Restaurant 24 is the rooftop restaurant of a small boutique hotel near to Galata Tower. The menu elevates Turkish dishes and ingredients to gourmet level. The décor is upscale. The service staff friendly and efficient. Great spot for a romantic evening meal overlooking the Bosporus. Also a great place for an early morning breakfast, opening at 8:00 am and offering both a Turkish breakfast spread or scrambled eggs for the less adventurous.
Restaurant chain Develi, with a dozen restaurants located throughout Turkey, mostly in affluent suburbs, has built the city’s most successful restaurant dynasty. Develi has made its mark by serving traditional Turkish cuisine in an upscale ambience, albeit one that’s a bit tacky and gaudy by western standards.
MyTerrace has the most “Turkish” personality of all the restaurants we recommend in Istanbul that offer traditional Turkish cuisine. It’s got a raw unpolished feel, but the food, service and view make this restaurant something special. For the best experience arrive early and insist on a table on the terrace.
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.