Best Michelin-Starred Restaurants in Istanbul
Our guide counts 8 Michelin-starred restaurants in Istanbul and 9 Michelin stars in total, and all of them are on this list. Turk Fatih Tutak in Cumhuriyet holds two Michelin stars. Mikla in Asmali Mescit and Nicole in Tomtom hold the list's most recent star awards. Neolokal in Arap Cami, Sankai by Nagaya in Binbirdirek, Arkestra in Etiler, Araka in Yenikoy and Casa Lavanda in Ulupelit, Şile complete the list.
The cooking runs through tasting menus in several cuisines. Arkestra in Etiler cooks modern European food with global influences, as a tasting menu, a la carte and small plates. Araka in Yenikoy is vegetable-forward modern Turkish, with a tasting menu and an a la carte menu. Sankai by Nagaya in Binbirdirek serves omakase and kaiseki with a sake program. Casa Lavanda in Ulupelit, Şile cooks modern Mediterranean food from a biodynamic farm and keeps a 300-label wine list.
How this list is chosen: Restaurants holding Michelin stars, listed alphabetically. Updated October 8, 2026.
Araka
1 Michelin star
In Yeniköy on Istanbul's upper Bosphorus shore, Araka operates at the intersection of creative cooking and seasonal Turkish produce. Chef Zeynep Pınar Taşdemir's vegetable-forward menu draws Michelin recognition for its balance of spice, acidity, and regional ingredients. At the ₺₺ price point, it sits well below Istanbul's Michelin-starred fine dining tier while occupying serious creative ground.
Arkestra
1 Michelin star
Arkestra holds a Michelin star (2024) in Etiler's villa-dining tier, where chef Cenk Debensason runs a fusion menu shaped by French training and American experience. The 1960s villa setting includes a dedicated Listening Room upstairs and Ritmo, a separate mezze space in the same building. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 6 PM, closed Sunday and Monday.
Casa Lavanda
1 Michelin star · Deep wine list
Casa Lavanda holds a Michelin star and sits roughly 40 kilometres from central Istanbul in the coastal town of Şile, attached to a family-run hotel whose garden supplies 80 percent of the kitchen's vegetables. Chef Emre Şen draws on Turkish culinary tradition and Italian technique, pairing a 300-label wine list with terrace tables overlooking a working kitchen garden. It is one of the few starred restaurants operating well outside the city's Bosphorus corridor.
Mikla
1 Michelin star · Deep wine list
On the 18th floor of the Marmara Pera, Mikla has spent two decades refining what New Anatolian Cuisine means in practice: producers from across Turkey, technique shaped by Nordic discipline, and a Michelin star earned in 2024. The 360-degree rooftop view over Beyoğlu and the Bosphorus is the backdrop, but it is the cooking that keeps the reservation list full.
Neolokal
1 Michelin star
Neolokal elevates traditional Anatolian cuisine to Michelin-starred heights within Istanbul's historic SALT Galata, where Chef Maksut Aşkar transforms forgotten Ottoman recipes into contemporary masterpieces. This sustainability-focused restaurant offers far-reaching Golden Horn views alongside innovative tasting menus that preserve Turkey's culinary heritage through modern techniques.
Nicole
1 Michelin star
A Michelin-starred address in Beyoğlu's historic Tomtom quarter, Nicole occupies a former Franciscan convent and ranks #378 among Europe's top restaurants according to Opinionated About Dining (2025). Chef Aylin Yazicioglu works through the full breadth of Turkey's regional larder, presenting dishes built on sourced terroir and traditional technique. The rooftop setting, with views across the old city, makes it one of Istanbul's clearest choices for a milestone meal.
Sankai by Nagaya
1 Michelin star
Yoshizumi Nagaya's Istanbul outpost brings his Düsseldorf-honed precision to a Bosphorus-facing room in Bebek, earning a Michelin star in 2024. The kitchen positions Japanese technique against locally sourced Bosphorus fish and European preparation methods, with sushi cut and formed by Hiroko Shibata. A free luxury shuttle connects guests to this dinner-only address on Cevdet Paşa Caddesi.
Turk Fatih Tutak
2 Michelin stars · Deep wine list
Istanbul's most decorated modern Turkish restaurant, Turk Fatih Tutak holds two Michelin stars and ranked 66th on the World's 50 Best list in 2023. Operating from a Şişli address with dinner service running Tuesday through Saturday, the restaurant represents a specific strand of contemporary Turkish cooking, technically rigorous, referentially deep, and positioned within a small peer group of fine-dining addresses redefining what the cuisine can do on a global stage.
Planning Michelin-starred restaurants in Istanbul
- How many Michelin-starred restaurants does this list include?
- This list matches the citywide count: 8 Michelin-starred restaurants and 9 Michelin stars in total. They are Turk Fatih Tutak in Cumhuriyet, Neolokal in Arap Cami, Mikla in Asmali Mescit, Nicole in Tomtom, Sankai by Nagaya in Binbirdirek, Arkestra in Etiler, Araka in Yenikoy and Casa Lavanda in Ulupelit, Şile.
- Which starred restaurants have exceptional wine programs?
- Turk Fatih Tutak, Mikla and Casa Lavanda are the restaurants on this list with exceptional wine programs. Turk Fatih Tutak in Cumhuriyet pairs that program with an extensive list and a tasting menu. Mikla in Asmali Mescit is sommelier-led, with tasting-menu, a la carte and prix fixe service. Casa Lavanda in Ulupelit, Şile has a 300-label wine list and a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.
- Which neighborhoods are the starred restaurants in?
- Each starred restaurant is in a different neighborhood: Cumhuriyet, Arap Cami, Asmali Mescit, Tomtom, Binbirdirek, Etiler, Yenikoy and Ulupelit, Şile. Turk Fatih Tutak is in Cumhuriyet, Neolokal in Arap Cami, Mikla in Asmali Mescit and Nicole in Tomtom. Sankai by Nagaya is in Binbirdirek, Arkestra in Etiler, Araka in Yenikoy and Casa Lavanda in Ulupelit, Şile.
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