Gastronomic, traditional or innovative, five tables that you absolutely must discover in Istanbul

Frankie, hotspot state-of-the-art fusion

We almost gave up when we discovered Frankie’s new address, Galataport. Lined with modern and straight-lined buildings housing brand new shops and restaurants, this strip of smooth concrete has recently broken ground. Objective? Host cruise ships right in the center of Istanbul and offer wealthy tourists, especially from the Gulf, a playground and shopping experience in virtual seclusion. We have seen a more attractive environment.

We would actually be wrong to deprive ourselves. Frankie had a good idea to settle at the end of the harbor, at its most peaceful end. Tastefully furnished in a mix of dark lacquered woodwork and metal, the venue offers unobstructed and delicious views of the mouth of the Bosphorus and Sea of ​​Marmara. We sip a cocktail, special mention at Sparkling Red or Jasmine, while discovering the very rich menu, with prices ranging from £250 to £1,650 or €12 to €80. Billed as “Mediterranean Asian”, Frankie’s cuisine interweaves typical Turkish recipes with Japanese or Chinese influences.

Result? To divide plates. waiters recommend three people, but two is enough, and delicious dishes full of flair and creativity. Like red tuna sushi with crispy vegetables, grilled oyster mushrooms with teriyaki sauce, cauliflower tempura with jalapeños and tahini sauce, or rack of lamb, cooked to perfection, sprinkled with sesame seeds and pomegranate. All accompanied by wines recommended by Ozkan, a young and talented home winemaker, only 24 years old. The fun continues for dessert with the yuzu cheesecake and matcha parfait, both to die for. Only one regret maybe the music level, sometimes too loud… If you don’t like to party. After 11pm, the lights turn red for a different atmosphere, and a DJ takes over the space on Friday and Saturday nights. After lunch: dance.

Frankie, Kılıçalipaşa Mah. Meclis-i Mebusan Cad. No. 14/2G Galataport İstanbul O Blok Kat. 2 Teras, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey.

Pandeli, a traditional fancy restaurant for lunch

It is reached at the entrance to the old city of Istanbul by entering the Egyptian bazaar, known as the spice base. You have to blend into the crowd to get through the arched door, then immediately exit to turn left. An illuminated sign for “Pandeli Restaurant” surmounts another, much smaller door. We rush up a staircase framed by turquoise blue tiles. Upstairs, everything exudes understated elegance and sophistication. Undoubtedly, the fruit of 123 years of heritage. Pandeli Çobanoğlu, the son of a Greek pastor who immigrated to Istanbul, opened this restaurant in 1901. Since then, celebrities from Turkey and elsewhere have gathered there. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Queen Elizabeth II, the founder of the Republic, Audrey Hepburn or King Juan Carlos of Spain.

One cannot help but wonder what everyone thinks of Pandeli’s cuisine. Because the team develops and revises the classics of Turkish gastronomy, cooked to perfection, that will surprise the foreign palate. At the entrance: hamsi mücveri:small pieces of European anchovies, or corpe cabak, Zucchini florets stuffed with cheese are incredibly delicate. For the dish, we taste delicious at any cost hunkâr beğendi: – lamb cooked to perfection on grilled eggplant caviar with béchamel sauce or kuzu tandır, another dish of lamb, roasted and seared to perfection, accompanied by rice with vegetables, herbs and liver. Dessert lovers will be tempted Kazandibi – literally “le fond de casserole”, a sweet dessert with chicken. The less adventurous finished their meal with a visneli tirit, cherry brooch, or a aiva tatlisi grilled and candied quince topping website, a kind of Turkish mascarpone. We leave the table with bellies as light as our brains, thanks to the discretion of the service and the tranquility of the place, sheltered from the crowds we see by the large windows that stroll along the edge of the Horn Golden. A bracket of sweetness before falling back into the hustle and bustle of the old city.

Mısır Çarşısı içi, Balık Pazarı Kapısı, No. 1 Eminönü / İstanbul. On Instagram: @pandeliistanbul.

Turquoise, intimate table with a view

Have we really visited Istanbul without eating? a pub ? Turks spend hours with family or friends at the table of these traditional restaurants, where they pierce us, small cold or hot plates for sharing, liberally topped with raki, an aniseed spirit, smoother and lighter than its French equivalent. THE: a pub they are a privileged place for reunions, lively discussions and after-hours Turkish music classics sung in chorus.

The atmosphere is more relaxed at Firuze, a beautiful setting with warm woodwork and soft lighting, located on the sixth floor of the Şişhane building in the central district of Beyoğlu. In the evening, the view of the Golden Horn, the old city and the Galata Bridge is magnificent. The very rich menu offers a great overview of Turkish gastronomy. If all us are not equal, we rejoice lahane dolması:cabbage leaves stuffed with rice,avocado gritsavocado and cheese salad köpoğlu, an eggplant, tomato and garlic yogurt dish whose name, “son de chien,” misrepresents the flavor, is delicious. We don’t forget to taste itiçli köfte:crispy bulgur bite with minced meat, delicious paçanga boregi, Borek with dried meat and cheese and, above all, delicious and melting tereyağli shrimpsbuttered and lightly seasoned prawns, our favorite dish of the night.

Subtly crafted lighting, melancholic ballads by diva Sezen Aksu, a view of boats gliding across the Bosphorus… Everything, just the right distance between the tables, invites you to dream and trust. Ideal to meet, two or more. And don’t forget, as tradition dictates, to finish the meal with a few bites of fresh melon.

Nejat Eczacıbaşı Binası Sadi Konuralp Caddesi No. 5, Şişhane, D:kat 6, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul. On Instagram: @firuzebeyoglu.

Neolokal, the main gourmet

This is the haven of discerning gourmets, those waiting for a table that will transport them through time and space, through all regions of Turkey. A true institution, Neolokal is located in the magnificent SALT Galata Art Center, located in the former headquarters of the Imperial Ottoman Bank, designed by architect Alexander Valauri. Everything on the first floor is white marble and light. We pass the open kitchens where the young team is busy led by chef Maksut Ashkar before climbing the stairs to the dining room. A vast space of black metal and glass, beautiful low lights and everywhere, both in the room and on the balcony, the lights of Istanbul dance on the surface of the Golden Horn, the arm of the sea that cuts through the old city. with two

The place is known for protecting ancestral knowledge, but also sustainable methods of agricultural production. Michelin, which awarded him a star, was not mistaken. The menu features ancient Turkish dishes, rich in both history and flavor. The six-course tasting menu, vegetarian or not, with wine pairings, is truly a parade of wonders. Sweet and hot flavored pumpkin version; delicious Borek with shrimps or truffles; a piece of slow-cooked lamb, more melting than you can imagine, accompanied by fragrant rice; Fish served with bean puree and bean mousse… All this is accompanied by grapes from different parts of the country, often almost hundred-year-old vines; Hasandede, a woody and slightly fruity white wine from Anatolia; Narintse, drier and more mineral, served with fish; a Papaskarası, a Thracian vine with spicy notes… The great ride never ends. And it costs, for two, about 9000 Turkish lira or a bill of 450 euros.

Arapcamii Mahı, Bankalar Cd No:11, Beyoğlu/İstanbul. neolocal.com.

TURKEY, a double star fed from Asia

He is the first since the Michelin guide captured Istanbul, who won two stars there. Fatih Tutak was born there in 1985, he started his career there before chaining famous tables abroad in Singapore, Tokyo, Copenhagen, Hong Kong… and returning to the country to open TURKEY in 2019. Rediscovering and redefining obsessively. – Turkish culinary heritage.

medium tolmadelicious mussels stuffed with rice, lead – thin pancakes that are very popular in Turkey – with shrimps and souchukspicy dry sausage, wood-fired lamb and its buffalo milk yogurt, Mantı:, a delicious Turkish ravioli revisited here… From one plate to another, Fatih Tutak strives to intertwine creativity and tradition while championing sustainable cuisine: local produce, low waste, food preservation through drying or fermentation… All this in marble. , wood and light leather with Japanese inspirations. A trip, again there, that we would be wrong to deprive ourselves of. Expect around €200 per person for a tasting menu and wine pairing.

Cumhuriyet Hacıahmet Silahşör Cad, Yeniyol Sk No:2, 34440 Shişli/İstanbul. turkft.com.