This rooftop restaurant and bar serves a full menu, but skip dinner and go for the cocktails and the amazing 360-degree views. The clientele is young and fashion-conscious.

Bebek Balikçi serves some of the city’s best seafood in a waterfront location in upscale Bebek, one of the northern towns along the Bosphorus. The menu is pricey but the fish excellent and the dishes change daily, based on what local fishermen deliver.

Serious foodies consider a trip to Istanbul’s Asian side a worthwhile trek, if only to eat at Çiya. This no-frills kebab shop features dishes from the chef’s childhood home in southeastern Turkey. Look for regional specialties that are unlikely to turn up in any of Istanbul’s more chic establishments.

In a passageway in Bebek, this tiny coffee shop is a true find for coffee connoisseurs. Cup of Joy is a big hit with local residents, and the owners love to experiment with coffee roasts that are not yet commonplace in Istanbul.

This dual-level restaurant in Nişantaşi serves as an all-day restaurant as well as a wine shop, bakery and take-away counter. The menu features simple pastas, soups, sandwiches and a few heartier entrees. There is a small terrace off the upstairs level.

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).

Stop by Türkbükü’s exotic ice cream shop Dogal Dondurma to try seasonal flavors such as peach, coconut, and locally grown mandarin. The shop is on the pier, an easy walk from the Macakizi or Bianca Beach Club.

There is a touristy quality to this place that may remind you of classics like the 21 Club in New York and Tour d’Argent in Paris, but it delivers an incredible location right on the edge of the Bosphorus with the twinkling bridge lights and lapping water. Besides even Turkish business men come here to close deals, and Stamboulis to celebrate special occasions because the location is so special and the food predictably good.

No trip to Istanbul is complete without a kebap (Turkish for “kebab”) lunch. Located in the Old City on a rooftop on the waterfront by Galata bridge, just steps away from the Egyptian Spice Market, Hamdi offers sweeping views and a casual, bustling, neighborhood atmosphere. Start with mezze, then order a variety of grilled kebaps; I particularly enjoyed the pistachio (a spicy meatball with lamb, beef and pistachios) and the lamb. They are served with fresh pitas, wraps, grilled hot peppers, tomatoes, cous cous and chopped onions, so that you can build your own, fajita style. Locals swear the baklava is the best in town. (Note: Make sure you go to Hamdi Restaurant, not Hamdi Kofte, which is three doors down.)

A hip crowd can be found at this cozy vegan eatery. This is where fashion designer Hussein Chalayan likes to come for such Turkish basics as menemen (scrambled eggs with green peppers and tomatoes). The small menu of local specialties (mostly vegetarian salads and soups) changes daily.

Housed in the Istanbul Modern and boasting a unique industrial décor and an impressive water view of the harbor, the Istanbul Modern Café has slowly crept into the spotlight as one of Istanbul’s most stylish lunchtime eateries. Expect a predominantly Turkish menu and light fare; the lunch menu serves a variety of pastas, salads and sandwiches.

This family-run eatery by the wharfs serves Ottoman classics as well as an excellent assortment of meze. Its relaxed, brasserie-esque atmosphere is popular with local business people who work in the area, but given that it sits across the street from the sea terminal, the cruise crowds sometimes find their way in as well. Lunch is best as the area is a bit deserted at night (although dinner here is excellent). Reservations are recommended.

Istanbul’s smart set adores Sunday brunch at the all-white Lucca, so much so that they don’t mind the usually long wait. Half lounge, half art gallery, where you can order everything from crispy duck rolls to eggs to a well-made mojito, the restaurant is in the stylish outer neighborhood of Bebek. It’s a hangout of local celebrities and almost always buzzing—morning, noon and night.

The restaurant at Maçakizi Hotel seats three hundred on various wooden decks that perch out over the water. It is entirely separate from the lingering day partiers below, a romantic experience with candle-lit corners and the sound of the sea lapping at the decks below. Sip on Anatolian wines and dine on fresh local produce from famed Turkish chef Ayet Sahakyan. The menu might include goat cheese, beets and arugula salad with dill and walnuts, and exquisitely prepared braised lamb short ribs with meat that falls off the bone, accompanied by pumpkin oil gnocchi.

For those who stay on property, the same attention to detail is paid to the extensive buffet breakfast each morning, with overwhelming offerings of breads, spreads, pastries and hot foods. Make sure you don’t miss the famous brunch on Sundays, which offers the revered manti (Turkish dumplings). Even if you’re not staying at Maçakizi, make sure to go for dinner at least one night. Chances are you’ll come back again.

It’s worth the trip to the Bosphorus village of Bebek for a meal at this intimate rooftop restaurant with views of the Bosphorus Strait. The natural but charming design (whitewashed floors, baskets brimming with fresh fruit, marble-topped tables and wood chairs) works well with its menu of gourmet comfort food, from a roast beef sandwich loaded with mint and cilantro to a perfectly grilled fish of the day over a flavorful mound of couscous. And don’t miss the mint-infused lemonade and the homemade desserts. You won’t come across many tourists here; instead, it’s filled with a fashionable bunch you might see in a trendy West Village bistro. It’s also popular for weekend brunch.

A great destination for dinner or drinks when docked in the Bodrum harbor is the stylish Marina Yacht Club, offering well-prepared Turkish specialities (the chef is considered one of the country’s best) and a sexy rooftop bar scene. Expect a showy yacht crowd and dress accordingly.

Located on the terrace of the Ottoman Hotel Imperial and across the street from the Hagia Sophia, Matbah serves traditional Ottoman cuisine (think saffron pilaf and stuffed vine leaves) in a charming setting (although the views are not as good as one might expect given the proximity to the famous landmark).

This small, female-run restaurant is a Cappadocia mainstay that serves traditional dishes in a rustic atmosphere.

Mikla is as ambitious and assuming as its name—which in Norse means magnificent (its hotshot chef Mehmet Gürs was born in Finland, grew up in Sweden and is part Turkish). Despite the strong attitude, the award-winning Mikla, in a glass-walled, U-shaped space on the top two floors of the Marmara Pera hotel, delivers in terms of design, cuisine and vista—the view over the Golden Horn is breathtaking. Well-heeled guests enjoy Gürs’ much lauded Mediterranean cuisine before heading to the terrace on the top floor for after-dinner drinks. Those who are interested in the view but can’t commit to an entire meal can also stop by for cocktails on the roof.

This waterfront restaurant in quaint Gümüşlük serves freshly caught seafood and draws an elegant crowd. Arrive at dusk and sip raki, an anise-flavored Turkish drink, while the sun sets over the Greek islands to the west.

Opened in early 2023, Nahita is located in the Argos in Cappadocia hotel and is one of the nicer fine-dining options in the region.

Nicole is a sweet boutique in Palma's Old Town that offers an assortment of feminine, flirty dresses, shorts, scarves and bags.

Located next to Cipriani, the enormous and bustling Nusr-Et Steakhouse, whose kitchen is run by the supremely talented chef Nusret Cokce, is a carnivore’s delight. Cocke and his partner Mithat Erdem have become known as the ambassadors of steakhouse culture in Istanbul. Their food is worth the wait—which seems unavoidable even with reservations. Given the slabs of meat that serve as décor when you first walk in, it’s best to leave the vegetarians at home. But they are missing out, since the perfectly prepared steaks are mouth-watering. Try to secure one of the coveted tables overlooking the water.

Any A-lister who goes to Istanbul makes sure to have a meal at Pandeli, a classic Turkish restaurant near the entrance to the Spice Market; it serves mezes and traditional meat and fish dishes. While many people complain that the restaurant is overpriced and lives on its past reputation, it’s still a lovely place with plenty of atmosphere. Ask for a table in the main room, lined in ancient turquoise tiles.