolate biscuits and wear the matching perfume. Anahtar Sok 19, Cihangir;
+90 212 244 9006 Leyla
A buzzy newcomer. The menu is Italian, but the huge blackboard also offers breakfasts from around the world and a selection of pasta and salads, as well as messages chalked by regulars. Akarsu Cad 46, Cihangir;
+90 212 244 5335 Doga Balik
Unexpected in this area is a seriously good fish restaurant. Float seven stories up above the Hotel Villa Zürich, and you will find Doga Balik, which is unpretentious, with a pretty view and a huge selection of meze. The fish cooked with small onions and herbs is terrific, as are the wilted herbs in olive oil. Akarsu Cad 46, Cihangir;
+90 212 293 9143 Taksim Square Ayazpasa Russian Restaurant If Rejans is full and you want White Russian food, opposite the German consulate Cemal Ok and Hüseyin Parlak offer borsch, chicken kievsky, schnitzel, goulash and strudel. Humbler and cheaper, it’s still great food. Inönü Cad 77/A, Gümüssuyu, Taksim;
+90 212 243 4892 Fifth Floor
An old favourite with the literati, Fifth Floor has a theatrical feel: bright velvets, mismatched furniture, glass beads, huge flower arrangements. The menu is similarly eccentric, with dishes from round the world. Somehow it all works. In summer the action moves to the roof terrace. Soganci Sok 7, Siraselviler, Taksim;
+90 212 293 3774 Nisantasi Borsa
On a terrace in the city’s main convention centre overlooking Maçka Park, this is the smartest Turkish restaurant in town, with a loyal following, attracted by the chic setting and dishes such as roast lamb with aubergine purée, and artichoke hearts poached in olive oil. Lütfi Kirdar Kongre Sarayi, Harbiye;
+90 212 232 4201 Loft
On the next level down from Borsa and owned by the same father and son, in winter Loft is a serious continental-style dining room; in summer an open-air deck, with a large bar, music and brasserie menu. Lütfi Kirdar Kongre Sarayi, Harbiye;
+90 212 219 6384 Park Samdan
Unreconstructed meat-and-two-veg posh. But the mood, under the trees of Maçka Park, is soothing and cosmopolitan. Mim Kemal Öke Cad 18, Maçka;
+90 212 225 0710 Beymen Brasserie
Food therapy for shopaholics from the nearby boutiques, a dramatic backdrop for the street theatre of Nisantasi or just a place to admire your neighbour’s plastic surgery this is everything a café should be, with a menu that ventures beyond the well-groomed salad. Abdi Ipekçi Cad. 23/1 Maçka;
+90 212 343 0442 | | Emporio Armani Caffe
A café, a bar and, on its luxurious terrace, the city’s most expensive restaurant. Beautiful food for beautiful people. Maçka Palas, Maçka Cad 35, Tesvikiye;
+90 212 224 4477 Banyan
An unobtrusively stylish place for good Asian fusion cuisine. Open only in winter it decamps to Ortaköy in summer. Abdi Ipekci Cad 40/3, Nisantasi;
+90 212 219 6011 Hacibey
The place for a traditional fast lunch. There is no menu and usually no choice. You are offered tasty lentil soup, Bursa kebab (lamb and pide with yoghurt and tomatoes in butter), syrupy pastry with clotted cream and a cup of good Turkish coffee. Tesvikiye Cad 156, Tesvikiye;
+90 212 231 7134 Kantin
Like many Nisantasi cafés, Kantin looks onto a leafy courtyard. Try the wafer-thin savoury pastries called çitir, and ice-cold fresh lemonade. Akkavak Sok 16/2, Nisantasi;
+90 212 219 3114 The Bosphorus
Every village along the Bosphorus has its cafés and teahouses. All have stunning views. Most will do you a toasted sandwich (tost) but won’t mind if you bring kurabiye (biscuits) or krik-krak (a sort of grissini) from the local baker. Other waterfont temptations include steaming corn on the cob, sesame-covered simit and kagithelva wafers (all sold by itinerant salesmen), and delicious salep icecream. There are countless seaside fish restaurants the largest clusters are in the fishing villages of Sarðyer, Rumelikavagi and Anadolukavagi on the upper reaches. The more modest the better: the fish is always fresh discovery is part of the fun. However, if you wish for something chic or more established, here are a few ideas. European shore Vogue
A stylish penthouse that provides a place to eat, drink and look out to sea. There’s a good bar, and Fashion TV on the monitors in case you are unlucky enough to get a bank executive on the stool opposite. The eclectic menu includes sushi, lightly grilled tuna and a few Turkish favourites. BJK Plaza, A Block 13, Akaretler, Besiktas;
+90 212 227 2545 La Maison
Tucked beside Yildiz Park, La Maison is a small hotel with a rooftop restaurant. The food (and Muzak) is endearingly time-warped French: onion soup, crab cocktail and steaks. The quail in prune sauce is excellent. Bask in a fabulous view without feeling jostled. Müvezzi Cad 63, Besiktas;
+90 212 227 4263 Feriye Lokantasi
This elegant restaurant in Ortaköy, with an inventive menu based on Ottoman flavours, is housed in an old police station, with a summer terrace on the waterfront promenade. Look for the sign by the door of the tiny cinema on the coast road coming into Ortaköy from Beþiktaþ, and follow the steps down into a garden on the left. Kabatas Kültür Merkezi, Çiragan Cad 124, Ortaköy;
+90 212 227 2216 Cinar
Old-school Ortaköy, this is the best of a clutch of unpretentious fish restaurants in the town square. On the waterfront, look for the café with a tree growing through it, then sit down to enjoy decent meze and grilled fish followed by hot chocolate soufflé. Iskele Meydani 42, Ortaköy;
+90 212 2615818 Banyan
Good Asian fusion and modern elegance at this new summer venue of the Niþantaþð Banyan. Highlights from a seasonal menu: searingly hot Tom Yam soup, sea bass in banana leaves, pumpkin cheesecake. Watch Üsküdar turn pink in the sunset. Salhane Sok 3, Ortaköy;
+90 212 259 9060 Sedir Café
An artfully ramshackle cafe: tiled floors, coloured glass and cluttered tables in a beautiful stone building just across from the Mecidiye Mosque. A favourite with young lovers, but the food is also fine: salads, noodles and plates of cheese. Mecidiye Köprüsü Sok 26, Ortaköy;
+90 212 327 9870 Anjelique
There is a restaurant, but Anjelique really kicks in as a nightclub, the preeminent summer venue for the city’s monied youth. To avoid the door policy, arrive by private boat, docking in front of the bar and climb into the best seats in the house. Salhane Sok 10, Ortaköy;
+90 212 327 2844 Assk Kahve
Tucked behind a Macro supermarket and hedged in by a gym and car park, Assk is nevertheless a gem for those who wish to linger over a coffee by the Bosphorus. The outside is a hotchpotch of tiles, cartwheels and parasols, but the real decoration is the clientele: sleek, elegant and worth the price of a Sunday brunch. Muallim Naci Cad 64/B, Kuruçeþme;
+90 212 265 4734 Alarga
This sleek little space above an art gallery on the coast road aims far upstream of the basic Bosphorus fish supper: tiny tastes of zingy fish-based foods. This is Turkish with a twist a festival of inventive new-wave fish meze. Kuruçesme Cad 19, Kuruçesme;
+90 212 358 3157 Marina Balik
Eating fish on the lower Bosphorus can be expensive, but the Marina is excellent. Set in what looks like a park-keeper’s hut in Kuruçeþme Park, it is built over the water with windows all round. The squid is terrific, and the fish baked in salt arrives at your table like a dinosaur egg ready to be broken open. Kuruçesme Park;
+90 212 287 2653 Pafuli
A local institution, with the photographs on the wall to prove it, Pafuli looks like a smart hangout for Black Sea mafiosi. Tables tend to be occupied by groups of silver-haired men with a taste for heavy jewellery who eat their way through the vast menu, cooing over their stroppy-looking daughters. The Black Sea cuisine includes cornbread with anchovies, herbs in olive oil and casseroled fish with tiny onions. Kuruçesme Cad 116, Kuruçesme;
+90 212 263 66 38 | | Café di Dolce
A jewel-like cake shop on Kuruçeþme’s Bosphorus road. The stylish owner, Nilgün Ertug offers a distinctive tea service, morning noon and night, in a theatrical twelve-seat room. Mini-brownies, heart-shaped rolls and chewy fig muffins are rolled out and baked before your eyes. Kuruçesme Cad 25, Kuruçesme;
+90 212 257 7299 Ulus 29
Modern Istanbul at its most glamorous, and a clientele dressed to match. The menu has both modern and classic dishes. From a large wood-fired oven by the bar appear tiny lahmacun (mini-pizzas) and fresh flatbreads. Absorb the luxury and look down through the vast windows on the rest of the city. Kireçhane Sok 1, Adnan Saygun Cad, Ulus;
+90 212 265 6181 Sunset Bar and Grill
A semi-circular space carved into the Ulus hillside, this is Istanbul LA-style. The menu is modern international with an emphasis on sushi. Service is more attentive the closer you are to that window. A Cuban cigar and cognac to end the meal? Certainly, sir. Yol Sok 1, Adnan
Saygun Cad, Ulus;
+90 212 287 0357 Aleko’s
The draw of this old Greek fish restaurant (confusingly also known as Deniz Park Gazinosu) is the terrace which overhangs the water, so that you can almost touch the passing ferries. Köybasi Cad, Yeniköy;
+90 212 262 04 15 Izmir Lokmasi
The best things in Istanbul come cheap. An amazing café next to the Istiniye boat station has delicious Izmir lokmasi puffed-up morsels of dough deep-fried and oozing with syrup. Boat restaurants
A recent innovation along the European shore, floating restaurants have made eating fish affordable. Take your pick from a dozen boats on the stretch between Yeniköy and Tarabya. Reserve a spot by the upstairs railing and enjoy crunchy salad with refreshing pickled beets, and grilled kalamar (squid marinated in a spicy sauce). Anatolian shore Çiya
An ethnographic museum of eastern Anatolian cooking, with ingredients such as keþ (brick-hard dried yoghurt), cardoons, and wild chives. The best choices are stuffed meat pides and köfte kebabs with loquats. It is not one restaurant but three, all at the far end of Kadðköy fish market. No alcohol. GüneSlibahçe Sok 43, Kadiköy;
+90 216 330 3190 Koço
One of Istanbul’s oldest meyhanes was started by the Greek chef Koço. The meze and fish are wonderful try çiroz (dried mackerel) or lakerda (bonito in brine) as you look out over Moda boat station towards the Princes Islands. Moda Cad 265, Moda, Kadiköy;
+90 216 336 0795 Kanaat
This old lokanta behind the Valide Sultan Mosque in Üsküdar has almost turned into a factory. Families come with their children to enjoy a huge choice of traditional soups, stews, grills, böreks, pilavs, dolmas and puddings. Selmanðpak Cad. 25, Üsküdar;
+90 216 333 37 91 Angel
Angel is a neighbourhood fish restaurant with an imaginative array of meze and perfectly presented main courses. Salacak, Üsküdar;
+90 216 333 0426 Ismet Baba
Ismet Baba in Kuzguncuk is reasonably priced and serves a neighbourhood clientele. The best time to go is in the early evening for meze and rakð next to one of the open windows. The daily catch is on the menu. They also have a good crisp börek with a potato filling. Icadiye Cad 96/98, Kuzguncuk;
+90 216 333 1232 Kordon
Kordon in Çengelköy is simple and elegant. The view down to the Old City is spectacular. A smart new hotel opens here in April 2005. Kuleli Cad 51, Çengelköy
+90 216 321 0473 Körfez
Fashionable Körfez is in a pretty bay in Kanlica and ferries guests to and from the fortress of Rumeli Hisari on the European shore in its own powerboat. Baked seabass in rocksalt is their speciality. Kanlca;
+90 216 413 4314 By the airport
Florya, the pine-scented district on the Sea of Marmara where the president has his summer residence, specializes in grilled-meat restaurants (et lokanta). These are two of the best. Beyti
A palatial establishment loved by statesmen and starlets. Beyti is the only living Turk to have a kebab named after him: it’s an eyelet of lamb. The meat is simply cooked and mildly seasoned, Balkan-style. Orman Sok 33, Florya;
+90 212 663 2990 Kosova Et Lokantasi
Tender lamb chops, the crunchiest chips and the best döner kebab grilled on charcoal, followed by warm künefe pastry. The peaceful garden looks through pines to the Sea of Marmara. The service is speedy and silent. Istanbul Cad, Florya;
+90 212 663 8485 The Prince's Islands The two finest restaurants are both a schlep.
On Büyükada, the restaurant at the top of the hill at Aya Yorge serves simple, excellent and very cheap Turkish food. But it is self-service, and can get crowded at weekends.
On Burgaz, a fine woodland restaurant on the far side of the island called the TKTK serves simple, home-cooked food in a rustic setting.
Büyükada’s seafront restaurants are all much of a muchness decent but overpriced fish.
Best value is at the Adnan, furthest along the seafront strip (Gülistan Cad 26).
The Milano, at no 20, has the nicest traditional premises, and the Yaman, no 16, is the newest and most stylish (but most expensive).
Venge, at 23 Nisan Cad no 23, in front of the Splendid Hotel, looks classy and has a lovely view but unremarkable food. A cheap alternative is the cafeteria-style Yeni Façyo restaurant, at Recep Koç Cad 57. | |
