I will be in Istanbul in about a week and I am hoping for some good restaurant recommendations. I am looking for some moderate places with exceptional food. BTW, I am not really a big seafood eater so point me in the directions of some good meat!

I'm going to keep an eye on this thread, as I'll be in Istanbul in October (2 days) on a cruise.

Monica

I'm also interested in some restaurants with a great people watching location...

Here is some info that I copied and pasted from an email I sent to a friend recently. My husband and I spent 5 days in Istanbul over Easter 2006. Hope it helps.


Our favourite place that I mentioned to you was Hamdi Et Lokantasi which overlooks the ferries. It’s in the Bazaar district. The restaurant is upstairs; you enter though the bakery downstairs. We had hard time finding it initially but asked locals and a guy walked us there. Delicious food (aubergine and minced lamb kebab I think was our favourite) and a great terrace overlooking the water.

We stayed in the Sultahnahmet, the old section which was very charming…Just be warned that if you are going from one side of the city (the old side to the new or vice versa) in the evenings that the traffic is TERRIBLE. Seriously allow 45 minutes…The tram is very easy to figure out and we used that during the day.

Anyway, in the Sultahnahmet we really enjoyed Balikci Sabahattin which specializes in fish. I think we just asked what was good and told them to keep bringing stuff out! If it’s a nice night they have a really nice patio. Ask your hotel to make you a reservation there—we saw many turned away.

To see new, hip Istanbul you could try 360 which has Asian/fusion type of food and is in the new part of the city. It’s several stories up and has a wraparound terrace (for drinks not eating). On the terrace they set up really cool fire pits. Excellent food and very cool atmosphere. We had a really fun night there—live music too.

We also enjoyed Lokanta in the Beyoglu section which has Mediterranean food. There was a great cocktail lounge next door that made for good people watching after dinner.

We stumbled on the Brasserie Nistansi, which is the very upscale section of the city. Had an excellent lunch there.

I agree about Hamdi et Lokantasi, espeically for a meat lover. Be sure to reserve a table on the terrace. Beware that your waiter may not speak English too well but the menu is in English, albeit with some funny translations. Inexpensive.

One of turkey's top chefs, Mehmet Gurs, has opened a new restaurant, Mikla, in the Marmara Pera Hotel in Beyoglu; it was not open when I stayed there but I would certainly check it out. He is of Turkish/Finnish parentage, I believe, so it should be interesting.

Another one to try is:

Hunkar Begendi, Mim Kemal Oke Caddessi, #21.

Keep the recommendations coming! I will be in Istanbul Sept/Oct this year and have just started doing restaurant research!

Mikla is great! Absolutely fantastic views of the city, particularly of Sultanahmet with the mosques lit at night. Excellent food and well priced, too. Don't discount the Four Seasons-we had several meals from the bar menu in the courtyard patio. Try the Dolmus wine which is very reasonable and quite good, too. Good meal at Yesil Ev as well.

We also enjoyed an affordable and excellent meal at Havuzlu, a restaurant in the Grand Bazaar - obviously open during the bazaar's hours.

Interestingly, one of our best meals was at an Indian restaurant called Dubb, also in Sultanahmet. Rumeli Cafe, which showed up in almost every article I read on Istanbul pre-trip, was also very good. We tended to avoid the places that had waiters on the sidewalks luring people in!

One of the highlights of the trip for me was the cooking class I did at the Sarnic Hotel. It was a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves to try new cooking techniques. And of course the follow-up luncheon on the rooftop terrace, with wine and beautiful table setting, was a perfect conclusion! Website for the class is www.cookingalaturka.com

Be forewarned: if you plan to take the recommendations of posters here to spend an afternoon at Pierre Loti cafe, find out EXACTLY where it is and how to get there -- we wandered around for an hour and never did find it!

About the midpoint of Istiklal cadessi, near Galatsaray Square is the Cicek Pasaji, the old Flower Market (which nowadays seems to sell fish.) If you enter, take the first right and then first left you will be on Nevizade cokak. there are several restaurants that are popular with locals - one of my favorites was Lipsos.

Hi

Try the Seven Hills Hotel Restaurant - http://www.hotelsevenhills.com/hotelterrace.html. I didn't eat there but took a look. Amazing views. The owner of the hotel we stayed at recommended it for the good food and views. There is also the Rami Restaurant - http://www.ramirestaurant.com. Lovely old world charm but I found the food ordinary and expensive. Tourists only were dining, no locals. Bad sign! I wouldn't recommend it.

What kind of prices can I expect for these suggested places?

Monica

Rich and Pittsburger:

>>>Be forewarned: if you plan to take the recommendations of posters here to spend an afternoon at Pierre Loti cafe, find out EXACTLY where it is and how to get there -- we wandered around for an hour and never did find it!<<<

I've recommended the Pierre Loti to many people..mainly for afternoon drink while sitting on their beautiful terrace and listening to the 5:00 pm calls for prayer emanating from all over the city below..great views.

BUT, I always recommend taking a taxi
there...OK to walk back via a path leading to a bus stop..or to hail another taxi.

Stu T.

I'm sitting here in my office laughing my arse off at the comment that only tourists eat at Rami. Hello, Mr. Hawking, but tourists are what you are going to find at any restaurant in Sultanahmet. Rami, of course, attracts tourists because it is across the street from the Blue Mosque and the tourists (that' you included because you aren't a local, are you?) come for the sound and light show at dusk.

I, personally, think the food at Rami is quite good, but what do I know? I have only dined at places like Chanterelle, Le Bec Fin, Gordon Ramsay, and Gaddis.

Go to Divan in Ortakoy if you want a treat and to dine with the beautiful people.

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus.

Margie dearest - good heavens, those pants are just HANGING off you - stop that laughing right this minute! ;-)

Monica -
you can find prices in all ranges. Outside the high end places, cost is probably lower than for a comparable meal at a restaurant in major European cities but not always by a lot. You can eat on the cheap if you like kebabs, etc.

"I'm sitting here in my office laughing my arse off at the comment that only tourists eat at Rami."

Geesus dude, it wasn't that funny. I didn't say that - I said there were only tourists there when we dined. And Im not ashamed of being one - I'm proud of it!

OP, the following night we dined at Yildiz Restaurant in Sultanahmet for alot less cost and better food. Didn’t get the address. Ask for directions. Near the Cankurtaran railway station. Excellent Turkish cuisine in an atmospheric setting. Watch locals smoke their Narghiles and play backgammon. No pretentiousness here

I just got back from 3 weeks in Turkey last night. I second the recommendation of going to Neversade--GREAT people watching and excellent food at moderate prices. It's hard to find though--or at least it was for us ;-)...but that was part of the adventure.

We had a great dinner at Balikci Sabahattin as well--but if you don't want fish then it may not really make sense to go there since that's the specialty.

We also had a great dinner at Korfez--and getting there is have the fun as well (you take a taxi up the Bosphorus to the Rumeli fortress then take the restaurant's boat across to the Asian side). The sea bass baked in salt is amazing--but my friend had an excellent steak so it's not just fish on the menu. It's on the expensive side but we thought it was well worth it.

OK Rich:

Now that you know of all the culinary palaces in Istanbul...do not under any circumstances ignore the most marvelous grilled fish sandwiches (on pita) sold by the vendors at the Eminonu side (at the foot of the Galata Bridge, near the Egyptian Spice Market. To us, the most tasty "lunch" in Istanbul.

Stu T.

Oops, sorry Rich...
I noted that you are not a seafood eater...make an exception.

Stu

Ditto that, tower. Sort of the equivalent of a hot dog from a cart on the street in Manhattan in that it is quick, cheap and delicious food consumed by locals. A friend from the area turned me on to it and I don't think I have ever had a tastier fish sandwich.