Seafood restaurants and meyhanes in Istanbul
25 seafood restaurants and meyhanes in Istanbul that we tried and liked. We went to every one and paid our own bill — no scores, no advertising.
7 Mehmet
One of the oldest and most important names in Antalya’s food scene, 7 Mehmet is now in Istanbul too, right on the water at Tersane İstanbul. The story…
Balat Sahil Restoran
On the waterfront in Balat, one of Istanbul's most characterful and timeless places to eat: Sahil Lokantası. 🐟🌊 Welcoming regulars since the 1980s, Ba…
Atlas Mühürdar 78
Atlas Mühürdar 78 had been on our list for a long time. It's on Mühürdar Caddesi in Kadıköy, in a charming two-storey building squeezed between apartm…
Balıkçı Kahraman
Balıkçı Kahraman in Rumeli Kavağı is perhaps the most talked-about fish restaurant in Istanbul, for a quality it has never let slip. It's the first na…
Therapia
Therapia is one of those Bosphorus places we were once regulars at but haven't been able to visit for a long time. We took bonito season as an excuse …
Marcel
Meyhane by Marcel has opened in Yeniköy on the site of the old Marcel patisserie. It's the second place the owners of Azur have opened in the area. Th…
Revma Balık
Silverside season has started. You can find it fresh at Revma, caught in the nets set at Akıntıburnu. Don't miss silverside — you'll only find it in t…
Balıkçı Soner
Balıkçı Soner in Etiler is a place we'd been hearing about from several different people. Ambitious about turbot, Soner shows real mastery there. The …
Sade Beş Denizler
Sade Beş Denizler is one of those Nişantaşı places we've been hearing a lot about lately. It serves home-style dishes during the day, while the evenin…
Balıkçı Yılmaz
There are plenty of fish restaurants in Rumeli Kavağı, but Balıkçı Yılmaz was a name we'd been hearing a lot lately. We had a faultless meal at Yılmaz…
Galatasaray Adası
Galatasaray Adası started serving food again this summer after a long break. Open only to Galatasaray club members and their guests, the island is in …
Filiz Restaurant
In this season, when bonito and bluefish slowly start to grace our tables, Filiz — one of Tarabya's classic names — is a good option. Holding the line…
Alaf2Tek
Alaf2Tek is the meyhane version of our favourite place, Alaf — somewhere to stand and have a couple of drinks. In the same building as Alaf, at tables…
Barbayani
Reached by a pleasant 45-minute boat ride, Burgazada is our choice among Istanbul's escapes. Relatively less crowded than the other islands, Burgaz is…
Seasalt
Seasalt, inside Ortaköy Feriye, offers guests a wonderful view from its position right on the water. From a menu not greatly different from the Bospho…
Balıkçı Sabahattin
Balıkçı Sabahattin has built a strong following on the historic peninsula over many years, and is one of Istanbul's best fish restaurants. At its site…
İsmet Baba
Staying open since 1951 in a district as special as Kuzguncuk is no easy thing. İsmet Baba is the right address for good fish, quickly. Right on the B…
Cunda Balık
Finding Aegean herbs in Istanbul isn't easy. Cunda Balık stands out above all for its meze. A good option in Istanbul for reaching Aegean greens such …
Karaköy Lokantası
Karaköy Lokantası has moved from the building it occupied for years to a spot just along, beneath the Novotel. At lunch it serves a different menu eac…
Eski Usul Meyhane
A small terrace floor in Moda, seven or eight tables, a meze menu that changes daily and a magnificent view of the sea and the islands — that's Eski U…
Şişko Perihan
Şişko Perihan has been one of Arnavutköy's favourite places for two years. Winning over meyhane regulars with its lovely meze, the tables out on the s…
Mahkeme Lokantası
Mahkeme Lokantası in Perşembe Pazarı has never let us down, with a menu that changes daily. On the lunch menu you can start with işkembe, paça or anot…
Lakerida Deniz Ürünleri
Lakerida in Etiler is a fish market that stands out for both fresh fish and its own meze and lakerda. Offering a cooking service too, it draws attenti…
Tunç Balık
Tunç Balık is known to anyone interested in refined seafood meze. In a shop serving a range of their own products, my favourites are the lakerda and t…
Paraliaki Bebek
The room that served for years as Poseidon — and perhaps has the finest view in Bebek — is open again after all this time, under the Paraliaki name. A…
Other cuisines in Istanbul
Our picks: Balat Sahil Restoran (Haliç), Eski Usul Meyhane (Moda), Filiz Restaurant (Boğaz Hattı (Avrupa)). 25 places in total — every one tried by us, every bill paid by us.
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