Istanbul Restaurants

 

Turkey has some wonderful cuisine and Istanbul is no exception! There are thousands of restaurants in Istanbul, ranging from the man on the street, to top-class luxury places with internationally-renowned chefs, though the best thing is that you will always be able to find a meal within your budget.

 

The Old City

The historic Sultanahmet Peninsula is where many tourists stay in hotels in Istanbul, and the majority of the restaurants in this area are capitalizing on this. This means that the food isn’t quite so traditionally Turkish and the prices are a little elevated. Unfortunately, the minute you step outside of your Istanbul hotel you’re likely to get pounced on by an over-keen waiter trying to get you into their restaurant!

All the same though, prices here are still usually significantly cheaper than in many European cities and if you’re staying in one of the Istanbul hotels which are nearby, then eating here is very convenient.

 

Sirkeci

The area of Sirkeci, although still on the historic peninsula, does have some more reasonable and traditional Turkish restaurants which are great for anyone who’s booked their Istanbul hotel in the Sirkeci area. They are not quite so tourist oriented here, and may be a little quieter and more relaxing.

 

Beyoğlu

The Beyoğlu area is the newer part of Istanbul and although there are many hotels in Istanbul in this area, it’s not chiefly directly at tourists as it’s popular amongst the locals too. This means that the restaurants in this part of Istanbul are very varied in budget and in quality, though in fact some of the best restaurants will be found on the streets leading up to Taksim, so great for anyone staying in a Taksim hotel in Istanbul.

 

 

Along the Bosphorus

All along the Bosphorus on the European and Asian sides you will come across ‘villages’, each of which will have restaurants and café’s. The wonderful thing with these is that you usually have amazing views out over the Bosphorus, and you’ll find many great fish restaurants in these places. Although probably further away from your hotel in Istanbul, try Ortaköy or Bebek for some of the best fish restaurants and views in the city.

Generally, wherever you’re looking for a good Istanbul restaurant, go a little off the beaten track and you will be sure to find a great place to eat which the locals enjoy, and this is always a good sign!