Following my Istanbul posts on where to stay, what to do (here, here, and here), where to shop (here, here, here, and here), and as promised in my Cannes post, I'm sharing with you several places where you can dine and have the most scrumptious meals in Istanbul. I must also thank my dear friends H, N, S, and S for filling us in on where to eat.
- Ulus 29, located on a high hill, this restaurant overlooks Istanbul and the Bosphorus. The view is beyond breathtaking. And the food, more like fusion Turkish recipes, was pure perfection. I highly recommend you go there for dinner. Featured photo of "Pistachio paste in shredded puff pastry with vanilla base" was taken during our meal in the restaurant.
- Kosebasi is the place to have your lunch break if you ever go shopping around Nisantasi area. Every bite of every dish we have ordered was a lecture in gastronomy. This is a place that I will definitely go back to over and over again.
- Gelik, this is for meat lovers and true carnivores, located close to Sultan Ahmet (Make sure to tell your cab driver you want the Gelik meat not fish). Try their meat balls with cheese and the mushroom rise. And for dessert, you can never go wrong with Kanafa, the best in the world.
- Reina overlooks the Bosphorus so the view again was AMAZING. It has 6 different restaurants. The food was mediocre. But the whole experience was nice. Go for an early dinner before it gets too crowded.
- If you're like us, don't enjoy hotels' breakfasts, then you must have your morning meal at The House Cafe (preferably the one in Nisantasi), we had breakfast 3 times during our stay. Go early as it can get a bit crowded and people tend to just sit there for people-watching.
- Sunset Girl & Bar: Right next door to Ulus29. Even though the view was breathtaking, the food was... nice, not extremely special. If you're staying for a long period of time, then it's worth checking out, otherwise you can skip it.
- Topaz is best for dinner, dress up and enjoy one of the classiest meals in the city. The food was spectacular AND pricey. But overall, the whole ambiance was just beautiful.
I was also strongly recommended to go to Zuma, Anjelique, Beyti, and Longtable, but we didn't have the time to check them out.
Next post where to dine in South of France.
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