When Istanbulites left Beyoğlu to the tourists and went down to the coast, they came across Karaköy and moved the city’s new entertainment center here.
Named after the Karay Turks who, according to a rumor, were brought here from Crimea during the reign of Fatih, this region is one of the most enjoyable spots in Istanbul despite everything. Karaköy, with its waterfront, fish bakeries, newly opened fine dining restaurants, rooftop churches and mosques, museums and galleries, creates amazing experiences in a small space.
At the point where the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus meet, a different surprise awaits you on every street from Azapkapı to Tophane.
Accompanied by the smell of grilled fish rising from the stalls, we walk from the Thursday Market, where the hardware stores are located, towards the Golden Horn, stopping at chestnut and corn carts. Bankacılar Street, where we disappeared from the courtyards of the inns, and Karaköy Palas, which welcomed us mesmerizingly when we returned to the square again;
The tram separates Karaköy with all its noise, and to cross, we use one of the most chaotic crossings in Istanbul, the underpass where electronic goods are sold. If you can find the exit you want from here without having to look at the signs, you are a local enough of this neighborhood.
From Gümrük Street, we continue through the backstreets of the coast, which can never be publicized. Our favorite streets to get lost and explore.
Chef restaurants:
•Aşeka
•Neolokal
•Mürver
•Gallada
•Muutto
A good meal:
•Karaköy Lokantası
•Gümrük
•Restoran Modern
•Tershane Karaköy
•Ali Ocakbaşı
Coffeeshops:
•Parsa Coffee
•Kava Coffee
•Karabatak
•Kronotrop
Cocktails:
•Finn Cocktails
•Vigneron Wine House
•Salon Galata
Karaköy Classics:
•Güllüoğlu Baklava
-Fish Burrito in Perşembe Pazarı
-Lunch at NATO Restaurant
-Galata Simitçisi, a quick breakfast
-Dried beans in Fasuli
•Arif Bey Köfte
Museums and landmarks 🏛️
Churches and Mosques 🕌⛪️🕍
Istanbul’s food world was abuzz with the Michelin guide and the stars being handed out, and all eyes were on Fatih Tutak, chef of the only restaurant to receive two stars. In the summer of 2022, a new culinary adventure began with Gallada in one of the most beautiful spots on the Bosphorus.
The new restaurant serves a menu inspired by the chef’s personal journey through Central Asia and China, having worked in different cuisines of Asia during his long career. They describe themselves as a gastronomic journey inspired by the historical Silk Road, and the entire menu has been carefully designed under the consultancy of Fatih Tutak, starting with bread and butter and continuing with crispy calamari, eggplant with yogurt, tomatoes, delicious ravioli, boyoz pilaf, wood-fired fenfish and lamb shashlik. The spices in each dish became our first companions on this journey.
For dessert, we tried their baklava and iron desserts. Mekan gerçekten iyi tasarlanmış, keyifli bir teras. Being closer to the Bosphorus and a more intimate experience could have been targeted. The restaurant starts serving at 18.00, but preferably arrive before sunset.
If we talk about the food in a little more detail, the ravioli and boyoz pilaf are really successful. We tried shrimp, mushroom and adana kebab manti, all three were delicious. We were tempted by the crispy beef dumplings we didn’t try.
Our favorite of the starters was ‘tomato’. The eggplant with burnt yogurt was also very tasty. Among the starters, the dish that remained in our minds was ‘Tuna, tahini and yuzu’
The main courses were both very light, both the snapper and the shashlik were very balanced. Both were cooked very successfully, everything was just right;
For dessert, we tried the iron dessert and Gallada Baklava, which belongs to Erzurum, out of curiosity because we had not tried it before. The baklava with pistachio and buffalo clotted cream ice cream was successful.
Prices are high, yes, but definitely not in a category accessible to all. It is not very different from restaurants in Istanbul, especially those that serve a tasting menu. But the level of flavor and quality of service is very high. Congratulations to the whole team and staff.
We visited Istanbul Modern, one of the most important contemporary art venues in Turkey, and the Restaurant Modern within it.
It is hard not to be impressed inside this building designed by Renzo Piano. This effect continues in the restaurant, both the interior and the terrace have been carefully designed.
The terrace is of course much more pleasant in terms of the view, especially if you can get it at a time when there are no cruise ships right in front of it. We arrived at 18.00 exactly before the sunset.
The menu is quite sufficient, different menus are offered for lunch and dinner service. The menu tries to capture modern Turkish and Istanbul flavors.
Among the starters, the fish market plate, chard rolls with curd and octopus kokoreç were our favorites. I think the only dish we found unsuccessful was the İçli Köfte (stuffed meatballs), maybe because we had just returned from Adana.
We tried Mutancana, one of the main dishes, and we loved it; The slow-cooked lamb meat was not dried out and was flavored with cinnamon and dried apricots.
We were also tempted by the spicy shrimp stew as one of the main courses, and made a note to try it on our next visit.
It is promising to have a good business in such an important museum in one of the most touristic areas of Istanbul. If you want to impress your guests from abroad with the view and the flavors, keep it in mind.
A wise choice for meat and fish dishes cooked on wood fire against the magnificent view of Istanbul: Mürver Karaköy, which has been serving since 2017
Chef Mevlüt Özkaya has won the Michelin Young Chef award for his ever-changing menu, and this restaurant sources all its ingredients from local producers. Local Turkish flavors are served with a modern twist in this tourist-filled establishment. All of the flavors are suitable for sharing, the only drawback may be the buzzing inside, which is crowded even on a weekday.
We were at another terrace restaurant in Karaköy, and of course we were at the door as soon as it opened to fully enjoy the view.
After waiting at the bar for a while and watching the Bosphorus, we went to our table. While we were waiting, we chose Mürver from their cocktail menu.
We will share the menu again in the stories, now let’s talk about what we tried. For starters we ordered Duck Topik, Pumpkin from the Stone Oven, Octopus in Ashes and Bükme which they served with cilantro yogurt and pickles.
Pumpkin was a new addition to the menu, it was really successful; It consists of thin layers of pumpkin, tahini yogurt and crunch.
Topik, a famous Armenian mezze, pairs well with the duck.
The octopus cooked in ashes was also one of our favorite dishes, already one of the signature dishes of the restaurant.
When we had too many starters to choose from, we opted for a main course, which was Trakya Kıvırcık, which was already for 2 people. Lamb shovel baked on the bone, served with firik wheat from Antakya and salted yogurt. It was cooked really well; Then comes the spicy compote to soothe your stomach.
For dessert, fried figs from the stone oven were our favorite. An incredibly balanced dessert with fig leaf ice cream. Perfect for those who don’t like very sweet desserts.
Another dessert is Strawberry-Rose. It consists of rose Turkish delight ice cream, pickled strawberries and hazelnut crunch. Sweeter than figs, its sweetness comes from the Turkish delight. It was another delightful dessert.
Another favorite chef restaurant in Karaköy is Aşeka Karaköy.
Karaköy, once known for its hardware stores, hookah cafes and historical buildings waiting to be utilized, continues its transformation day by day.
One of those 100-year-old buildings is Asheka, which started its service in 2022. The name Asheka comes from the vines that wrap around the building. In Arabic, this name means love and ivy.
The menu changes periodically at this chef restaurant. We had the opportunity to try it at the beginning of October before the new menu was introduced;
While researching, we came across Vedat Milör’s article about this restaurant and tried the tater tots, which are thought to have been inspired by Chef Ömer Akosman’s professional experience in America. A crispy potato, perfect with mayonnaise. Let it be one of the products you will definitely try in Aseka.
We were also tempted by the Korean pork belly slider on the menu, but we left that for our next visit.
In addition to tater tots, we tried smoked meat and balloon bread with soka cream, summer squash and asparagus plates from the summer menu, and Doppio Ravioli and Cavatelli from the pasta menu.
There are also main dishes on the menu such as dry-aged duck, veal tail pave, grilled lamb back, but we didn’t want to squeeze them into one lunch.
The cocktails we tried were also very successful.
It was one of the restaurants we were most impressed with in Karaköy, we eagerly awaited every plate. Their renewed menu is available on their website, and we look forward to trying it out.
