Fauna

Fauna may be the hardest restaurant to book in Istanbul. This small shop in Ataşehir serves just five days a week, from 12 to 3. Reservation slots open twice a month and fill in seven or eight minutes on average.

Serving under the slogan 'for those with patience and time', Fauna makes wonderful pasta with very special ingredients. Fresh daily pasta made with semolina and egg, without flour, is served with a range of sauces. The shank pasta cooked in bone broth is legendary, but you have to order a day ahead. The black garlic ravioli in porcini sauce is magnificent too.

The owner, İbrahim Tuna, has created a wonderful experience — a living space, a faunus, for himself and his customers.