The award-winning Turkish chef shares his favourite places to eat, from an old-school pide house to a shop specialising in spiced döner.
At Istanbul's spice bazaar, vendors still call out their prices as they have done for centuries, even as the surrounding neighbourhood fills with modern art galleries and third-wave coffee shops. This is Istanbul in a snapshot: a city that straddles two continents across the Bosphorus, and where the old and the new share the same street corner.
Istanbul's food scene is no different, with this interplay yielding one of the region's most exciting places to eat. Chef Fatih Tutak has added to Istanbul's gastronomic status, considered a pioneer among the city's best kitchens. The owner of Turk Faith Tutak and Gallada, he was the first Turkish chef whose restaurants received two Michelin stars.
Tutak trained at Bolu Mengen Culinary School before working as an apprentice under French chef Paul Pairet
At Turk, Tutak updates traditional Turkish ingredients with French technique, best seen in his layered sauces and use of dashi and yuzu, learned from time spent in East Asia. At Gallada, he explores the country's unique connection to Asian cuisine through ingredients inspired by the Silk Road.
Set atop the The Peninsula Istanbul – which took the One To Watch Award as part of The World's 50 Best Hotels in 2024 – Gallada's menu shows off the Asian influences on Turkish cuisine with dishes such as dumplings and lagman (noodles).
Gallada's rooftop and its sweeping views of the Bosphorus
"Gallada is unique because it's the first time [we've seen this approach], the blend of Turkish and Chinese cuisine," says Tutak. "The dishes are all designed to be shared, each with its own identity inspired by my travels through Asia."
"The dish that best represents this is the dumplings. [They] are common in local cuisine, as Turks came from Central Asia many years ago," he says. The restaurant's version is stuffed with steamed morel, lobster or crispy beef with spicy butter and umami yogurt.
Dumplings at Gallada include lamachun-inspired, lamb-filled parcels
Tutak isn't the only Istanbul restaurant that is innovating. "Young chefs are creating a new language for Turkish cuisine," he says. "They're inspired by traditional dishes, creating their own cuisine and opening small bistros."
For him, the future of dining in the city is 'fun': "Fine dining is becoming old-fashioned. People want to have fun. They want real food, so I think what [the new generation of chefs] is doing is great."
These are his favourite places to eat.
Asmalı Cavit
"The benchmark Beyoğlu meyhane: no reinvention, just impeccable classic mezes, rakı done properly, and a room that still feels like old Istanbul."
Don't miss: "The Arnavut ciğeri [crispy fried liver] widely considered the best in the city."
Balıkçı Kahraman
"A family-run fish house at the far end of the Bosphorus, worth the drive for seafood cooked with real technique."
Don't miss: "The kırlangıç [gurnard] soup, and the whole fish baked in salt if you're sharing."
Fauna
"For me, Fauna is about purity and focus. Nothing feels forced or decorative. It is a very honest restaurant."
Don't miss: "The handmade pasta. The cooking is very personal and uncompromising, especially in the way Italian basics are brought together with ingredients and flavours from this geography."
Dönerci Engin
"A tiny shop near Galata Tower doing one thing only: Bayburt-style döner – a lamb and beef blend laced with allspice and a whisper of cinnamon, stacked and carved fresh daily, never held over."
Don't miss: "The döner in soft pide with homemade ayran – it's their only dish."
Karadeniz Pide Kebap Salonu
"An old-school Black Sea pide house tucked behind Süleymaniye, turning out wood-fired pide with proper charred, chewy edges since long before the neighbourhood was on anyone's food map."
Don't miss: "The kuşbaşılı kaşarlı pide – cubed lamb and melted kaşar, finished with butter."
Ahmet Ustam Ocakbaşı
"Ahmet Karoğlu spent years at the grill of Istanbul's most respected ocakbaşıs [a traditional Turkish restaurant centred around a long, open charcoal grill] before opening his own, and it shows."
Don't miss: "The Adana kebab – it's soft, juicy and perfectly balanced, and you can watch it be cooked over the coals – with the uykuluk [sweetbreads] a close second."
Lokanta Limu
"Limu represents a newer generation of Istanbul dining for me. It has the soul and informality of a neighbourhood meyhane, but the cooking is freer and more contemporary. It is relaxed, social and familiar, while still bringing its own perspective to the table."
Don't miss: "The Çilingir Sofrası set menu. Expect creative mezze dishes like raki-marinated tuna with parsley and apple or seared lamb's liver with potato and onion alongside homemade breads."
Nazende
"On [Istanbul's] Asian side, chef Uluç Sakarya writes the daily menu around whatever the market gives him – offal, seasonal vegetables, slow-cooked meats – and cooks with a generosity that's become rare."
Don't miss: "Whatever's on offer that day, but the oğlak tandır (roast kid goat) with broad bean pilav is unforgettable."
Köroğlu Et Lokantası
"A proper esnaf lokantası on Akşemsettin Caddesi serving the Black Sea's greatest hits to a lunchtime crowd of locals – honest cooking, no theatre."
Don't miss: "The İspir-bean kuru fasulye, slow-simmered until creamy, with the fırın sütlaç to finish."
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