16 Best Meyhanes in Istanbul: Where Locals Actually Go

There’s something about a rakı table that makes people linger: the little meze plates, the slow pours, the conversation that drifts for hours. In Türkiye, that ritual has a name. It’s the meyhane—a Turkish tavern built around rakı, seafood and talk that runs late into the night. From century-old institutions to newer rooms that still get it right, these 16 make the case for the best meyhane Istanbul has to offer.

1. Suna’nın Yeri: a Bosphorus view with no pretension

There’s no view quite like drinking rakı with the Bosphorus right in front of you, and Suna’nın Yeri delivers exactly that from its spot next to the Kandilli ferry pier.

Don’t expect polish. It’s just tables and chairs set out by the water, nothing more. Come here for the company and the scenery, not a fine-dining meal, and eat before you arrive if you can. Alongside the rakı, go for the fava (a cold broad-bean purée), eggplant purée, calamari or fried whiting.

One quirk nobody’s quite figured out: the rakı arrives in odd-shaped glasses, and they won’t open the bottle at your table.

2. Refik: Asmalımescit’s old guard

Refik is an Asmalımescit heavyweight. The staff, the room and the food all pull their weight in equal measure, and plenty of people have noticed: the place draws a steady crowd from Istanbul’s art and media circles, and the kitchen backs up every rakı table with meze that earns its reputation. Prices are reasonable by Asmalımescit standards. Though that’s a relative term in this neighborhood. Don’t leave without trying the lakerda (salt-cured bonito), güveç-baked shrimp, grilled liver wrapped in lamb intestine, stuffed lamb rolls, fish roe salad and köpoğlu, a smoky eggplant-and-yogurt dish. It’s a two-story space, easy enough to get into on weekdays, but book ahead for weekends. The walls are papered with press clippings, newspaper columns and photos of the famous faces who’ve eaten there over the decades—a classic in every sense.

3. Madam Despina: a 1946 original near Kurtuluş

Founded by Madam Despina in 1946, this is one of the first names that comes up when Istanbul old-timers talk meyhane. It sits on the side street just before the last stop of the Kurtuluş tram line.

If you’re drawn to worn-in, unpolished rooms, you’ll like it here—the tablecloths, the plates, the wooden window frames and the walls all seem to announce “I’ve been here a while.” The food is another story. For a place with this much history, it hasn’t quite kept pace with the price tag; the meze and mains are decent rather than outstanding for what they cost. Then there are the strolling musicians. They won’t leave your table without a tip, so keep that in mind. On the upside, you can sit under the vine-covered trellis in summer or warm up in the cozy main room in winter, and the service moves fast.

4. Münferit: the modern, book-ahead one

Heading here with a big group? Call a month ahead for a reservation. That’s not an exaggeration.

Münferit has become one of the names people keep bringing up. Walk from Galatasaray High School’s street toward Tophane and you’ll spot it immediately: sleek, modern, and clearly not a traditional meyhane, even though that’s exactly what it is. It’s one of the few places in the genre that plays international music rather than the usual fasıl (traditional Turkish tavern music) soundtrack. Strangely enough, it works. On the menu: hummus with shrimp, fried eggplant in tahini sauce, duck-stuffed Circassian chicken, white cheese baked in truffle oil, and squid-ink couscous—distinctive dishes you won’t find at most meyhanes.

Cheap it is not, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon.

5. Yakup 2: the garden journalists love

Back in Asmalımescit, this time at a longtime hangout for Istanbul journalists. The leafy courtyard garden is the draw—yes, the street-side flower sellers and musicians angling for tips are a minor downside, but it’s still the best seat in the house. In winter, the terrace is a plus if you smoke.

Order the fried horse mackerel, fried red mullet, marinated whiting, octopus, olive-oil anchovies and dried black-eyed peas; the meze portions are generously sized rather than the tiny tasting plates you get elsewhere, so you’ll actually leave full. Dessert: baked helva and Turkish coffee.

The crowd skews older. If you’re after a younger scene, look elsewhere on this list.

6. Asmalı Cavit: across the street, minus the hassle

Right across from Yakup 2, with small balconies instead of a garden. You’ll rarely run into many locals here—the tourists who crowd Sultanahmet in the morning tend to turn up here by evening. No musicians working the tables for tips, either.

The walls are covered in theater posters and old playbills worth a look while you wait. You do need to book ahead. Walk-ins won’t get a table. For food, start with the sautéed whiting, octopus salad, sautéed Swiss chard and the house specialty, a spicy meze that pairs well with rakı. Follow it with grilled liver and calamari, and don’t skip the tripe baked in a clay dish; after that, the sea bass and anchovy mains are the safe bets, and the meatballs are a standout.

It’s not as spacious as Refik or Yakup 2, but the food and meze hold their own against either.

7. Zarifi: Beyoğlu’s unlikely Bosphorus-style room

You might wonder what a room with this much Bosphorus-style polish is doing tucked between apartment buildings in the middle of Beyoğlu. Somehow, it works.

Anyone who knows Tantunici Suat Usta, the well-known street-food spot nearby, can find Zarifi right behind it. The space is handsome and the service is excellent; the kitchen draws on Armenian, Greek, Jewish, Arab and Levantine cooking, which is reflected in the range on the table. Good bets: the honey-glazed eggplant, herbed yogurt with vegetables, broad-bean fava, courgette-and-fish fritters and grilled sea bass fillet.

If you want music with your meal, put this at the top of your list: on the right nights, you’ll catch live Balkan-night sets—singer Suzan Kardeş gets the whole room up from their tables, with dancer Gülay alongside her. Consider the fun part guaranteed.

8. Akın Balık: great setting, uneven lately

This place was a joy when it first opened—the unpretentious look, the garden, rakı served in tea glasses, good meze and a great setting all added up. Predictably, everyone found out. Since then, the reports have gone the other way: prices climbing for no clear reason, service running hours behind. It’s a shame, because the atmosphere is still there—small tables tucked under the trees, strings of colored lights—and it’s the kind of setting you don’t find everywhere in the city. The practical move: call ahead. Then manage your expectations before committing an evening to it.

9. Tarihi Cumhuriyet Meyhanesi: a Nevizade fixture

A Nevizade Street classic, even if it technically sits in the fish market rather than on Nevizade itself, and one of the historic names that belongs on any list like this, with longtime regulars who’ve been coming for years.

Food’s good, atmosphere’s good.

The one downside: musicians working tables hard for tips, right in your ear. Everything else earns its spot. Go for the stuffed vine leaves, cheese purée, pastry rolls with pastırma, mushroom-and-cheese sautéed meze and mussel pilaki—the strongest plates here.

10. Çukur Meyhane: basement name, 30-odd meze

This one sits right in the heart of Taksim. The name means “the pit,” a nod to its basement level, but don’t picture a windowless cellar—there are windows, and it’s tucked into a tight corner that regulars know well.

A nearly 30-item meze menu isn’t something every meyhane can pull off, let alone at this quality. Try the Cretan-style purée, Croatian-style purée, mustard-sauce mackerel, eggplant hummus, soy-glazed sea bass skewers and fish croquettes—all crowd-pleasers. Prices stay reasonable.

For a place with this much character, the crowd is surprisingly mixed: consulate staff, foreign teachers, dedicated food hunters, all at the same tables. It gets busy. Book ahead rather than show up hoping for a spot.

11. İnciraltı: old-school meze in Beylerbeyi

Leaving Beyoğlu behind for Beylerbeyi, on the Asian side.

This one holds onto the old-fashioned meyhane style through its meze. That alone sets it apart. Try the topik (a chickpea-and-onion dumpling), pickled fish, sea bass wrapped in vine leaves, cabbage rolls with mussels, İnciraltı-style meatballs, muhammara (a walnut-and-pepper spread) and Armenian-style pilaki—all solid picks if you’re after flavors you won’t find on every menu. The Turkish coffee comes with a liqueur on the side at the end of the meal, a small touch that wins people over, along with the chocolate-dipped helva—hard to stop eating once you start. Planning a visit? Take your time in the garden.

12. Kör Agop: Kumkapı since 1938

One more place that has held onto its historic character. It opened in 1938. Today it remains one of the most sought-after meyhanes in Kumkapı, the city’s old fish-restaurant district, and it has come through the decades in good shape. Wood-paneled walls and old-style tables and chairs turn the room into something closer to a family house than a restaurant—picture the kind of conversation that happens in a space like that.

Don’t leave without trying the seasoned fish soup, braised lung, warm bean stew, topik, steamed fish and lakerda.

For a night that runs long, there are also live fasıl nights, and this is the right room for it.

13. Safa: over a century old in Yedikule

Out in Yedikule now, where new venues are rare—most of what’s here has history behind it, and Safa is no exception. It’s hosted easy conversation over rakı for more than a hundred years. Black leather chairs, an ornate candelabra, dozens of old rakı bottles lining the walls. And a line written on the wall that sums up the mood: the rakı glass at the table never changes, because it’s the one witness to the night and to every pleasure in it.

It fills, empties, fills again.

Order the Albanian-style liver, dried bonito, celery, broad beans and crispy calamari to go with your rakı—all classic pairings. A radio plays alaturka music that suits the room perfectly. If you’re anywhere nearby, it’s worth the stop; you won’t regret it.

14. Safi: the brighter, newer meyhane in Şişhane

Liked Münferit’s style? Safi plays in the same modern-meyhane lane. Set in Şişhane, the room is done out in white and blue, with black-and-white photographs on the walls. Unlike most meyhanes, which lean dim and moody, this one is genuinely bright, and it’s a good pick if loud music isn’t your thing. Past the décor, the food holds up: fried dumplings on skewers, fish-filled pastry, sea bass marinated in rakı and orange, braised beef cheek, and vine leaves stuffed with sour cherries—a lineup that skips most of the usual meyhane standards.

This one’s worth trying.

15. Eleos: white walls and a case for the best meyhane Istanbul has

A white-on-white meyhane in Beyoğlu—clean, spare, almost minimalist in a genre that usually runs the opposite direction. Weigh the food, the service, the view, the presentation and the little extra touches the kitchen sends out, and this one comes close to a perfect score on all of them. For the flavors: stuffed courgette flowers, salmon-and-asparagus rolls, güveç-baked feta, Roma-style purée, country-style rocket salad, mixed herb sautés and air-dried fish—and the list keeps going. Prices run on the higher side. No point pretending otherwise. But between the food, the drinks and the setting, it earns the price tag.

16. Sofyalı 9: 15 years in, still holding its own

Named for its street.

It’s been open around 15 years, which is young by Asmalımescit standards, but it’s earned a place alongside the neighborhood’s older names. The köpoğlu, walnut meze, salt-cured anchovy, topik, sardines with roe and sautéed beef are all worth ordering, though it’s easy to fill up on meze before you ever reach a main. Try the fish anyway. Depending on the night, you might hear classical Turkish music or Greek folk songs. It’s a good pick for a special occasion, a celebration or a send-off: warm brown tones throughout, well-lit rather than dark and closed-in, like most meyhanes tend to be.

A meyhane night runs on its own clock. One meze leads to another, the rakı glass gets refilled, and the conversation outlasts the food. These 16 are a solid place to start, whether you want a Bosphorus view, a hundred-year-old room, or a modern take on the ritual. History-first visitors tend to end up at Kör Agop or Safa, big groups need Münferit’s month-ahead lead time, and anyone who’d rather skip loud music will find Safi’s bright room the calmer pick. Time Out Istanbul keeps a running tally of the city’s current dining and nightlife scene if you want more options nearby. Food critic Vedat Milor has covered several of Istanbul’s classic meyhanes in his restaurant writing. And the Turkish coffee that closes the night at places like Yakup 2 and İnciraltı has its own UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage listing, recognized as a tradition of hospitality and conversation—fitting, since it usually arrives right after the last rakı glass is cleared.

Sources: Time Out Istanbul, Vedat Milor (Wikipedia, Turkish), UNESCO: Turkish coffee culture and tradition