The Istanbul issue
Kadikoy, Istanbul: Where to Eat on the Asian Side, From Fish Market to Michelin Star
The Kadıköy market is where to eat on the Asian side, and the ferry puts you at a Michelin-starred table by dinner. Some stops are worth your whole day, and one of them you book before anything else.
By Selin YıldızThe city, one meze at a time
Walk up from the Kadıköy ferry piers and in a few minutes you are among the fish and pickle stalls of Güneşlibahçe Sokak. Çiya Sofrası stands in the middle of them at No: 43, with steam trays of regional stews at the counter. The two-star kitchen everyone asks about is back across the water, and dinner there is 23,900 TL a head.
Trays on Güneşlibahçe Sokak
Come to Çiya at lunch, when the trays are fullest and the choice is widest. You pick at the counter and carry your plates to a table. There is no booking system.
The cooking is regional Anatolian, the sort you will not see on a standard Istanbul menu. Expect ezo gelin soup, pounded wheat soup, and lamb and aubergine baked in a clay pot, with the list changing as things come into season. There is a kebab and lahmacun menu alongside. A few dishes each came to 400 to 700 TL a head in April 2026.
It is open every day from 12:00 to 22:00. Ask for the upstairs terrace, which looks down over the stalls you just walked through.
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Kup griye at Baylan
A few streets from the market, Baylan Pastanesi has a shaded back garden and one dessert worth planning your afternoon around. The kup griye is caramelised almonds and ice cream, and the dark caramel sauce is poured over it at the table. A pastry chef here, Harry Lenas, came up with it in 1954 and it is still the thing to order.
A coffee and a sweet, or the sundae on its own, cost 220 to 300 TL in April 2026. The branch is open from 09:00 to 20:00 and you can walk in. Look at the bill before you pay, as a service charge is sometimes added.
The two-market food walk
If it is your first full day, give it to the Culinary Backstreets walk that eats its way across both sides of the city. It starts at 09:30, Monday to Saturday, in the hardware lanes of Perşembe Pazarı in Karaköy. From there you take a commuter ferry over to the Kadıköy market streets. It finishes with something sweet at the edge of Moda. Plan on most of the day.
Along the way you eat a seasonal breakfast, Mersin-style tantuni (spiced meat rolled in flatbread) and southeastern lahmacun, with tea in an old caravanserai. All the food is included, alcohol and tips are not. No pork is served. Some stops can be adapted for vegetarians and for gluten-free diets, but not for vegans. The walks pause during Ramadan.
Baklava in Karaköy
On the Karaköy side, Karaköy Güllüoğlu sells pistachio and walnut baklava cut to order and weighed at the counter. Check the address before you set off, as the shop left its old multi-storey building and now trades at Kemankeş Caddesi No: 67. Plenty of guidebooks still send you to the wrong place.
A 500 g box was 1,170 to 1,300 TL in August 2026, and there are gift trays if you are carrying some home. The doors open early and stay open into the evening.
The stars across the water
If you want one starred dinner at the end of a day in Kadıköy, book Neolokal. It is on the top floor of the SALT Galata arts centre on Bankalar Caddesi in Karaköy, which is where the ferry lands. Maksut Aşkar cooks Anatolian village recipes there, in a gallery room with high ceilings. It kept one Michelin star and its Green Star in the 2026 guide.
The tasting menu is 8,500 TL per person, with a vegetarian version at 8,000 TL and a gluten-, lactose- and nut-free version at 8,500 TL. Service and tips are extra and you pay in lira. It is dinner only, 18:00 to 01:00, closed Sunday and Monday, and there is a valet if you drive. Tell them when you book if there are six or more of you.
TURK Fatih Tutak costs a great deal more. The dining room is behind a plain street door at Yeniyol Sokak No: 2 in Şişli, and a counter looks straight into the open kitchen. It holds two Michelin stars and picked up a Green Star in the 2026 guide.
Everyone eats the same tasting menu at 23,900 TL a guest including VAT. There is no à la carte and no substitutions. Wine pairing is 9,900 TL per person, and water, coffee and tea are already in the price. Allow three and a half hours. Book on the restaurant's own reservation page, where a deposit holds the table. Tables seat five at most.
Booking and closed days
Neolokal only serves dinner and closes on Sunday and Monday, so slot it into the week first and build around it. TURK takes a deposit when you book. The food walk does not run on Sundays or during Ramadan, and Çiya and Baylan both take you as you turn up.
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Before you go
Is Çiya Sofrası worth crossing to the Asian side for?
Yes, and go at lunch, when the steam trays are fullest. The cooking is regional Anatolian, and several dishes came to 400 to 700 TL a head in April 2026. It is a few minutes' walk up from the ferry piers.
Can I eat in Kadıköy and still get a Michelin-starred dinner the same day?
Yes. Neolokal is in Karaköy, where the commuter ferry from Kadıköy lands, and dinner runs from 18:00 to 01:00. It closes Sunday and Monday, so pick the day first.
How much is dinner at TURK Fatih Tutak?
There is one option, a tasting menu at 23,900 TL per guest including VAT. Wine pairing adds 9,900 TL per person, and water, coffee and tea are included. The restaurant takes a deposit per person to hold the booking.
Do these places take bookings and big groups?
Çiya takes no bookings, so ring ahead if you are a large party, and you carry your own plates from the counter. Neolokal wants to know about parties of six or more. TURK's largest table seats five, so a group of six sits across more than one table.
Does the two-market food walk suit vegetarians?
Some stops will adapt a dish for vegetarians or for gluten-free diets, and nowhere serves pork. No stop can do a vegan meal. The walks also pause during Ramadan, so check the date you want.
