Besiktas

Beşiktaş: One of the vibrant neighborhoods in the heart of Istanbul

We are in Beşiktaş, home to Bosphorus views, 19th century palaces, historic mansions, city parks and Dolmabahçe Palace, one of the most important buildings in Istanbul.

Beşiktaş offers a unique Istanbul experience with its bazaar, streets, culture and art venues and shops. At the same time, the restaurant, where it is very enjoyable to watch the Bosphorus, is full of elaborate restaurants, new generation coffee shops, and quick stops.

Table of Contents

Good Food Guide

Our favorite restaurants:

– Aqua
– Zaaf
– Feriye
– Vogue Restaurant
– Önder Ocakbaşı
– Harbi Adana Ocakbaşı
– Aklı Selim Ocakbaşı

Restaurants & Street Food:

– Nevale Mutfak
– Elde Börek
– CoqRoti
– Kruss Maçka
– Petra Gayrettepe
– Kebapçı İskender
– Karadeniz Döner
– Bizce Ortaköy
– Edirne Ciğercisi Naci Usta
– Oklava
– Baba Söğüş
– Akali
– Really Fried Chicken
– Falafels
– Tıkıntı
– Vegan Masa
– Çi Çi

Breakfast & Bakery:

– Gün Bakery
– Ema Bakery
– Tamamen Organik Tost
– Tarihi Oktay Kurabiye Fırını
– B.Blok Bakery
– 7/8 Hasanpaşa

Qualified Coffee:

– Deal Coffee
– Coffee Public
– Blum Coffee
– Caffestudio

Cafes:

– Minoa
– Hungry
– Blended
– Franky

Bar:

– Craft Beer Lab
– Bosphorus Brewing Co.
– Carafe

 

Besiktas Travel Guide

Important buildings, parks to enjoy and more to see while wandering the streets of Beşiktaş!

 

🏛️ Important Structures:

– Dolmabahçe Palace
– Yildiz Palace
– Ihlamur Pavilion
– Malta Pavilion
– Chale Pavilion
– Yıldız Clock Tower
– Yıldız Park & Yıldız Porcelain Factory
– Maçka Park
– Dolmabahce Clock Tower
– Ciragan Palace
– Feriye Palaces
– Akaretler Sıraevler
– Museum of Painting
– Palace Collections Museum
– Cat Museum
– Maritime Museum
– Ataturk House Museum
– Ortakoy Orphanage
– BJK Inonu Stadium

Gallery & Cultural Center:

– Vision Art Platform
– Sevil Dolmacı Gallery
– Beşiktaş Kültür Merkezi
– Fulya Sanat
– Afife Jale Sahnesi

Places of Worship:

– Yıldız Hamidiye Camii
– Mecidiye Camii
– Küçük Mecidiye Camii
– Dolmabahçe Camii
– Ayios Fokas Kilisesi
– Meryem Ana Ermeni Kilisesi
– Yahya Efendi Türbesi
– Ertuğrul Tekke Camii

Beşiktaş Köyiçi

Bazaars constitute the main element of life in many districts of Istanbul and Anatolian cities as well. Beşiktaş as a neighborhood cannot be imagined without its shops located in the streets, inns and bedestens, its historical bazaar, and even the “Çarşı” group, which takes its name from here.

When we look at the first important settlements of Beşiktaş during the Ottoman Period, we see that the fact that it was an important departure point for the navy, Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha’s construction of a mosque and mausoleum here, and Sinan Pasha’s construction of a complex were very effective. One of the oldest information about Çarşı is the 70 shops in Beşiktaş mentioned in Evliya Çelebi’s Seyahatname.

According to the sources, Beşiktaş also had options for different economic situations and desires that could feed the merchants of the time. There were halvaci, simit, çörek and pancake shops to name a few, but there were also restaurants and kebab shops for those who wanted to eat. These restaurants and kebab shops were also in the heart of the bazaar.

The fish market in Beşiktaş Köyiçi, on the other hand, is known to be an old selling point dating back to the early days of the Republic. In the immediate vicinity of the market were a greengrocer, a livery, a wine house, Koço’s tavern and Vitali’s shop.

Beşiktaş Köyiçi has changed in many ways. The Motorest, located where the centuries-old kaymakçı Pando, the İskele Casino and the Naval Museum used to be, is no more.

Besiktas is still full of options for a good lunch.

* One of our favorite döner restaurants: Asım Usta Karadeniz Döner
* For homefood, salads and light meals: Elde Börek or Mutfak.
* One of the rare places with a successful vegan lahmacun: Vegan Masa
* With their well marinated chicken over charcoal fire: Coq Roti
* One of the neighborhood’s favorite haunts: Tıkıntı
* It’s a Lebanese family business: Falafels
* Dumpling and ci borek shop, also with vegan options: Çi Çi
* Located on Ihlamurdere Avenue Edirne Ciğercisi Naci Usta
* For börek, cakes, cookies:Tarihi Oktay Kurabiye Fırını ve 7/8 Hasanpaşa Fırını
* Have a good traditional bean dish in Ortaköy: Bizce Ortaköy Kuru Fasulyecisi

Akaretler

One of the most vibrant corners of Beşiktaş: Akaretler

Akaretler takes its name from the Row Houses on the slope behind Dolmabahçe Palace. In 1875, it was built by Sarkis Balyan as a lodging house at the request of Sultan Abdülaziz. The restoration project of the row houses was completed in 2008. Today there are offices, restaurants and shops. The house where Atatürk lived with his mother Zübeyde Hanım for 6 years welcomes visitors as a museum.

Akaretler serves as an important axis connecting Beşiktaş with Nişantaşı and Maçka. Naturally, the most vibrant streets of the region are also here.

Our favorite stops in Akaretler:

– For breakfast Gün Bakery,
– Coffee dates: Blum Coffee House, Coffee Public and a new place Caffestudio by KEF,
– We love their sugar-free ice cream: Blended,
– San Sebastian Cheesecake: B.Blok Bakery
– A bookstore and cafe we love: Minoa Akaretler
– A bookstore where we love to get lost among their books: Diyojen Sahaf,
– Another café where you can have a peaceful and pleasant time with its interior decoration: Hungry
– One of the most popular burger joints in Istanbul: Akali,
– A delightful restaurant where you can taste Antakya cuisine: Kruss Maçka,
– It is a frequent stop for Iskender: Kebapçı İskender 1867,
– A Michelin recommendation for dinner that mesmerized us with its view and didn’t disappoint with its food: Vogue Restaurant & Bar,
– Also located in BJK Plaza, it is a flavor stop with plenty of regulars: Önder Ocakbaşı,
– A meeting point for craft beer lovers: Craft Beer Lab.

Oklava

A small fresh pasta restaurant hidden at the entrance of a housing complex on Yıldız Posta Caddesi: Oklava Taze Makarna 🍝

You may have passed by here before but not seen this shop because it’s behind the parking lot, a bit away from the hustle and bustle of the street.

The place is small and has an intimate atmosphere. If we are not mistaken, they have three tables inside and three tables outside. Their menus change periodically, sometimes new varieties are added daily. After you place your order, it is prepared in front of your eyes in the open kitchen. Prices are around 320-340₺.

We tried two kinds of tagliarini and fettuccine with bolognese sauce. Our favorite was the one with garlic, lemon, olive oil, hot pepper sauce. Apart from pasta, there are also accompanying dishes such as ricotta salad and burrata. The menu is simple and small, it might be good to ask for the menu before you go and ask how much pasta is left, sometimes they close early because they run out early.

It is definitely one of our favorite restaurants in the region that we can easily become regulars. One of our favorite few shops for fresh pasta in Istanbul. Fauna in Ataşehir, Min Mutfak in Fenerbahçe and Yolk in Etiler are the first options that come to mind. We will visit them again soon 🙂

 

Zaaf

An unpretentious but impressive place, a modest restaurant on the ground floor of a building on the way from Levazım to Ortaköy: Zaaf

When we first visited a few years ago (April 2022), Zaaf was one of the places that inspired us to write about our adventure in the pursuit of good food.

Every time we visit this restaurant, where certain signature dishes are always on the menu and other items on the small menu change frequently, we find a source of inspiration.

Most of all, we are fascinated by the romantic decoration that warms us when it is so simple and unpretentious.

While preparing our Besiktas guide, of course, an up-to-date visit was a must. What we tasted on our last visit:

Truffle Honey Crispy Pastry – local cheese pate with truffle paste, truffle honey

Kocco – Balıkesir milk lamb kokoreç, nail pita, crispy kale pepper, roasted eggplant pate

Ciao Chef! – brioche, truffled stracciatella, confit tomatoes, mortadella, pistachio nuts

Lamb Col Milanese – slow roasted lamb, saffron risotto, grape jus

Lastly, we tried Tiramisu.

The honey crispy pastry with truffle is a legendary dish, and Ciao Chef!, which we tried for the first time, was one of our favorites. The only detail we were not satisfied with was the tiramisu’s biscotti which was too crispy.

Meals here start with the chef’s mouthwatering offerings of cold spring soup, butter and bread. It ends with truffle chocolates.

Their menu is quite minimal, especially for vegetarians. The place is quite small and we like to sit inside, but when the weather is nice, the tables are moved outside. It’s worth making a reservation and checking the menu before you go.

A route with a local: Strolling Istanbul

In Beşiktaş, @strollingistanbul Most of the Ottoman monuments on our route with Altuğ bear the traces of the Balyan family of architects.

– This Armenian family, which was a palace architect for 5 generations in the 18th and 19th century, is known for introducing Western styles such as Baroque and Rococo to Ottoman architecture. The most well-known historical buildings in Istanbul, such as Yıldız Palace and Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque, Ortaköy Mosque, Ihlamur Pavilion and Dolmabahçe Palace were designed by family members Krikor, Nigoğos, Garabet and Sarkis Balyan.

Balyan Works on our route and their construction years are as follows:

-Dolmabahçe Palace (1856)
-Dolmabahçe Mosque (1855)
-Akaretler Sıraevler (1875)
-Ihlamur Pavilion (1855)
-Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque (1886)
-Yildiz Park and Pavilions: (1871)
-Küçük Mecidiye Mosque (1848)
-Feriye Palaces (1870s)
-Ciragan Palace (1871)
-Grand Mecidiye Mosque (1853)

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