Istanbul's Very Best Restaurants, Bistros and Cafes

Here it is…the list of my favorite Istanbul restaurants organized by neighborhood and other useful categories. There are exactly 36 entries on this list. Some are uber-hip while some are small neighborhood classics. I hope you have a chance to visit all 36 while you are here. Fish restaurants are not included on this list as I feel that Istanbul's fish and raki fans merit an entire post of their own. Read on to find out which restaurants made my list.

You can click on the images below to see the neighborhood + NAME plus link to each restaurant's page. I have arranged the photos by neighborhood starting with Istanbul's hip district Karakoy. I have included selections from Karakoy, Taksim, Beyoglu, Pera, Nisantasi, Etiler, Levent, Ulus, Kurucesme, Arnavutkoy, Bebek and Emirgan.

Enjoy the list and let me know what your favorites are…

Best Culinary Experience...

Yeni Lokanta
Gaspar
Münferit
Mikla
Muzedechanga

Amazing Views...

Sunset
Mikla
Banyan
FerahFeza
Zelda Zonk
Istanbul Modern Restaurant
Chef Mezze Sortie

Small Neighborhood Gems...

Antica Locanda
OPS Cafe
Miss Pizza
Jash
Mangerie
Any Cafe
Da Mario

Great For Drinks and People Watching

Lucca
Colonie
Bej Karakoy
Gaspar
Delicatessen
Flamingo
Zelda Zonk
Fosil
Unter
Park Samdan's & THE BAR

Where the Tourists Go...

Sunset
Mikla
Mama Shelter
Banyan
Zuma
Morini Terrace

Coolest of the Cool

Colonie
Lucca
Gaspar

Great For Breakfast or Casual Lunch

Unter
Mangerie
Happily Ever After
OPS Cafe
Assk Kahve
Istanbul Modern Restaurant

Power Lunch

Papermoon
Da Mario
Cantinery
Flamingo
La Petite Maison

Shopping + Lunch

Cantinery-Zorlu Center
Morini-Zorlu Center
Delicatessen-Nisantasi Shopping District
La Brise-Nisantasi Shopping District

Local Tastes with a Twist

Duble Meze
Jash
Munferit
Chef Mezze Sortie
Yeni Lokanta

Child Friendly

Papermoon-Only on Sundays
Da Mario-During the day
Miss Pizza
Cantinery
Lucca-During the day
Happily Ever After
Assk Kahve
Istanbul Modern Resaurant
Unter