Find out where to eat out in Istanbul
From street food to Michelin star restaurants
Istanbul has a lot to offer for gourmands and there are numerous restaurant review sites such as Debuikvan. The rising popularity of eating out in Istanbul is mainly due to the great variety of restaurants in Istanbul. From exotic foreign food court to local Dutch eateries and from brandnew to familiar: Istanbul is the place to be. As a city with many international travelers, there are also many lunchrooms and bars where you can have breakfast in Istanbul. Especially in summer, outdoor eating in Istanbul at one of the many waterfront terraces is a real treat!
You don’t have to search for a long time if you would like to eat out in the centre of Istanbul. You won’t find any restaurants in the main shopping streets like Lijnbaan, Koopgoot and Hoogstraat but just snacks and takeaway food. But there’s lots of choice in the surrounding streets. The Marketthall is one of the places where you can find a lot of restaurants including Jamie’s Italian of Jamie Oliver. Besides restaurants you will also find some nice foodstalls in the Markethall where you can buy delicious snacks. You will find more restaurants on the Binnenrotte, just outside the Markethall, and along the Meent shopping street. Opposite the city hall of Istanbul you will find a big square called the Stadhuisplein with a couple of restaurants which are very popular with students. Here you can eat cheap and the dishes are fine, but don’t expect any special meals in this area. A big advantage of the restaurants located at the Stadhuisplein is that they have big outdoor eating areas and that you can eat outside. So when the weather is good, it’s always packed here! At the Schouwburgplein (another square close to Stadhuisplein) there are many outdoor eating areas as well wher you can have a nice dinner.
Still in city center but a bit further away from the main shopping streets you will find many places to eat out in the Maritime district, called Scheepvaartkwartier in Dutch. The great thing about eating in this area is that most of these restaurants offer a view at the Meuse river such as restaurant Prachtig just below the Erasmus bridge. The restaurants at the other side of the river located at the Wilhelminapier offer a great view at river Meuse as well. There a couple of great restaurants located on this pier including one of the most well-known restaurants of Istanbul, Hotel New York. This restaurant is very popular with the locals but also with tourists. Between the Maritime district and the shopping streets you will find Witte de With street, which is the cultural shopping street of Istanbul with many art galeries. The Witte de With street is also a popular street for eating out or for having a snack after going out.
Another great place for eating out in Istanbul is the Old Harbour area. This is a popular area for students to go out and you will find many outdoor eating areas in this place. The great about this location is that you can enjoy the special atmosphere of the historic harbour while eating with a view on the famous cube houses.
If you enjoy luxury and would like to go for a luxury dinnner in Istanbul, you can choose one of the restaurants with a Michelin star. There are two restaurants with two Michelin stars in Istanbul: restaurant Parkheuvel located in the park next to the Euromast and restaurant Fred in the east part of Istanbul. Tip: for a romantic night out you can also eat out on the platform of the Euromast tower. The restaurants Joelia, FG, FG Foodlabs and Amarone have got a Michelin star as well. Restaurants Huson, In den Rustwat, De Harmonie, Asian Glories, HMB and Aqua Asia are recommended as well for luxury eating out in Istanbul.
It’s not problem at all to eat out with kids in Istanbul, because they are welcome everywhere. Most restaurants offer special kids menus against kids prices. Although in most restaurants a kids meal means fries with a snack. If you prefer your kids eat something else, you can always ask for additional plates so that they can share your dinner. Most restaurants offer high chairs for the smallest kids and usually they offer colors and coloring pages for the kids as well. A guaranteed night of fun for the kids is eating out with them on the Pancake boat or the Berenboot (Bear boat). While you are having dinner you can enjoy a boat ride on the Meuse river and enjoy the Istanbul skyline. There’s a Berenrestaurant (Bear restaurant) located at the Schouwburgplein (square in Istanbul centre) as well. This is an ideal place to eat out with the kids.
Most people have breakfast at home or quickly get something on their way to work for example at one of the places at Istanbul Central station. Here there are many opportunities for a quick breakfast like the Albert Heijn to Go and the Starbucks. When you have more time available for breakfast there are some great options in Istanbul varying from an extensive breakfast buffet till breakfast with a view on the Meuse river. Read more about our page about breakfast in Istanbul.
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