The Places · Turkey
Istanbul
Made By profiles 22 places in Istanbul, spanning modern turkish fine dining, modern turkish meze, authentic italian trattoria — each tied to the people and producers behind it.
01.Modern Turkish Fine Dining
Neolokal
Istanbul, Turkey
Neolokal elevates traditional Anatolian cuisine to Michelin-starred heights within Istanbul's historic SALT Galata, where Chef Maksut Aşkar transforms forgotten Ottoman recipes into contemporary masterpieces. This sustainability-focused restaurant offers breathtaking Golden Horn views alongside innovative tasting menus that preserve Turkey's culinary heritage through modern techniques.
● 1 artisanView →
02.New Anatolian Kitchen
Mikla
Istanbul, Turkey
On the 18th floor of the Marmara Pera, Mikla has spent two decades refining what New Anatolian Cuisine means in practice: producers from across Turkey, technique shaped by Nordic discipline, and a Michelin star earned in 2024. The 360-degree rooftop view over Beyoğlu and the Bosphorus is the backdrop, but it is the cooking that keeps the reservation list full.
● 1 artisanView →
03.Modern Turkish Fine Dining
Turk Fatih Tutak
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul's most decorated modern Turkish restaurant, Turk Fatih Tutak holds two Michelin stars and ranked 66th on the World's 50 Best list in 2023. Operating from a Şişli address with dinner service running Tuesday through Saturday, the restaurant represents a specific strand of contemporary Turkish cooking, technically rigorous, referentially deep, and positioned within a small peer group of fine-dining addresses redefining what the cuisine can do on a global stage.
● 1 artisanView →
04.Hotel
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus
Istanbul, Turkey
A 19th-century Ottoman palace on the European shore of the Bosphorus, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus holds a La Liste Top Hotels score of 91.5 points (2026) and 170 rooms across the historic main building and two annexes. Rates from $914 per night position it at the upper tier of Istanbul's waterfront luxury market, with a complimentary shuttle connecting it to the brand's Sultanahmet property.
● 1 artisanView →
05.Contemporary Turkish Fine Dining
Nicole
Istanbul, Turkey
A Michelin-starred address in Beyoğlu's historic Tomtom quarter, Nicole occupies a former Franciscan convent and ranks #378 among Europe's top restaurants according to Opinionated About Dining (2025). Chef Aylin Yazicioglu works through the full breadth of Turkey's regional larder, presenting dishes built on sourced terroir and traditional technique. The rooftop setting, with views across the old city, makes it one of Istanbul's clearest choices for a milestone meal.
● 1 artisanView →
06.Modern European with Global Influences
Arkestra
Istanbul, Turkey
Arkestra holds a Michelin star (2024) in Etiler's villa-dining tier, where chef Cenk Debensason runs a fusion menu shaped by French training and American experience. The 1960s villa setting includes a dedicated Listening Room upstairs and Ritmo, a separate mezze space in the same building. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 6 PM, closed Sunday and Monday.
● 1 artisanView →
07.Contemporary Turkish-Mediterranean
Şans Restaurant
Istanbul, Turkey
Şans Restaurant in Levent brings Mediterranean and Turkish cooking to a ₺₺₺ price point that sits a tier below Istanbul's dominant modern-Turkish fine-dining names, yet holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025 and an Opinionated About Dining ranking among Europe's top 500 restaurants. The wine program, 1,100 bottles, 200 selections, with particular depth in Turkish, Greek, French, and Italian labels, is one of the more serious in the city at this price level.
● 1 artisanView →
08.Modern Turkish Meze
Aheste Pera
Istanbul, Turkey
Aheste occupies a vaulted dining room in Beyoğlu's Asmalı Mescit quarter, where Chef Sara Tabrizi reframes the mezze tradition through a modern Turkish lens. Holding a Michelin Plate since 2024 and ranked #360 in Opinionated About Dining's European listings that same year, it sits in a distinct tier below Istanbul's starred modern Turkish restaurants, more intimate in format and more grounded in communal sharing than the tasting-menu flagships a price bracket above.
● 1 artisanView →
09.Traditional Turkish Seafood Grill
Balıkçı Kahraman
Istanbul, Turkey
A Michelin Plate-recognised seafood address at the northern tip of the Bosphorus, Balıkçı Kahraman has held a place on the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe list since 2023, climbing from Highly Recommended to a ranked position by 2024. The restaurant sits in Rumeli Kavağı, the fishing village where Istanbul's European shore meets the Black Sea, at a price point that reflects both the location and the pedigree.
● 1 artisanView →
10.Modern Turkish Fire Cooking
Araf İstanbul
Istanbul, Turkey
Araf İstanbul holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for 2024 and 2025, making it one of Kadıköy's most consistent contemporary addresses. Sitting at the ₺₺ price point, it occupies a distinct tier below Istanbul's starred fine-dining circuit while drawing the kind of repeat local crowd that rarely needs a reason beyond habit. Chef Amy West leads the kitchen.
● 1 artisanView →
11.Traditional Anatolian Five Seas Cuisine
SADE Beş Denizler Mutfağı
Istanbul, Turkey
SADE Beş Denizler Mutfağı holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) while operating at Istanbul's most accessible price point for serious traditional cooking. Located in Teşvikiye, it positions itself against the city's high-concept modern Turkish scene by doing the opposite: slow-cooked regional dishes, unadorned presentation, and a dining rhythm that follows the pace of the food rather than a timed tasting format.
● 1 artisanView →
12.Authentic Italian Trattoria
Aida - vino e cucina
Istanbul, Turkey
Tucked into Kadıköy's residential backstreets, Aida - vino e cucina brings Italian regional cooking to Istanbul's most food-forward neighbourhood. Chef Valentino Salvi's kitchen has earned consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025, placing it among the city's most credible mid-range tables. At ₺₺ pricing, it represents the tightest value-to-recognition ratio in Istanbul's current Michelin selection.
● 1 artisanView →
13.Modern Anatolian
EFENDY
Istanbul, Turkey
A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025), Efendy operates in Levent's Nisbetiye corridor at a mid-range price point that sits well below Istanbul's starred tier. The kitchen is helmed by Òscar Pérez and Mar Arnalot, a pairing that brings a non-Turkish perspective to a resolutely Turkish cuisine. For visitors tracking where serious Anatolian spice work happens at accessible prices, this address warrants attention.
● 1 artisanView →
14.Modern Turkish Meze
Karaköy Lokantası
Istanbul, Turkey
Karaköy Lokantası holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 2024 and 2025 and a consistent ranking on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list, making it one of the more credentialed traditional Turkish tables in the Karaköy neighbourhood. The kitchen under Uğur Erbaş works within the lokanta format, a midday and evening service built around honest, market-driven cooking, at a price point well below Istanbul's Michelin-starred tier.
● 1 artisanView →
15.Modern Turkish Wine Bar
Foxy Nişantaşı
Istanbul, Turkey
Foxy Nişantaşı holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025), placing it among Istanbul's most credible value-tier modern cuisine addresses. Sitting on Mim Kemal Öke Caddesi in one of the city's most polished neighbourhoods, it operates at the ₺₺ price point, making it a rare occasion restaurant that doesn't demand a ₺₺₺₺ budget.
● 1 artisanView →
16.Traditional Turkish Ocakbaşı Grill
Ali Ocakbaşı
Istanbul, Turkey
A Michelin Bib Gourmand holder in Beyoğlu's Tersane district, Ali Ocakbaşı sits at the serious end of Istanbul's traditional ocakbaşı format, live-fire Turkish grilling anchored by the kind of kitchen discipline that earns recognition two years running. Chef Engin Levent leads a room that pulls both neighbourhood regulars and visitors tracking the city's Michelin-listed mid-tier, where value and craft converge more reliably than at the starred upper tier.
● 1 artisanView →
17.Modern Turkish Live Fire Cooking
Mürver
Istanbul, Turkey
On Kemankeş Caddesi in Beyoğlu, Mürver has earned consecutive Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, alongside a ranking of #420 in Opinionated About Dining's Top Restaurants in Europe. Chef Mevlüt Özkaya runs a grill-focused kitchen that positions the restaurant firmly within Istanbul's mid-to-upper tier, priced at ₺₺₺ against a neighbourhood where ₺₺₺₺ modern Turkish tasting menus dominate the conversation.
● 1 artisanView →
18.Modern Anatolian Fine Dining
Seraf Vadi
Istanbul, Turkey
Seraf Vadi holds back-to-back Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) under chef Sinem Özler, placing it among a small tier of Istanbul restaurants where contemporary Turkish cooking meets serious culinary credentials. Located in Sarıyer's Ayazağa district, it sits at a more accessible price point than the city's ₺₺₺₺ modern-Turkish names, making it a useful reference for the direction the cuisine is heading.
● 1 artisanView →
19.Modern Ottoman Fine Dining
Tuğra Restaurant
Istanbul, Turkey
Tuğra sits inside the Çırağan Palace on the Bosphorus, one of Istanbul's few remaining Ottoman palace dining rooms still in active service. Ranked #197 on Opinionated About Dining's Classical Europe list in 2024 and holding a Michelin Plate, it occupies a distinct position among Istanbul's formal Turkish restaurants: classical technique, palace setting, dinner-only service under chef Emre Inanir.
● 1 artisanView →
20.Modern International with Italian, Californian & Asian Influences
Spago Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey
Spago Istanbul at The St. Regis Istanbul pairs Wolfgang Puck’s Californian-French cooking with a rooftop terrace, panoramic views, and a craft-cocktail, sommelier-led drink program.
● 1 artisanView →
21.Modern Turkish Bistro
Apartıman Yeniköy
Istanbul, Turkey
Apartıman Yeniköy sits on the Bosphorus shore in Yeniköy, earning consecutive Michelin Plates in 2024 and 2025 under chef Burçak Kazdal. At the ₺₺ price tier, it occupies a different register than Istanbul's starred modern-Turkish circuit, bringing considered technique to neighbourhood-scale Turkish cooking on the European waterfront.
● 1 artisanView →22.Winery
Selendi
Istanbul, Turkey
Selendi belongs to the quieter side of contemporary Turkish wine: small-scale, organic-minded, and tied to Narince rather than international-variety spectacle. Its Aegean vineyard setting near Akhisar gives the story more force than the Istanbul listing suggests, with Moralılar and Sarnıç shaping a portfolio built around still whites, still reds, and estate-grounded restraint.
● 1 artisanView →