Istanbul's heritage restaurants: 16 legendary eateries that tell the city's story

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Istanbul's Heritage Restaurants

The tale of Istanbul's heritage restaurants is, in many ways, the tale of Istanbul itself — living proof of the city's multicultural past and rich history. From provincial migrants who left their villages in search of fortune in the big city, to Russian émigrés who fled the Revolution and made Istanbul their home, the success stories behind these surviving icons recount extraordinary journeys of becoming an Istanbullu. For this list we picked restaurants that are at least half a century old and still feel historic, that have left a deep mark on Istanbul's culinary legacy, and that have kept a sense of continuity — most still operating from their original premises and serving family recipes handed down through the generations.

Pandeli

Around the turn of the century, Pandeli — the son of a Greek shepherd from Niğde — moved to Istanbul and began what became a legendary culinary career. After stints as a dishwasher and a barber's apprentice, he started selling piyaz (bean-and-onion salad) and köfte (meatballs) near the spot where he would later open his namesake restaurant. Having run eateries across Istanbul for half a century, Pandeli set up his current restaurant on the upper floor above the Spice Bazaar entrance — a location granted to him by the state after his previous venue was looted during the 6–7 September pogrom of 1955.

Hardship has always been part of Pandeli's story, and the fabled restaurant shut its doors in 2016 amid financial trouble. Now, thanks to fresh investment, this Istanbul icon has reopened looking better than ever, with Abdullah Sevim — its chef of 20 years — back in the kitchen. Pandeli's hünkar beğendi, slow-cooked lamb over charred eggplant purée, remains unmatched, and the celebrated eggplant pie topped with a sheet of döner kebap is still one of our favourite dishes in the city. Finish with the oven-baked quince drenched in thick syrup and clotted buffalo cream. Pandeli doesn't serve dinner, so drop in for lunch before or after exploring the historic peninsula — it stays open only until 18:30 and serves no alcohol.

Hacı Abdullah

Arguably one of Istanbul's most significant restaurants, Hacı Abdullah dates back to 1888 and was personally licensed by Sultan Abdülhamid II, who tasked founder Abdullah Efendi with hosting visiting foreign dignitaries. As one of the last bastions of Ottoman palace cuisine, Hacı Abdullah has held fast to tradition — and not only in the dishes it serves. The restaurant runs an apprenticeship system in which kitchen and waiting staff train for years before being considered ready, and ownership passes from master to apprentice.

Now run by third-generation owner Abdullah Korun, Hacı Abdullah keeps the flame alive at its Beyoğlu address, which it has occupied since 1958. On a recent snowy winter visit, the brothy okra soup (kuru çiçek bamya çorbası) worked wonders to warm us up. Follow it with keşkekli kebap — wonderfully smoky meat and wheat stew — or the signature kuzu tandır, slow-roasted lamb. Hacı Abdullah is famed for its fruit compotes, and the colourful jars lining the walls include some that are decades old; rest assured, the mixed compote served at your table is prepared fresh that day. Since no alcohol is served and most dishes are cooked in the morning, lunchtime is the ideal time to visit.

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Beyti

In 1945, as the weary war years came to a close, Beyti Güler and his father opened a modest four-table roadside eatery in Küçükçekmece. The fame of their döner kebap spread quickly, and the intimate spot grew into a 200-seat restaurant that had the whole town talking. By the late 1960s it was catering daily for Pan American Airlines, and on his first state visit to Europe President Nixon enjoyed Beyti's döner aboard his private jet. To meet rising demand, Güler moved the restaurant to the upscale residential district of Florya in 1983.

Güler still runs the restaurant and holds the distinction of being the only living person with a kebab dish named after him. Although beyti kebap now appears on menus and at street stalls nationwide, it hardly compares with the original, which is made from a cutlet of lamb wrapped around a loin — while most versions elsewhere use mixed, kneaded meat. The restaurant sits close to Atatürk Airport, so tasting Beyti's beyti on the way to or from a flight is a smart move.

The White Russians — 1924 Istanbul

One of several restaurants opened by White Russians fleeing the Revolution, Rejans drew a colourful clientele over the years, including Mata Hari, Greta Garbo, Atatürk and Agatha Christie — and, if urban legend is to be believed, a handful of spies during the film-noir espionage era of 1940s Istanbul. After an 80-year run on a quiet backstreet off bustling Istiklal, Rejans closed in 2011. Following a four-year hiatus, the team behind 360 Restaurant brought the historic eatery back to life, renaming it 1924 (even though Rejans actually opened in 1932). Picking up where Rejans left off, 1924 blends old and new, honouring its predecessor without living in the past.

Russian classics such as leek pelmeni dumplings, beef stroganoff and chicken Kiev are executed superbly here. The menu also borrows from Eastern European cooking for extra colour, since Russian fare alone might feel a little too rustic for a place like 1924. The dessert section is a clear strength, with delights like the chestnut-cream profiterole. Homemade vodkas make a fine aperitif or digestif — the lemon-infused version is our tipple of choice, while the salmon vodka is strictly for the adventurous. 1924 is worth visiting as much for its historic atmosphere as for its fine food.

Ayaspaşa Rus Lokantası

Opened in 1943 by Russian Boris Kreschsanovsky and his Hungarian wife Madam Judith — affectionately known as "the Countess" — Ayaspaşa Rus Lokantası attracted a different crowd, those who preferred the low-ceilinged intimacy of Ayaspaşa and the Countess's homestyle cooking to the grand, heady atmosphere of Rejans. After Madam Judith passed away, Cemal Ok — who had joined as a young waiter and learned all the original recipes from the Countess herself — took over, and today runs the eatery alongside his son Serkan Ok.

One of the most intriguing dishes on the menu is the veprevo koleno, which must be ordered three days in advance: a juicy pork leg cooked in beer and served with pickled cabbage and mashed potato. The borscht, finished with a dollop of cream, is wonderfully tangy, and starters like Russian salad, fluffy mushroom piroshky pastries and blini with caviar pair beautifully with their signature black-pepper vodka. For the grand finale, try the medovik, a layered honey cake served every day except Friday and Saturday.

Century-old köfte masters

Meşhur Filibe Köftecisi has served its customers for over a century. Founded in 1893 by Mehmet Saltuk, who moved to Istanbul from the Bulgarian town of Filibe (Plovdiv) — hence the name — it's one of Sirkeci's best-loved taste destinations. Filibe's round, plump patties are an ode to simplicity, made daily by hand from just ground beef, onion and cumin. Now in the hands of Saltuk's fifth-generation descendants, the no-frills menu also features piyaz, çoban salatası (a shepherd's salad of tomato and onion) and a delightful revani sponge cake.

While imitators keep sprouting across the city, Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi maintains its popularity and quality from its outpost in the eponymous neighbourhood, now run by the fourth-generation descendants of founder Mehmet Seracettin Efendi. The köfte is every bit as tasty as ever, and the marble tables and creaky stairs still seem to date back to 1920, when the shop opened. Beyond the famous flat, chewy köfte, the menu offers piyaz, lamb skewers, rice, pickled peppers and lentil soup. For a sweet finish, the irmik helvası (semolina dessert) with your post-meal tea or coffee never disappoints.

A stroll along Balat's cobblestoned lanes, past fading Ottoman buildings and a few surviving synagogues and churches — the district was once home to a large Jewish and Greek community — always feels like a journey into the past. Köfteci Arnavut feels equally frozen in time. Opened in 1937, this intimate eatery serves succulent square-shaped meatballs that alone justify a trip to the historic neighbourhood. It's now run by third-generation heir Mine İştay, one of the few women running a business in the area. Having arrived in Balat from Albania in the late 19th century, the İştay family are masters of the milky trileçe dessert so beloved across the Balkans.

Sweet nostalgia

Tray after tray of baklava — the world-famous lozenge-shaped sugar bomb — will have you salivating the moment you step into Karaköy Güllüoğlu, run by a family who have been in the baklava trade since the 1800s. A pit stop here while waiting for the ferry at nearby Karaköy Pier is something of a rite of passage. Open until midnight, Karaköy Güllüoğlu offers original flavours like chocolate, and its sugar-free "diabak" suits diabetics.

Just steps from the Spice Bazaar's east entrance stands the iconic shop of Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, purveyors of the finest Turkish coffee since 1871. Staff in brown overalls dispense packets of freshly roasted beans, the aroma drifting through the backstreets.

The legendary İnci Pastanesi opened on Istiklal in 1944, quickly winning fame for its profiteroles and classic interior. In 2012, the gentrification that pushed out almost all of Istiklal's original small businesses also forced İnci to relocate to a nearby backstreet, leaving its home of nearly seven decades. Though the new setting isn't quite the same, the taste of İnci's heavenly profiteroles hasn't changed one bit. Open until midnight, it's a common ritual for diners in Beyoğlu to skip dessert and head straight here.

In 1919, a 16-year-old Philip Lenas left his home in Greece's Epirus mountains for Istanbul, taking a job at one of the country's first chocolate factories. Four years later he opened his own patisserie in Beyoğlu, soon frequented by the literary figures now collectively known as the "Baylan bunch". The oldest surviving patisserie in Istanbul, Baylan runs its main branch in Kadıköy and a newly opened brasserie in Bebek. Alongside a vast array of sweets, Baylan is renowned for its signature ice-cream dessert kup griye, crowned with whipped cream, honey-almond and caramel sauce.

The classic candy shop Altan Şekerleme is a blast from the past, stocked with age-old sweets that are hard to find in today's Istanbul. Plenty of poor imitations of the rock candy akide circulate in the city, but Altan Şekerleme makes the real thing. Open since 1865 and still in the same family's hands, it's a living relic in a fast-changing city.

Brewing fermented magic since 1876, Vefa has become synonymous with boza, the malt drink traditionally enjoyed in winter. Its historic Fatih shop is one of the few places in town where you can sit down and savour a glass of thick boza topped with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas.

While the French were busy with their revolution, Hacı Bekir was crafting lokum (Turkish delight) in his Eminönü shop. Opened in 1777, Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir still occupies the same building and continues to make the finest lokum money can buy — try the double-roasted pistachio for a taste of heaven.

In business since 1904 at its current waterside location in Bebek, Meşhur Bebek Badem Ezmesi is a family-run confectioner famed for its scrumptious badem ezmesi (marzipan) — the best in Istanbul, we'd wager.