Istanbul Seafood Restaurant Recommendations

Istanbul is a city wrapped in water, so it would be a small tragedy to leave without sitting down to a proper fish dinner. The Bosphorus, the Marmara, the Golden Horn: all of it ends up on a plate here, usually next to a row of cold mezes and a glass of rakı. After a day spent on your feet around the historical places of Istanbul or wandering the Istanbul museums, nothing resets you quite like a slow seafood table with the water in view.

Below are eight seafood spots I keep coming back to or keep sending friends to, spread across both sides of the strait. Some are casual and budget-friendly, some are the place you book for a special night. All of them were open and serving at the time of writing in 2026.

A quick word before the list. If you want the fish at its absolute best, time it. Bluefish (lüfer) is the Istanbul classic, peaking from October through February, and it is the traditional partner to rakı. Bonito (palamut) arrives in September and runs strong into November, anchovy (hamsi) is a winter treat, and sea bass (levrek) is at its freshest from late spring into early autumn. Ask what came in that morning and order that.

By Kinyas Restaurant

By Kinyas in the Cankurtaran corner of Fatih is my first pick for anyone staying in the old city. The reason is simple: this is a family-run place that lands its own fish, so what you eat was swimming that morning. The menu runs long across every kind of seafood, and honestly the hardest part of the meal is choosing. It sits up high with views over the Bosphorus and the Hagia Sophia, and you can also see the Blue Mosque from the terrace. At the time of writing it runs daily from around 09:00 until midnight, so it works for a long lunch or a late dinner.

As You Sea Restaurant

If you are based around Sultanahmet and want a relaxed, well-priced fish meal without trekking up the Bosphorus, As You Sea on Akbıyık Caddesi is the easy answer. It is a small family-run spot, more cozy than grand, and it does not have a sea view, so set your expectations there. What it does have is fresh fish, a kitchen that also turns out solid kebabs, and the kind of warm hospitality that comes with free mezes, olives, and bread before you have even ordered. It picked up a Travelers’ Choice nod in 2025, which tracks with how consistently people rate it. Good value for the neighborhood.

Ringa Sea Food Restaurant

Ringa sits right on the water out by Kuruçeşme, near Beşiktaş, and the appeal is the combination of fresh seafood and an open Bosphorus right at the edge of your table. Start with the appetizers: marinated shrimp, octopus, and an avocado-and-cheese plate that I always end up fighting over. They keep raw fish options too if that is your thing. Order a bottle from their wine list, or do the proper Istanbul thing and get a rakı, which cuts through oily fish better than any wine. Reviews swing a little depending on the night, so go for the setting and the seafood and you will be happy.

Sur Balık

Sur Balık is the safe, reliable choice, a small chain with branches in Arnavutköy, Cihangir, and Sarayburnu, plus locations in Ankara and Cappadocia. Each one pairs good seafood with a drink and a view, and the Arnavutköy and Cihangir rooms each seat around 200, so it is a sensible booking for a bigger group, an anniversary, or a work dinner. This is also one of the more accommodating kitchens in the city: there are vegan plates and a real run of gluten-free options, which is rarer than it should be at a fish house. Some branches do a generous brunch as well as dinner, and a few have a terrace if you want more air and space. If your trip is short, the Sarayburnu branch is handy from the old town, an easy add-on to a dining day around the first-timer spots.

Ararat Terrace Restaurant

Ararat Terrace is the one I send people to when the view matters as much as the food. It is a rooftop in Sultanahmet with a genuinely wide panorama of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the strait beyond, and it is at its best at sunset. The kitchen leans Mediterranean and mixes grilled fish with kebabs, mezes, and vegetarian plates, and the free starters (warm pita, butter, olives, a little baklava to finish) are a nice touch. It runs daily from late morning until around 23:30, and there is a hookah and a decent wine and cocktail list if you want to linger. More a place for a memorable evening than a quiet seafood pilgrimage, but on the right night it is hard to beat.

Zıpkın Arnavutköy

Zıpkın is the Arnavutköy gem, a two-floor fish restaurant on the Bebek-Arnavutköy road with an open-air section that opens up in summer and Bosphorus boats drifting past your table. The cooking is more interesting than the average fish house: the ahtapot tandır (slow-roasted octopus) is the dish I always order, and they do a tongue fish in wine reduction and a good run of homemade mezes. One useful detail for mixed groups: alongside the seafood they grill proper kebabs, so the person at the table who does not eat fish is still well looked after. It stays open late, which suits the long, unhurried rhythm a rakı table really wants.

Rumelihisarı İskele Restaurant

This is the splurge, and it earns it. Rumelihisarı İskele is a classic waterfront pavilion right by the old fortress, with a view straight onto the Bosphorus Bridge and the endless parade of boats. It has held a place in the Michelin Guide for several years running, and the format is the proper Istanbul one: mezes brought to the table first, then you pick your fish from the day’s catch and say whether you want it grilled, baked, or fried. The İskele special, a seafood pan with octopus and prawns seasoned simply with paprika and chili, is the move. Their cheese plate and fried mussels make a good opening. Expect to pay for it (figure roughly 1,000 lira and up per person at the time of writing, more once you add fish by weight and drinks), and book ahead.

Eftalya Balık

Eftalya rounds out the list, also in Arnavutköy, just along from Sur Balık so the two share that same lovely stretch of waterfront. It works out of a three-storey waterside mansion (there is now a second branch on the Asian side in Şaşkınbakkal too) and the cooking is confident and a little old-school in the best way. Start with the fish soup, then look for the grilled fish balls with a soy-garlic sauce, the seafood crepe, the stuffed calamari, and especially the lakerda, which is cured bonito and one of the great rakı snacks. Homemade baklava closes things out. It is on the pricier side and stays open until around 02:00, so it is built for the kind of long Istanbul night where dinner quietly becomes a small celebration.

A few tips before you go

A couple of things I tell every visitor. First, much of the fish here is priced by weight at the day’s market rate, so ask the price before they cook it and you will avoid a surprise bill. Second, do not skip the mezes; in a real fish meal they are half the point, and a table of cold starters with bread is a feast on its own. Third, save room and pair the meal with rakı rather than rushing it. If you want to keep eating your way through the city after this, my Istanbul cuisine guide and the Istanbul fine dining places are good next stops, and a lazy morning at one of the city’s best breakfast spots is the perfect bookend to a late seafood night.

Note: The images in this blog post are stock photos and are not from the actual venues.