Pandeli

Pandeli opened in 1901, founded by Pandeli Çobanoğlu, and is one of Istanbul's best-known historic restaurants. It occupies rooms within the Spice Bazaar building at Eminönü, reached by a staircase at the Balık Pazarı gate, and its dining rooms are lined with turquoise and blue tiles that make it one of the most distinctive places to eat in the old city. Over the decades its guests have included Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Queen Elizabeth II, the writers Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar and Yahya Kemal, and Audrey Hepburn.

After a period of closure the restaurant has reopened, and it is listed as a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Türkiye 2026, a category for good cooking at moderate prices. The menu focuses on classic Istanbul and Ottoman-era dishes, the kind of refined home cooking that once filled the city's older restaurants: meze, olive-oil vegetable dishes, slow-cooked meats and traditional desserts. The full menu is published on the website, so you can look through it in advance and decide whether to focus on meze or main courses.

Pandeli is a restaurant for a proper meal rather than a quick stop. It does not accept guests who only want dessert, tea or coffee, and pets are not allowed. Reservation requests can be made through the form on the website or by contacting the restaurant between 12:00 and 18:00, and a booking is only confirmed once the restaurant sends a confirmation email. For urgent bookings, call.

The restaurant follows the bazaar's calendar, so it closes when the Spice Bazaar closes for major religious holidays. Book ahead in high season, especially for a table by the windows, which look down over the bustle of Eminönü square towards the New Mosque and the Golden Horn. Allow at least an hour and a half for lunch.

Pandeli suits couples, food lovers and anyone wanting a sense of old Istanbul over lunch in the middle of a day in the bazaars. Eminönü tram stop on the T1 line and the ferry piers are right outside. The Spice Bazaar is directly below, the New Mosque and Rüstem Pasha Mosque are a few minutes' walk away, and the Galata Bridge leads across to Karaköy.