Sauda is a floating swimming pool in the middle of the Bosphorus lined with huge beds and including a host of bars and restaurants that provide essential sustenance to guests. It's unmissable for its unique location and innate sense of calm.

Galatasaray Adası, Kuruçeşme, Istanbul
+90(0)212 263 5593
www.suadaclub.com.tr/

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If you re looking for delicious and amazing cuisine, you ll be delighted to stop by here. Think about a whole chicken stuffed with rice, covered by salt and roasted in wood-fired oven for two hours, or baked hummus with excellent diced lamb. They have a wide range of menu, including great mezes, special kebabs(which are really hard to find anywhere else), so it is really hard to choose but I do loved all the things I ordered. I recommend you to try it if you ever visit Istanbul.

+902125313333
www.akdenizhataysofrasi.com.tr
skenderpaşa Mh., Ahmediye Caddesi 44, 34082 Istanbul, Türkiye
Google map: bit.ly/klV0K2

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This is a great restaurant on the Asia side of Istanbul. The servers are nice and the food is moderately priced. Hands down the best food I had in Turkey. When you've had too many donners go here for dinner. There is a nice market down the street too.

Guneslibahce Sokak 43, KADIKOY, Istanbul, Turkey
+90 2163303190
Google map: bit.ly/mt0VBA

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Me and my hubby went to this restaurant as recommended by our hotel staff. The food was excellent! We ordered fish soup, squid, and the oven-baked salt-covered fish. All of them tasted so delicious! The waiter also knew his food, and advised us on the menu. Transfer from hotel to the restaurant was also arranged for us. We got complementary rice pudding for our dessert and Turkish coffee too. We strongly recommend this place as a must visit seafood restaurant in Istanbul. Two thumbs up.

Alemdar Mah. Prof. K. Ismail Gurkan Cad. No:14 Sultanahmet
www.sultanahmetfishhouse.com
+90 212 527441

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Amedros was quite a haven for us while in Istanbul, since most places seem to be either cheap kebab joints or pricey designer restaurants. Though just off the touristy Divan Yolu, it is a delightful bistro. Very friendly, multilingual and efficient staff, nice modern design and delicious Ottoman influenced food.
These dishes include lamb in a sauce made from pomegranate syrup, chicken served on a bed of rice with almonds, apricots and saffron, courgettes stuffed with minced lamb - yum. There are also various intriguingly cooked steaks, the usual pasta etc, but the Ottoman food is the best. Reasonable prices, considering that wine in Istanbul costs. Two starters, two mains, a beer and two glasses or wine came to about 44 quid. You can spend far more in this touristy area for far less. Next time I'm going to try the Cappadocian stew cooked in a clay pot and brought to the table aflame - it seems a favourite.

Hoca Rüstem Sokak 7 just off the Divan Yolu tourist street in Sultanahmet, and near the Sultanahmet tram stop.
Divanyolu Cad. Hoca Rüstem Sok. No: 7
Sultanahmet
+90 212 522 83 56
www.amedroscafe.com
Google map: bit.ly/eRWEJd

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I recommend the breakfast plate but everything is good! The food is freshly made and well-presented without being at all pretentious. Very reasonable prices.

Meşrutiyet Caddesi, No: 59 Tepebaşı, 34437, Istanbul
T: 0212 251 22 14
Google map: tinyurl.com/2uk59kw

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Restaurant/deli. Excellent Turkish food, including lots of veggie options. Friendly service. Sublime profiteroles.

Konaklar Mh., Koza 1-2-3 Bloklar 1, Istanbul, Türkiye‎ - 0212 264 1049‎
Google map: tinyurl.com/3ya7n73

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This is an excellent warm restaurant right in the old city center Sultanahmet, where you are always served by the fantastic friendly team.
You will have a gourmet experience and live any food lovers dream, with many different options on the menu - Turkish and Ottoman, international ( very good steak choices), and some seafood options. All were so good but we have enjoyed the Ottoman part of the menu most - the apple steak was amazing too. We ate at Amedros many times for lunch and dinner during our one week stay in İstanbul.

Divanyolu Cad Hoca Rustem Sok No/7 Sultanahmet/istanbnul/TURKEY 34400
PHONE:+90 212 522 83 56
FAX:+90 212 527 21 38
www.amedroscafe.com
Sultanahmet Tram Station

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I love, love, LOVE Leb-i-derya. I don't care one jot that it's over-priced. It's refreshing to find a society in Istanbul hangout that's friendly and welcoming - even on a Saturday night in July without a booking. And the views are sublime. Try to arrive before sunset otherwise you'll completely miss the point and good luck in finding it! If you get lost, ask the doorman at the Richmond Hotel on Istiklal Caddesi for directions...

Kumbaracı yokuşu 57/6 Tünel, Beyoğlu
www.lebiderya.com/

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On Peykhane, one of the streets running off Divan Yolu and about ten minutes' walk from Cemberlitas. Unassuming, bright diner, with excellent, cheap meals (pide, kebab, salad, soup), no hassle or hustling, friendly staff, and the best fresh bread we tasted in the whole city. 12-20 liras for two. Convenient for Sultanahmet hotels but out of the tourist beargarden.

Karadeniz kebab, Peykhane

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I think it is the best restaurant in Istanbul. Wonderful atmosphere with friendly service. I was very impressed with the menu and excellent quality of the food. Some dishes are exclusive to the restaurant. The Destiny Special is a delightful combination of tender beefsteak with a cream and mushroom sauce, served with a cinnamon cabbage in red wine sauce. Also recommended is the Destiny cake made with spinach - it melted in the mouth and tasted just of vanilla and cream. Don't be put off by the green colour! Definitely worth a visit. Reasonably priced too.

Bereket Mah. Haci Ali Sok. No. 11/A, Galata-Byoglu, Istanbul. Can be found by walking down from Galata Tower or by climbing up the steps by the Oyak Bank near the tramway in Karakoy.

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A great place to watch an authentic folklore and dance show and for dinner. Very happy and friendly atmosphere.

On Cumhuriyet Caddesi, 10 min walk from Taksim Square towards Hilton.

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This is a new restaurant which is known as the best seafood restaurant in Sultanahmet. The food is outstanding, you should ask the staff for the special of the day.

The restaurant is on the shore of Marmara Sea with a view of Turkish islands. The "Boukoleon" name comes from the 5th century. There used to be a "Boukoleon Palace" standing right where you sit.

Now you can easily see the archeeological heritage of the old time palace. If you are interested in history, looking for a nice Istanbul view and also outstanding food, I would highly recommend you go to this restaurant.

www.boukoloen.com
Hagia Sofia, Sultanahmet, Istanbul
90212 6387148

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In the basement of the Kariye Hotel, spilling into the secluded garden. It is not cheap, but it is a perfect, civilised place for lunch before/after visiting the delights of the Kariye Mosque (St Saviour Church) museum and a modest lunch of mezze will not cost you a fortune.

Kariye Camii Sok 18
tel 0212/534 8414

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Great food, great atmosphere and a great price!

Surprising that it is so close to the main sites of Sultanhamet and yet such good value.

As in all places in Istanbul, the price of wine / alcohol is very high. Our two mains and bottle of wine came to 66 lira - of which 30 lira was for the wine.

At an exchange rate of 2.5 lira to £1, this meant that our meals cost just a little over £14.

Wonderful fish on the menu and I recommend the chicken hagiasophia.

They have a terrace that looks onto the Blue Mosque.

All along the street there are "kapici" (managers/head waiters) trying to lure you into their respective establishments, but to be fair they do this with good humour and banter.

Incili Cavus Sk No 21 Sultanhamet.
If you stand facing the Haghia Sofia the street is across the road on your left parallel to the Divan Yolu street (which has the tram line). It is next to the Mozaik restaurant on the corner of the street.

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Sutis was recommended by the owner of the Cagaloglu Hamam (Turkish bath) in the Sultanahmet area. We were expecting a tourist trap, but loads of locals eat there - always a good sign.

Prices are insanely low for the area and you can definitely find something for under six lira. We tried the tavuk durum for 3.75ytl - chicken, fresh vegetables and fries in a thin flatbread. It was the best thing we'd eaten in Istanbul!

Paket Servisi Saatlerimi - just up the road from Cagaloglu Hamam, towards the Grand Bazaar.

Tel: 512 01 61 - 522 02 54

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With lamb shank with pomegranate and tomato salsa, and cognac chocolate pot on their menu, this is the place to be for a taste of Istanbul's fusion offering. This one stands out in the trendy Beyoglu neighbourhood and is a bar and restaurant, so perfect to start a night out. For a 3 course dinner with wine, it came to £26 a head and was excellent value.

Mesrutiyet Cad. No. 149/1, Tepebasi Tel: (212) 245 60 70

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If you would like to visit the Anatolian side of Istanbul, you should definitely go and eat in this small, independent, local restaurant in Baglarbasi. Its name is "Baglarbasi Iskender" just on the main road in Baglarbasi.

Portions are huge and very reasonably priced, the owner is back in the kitchen, preparing the most delicious doner kebab and other wonders.

Take a "Dolmus" from Kadikoy Rihtim to "Baglarbasi" and get off in Baglarbasi
Tel: +90 216 310 62 80

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This tower's history goes back to 340 BC. It is in the middle of Bosphorus, and it has recently been renovated. It has 5 floors, top floor being the bar, and you get a free soft drink here, which is included in your ticket from the shore.

You can get the best scenery for the Bosphorus from this floor. Don't forget you are in the middle of Asia and Europe here. Ground floor is a very good restaurant, although prices are above the Turkish average, you're guaranteed to have good food here.

www.kizkulesi.com.tr/en/collection/default.asp


There are frequent boats from Uskudar, Salacak, it takes aroung3 minutes, but you can also take the boat from Ortakoy (though as not frequent as from Uskudar)

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This restaurant, open only for lunch, is one of the loveliest in Istanbul.

It is situated inside the northern wall of the Spice Bazaar, and is entered via a stone stairway just inside the gate.

Remarkably quiet, decorated with lovely Iznik tiles, Pandeli is famous for its vegetables, and though it is always said that the food is not as good as it was in its fabulous heyday, one can still find subtle evocations of Ottoman cuisine.

Sample the meze, try the hünkar beğendi. A wonderfully civilised place in which to pass part of an afternoon.

Spice bazaar, inside the gate facing the water.

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