5.Kat (Beşinci Kat) was Istanbul’s first rooftop cafe, bar and restaurant, hence trendsetter of the genre. Kat is Turkish for floor, and beş means five.
You guessed it correct; this popular venue is located on the fifth floor of a building in the backstreets of Cihangir, offering excellent food and beverages in an elegant setting with breathtaking views of both the Bosphorus and Sultanahmet alike.

5.Kat Cafe Bar Restaurant (Beşinci Kat)
Location
Soğancı Sokak 3, Kat.5, Cihangir – Beyoğlu
on Map with My Favorite Cafés and Pubs in the Modern Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 293 37 74
Open
Daily from 10:00 till 02:00. Fri-Sat until 03:00
Credit cards are accepted.
Make reservations if you want good seating arrangements.

Interior and Location

5.Kat was founded by the famous red-haired actress Yasemin Alkaya, who still keeps a close eye on things and is often spotted on the premises. The easiest way to get to 5.kat is to walk down Sıraselviler Caddesi from Taksim Square. After about 10 minutes you’ll pass the German hospital (Alman Hastanesi), after which you take the first street left. After 50 meters you should spot the 5.Kat angel logo at street level (see picture). Locate the small elevator inside the building and press five.

This excellent bar and restaurant actually consists of two floors: a covered fifth floor with full-length windows on one side, and one up the actual rooftop which is used during summer. Both interiors are strikingly decorated with deep red walls and velvet furnishing as well as plenty of candles. The breathtaking views (see 5.Kat picture gallery) are the same on both floors, but having the sea breeze bring some cool on hot summer nights offers that nice extra touch.

On the Menu

5.Kat rooftop terrace and bar.

Every day 5.Kat starts out as a cozy cafe where you can enjoy brunch or snacks and light drinks. Around the time the sun starts setting, tables are set and candles lit for dinner while the bartender serves aperitifs. Starting 22:00 the DJ, playing anything from Abba to Zappa, cranks up the music and the venue transforms into a bar and nightclub.

Beşinci Kat offers samples of the world’s kitchen with tasteful pasta, meat, chicken and seafood dishes. Prices range from TL 20 to 40. Accompanying drinks range from TL 8 (beers & local spirits) to TL 15 and above for cocktails, imported wines and spirits.

Special Events

5.Kat rooftop terrace.

On Saturday and Sunday you can enjoy a buffet brunch (TL 30) between 11:00 and 15:00 including fresh fruit juices, daily prepared home-made rolls, cookies and pies as well as delicious meals in olive oil.

Every month 5.Kat also organizes some special nights. Among the most popular events are ‘What they eat, drink and listen to’ where famous guests elaborates on his or her habits, and ‘Singles nights’ when no couples are allowed.

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In the days that the Orient Express still rolled into Istanbul, the Flower Passage (Çiçek Pasajı) was the most glamorous address on Istiklal Caddesi – or the whole Beyoğlu district for that matter. You can find it almost halfway Istiklal Caddesi, marked on Map with Tourist Attractions in the Modern Part of Istanbul
These days unfortunately have long gone. The theatre as well as the stylish shops and flats have been replaced by mediocre restaurants. Luckily its extraordinary architecture remains largely intact, making a small visit to the Flower Passage worthwhile.

Istanbul’s Most Important Cultural Center

The land of the Flower Passage was originally occupied by the famous Naum Theatre. Mihail Naum, the owner and administrator of the Naum Theatre, bought the building of Bosco Theatre. After small renovations the Théatre de Péra was opened in 1844. Lucrezia Borgia was the first opera that was staged.

The wood theatre building had to be rebuilt after a big fire and opened in 1849 as Théatre Italien Naum. Sultan Abdülhamid II and Sultan Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire attended several operas that were hosted there. Even before it was staged in Paris, Giuseppe Verdi’s famous opera II Trovatore was staged in this theatre which had become one of the most important cultural centers of Istanbul and Europe.

From Theatre to Flower Shops

Due to the great fire of Pera in 1870, the Naum Theatre collapsed. A Greek banker Hristaki Zargos bought the land and built a shopping arcade with flats designed by an Italian architect Cleanthy Zanno. There were 24 shops and 18 luxurious flats. The shopping arcade was called Hristaki Pasajı and the whole building was called Cité de Pera.

In the first years of the passage there were various shops, among which Acemyan’s tobacco shop, Maison Parret and Vallaury’s patisserie, Pandelis’s flower shop, Schumaher’s bakery, Keserciyan’s tailor shop, Yorgo’s tavern and Sideris’s fur shop.

In 1908 the building was bought by the Ottoman Grand Vizier Sait Paşa and it became known as the Sait Paşa Passage. After the 1917 Revolution of Russia, many noble Russian women, including baronesses, came to Istanbul and opened flower shops in Cité de Pera. Because of the presence of all those flower shops, the place became a flower auction place as well. Today people still refer to the arcade as the Çiçek Pasajı.

Çiçek Pasajı Today

Starting from the 1940s more and more pubs, wine houses and taverns opened their doors in the Çiçek Pasajı, which gradually made the florists and residents of the flats move out. Only the name of the passage survived.

The building underwent a major renovation in 1988 and re-opened with its restaurants, taverns and pubs. In 2005 the roof and all the other visual parts were restored. Today, with its brilliant architecture, the Flower Passage is still one of the most stylish buildings of Beyoğlu. According to a recent poll, the Flower Passage is the first thing that comes to ones mind when they think of Beyoğlu.

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The lively Nevizade Street (Nevizade Sokak) in Beyoğlu, located in the modern part of Istanbul, is where the party’s at, on any night of the week, winter or summer. A trip to Istanbul simply is not complete without having tasted the mezes (cold starters) in one of the many meyhanes (taverns), or having enjoyed a beer on the terraces of the various pubs.

The Most Atmospheric Eating Spot in Town

Nevizade is a small street parallel to Istiklal Caddesi, located behind the historical Flower Passage (Çiçek Pasajı) and easily accessible via the Fish Bazaar (Balık Pazarı). Marked with on the Map with Tourist Attractions in the Modern Part of Istanbul. While Nevizade is the name of the main street, it actually refers to whole nightlife area, including the maze of small streets connecting to it.

If Nevizade is not the most famous eating and drinking area of Istanbul, then it certainly is the liveliest. On any given night the streets are packed with people, young and old. All with the same goal – having a good time out while enjoying mezes or other small dishes, accompanied by alcoholic beverages – being it rakı, beer or wine.

Any Meyhane in Nevizade Will Do

As soon as you enter the Nevizade Street, waiters will try to convince you to pick their restaurant. Food wise you can’t go wrong in any of them. Just walk up and down the street first, and pick the one which offers you the most attractive table. Personally, I’m a regular of the Nevizade Restaurant.

In the meyhanes, musicians playing fasıl (mostly classical Turkish) music wander from table to table. Be aware though that it’s considered rude to have them play a few songs without tipping them (TL 10-15). So make sure to kindly decline their offer as soon as they approach your table if you’re not a big fan of the genre.

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A month ago, Midpoint Café & Restaurant opened up its eighth branch. In Taksim of all places, the heart of the modern part of Istanbul. And not just somewhere in Taksim! It’s located right in the middle of the busy Istiklal Caddesi shopping street.

Midpoint (Midpoint)
Location
Tom Tom Mah., İstiklal Caddesi 187, Beyoğlu
on Map with My Favorite Cafés and Pubs in the Modern Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 245 70 40 – 41
Open
Daily till past midnight.
Credit cards are accepted.
Make reservations if you want good seating arrangements.

Two Seasons, Two Views

The café and restaurant is designed to please you no matter the season. For the colder days they have a spacious covered area consisting of a nice mix of wood and glass, with giant windows facing İstiklal Caddesi from where you can watch the Istanbul people mix stroll by. Noteworthy is the fact that if the weather permits, these windows can be opened completely.
From spring to winter however, there is the roof terrace. Not a high-rise one, but still enough to provide you with a nice glimpse of Kadıköy on the Asian side, Topkapi Palace, the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, and the entrance to the Golden Horn.

I was lucky. Not only did the mild November weather allow me to sit outside, arriving at 18:00 without reservation proved to be just in time. By 18:30 there was not a single table left on their rather big terrace. Sure, they could have stuffed some more tables on it, but apparently the people at Midpoint understood that sitting like sardines in a can is not good practice. No matter how comfortable the chairs are. Bottom line: since you’re most likely to arrive a bit after six in the evening, make reservations.

Excellent Food and Service

With the sun setting, the candles being lit and nice background music putting me in the right mood, I ordered the Chicken Quesadella (TL 13,5). A very tasty tortilla filled with a sautéed hot pepper mix, chicken pieces, yellow cheese and served with French fries, Mediterranean greens and a salsa sauce.
A tough but excellent choice out of their very varied menu with starters (TL 12-15), salads (TL 13-17,5), sandwiches , burgers, quesadillas, wraps (tortilla) and burgers (TL 12-15), pastas (TL 12,5-15,5), 12 chicken dishes (TL 16-17) and over 15 meat dishes (TL 19-21). I wouldn’t recommend the place if you’re a fish connoisseur, with only 5 fish plates on the menu, each TL 20.
During the weekdays and until noon you can have a breakfast plate for TL 17,5 but in the weekend you have two hours extra to order. Drinks are all reasonable priced between TL 8-9.

Exactly Midpoint

You can’t pick a better location to open up a café or restaurant called Midpoint. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to find the place. Coming form Taksim Square, you walk down towards Tünel and pass Çiçek Pasajı, Balık Pasajı, Galatasaray Lisesi until you reach Oda Kule on your right. You can’t miss really; it’s one of the oldest and now ugliest ‘high-rise’ office buildings in Istanbul, with a small shopping arcade underneath it.
Right across from it, on your left, you’ll see yet another shopping arcade – İstiklal Caddesi has plenty of them – and the entrance to Midpoint right next to it. Enter the building and take the stairs (no elevator!) to the first floor.

If the small flight of stairs didn’t make you breathless, the stylish room will. From the outside you would never give it a worthy look, but they really outdid themselves in renovating this previously shaggy ‘beer garden’.

In the future I think we’ll see people meet more and more in Midpoint instead of standing in front of the Galatasaray Lisesi gates.

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Leb-i Derya is one of the first rooftop bars and restaurants – 5. Kat was the pioneer – and still ranks among my favorite establishments in Istanbul. It’s simply hard to beat its marvelous views over Istanbul.
In 2007 they opened up their second branch on the sixth floor of the Richmond hotel, but I’ll stick to the original one here.

Leb-i Derya (Leb-i Derya)
Location
Kumbaracı Yokuşu 57/6, Tünel – Beyoğlu
on Map with My Favorite Cafés and Pubs in the Modern Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 293 49 89
Open
Daily till past midnight.
Credit cards are accepted.
Make reservations if you want good seating arrangements.

The Challenge

Finding Leb-i Derya may proof a bit difficult, since it’s located in a tiny side street of the famous Istiklal Caddesi. Coming from Taksim square, walk almost 75% of Istiklal Caddesi towards Tünel and try to locate a small side street on your left called Kumbaracı Yokuşu.

Once you find the street, walk down the (fairly steep) slope for about 150 meters and look for Leb-i Derya’s logo (see picture) on one of the house at your right. Enter the building and climb the stairs to the first floor, after which you’ll take the elevator to the sixth floor. From there you take one more flight of stairs.

The Reward

Is it worth all the trouble? Without a doubt! The mix of wood, glass, soft lighting, nice background music and friendly staff makes it one of the most fabulous establishments in the district. Fabulous, not in the least because of the views it has to offer.

Therefore, try to get a seat on the small terrace to enjoy the full flavor, preferably around dusk. There’s nothing that can beat sipping from your favorite aperitif while gazing at the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, the nicely lit monuments of Sultanahmet or all the way to Kadıköy on the Asian side.

Leb-i Derya may not offer the cheapest drinks in the city, but is certainly one of the most stylish ways to have them. And keep in mind before ordering another one, there is still that slope on the way back.

From what I heard, Leb-i Derya also has an excellent kitchen, but I unfortunately can’t vouch for that.

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If you want to enjoy a typical Turkish dinner consisting of mezes (Turkish starters) accompanied by one or more glasses of rakı (Turkish national anise-flavored spirit), then head for one of the meyhanes (casual restaurant) in Nevizade Sokak. And although you really can’t go wrong with any of the eateries there, my favorite is the meyhane with the same name: Nevizade Restaurant.

Nevizade (Nevizade Restoran)
Location
Nevizade Sokak No: 12, Beyoğlu
on Map with My Favorite Restaurants in the Modern Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 521 16 34
Open
Daily till past midnight.
Credit cards are accepted.
Make reservations if you want good seating arrangements.

Seating Arrangement

Once you reached the Nevizade restaurant and resisted the tempting offers made by the other restaurant owners in the busy Nevizade Sokak, you have two options: either ask for a table on the first floor (preferably by the window or on the small terrace) or on the rooftop terrace when the weather is hot enough.

Whatever you do, don’t sit at the ground level since it may get too noisy and/or busy.

Mezes and Rakı

As soon as you sit down, the waiter will come to take your order while showing a huge plate with over 30 mezes. Don’t worry, the ones on the plate are just for display purposes, yours will be freshly made. Each of those mezes (cold starters) cost around TL 5, except for some of the fish dishes. Mostly not on that plate but highly recommended are a portion of white cheese and patçanga böreği, a hot starter consisting of melted cheese and pastırma (dried and smoked meat).

The idea is that each person picks one or two of his or her favorite mezes, which will later be put in the middle of table for sharing. Mezes come with flat bread (pide) and are usually washed down with rakı and water, but you are of course free to order a glass of wine or a beer.

Main Course or Not?

The waiter won’t ask you to order a main course yet. It’s not uncommon to skip the main course and just stick to the mezes, certainly if you intentionally or accidently ordered a few too many. If you do still have a healthy appetite after the starters, you can choose from an assortment of grilled fish or meat dishes.

As a starter I usually go for: beyaz peynir (white cheese), patçanga böreği (melted cheese roll), kavun (melon), soslu patlıcan salatası (eggplant salad in tomato sauce) and yaprak dolma (stuffed wine leaves). If I take a main course, I usually take the karışık et ızgara (a plate of mixed grilled meat).

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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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If you’re a carnivore, you should at least eat once in The Hamdi Restaurant (Hamdi Et Lokantası). Located on Eminönü Square, close to the New Mosque (Yeni Camii) and more or less next to the Spice Bazaar, this restaurant has turned grilling meat into an art. Combined with a panoramic view of the Golden Horn, it’s an opportunity you simply can’t afford to miss.

Hamdi Restaurant (Hamdi Et Locantası)
Location
Tahmis Caddesi Kalçın Sokak, Eminönü
on Map with My Favorite Restaurants in the Historical Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 528 03 90 / +90 212 512 54 24
Open
Daily till midnight.
Credit cards are accepted.

What started out as a one-man show by Hamdi Arpacı himself after moving from Urfa to Istanbul in 1960, grew into one of the locals’ favorite restaurants.

Besides the obligatory and delicious mezes and an assortment of hot starters, the Hamdi Restaurant offers nothing but meat dishes. You can choose from twelve different kebap dishes, grilled to perfection on the charcoal fire (mangal). A glass of cool rakı is the obvious choice to go along with it, but there are of course plenty of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available.

The Best Spot in the House

Since the place is so immensely popular, despite the fact that it consists of 5 floors with a total capacity of 500 people, you should make reservations.

If the weather is hot, try to get a table on their small terrace. These seats are just priceless. But even if those are no longer available, there is no need to panic. The entire top floor offers a great panoramic view over the Golden Horn and is especially during summer very enjoyable with the windows opened completely. And even if they can’t fit you in there, you can still opt for a table in the Oriental saloon, reflecting the south-east culture.

Starters are TL 5-10, main course TL 13-18.

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It is custom to tip in Turkey. In the majority of Istanbul’s bars and restaurants, service is not included. But tipping is not only expected for table services. So, for what services are tips expected, and how much?
On the other hand, the value-added tax (VAT) is always included in the prices displayed. But as a tourist, you can benefit form Tax Free shopping in over 2.000 retail outlets.

Tipping

In places where service is not included, it is custom to tip for the table services you received. And even in the handful of places where service is included (look for the words servis dahil), just as on mainland Europe the waiters will expect you to tip on top of that.

The rule of thumb is to leave a tip worth 10% of the bill in restaurants, cafés and bars. Bills are always brought to your table on a plate, in a box or in some kind of booklet. Although you can pay the bill with your credit card in 99% of the places, adding an amount to the original bill before paying with your credit card is not (yet) possible. Be prepared to have some cash money on you for tipping.

But restaurants, cafés and bars are not the only places where tips are expected. It is also custom to tip hotel staff, porters, hairdressers and musicians. The amount is at your discretion, but the norm is TL 2 per person. Hamam attendants however expect 25% of the bill. Tipping taxi drivers is not custom, unless he helped you load the luggage.

Tax Free Shopping

On every purchase you make in Turkey, a value-added tax (KDV) of 8 or 18% is included in the price. As a tourist, you can claim that tax back and retrieve a refund of up to 12,5 % of the purchase price. There are however a few rules:

1. you must reside outside of Turkey
2. you must spend TL 100 + VAT or more in one shop in one day
3. the goods need to be exported within three months following the month of purchase
4. you must buy the goods in Tax Free affiliated stores (look for the Tax Free logo)
5. you must ask the shop owner to prepare the Global Refund Cheque when paying for your goods

How to retrieve your money?

Customs Office in the Atatürk International Airport of Istanbul.

Regardless of how you travel back home, you have to locate the Customs Officers. You need to show the custom officials your purchases, Global Refund Cheques, receipts and passport after which they will stamp your Global Refund Cheque.

If you travel by plane, you have to do this before all check-in formalities or have your goods as hand luggage. At the Atatürk International Airport, the customs office (see picture) is located across the hall on the far right side upon entering.

Once you have your stamped Global Refund Cheque, you can retrieve your money in any Cash Refund Office in the world. The one at the Atatürk International Airport is located inside the tax-free zone and is open 24 hours a day.

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This may seem like a strange restaurant tip. Sultanahmet Köftecisi is a place that doesn’t have a real menu, obviously doesn’t care too much about its interior design, doesn’t serve alcoholic beverages, has no starters and only one dessert, expects you to vacate your table in less than 30 minutes, yet is a must-have-done experience even the locals queue for.

Sultanahmet Köftecisi
Location
Divanyolu Caddesi 12A, Sultanahmet (the main street with the tramway)
on Map with My Favorite Restaurants in the Historical Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 513 14 38
Open
Daily from 9 a.m. till 11 p.m.
Credit cards are accepted.

Sultanahmet Köftecisi is the ideal place for a quick and tasteful lunch. The restaurant is famous for its delicious meatballs (köfte) and has been an institution in Sultanahmet since 1920. The place is crowded with locals grabbing a quick and cheap lunch. Beware though, there are many restaurants carrying the same name in the area, so make sure you enter the original.

This no-frills restaurant only serves meatballs (köfte) and shish kebab of lamb (kuzu şiş kebap). They are served with bread. If you prefer a side dish, you can choose between rice (pilav), a season salad (mevsim salatası) or a mixed salad with beans (piyaz).

Unless you’re really not into meatballs, I would highly recommend the köfte. You can season it with crushed dried pepper (pul biber) which you’ll find on the table. Go easy though, they can be very hot! A refreshing glass of cool buttermilk (ayran) goes very well with it, but you can of course also order a coke, mineral water (kapalı şişe su) or soda (maden suyu).

Enjoy your meal.

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