Located within walking distance of several of the city’s top hotels, Nişantaşı Başköşe offers traditional Turkish cuisine in a contemporary setting with slate gray walls, black leather upholstered benches and chairs, and ceramic tile floor with a diamond inlay. The traditional menu is well-executed, and service is friendly and responsive.
Located in the same building as one of the city’s most prominent Turkish bath houses, Lokanta 1741 offers a slightly more sophisticated and gourmet take on traditional regional cuisine than any of the other restaurants on our Istanbul favorites list. The rooftop terrace is pleasant but doesn’t offer much of a view as it’s nestled in between surrounding buildings and the indoor dining is nice but inferior to the terrace experience. Service is particularly good.