Rumeli Café and Mozaik are two restaurants in Sultanahmet, located in the historical part of Istanbul, that stand out of the crowd for several reasons. First of all they don’t (falsely) promise you a terrace with a supposedly great view, but instead offer a nice, relaxing atmosphere. And most importantly, they both offer a wide variety of excellent food.

Rumeli Café Restaurant
Location
Divanyolu Caddesi, Ticarethane Sokak 8, Sultanahmet (first real right sidestreet of the main street with the tram when coming from Sultanahmet Square)
on Map with My Favorite Restaurants in the Historical Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 512 00 08
Open
Every day.
Credit cards are accepted.

Mozaik Restaurant
Location
Divanyolu Caddesi, İncirli Çavuş Sokak 1, Sultanahmet (first real right sidestreet of the main street with the tram when coming from Sultanahmet Square)
on Map with My Favorite Restaurants in the Historical Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 512 41 77
Open
Every day.
Credit cards are accepted.

Another quite unique aspect is that both restaurants not only share the same terrace on the small cobblestone street, they also share the same kitchen. Yet, they manage to prepare different meals.

Mozaik

The Mozaik resturant in Sultanahmet

The Mozaik restaurant, with its three floors and a basement, is housed in a nicely renovated Ottoman house. As much as possible of the original was preserved, hence the rather small rooms with plenty of tables for two, wooden floors and creaking stairs.
The perfect setting for a candlelit tête-à-tête dinner. The cuisine is mainly Turkish and international.

Rumeli Café

The Rumeli Café restaurant in Sultanahmet

Rumeli Café, consisting of 2 floors, is housed in an old printing factory. Just as the Mozaik restaurant, it offers a rustic atmosphere with its exposed bricks walls and wooden floor. A big magnet in wintertime is their open fireplace. The Rumeli Café serves Ottoman food, but with a Mediterranean twist.

At both restaurants, starters are TL 5-16, main courses TL 15-25. Since I couldn’t decide between both, I sat on their shared terrace and had a rocket salad with Parmesan from Mozaik, followed by the Marmara a la Rosto (roasted beef) from Rumeli. I can recommend both. Don’t go if pressed for time, since preparing the dishes takes a while.

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