Where to Eat in Taksim 2027: Istiklal Street, Side Streets and What to Order, with Prices

The best places to eat in Taksim are the side streets, not Istiklal Avenue itself: grill houses (ocakbaşı) five minutes from the square, meyhane taverns around Nevizade and Asmalımescit, and a handful of old-school lokanta for lunch. A dinner with drinks in this part of Beyoğlu costs roughly 1,200 to 3,000 TL per person in 2026 according to restaurant guides we checked, and a street-food lunch of simit, döner or midye costs a fraction of that.

If you would rather walk it with a local than guess, our street food tour of local neighbourhoods and desserts runs six hours and costs $90 per person. If you want a sit-down evening with a view and a show, the Bosphorus dinner cruise with night show is $90 per person. The rest of this guide is the self-guided version, street by street.

Where to eat in Taksim: the quick answer

Restaurants open, close and change owners every year in this district. Names below come from published guides updated in 2025 and 2026; check the place on a map before you walk to it.

Istiklal Avenue: snacks, not dinner

Istiklal Avenue is a 1.4 km pedestrian street from Taksim Square to Tünel, and its ground-floor restaurants are priced for foot traffic. Use the avenue for a snack standing up and keep your sit-down meal for a side street. The classic stops are a simit (sesame ring) at the first corner, roasted chestnuts in winter, a döner wrap at a counter with a rotating spit, and a piece of baklava or a Turkish coffee after.

Sabırtaşı on Istiklal is cited by food guides for içli köfte (a bulgur shell filled with spiced meat), Kahramanmaraş-style mantı and baklava; it is a fair stop if you want to sit for twenty minutes. For more snack ideas with prices see our Istanbul street food guide.

Where to eat kumpir, kokoreç and midye in Taksim

Three street foods come up in searches for Taksim.

• Kumpir is a baked potato split and filled with butter, cheese and toppings of your choice. Ortaköy is the famous place, but stalls near Taksim sell it too.
• Kokoreç is seasoned lamb intestine grilled on a skewer and served in a half-loaf with tomato and spices. It is strong. Order a half portion first.
• Midye dolma are mussels stuffed with spiced rice, opened and squeezed with lemon at the stall. Eat only from busy vendors with a visible turnover, and eat them standing: a bad mussel is the most common stomach problem we hear about from guests.

Ask the price before you order. Street stalls near Taksim Square occasionally add items you did not request, so say how many pieces you want.

Grill houses and kebab near Taksim Square

For a proper meat dinner, walk five minutes from the square. Zübeyir Ocakbaşı is recommended in several guides for lamb chops, shish kebab and chicken shish, and the usual advice is to reserve. The counter-seating around an open grill is the point: you pick your cut, the cook grills it in front of you and it arrives with salad and flatbread.

Other grills that appear in guides: Tomtom Kebab for Adana and Urfa kebab, and Hayvore near the square for Black Sea cooking such as cornbread dishes and anchovy. Nizam Pide serves pide, the boat-shaped Turkish pizza, at fair prices, which makes it the realistic budget option. For a longer list of kebab places with what to order and what it costs, see our best kebab in Istanbul guide.

Hacı Abdullah, Karaköy Lokantası and lunch the old way

Turkish lokanta serve a counter of ready-made dishes at lunch, and you point at what you want. Hacı Abdullah Lokantası, near Taksim Square, is the oldest place on the list we consulted, with dishes such as hünkar beğendi (lamb stew on smoked aubergine purée). Karaköy Lokantası on Kemankeş Caddesi is a short walk downhill and is known for tarama, seasonal vegetables cooked in olive oil and fish pastrami.

Lokanta lunches are the best value in this area: a main, a side and bread are normally much cheaper than the same plate in the evening. Bring cash for small places, although most now take cards.

Nevizade, Asmalımescit and the meyhane evening

Beyoğlu's two historic tavern streets are both within about 300 metres of Istiklal. One guide describes Asmalımescit as the classier of the two, and Nevizade as the louder, cheaper and more crowded. Both work the same way: a waiter brings or you choose a tray of cold meze, then you order hot dishes and a drink, usually rakı, with fish or grilled meat to follow.

Asmalı Cavit in Asmalımescit is cited for köfte, fried mussels, fried liver and brain salad, and Pera Antakya in the centre of Beyoğlu for mezze and tepsi kebab. How to order, what a table costs and which meze to skip is in our meyhane guide; for a wider selection of streets see where to eat in Beyoğlu.

Two rules for the table. First, every plate that arrives is charged unless you send it back, so wave away bread and nuts you do not want. Second, ask for the final bill before paying and check whether service is already included; a tip of around 10% is usual when it is not.

Where to eat breakfast in Taksim

Turkish breakfast is a shared table of cheeses, olives, tomatoes, honey, clotted cream, eggs and endless tea. In Taksim itself it is mostly tourist-priced; locals head to Cihangir, a ten-minute walk downhill, where cafés along the main street serve a set breakfast until late morning. Our Turkish breakfast guide covers prices and what to order.

Dessert: baklava and a last glass of tea

Beyoğlu is dessert country: pistachio baklava sold by weight, rice pudding, künefe and Turkish delight. Order baklava by the portion and a glass of tea to go with it; most pastry shops weigh and price by the kilo, so ask for a small portion.

One evening plan for Taksim

1. 17:00: coffee and baklava on Istiklal, ride or watch the red tram to Tünel.
2. 18:30: walk down to Galata and cross the bridge or turn into the Balık Pazarı lanes.
3. 19:30: meze and grilled fish at a Nevizade or Asmalımescit table.
4. 22:00: a walk back up Istiklal, which stays busy past midnight.

If this dinner is part of a longer stay, our Istanbul 8 day itinerary shows where it fits. If you also need the way from the Old City, see Sultanahmet to Taksim by tram, funicular or taxi, and for after dinner the Taksim, Karaköy and Kadıköy nightlife guide. A guide-led food walk across the city is also bookable among our Istanbul tours and our Istanbul food tour page.

Frequently Asked Questions