With its moodily lit terrace, constellations of shimmering glass orbs, and a wine room that’s turn into a hotspot for marriage proposals, Isokyo at Raffles Istanbul attracts a well-heeled crowd who come for elevated plates of foie gras-topped kimchi fried rice, scallop sashimi calmly torched and slicked with jalapeño ponzu, and wagyu gyoza bobbing in dashi butter. The restaurant is ready throughout a collection of distinct eating areas, from a grown-up predominant room to a shiny DJ-backed terrace framing views of the hovering minarets of the Çamlıca Mosque simply past an enormous fluttering Turkish flag. Cocktails match the temper, filled with yuzu, shiso, and simply the correct quantity of smoke.
The Galataport growth surrounding Fasuli Lokantası could also be altering at breakneck pace, however the cooks right here proceed to quietly get on with what they’ve been doing for years, cooking vats of deliciously wealthy, vivid orange kuru fasulye, which is white beans cooked in butter and creamy tomato sauce. Splendidly and surprisingly moreish. Lining the steps are large tubs of pickles that are the right facet dish for the beans, together with a traditional serving to of fluffy white rice. The workers are cheery, the atmosphere is laid again and it’s a very busy scene come lunchtime. If beans aren’t your factor, the menu additionally provides blended grills and varied pides (flat oval-shaped bread normally crammed with meat or cheese).
The standout restaurant on the new Rixos Tersane, Josephine confidently glides into Istanbul’s eating scene on the far finish of the resort’s hovering glass atrium, beneath a fleet of polished boats strikingly suspended mid-air. The meals right here leans modern Mediterranean with daring, playful touches. Tuna tartare comes layered with avocado cream, caviar, and pickled cucumber on a crisp rice cracker. Lobster tagliatelle is as decadent because it sounds—tangled in heirloom tomatoes and silky bisque. Even the extra humble-sounding “artichoke soup” arrives dramatically poured over truffle brioche and a caramelized coronary heart. There’s an emphasis on shareable dishes too, like seafood paella piled with wild sea bass, vongole, and prawns, or the indulgent truffle-butter schnitzel with arugula and potato salad. The area is not any much less spectacular: a high-ceilinged gallery of glass, metal, and nautical polish that spills out onto probably the most lovely terraces within the metropolis, wanting straight throughout the Golden Horn and the ever-transforming Tersane waterfront.
Run by an Armenian-Istanbullu, Jash is a traditional neighborhood restaurant with white tablecloths and a welcoming vibe in stylish Cihangir. The menu is broad ranging, with meatballs cooked in tomato and yogurt, rooster in butter sauce, and stuffed vine leaves however the factor to attempt is the Armenian meze dish topik, which is in contrast to the rest. Often ready for Lent, topik is made with tahini, onion, pine nuts, currants, and cinnamon and is served in a little bit roundel. In hotter months, the restaurant opens out onto the road and there’s a good wine and raki listing. Good for lunch however equally good for dinner too.
