Best Restaurants on the European Side of Istanbul

Istanbul's European side — Avrupa Yakası — holds the city's historic core, most iconic landmarks and the majority of its internationally recognised restaurants. From the ancient walls of Fatih to the Bosphorus villages of Sarıyer, the European side spans six centuries of culinary history in a single afternoon's drive.

The European side's restaurant geography divides roughly into three bands: the historic peninsula (Fatih, Eminönü, Sultanahmet), where Ottoman-era institutions and budget lokanta dominate; the central urban strip (Beyoğlu, Şişli, Beşiktaş), where international cuisine, fine dining and the meyhane scene are concentrated; and the northern Bosphorus villages (Sarıyer, Tarabya, Büyükdere), where weekend fish restaurants and family-run meyhane line the waterfront.

For visitors with limited time, the European side offers the most efficient culinary itinerary: breakfast in Karaköy, lunch in Eminönü or Fatih, an afternoon coffee in Cihangir, and dinner at one of Beyoğlu's meyhane or Beşiktaş's Bosphorus fish restaurants.