This restaurant, which is connected to the Armada Hotel and has tables set in a historical Ottoman house, draws lots of foreigners (including Jean Paul Gaultier) but doesn’t cater to them. You won’t find menus in English or even waiters who speak English, but whatever dishes you order are sure to please.

Indagare Insider Lisa Fine says, “Balikci Sabahattin is not a secret. It’s been written up quite a bit so you’ll see other tourists but the food is excellent.”

A bit off the beaten track (and rather heavy on the kitsch decor), the Develi Kebab House is considered one of the top kebab houses in Istanbul. Try the cig kofte, Turkey’s answer to steak tartare (lamb kneaded with spice and herbs) and the fistikli kebab (kebab with pistachios).

Renowned for both its southeastern Turkish dishes—eggplant, plum, and pistachio kebab—and its outrageous views (it almost feels like you can reach out and touch the Galata Tower), Hamdi is an Istanbul mainstay. Make sure to book a table on the rooftop terrace; some views are definitely better than others. If you’re in a group of ten or more, order (in advance) testi kebab, a stew of diced meat, tomatoes, shallots, garlic and green peppers. It’s cooked over an open fire in a terra-cotta pot, which is then broken tableside, and the stew served.

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In the past few years, kebab houses have gone upscale, serving lighter, healthier versions of traditional recipes in designer surroundings. Case in point: the grill house Komsu, a minimalist dining room offering wonderful mezes (like mini Turkish pizzas and creamy eggplant spreads) and juicy East Anatolian kebabs.

The most popular and stylish kebab house chain, with five locations in Istanbul, is Tike.

A fashionable kebab house is Venge, a neocolonial-style boîte in the somewhat out-of-the-way business district of Levent. Locals come back again and again for their mezes and Venge kebab.