Restaurant
Turk Fatih Tutak
Chef Fatih Tutak's Bomonti tasting-menu restaurant, holding two Michelin stars and a Green Star, reworking Turkish culinary traditions with modern technique.
Karaköy Lokantası
A family-run Karaköy lokanta serving home-style casseroles at lunch and meze with rakı in the evening, listed as a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
At a glance
- Type
- Esnaf lokanta and meyhane
- Area
- Karaköy, Istanbul, Türkiye
- Price
- $$ · Mid-range
- Official site
- karakoylokantasi.com
Good to know
- Lunch and dinner
- Bib Gourmand
Why we recommend it
Family-run since 2000, Karaköy Lokantası has a split personality. At lunch it follows the esnaf lokantası tradition, feeding local workers with traditional recipes and casserole dishes from the kitchen; in the evening the lights go down and it turns into a meyhane, with cold and hot mezes designed to be shared over rakı. Its tiled dining room keeps the feel of an old neighbourhood eatery.
It is listed as a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 Michelin guide. Lunch runs Monday to Saturday, and dinner is served every evening, so book for dinner at weekends. It sits on the main road behind the Karaköy ferry terminal, convenient after Istanbul Modern.
Karaköy Lokantası FAQs
What are the opening hours?
Lunch is served Monday to Saturday from 12:00 to 16:00; dinner runs Monday to Saturday from 17:30 to midnight and on Sunday from 16:00 to midnight.
Is it a meyhane?
In the evening, yes — dinner is a traditional tavern-style meal of mezes with rakı, while lunch is home-style lokanta cooking.