Top 10 Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants in Istanbul, Turkey

Opened in 2007 by husband and wife duo, Oral Kurt and Aylin Okutan, Karaköy Lokantası is a popular neighborhood lunch spot that revolves around traditional cuisine with a modern spin. The Turkish word lokanta can be loosely translated into a casual cafeteria that serves home-style meals to workers. True to its name, the restaurant prepares authentic midday specialties for different clientele.

Their signature dish, hünkâr beğendi, meaning liked by the sultan, is a crowd-favorite treat that consists of slow-cooked beef/lamb on a bed of charred eggplant mash, doused in a gravy reduction, which is only available during lunch. At dinner time, the place gets transformed into a lovely tavern where guests can enjoy a classic mezze platter made to perfection. Some of the delicious items to sample here are grilled octopus with pine nuts, lamb-stuffed artichoke with sautéed onions, shrimp hotpot with fried zucchini, hummus with garlic oil, and stewed beef curry on a bed of chickpea paste. The remodeled interiors are contemporary in design, featuring artistic walls lined with custom-made glazed turquoise tiles, brass lights, a mosaic floor, and marbling details.

Average bill – $42

Housed inside a vintage 19th-century wooden building, Girtli is the brainchild of Chef Ayse Şensılay, who has brought a piece of Aegean and Crete Islands to the streets of Istanbul. Its dark ink-blue façade does not feature a signboard, but still, this restaurant is a popular place among locals and tourists alike. The inner dining room has been charmingly designed to ooze an intimate and welcoming vibe. But their rustic outdoor romantic garden seating with whitewashed walls, stone borders, picnic tables, and fairy lights, is what gives guests the feeling of being transported to Greece.

The kitchen team prepares a prix-fixe multicourse dinner menu of Cretan and Mediterranean specialties, accompanied by unlimited alcoholic drinks like wines and raki. Savor scrumptious classic dishes, including garlic goat cheese spread with green olives, thin slices of salted fish cooked in lemon, grilled octopus marinated in wine, roasted red snapper with bulgur, charred eggplant with tahini, toasted pita with pickled beets, and fried calamari in walnut sauce.

Prix fixe menu – $54

Located across from the historical Cukurcuma Mosque, Cuma is a stylishly decorated restaurant with a unique breakfast, lunch, and dinner offerings. It is one of the best foodie spots in the city started by Chef Banu Tiryakioğlu – a graduate of the Culinary Arts Academy in Maslak, who honed her skills at the acclaimed Changa establishment. The quirky premises have been designed by architect Selçuk Arıkan and consist of interconnected rooms that are meant to feel like a familiar homely space. The front of the house is complete with one-of-a-kind mid-century furniture, antiques, and lights that weirdly look as if they have been salvaged from the workshop of a mad scientist.

Cuma also boasts a sunny patio adorned with flowers – the ideal surrounding for a morning coffee or an evening cocktail. The menu is heavily focused on Turkish cuisine with a hint of Mediterranean flair. Guests can relish decadent dishes: sea bass ceviche, fried eggs with cumin sausages, granola bowl with fruit molasses in honey, poached egg with prosciutto, khinkali with porcini mushrooms with salted yogurt, and beef tenderloin with oven baked potatoes. In desserts, do try their apple crumble with custard and strawberry pavlova with raspberry sauce.

Average bill – $48

Tucked away in a working-class district of the city, Aman da Bravo is a neighborhood establishment with an eccentric living room feel. It is an oasis of calm amidst the bustling backdrop of Istanbul. The interiors are upscale and quirky in atmosphere, made up of vaulted ceilings, exposed wooden beams, striking white tablecloths, and lots of leafy green plants. They also feature an enclosed courtyard seating with comfortable banquettes enveloped by a canopy of trees and filament bulbs.

The menu is curated by Chef Inanc Celengil who offers a small seasonal feast of refined cuisine with an emphasis on seafood dishes. Treat yourself with creative, flavorsome items like steamed minekop fish with gremolata, lamb shank with pumpkin purée, grilled octopus legs with lettuce, poached rock bass with grilled cabbage, and charred tuna with cauliflower purée. Finish your meal with desserts, such as red wine plum pavlova or salted caramel molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream – sugary indulgence one simply cannot resist.

Average bill – $37

Situated on one of the trendiest streets in Istanbul, Aheste (meaning slowly in Persian) is an inviting bistro that serves amazing mezze with Persian, Ottoman, and Middle Eastern influences. It is a cozy space where guests can come to relax and enjoy a lovely evening in an elegant setting. The ambiance is designed in a way that reminds of something you might see on New York’s Lower East Side – a quaint but not stuffy place with tiled floors, honey-colored exposed bricks, dark black drapes, comfy leather seats, and candle-lit tables of varying sizes.

Aheste’s menu changes seasonally based on organic ingredients, but it does present several staple dishes too. Some of the highlights are mixed fried peppers in mustard cream, dudhi (calabash) Persian rice with caramelized shallots, meatballs with slow-cooked eggplant, smoked sea bass with bulgur, and harissa carrots with spiced yogurt. Make sure to save room for delicious dessert items like rice pudding and carrot cake. They also offer a superb wine list of fine local labels to pair with your meal.

Average bill – $78

If you are a fan of fresh seafood, then Calipso Fish on the Anatolian side of Istanbul is the right place to visit. This sun-drenched Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant offers the perfect escape from the noisy city life. Guests are welcomed into a lovely tavern-style venue with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the ocean. They also have an outdoor open terrace seating with monochromatic white interiors.

The owners, Ziya Kaçar and Veli Şahin, together have created a menu that celebrates the fresh produce of the nearby Aegean waters and is elevated with local herbs and traditional cooking techniques. Patrons are invited to relish hearty delicacies, including steamed sea bass flavored with red kapia peppers, brown butter shrimp with shallots, stuffed calamari with grilled mushrooms, charred octopus leg with caramelized carrots, and seafood stew with toasted bread. Accentuate your dining experience by accompanying the meal with a glass of organic, full-bodied wine, fruity cocktails, craft beers, or hot floral teas.

Average bill – $57

Pandeli is an iconic culinary institute nestled on the crowded streets of the famous Egyptian Spice Market. It is a historic restaurant that has served the community for over 100 years. The place's name comes from its founder, the son of a Greek shepherd who moved to Turkey in the late 1880s – Pandeli Çobanoğlu. After doing many odd jobs, he opened a food stall selling kofte (meatballs) and bean-onion salad.

Today, the small shop has transformed into a lavish establishment with Chef Abdulla Sevim as its helm for over 20 years. Don’t miss a chance to savor legendary classics, such as slow-cooked lamb served on a bed of eggplant puree, fried okra with garlic lemon emulsion, mashed fish roe with bread crumbs, pan-fried lamb liver with roasted peppers, and rice pilaf with anchovies. Pandeli’s ambiance transports you to a bygone era of Ottoman elegance, with its blue tiled mosaics on the walls, stone staircase, rustic wooden furniture, and black leather-furnished chairs. This hotspot is very busy, so we recommend you make a reservation before visiting.

Average bill – $61

SADE Beş Denizler, meaning Simple Five Seas, is an acclaimed establishment that provides arguably the best gastronomic experience in the city of Istanbul. It was started by restaurateur Adnan Şahin and Chef Deniz Şahin, who are responsible for setting up many culinary businesses known for their focus on Anatolian cuisine. The gem offers its patrons the finest dishes of the five seas, namely the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean. This includes the traditions of Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Syria, and Turkey.

Indulge your taste buds in a dining delight of bountiful creative specialties: khachapuri, stuffed cabbage with mussels, slow-cooked lamb shank with bulgur, brick oven-cooked liver in butter, roasted baked beans with pita bread, hummus with capers, and braised beef with saffron rice and chickpeas. The food is served in a tradesman’s style – you can explore the daily preparations from the kitchen window and choose the meals of your liking. Their signature desserts deserve every sweet lover’s undivided attention: caramelized pumpkin with walnuts, dried fig with almond flakes in cherry sauce, and rice pudding are absolute stars worth picking as a sugary epilogue.

Average bill – $52

For a fancy culinary experience in Istanbul, head to the eighth floor of the Hotel Momento to Tershane Karaköy. It is a fireside restaurant boasting fine-quality cuisine coupled with amazing views of the Galata Tower, Bosphorus, Topkapi Palace, and Hagia Sophia. Upon entering the dining hall, you are greeted by a chic and elegant ambiance of leather-furnished sofa chairs, wood-paneled flooring, an open kitchen, a marble counter bar, and large glass windows, all accentuated by bright modern lights.

Unlike at other fireside places, the menu here not only has kebabs but also contemporary classic creations. Some of the noteworthy specialities you must try are mung beans with green peppers in pomegranate sauce, cumin-flavored grilled aubergine stuffed with meat, medallions of beef filet in harissa sauce, lamb kebab with chopped caramelized shallots, rack of lamb in five spices, and escalopes of liver in a spicy pepper sauce.

Average bill – $41

Nestled next to the Bosphorus River, Alaf is a nomadic restaurant that brings the authentic flavors of Anatolian cuisine to the shores of Istanbul. The whole concept is the brainchild of Chef Murat Deniz Temel, who has polished his culinary skills by working in some of the world's best kitchens, including Noma in Copenhagen and D.O.M. in São Paulo. The ambiance is elegant and vintage, with a stripped-back room made of half-plastered walls, hanging wicker lantern lights, traditional moldings, and a vibrant turquoise tiled open kitchen counter where guests can watch the chefs at work.

They also feature a modern bleached wooden terrace that overlooks the serene flowing water. The menu is inspired by the Yörük cooking techniques where the food is prepared over a wood fire and gets a nice smoky finish. Visitors can relish scrumptious items: cold minced beef soup, pan-seared goose breast with roasted peppers, braised oxtail in spicy tomato sauce, rock red mullet with flat cornbread, tuna kebab, and deep-fried garfish with toasted garlic bread. Alaf also surprises with a wide selection of intriguing cocktails, small batch brews, and local wines.

Tasting menu – $91
Wine pairing – $41

Istanbul is a world city that everyone should see at least once in their life. It is a mesmerizing place that blends old aesthetics with a modern, cosmopolitan outlook, giving tourists a unique experience.

If you have already been to the vibrant city of Istanbul, share your itinerary with other foodie travelers in the comments below and don’t forget to mention some of the must-visit restaurants you’ve discovered.