A city of more than 15 million inhabitants, with the special characteristic of straddling two continents, İstanbul is an amalgamation of cultures unlike anywhere else on Earth. As a front row witness to this strategic location, İstanbul's gastronomic scene is rooted in an especially varied culinary tradition, which has steadily been enhanced and fine-tuned over the centuries. Its plant-based recipes — such as the incredible array of dolmas, mezzes, and salads — are the standard bearers, with recipes honouring fish and prime cuts of meat, not forgetting the countless desserts, where fresh and dried fruit takes centrestage. The Turkish classical repertoire covers a broad spectrum, featuring tremendous variety and culinary techniques.
As well as remaining loyal to this still vibrant culinary heritage, İstanbul also offers gourmets more daring, innovative and fusion recipes created by talented homegrown and foreign chefs, brimming with creativity. Together, these variations, which food lovers can sample in the quaint streets of Sultanahmet and Pera or the lively Karakoy, Moda, and Cihangir districts, are a reminder of the way İstanbul has always turned dining into a real way of life.
The İstanbul restaurant selection will be put together according to the long-standing and universal MICHELIN Guide method, which has been applied by its professional inspectors for nearly a century. The inspection teams will work completely independently to identify and recommend the city’s best restaurants, after anonymously appraising the quality of the cuisine offered by these restaurants according to 5 criteria: the quality of products, the mastery of cooking techniques, the harmony of flavours, the personality of the chef in his/her cuisine, and the consistency on the menu and between inspectors’ visits.
From 11 October 2022, the first restaurant selection of the MICHELIN Guide İstanbul will be available online on the MICHELIN Guide website and on the application, available for free download on iOS and Android, where users can narrow their search according to location, type of cuisine and special services on offer, to find exactly what they are looking for.
The MICHELIN Guide is now present in 38 destinations. A destination covered by the MICHELIN Guide can be a city, a region, or a country which our inspectors visit regularly to appraise local restaurants before drawing up their annual selection.
