Contemporary kitchens and tasting menus.
Istanbul's modern kitchens, from Anatolian tasting menus to seasonal cooking on a Karaköy side street: Michelin-listed dining rooms, and one under the dome of an 18th-century han. Book ahead for these.
Just off İstiklal, Yeni Lokanta is chef Civan Er's modern Turkish kitchen, listed in the Michelin Guide. The tasting menu is what most reviewers book, with a pairing of Turkish wines, and the mantı and beef ribs are the dishes they remember. Lunch is a lighter way in. Book ahead.
Try thisThe tasting menu with the Turkish wine pairing
In Asmalımescit, Aheste is a candlelit room of old brick and stone, listed in the Michelin Guide. Its tasting menu, with a vegetarian version, is what reviewers come for, and the cocktails get almost as much praise. They name the lamb shoulder, the tuna with kadayıf and the calamari with rakı. The name means slowly, and it is meant.
Try thisThe tasting menu, with a cocktail to start
Across the Galata Bridge in Sirkeci, Olden 1772 sits inside Muhsinzade Han, an 18th-century inn, under a glass dome with a towering marble bar. The setting and the cocktails are what reviewers talk about most, then the attentive staff. The beef cheek and the rib pide lead the menu. Tables sit close together, so it is lively rather than intimate.
Try thisBeef cheek and rib pide, with a cocktail at the bar
Down a quiet Karaköy side street, Aşeka is a small, dimly lit dining room in a historic building, listed in the Michelin Guide. The cooking is modern and seasonal rather than Turkish, and reviewers come back for the agnolotti filled with slow-cooked oxtail, the duck leg confit and a very good cocktail bar. Portions are refined, so order a few plates to share.
Try thisAgnolotti del plin with oxtail, then the duck confit, with a cocktail at the bar