Hello,
Heading to Istanbul soon and will be in need of some good dining spots with a solid wine list. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Search the travel forum. Lots of information there.
a Greek in Turkey ?
Turkish wine isn’t bad at all . I always try the local wines when traveling and I was really surprised how good the top ones were ( but expensive ) .
Try the 4-Seasons in the old city .
Ciya
Ciragan Palace Kempinski, restaurant named Tugra. Wine other than Turkish is costly.
I highly recommend the restaurant run by Corvus, one of Turkey’s best wineries, in the Ortaköy neighborhood. The food is very good. They offer all the winery’s wines. Though new government restrictions technically bar them from offering tastes, they were good about letting us taste before ordering full glasses. I found the wines from international grapes well made but sort of generic. The wines from indigenous grapes were less heavily oaked and the best of them, particularly the whites, had a lot of character. The passito was excellent, too.
I haven’t eaten or drunk there, but the Hotel Marmara on Taksim Square has a lot of high-end Turkish wines displayed at the entrance to its bar-restaurant off the main lobby. Just steer clear of the riot police. You’ll see their buses around the square and in the side streets off the Istiklal the great pedestrian street running off Taksim Square.
At the other end of the scale, if you’re looking for something simple, the kebabs (kebops in Turkish) at Canim Cigerim near the Tünel Metro station are extraordinary. The meat comes hot on skewers and you roll it up with the fixings of your choice (greens, onions, peppers). Nothing could be fresher. Really memorable. No alcohol served.
Avoid the Rouge wine bar near Taksim. Terrible, industrial wines by the glass and the food was mediocre.
Follow your nose and its impossible to eat badly. Check out the Greek seafood place just inside the spice market. Begins with P. Only open at lunch. One of the best food cities in the world.
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I have enjoyed an authentic Kebab at Hamdis near Spice Bazar. A bit touristy but great view and great Baklava.
Beautiful views of the Bosphorus from Ciragen Palace.
This.
Thanks everyone! I am really looking forward to it (yes, even as a Greek).
I know that good food won’t be too hard to find. It’s the wine that has me a bit worried.
best food we had in Istanbul. Beautiful room and view.
Ditto, with emphasis.
Gorgeous rooms and views. Pictures don’t even do it justice.
Indeed. You will find many simpler establishments don’t serve alcohol. Also, several years ago the local government outlawed drinking at outdoor tables in the Taksim/Istiklal area. You won’t find any drinks served in government-owned restaurants, either, like the large, lovely outdoor cafe at the ferry dock in Kabatas, down the hill from Taksim.
This summer the national government banned advertising for alcoholic beverages. Trying to find the Corvus restaurant I cited above was a challenge because the winery had had to shut its website because of the new law. At the restaurant they said that, under that law, offering sips before a customer orders may be considered prohibited advertising/promotion. Erdogan is really dragging the country backward, on this and many fronts.
This thread is quite comical to me. Before reading the replies, I quickly went to look up one of my all-time favorite dining experiences, Tuğra Restaurant & Lounge at the Ciragan Palace (also one of my all-time great lodging experiences in season). Low and behold no fewer than six people have recommended “my” choice.
Needless to say go here and enjoy. I chose Turkish wines to change things up from the typical dining experience and was greatly impressed with the selections after conversations with our server.
I’m jealous just thinking about my visit.
Cheers!
Thanks again everyone. Tonight, we went to Mikla, which is on the top floor of Hotel Marmara. It was a great experience. The food was fantastic. They had a nice list, with things like Heitz MV, Ridge MB, Haut Brion, Figeac, and lots more of similar caliber. Those wines were ridiculously expensive, but the local wine list was both extensive and quite reasonably priced. We decided to try a pairing flight and we were not disappointed. What a great way to sample Turkish wines. Two of the highlights were a sparkling wine from Ankara called Yarasin and, believe it or not, a Chardonnay (called Plato).
Going to Ciya tonight!
what is comical? I think I am the only one who mentioned the restaurant as being great, not six people. The view, not the food, was noted by others.
The Turkish wines were good, but the meal was awesome.
Whatever you do don’t just go to fancy places in fancy hotels, go down to the riverside restaurants and pick whichever has the most interesting fish to you on display, notice the y’all’s how the gills, how many restaurants in the US or UK could do that…
Russell, I found it! It’s called Pandelis and we had a lovely lunch there. Thanks!