10 Restaurants With Live Music in Istanbul

Istanbul does loud and delicious better than most cities, and pairing a serious menu with a good playlist is practically a local art form here. From meyhane classics built around Turkish music to DJ sets that run well past midnight, here are 10 restaurants with live music in Istanbul where the food holds its own against the soundtrack.

1. The Populist—beer garden energy with real DJ nights

The Populist sits inside bomontiada, the old Bomonti brewery turned culture complex, and for pairing good food with good music it’s one of the surest bets on this list. DJ sets run most nights. The calendar keeps changing, with bigger festival-style events like Oktoberfest in the fall, so check the current lineup on The Populist’s Instagram. The kitchen keeps up too: burgers, pizzas and beer-garden classics done well, with craft beer on tap. Busy, social, not intimate. Come here for energy, not a quiet dinner.

2. La Vina—Spanish tapas in an airy, open-air mall

For Spanish food done properly, La Vina is the city’s go-to. It’s in Zorlu Center, one of Istanbul’s open-air shopping and dining complexes. Start with the classics. Order the tapas, the paella and the tortilla española, then finish with a Spanish-style leche frita for dessert. By day the room is calm and bright. Evenings are another story. On select nights a DJ set takes over and the mood shifts toward a proper night out. Which nights, exactly? Hard to pin down, since the schedule shifts often, so check La Vina’s Instagram or call ahead before planning around it.

3. Aret’in Yeri—an old-school meyhane that food critics rate highly

Istanbul has no shortage of meyhanes—traditional taverns built around meze, rakı and live or recorded Turkish music—and Aret’in Yeri is one of the most respected names the city has. It stays true to meyhane tradition. No dressing it up for tourists, either. That’s not a weakness, it’s exactly why well-known Turkish food critics have singled it out over the years.

Come for the meze spread and the warm, old-Beyoğlu atmosphere. Then there’s the music. It’s the kind that makes a long table of friends linger past midnight.

4. Leb-i Derya—rooftop views over old and new Istanbul

Leb-i Derya has held its spot in Beyoğlu for more than two decades. Go for the rooftop. Its view is a skyline that mixes the old city with the new, rather than the postcard version most photos show.

Expect refined meyhane dishes. Try the topik, the grilled goat cheese in yufka pastry, or the mushroom-stuffed lavash wrap. What sets it apart from a standard meyhane, though, is the music, built around curated sets of classic Turkish songs rather than a generic playlist, along with a handful of house specialties you won’t find on every menu in the neighborhood.

5. Klein Garten—restaurant by day, club energy by night

Klein Garten runs as a restaurant through the early evening and gradually turns into a nightclub as the night goes on, which makes it a good pick if you want dinner and dancing without changing venues. Restaurant-club hybrids tend to treat food as an afterthought. Not this one: the kitchen is genuinely ambitious, with sardine tempura, crispy zucchini, beef short rib and crispy duck among the favorites. Cocktails get equal attention. A night here starts with dinner. It rarely ends there.

Address: Meşrutiyet Caddesi No. 67, Asmalı Mescit, Beyoğlu, Istanbul

6. Hazine—nightly shows, rare even among restaurants with live music in Istanbul

Hazine, in the Cihangir neighborhood, is known for live music performances every single night. That’s a rarity, even in a city with this much nightlife. Early in the evening it works as a restaurant with a genuinely wide menu, from sushi to classic Turkish comfort food, and later on it shifts into something closer to a lively music venue. Weekends fill up fast. Arrive early or book ahead if live music with dinner is the plan. Hazine already full? The events calendar at Time Out Istanbul is a quick way to see who else is playing that night.

Address: Akarsu Caddesi No. 36/A, Cihangir, Beyoğlu, Istanbul

7. Moda Kayıkhane—concert nights on the Asian side

On the Asian side in Kadıköy, Moda Kayıkhane is built around a steady calendar of concerts, which makes it a favorite for an early dinner before a show, and on those concert nights the restaurant section fills up. The menu goes beyond the usual. Alongside the more typical dishes you’ll find pizza, stuffed plums and a fish-stuffed köfte.

Tuesdays mean tango. That weekly tango night has quietly made it one of the more distinctive addresses on the Kadıköy side of the city.

Address: Caferağa Mahallesi, Moda Caddesi No. 194, Kadıköy, Istanbul

8. Hobo—Bosphorus views by day, DJ sets by night

Hobo pairs a water view with a schedule that changes through the day: coffee and dessert in the afternoon, then DJ sets and a fuller menu once evening sets in. This one’s smaller and more low-key. The Populist suits a group that wants a busy, social crowd; Hobo is for a relaxed evening by the water, not a big night out.

Address: Eski Vapur İskelesi Sokak No. 17, Mecidiye, Beşiktaş, Istanbul

9. Aura Pera—a different concept on every floor

Aura Pera, just off İstiklal Caddesi, spreads its concept across several floors. The restaurant level has a broad menu. Above it: karaoke and club floors.

Honestly, it’s ideal for indecisive groups. If yours can’t agree on one kind of night out, you can eat properly on one floor and move to a different atmosphere on another without ever leaving the building.

Address: İstiklal Caddesi, Balo Sokak No. 24, Beyoğlu, Istanbul

10. Birdy Pera—electronic sets in an old Beyoğlu backstreet

Down a quiet backstreet in Asmalımescit, one of Beyoğlu’s older nightlife pockets, Birdy Pera has built its reputation on electronic music performances. The room is warm and lived-in. And the food? There are specific weekend menus, so it works equally well as a late dinner spot or as a stop purely for the music.

Address: Şehbender Sokak No. 7, Asmalımescit, Beyoğlu, Istanbul

Sources: Time Out Istanbul, The Populist on Instagram, La Vina on Instagram