8 Best Restaurants in Sultanahmet, Istanbul

Popular with locals and visitors alike, Giritli offers a prix-fixe multicourse dinner menu of well-prepared Cretan specialties that includes unlimited local alcoholic drinks (wine or rakı). At least 15 different cold meze—such as sea bass ceviche, herb-covered cubes of feta cheese with walnuts and olives, and various uncommon wild greens—are followed by hot starters like fried calamari in olive oil; the main course is a choice among several grilled fish, followed by dessert.

Doy-doy serves a fairly standard array of kebabs and pide—a type of Turkish pizza baked in a wood-burning oven—with different toppings, but at lunchtime, local workers come for the cheap daily specials, such as meat-and-vegetable stew or baked beans (displayed on the steam table to the left of the entrance). The two-level rooftop terrace, open in summer, has fine views of the area, but don't expect to savor them with a drink in hand, as no alcohol is served.

One of Sultanahmet's most outstanding restaurants emphasizes the Arab- and Kurdish-influenced cuisine of southeastern Turkey, including meze like hummus, muhammara (hot pepper and walnut spread), and thyme salad, as well as tasty kebabs like the lamb shish. One of the interesting non-kebab main dishes on offer is the chicken stew, which has chunks of meat in a thick sauce of onions, mushrooms, and sweet pumpkin.

This restored late-19th-century house with small, sun-dappled dining rooms, cozy furniture, and creaky wooden floors is a delightful refuge in the midst of the busy Sultanahmet neighborhood. The vast menu features a variety of kebabs and other Turkish specialties, as well as salads, pasta dishes, steaks, schnitzel, and other international fare.

This tucked-away lunch spot specializes in one dish: the horizontal slow-roasted cağ kebap with layers of lamb meat and fat cooked slowly in rotation over a flame.

There are no obsequious waiters at Sultanahmet Fish House and no fancy dress code—just a friendly, cozy atmosphere with well-prepared seafood, including sardines, octopus, fish dishes such as mackerel in olive oil, and a few kebabs. The preparations go beyond the standard grilling and frying: sea bass with saffron, cooked in a terra-cotta casserole, is a particular standout.

Just a short walk from the area's major tourist attractions, Tarihi Çeşme is a rare find in Sultanahmet, offering good food at very reasonable prices, genuinely friendly service, and a congenial atmosphere that appeals to both visitors and locals. The menu includes a fairly typical range of meze and kebabs, as well as pide, or flatbread baked with different toppings—the Turkish version of pizza.