The 7 Best Sushi Restaurants in Istanbul

Turkish food is a deep, generous cuisine, and most days I would rather eat a long Bosphorus breakfast than anything else. But every traveller hits the night when they want something cleaner, colder, and a little more precise. That is when good sushi earns its place, and Istanbul has more of it than people expect.

The honest truth: this city is not Tokyo, and you should not come here chasing the single greatest piece of toro of your life. What Istanbul does well is a confident, modern Asian table, often with a Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) accent, frequently with a view that no sushi counter in Japan could match. The seven places below are the ones I keep going back to or keep sending friends to, with a note on what each one is actually good for. Prices and menus shift, so I have hedged the numbers to 2026.

If food is the main reason you are here, it is worth pairing this list with a proper guide to Istanbul cuisine and what to try so you do not spend every meal on raw fish.

1. Ioki

If you want one easy, reliable answer, start with Ioki. It runs under a “House of Sushi” concept and has spread to a handful of addresses, the main ones being Istinye, Kandilli on the Asian shore, and Ulus, plus a seasonal summer outpost. The cooking leans into both Far Eastern and Nikkei flavours, and the kitchen has the polish you would expect from a group that picked up a Best Asian Cuisine award years back and never coasted on it.

The dishes that keep me ordering are the spicy Tiger Roll, which pairs fried sweet potato with shrimp, crab stick, avocado, and cream cheese, and the sashimi salad in an orange-oil sauce that is brighter than it sounds. There are two chef’s selections, a sashimi combo and a nigiri mix, and they are the move when you cannot decide. Round it out with the Yaki Ebi (shrimp in a sweet-and-sour glaze) and a lemongrass soup, and ask whoever is behind the counter to steer you. A Japanese beer or the spicy Kintaro cocktail finishes it off. Ioki also does private catering, so it works for a small celebration if you want the room to yourselves.

2. Inari Omakase

This is the one I send people to first when they want a serious, design-forward sushi night. Inari opened back in 2012 and now runs several locations (Kuruçeşme by the water, Vadistanbul, and Etiler), and it has earned a spot in the Michelin Guide selection. Chef Barlas Günebakan works an open kitchen, and at the Kuruçeşme branch the evenings tilt toward a louder, DJ-driven crowd, so go knowing it is as much a scene as a sushi bar.

The menu reaches for ingredients you will not find everywhere. The foie gras nigiri with a caramel sauce and the seabass nigiri with a spicy caramel both sound like too much and somehow are not. If you are hungry, the Jou Sashimi Mori brings 15 pieces of fish to the table. What sets Inari apart for me is the dessert list, which most sushi places treat as an afterthought: the walnut and maple mochi, the Nutella mochi for the chocolate crowd, and the Coco Houko, a coconut-chocolate ice cream. The wine list is long, the cocktails are good, and the virgin Yuzuhana is a genuinely nice non-alcoholic option. It is pricey. At the time of writing, expect roughly 1,000 lira per person and up once you start ordering properly, more at Kuruçeşme. Worth it for a special evening.

3. Miyabi Sushi

Of all the Japanese kitchens in the city, Miyabi plates the prettiest food. The Akatlar branch over in the Beşiktaş area has a quiet garden setting, and the cooking matches it: handmade sushi and seafood that arrives looking like it was styled for a photo, then tastes better than it looks.

The roll names are half the fun, from Lobster Dynamite and Yakuza to Yummy Tummy and Monte Carlo. My picks are the Moon Lover (shrimp, salmon, tempura, caviar, avocado) and the Nina, which layers panko shrimp, fresh chili tuna, teriyaki and chili sauce, and sesame. If you want something lighter, the rainbow salad piles a mix of seafood over crunchy greens. And the corn tempura is one of those small dishes you will think about later. The room is simple on purpose, so you end up watching the chefs work, which is the whole point.

4. Maromi by Divan

Maromi is the one to bring kids to, or anyone who finds traditional sushi rooms a bit stiff. It sits at the lobby level of the Divan Hotel and runs a kaiten-zushi, the conveyor-belt system where coloured plates roll past your seat and you grab what catches your eye. It turns dinner into a low-key event, and you still get bold, well-made sushi rather than tired buffet plates.

I would start with a spicy miso or a tempura udon to wake up your appetite, then go for the classics: the Dragon roll with eel and avocado, or the Boston roll with salmon and cream cheese. If you would rather sample widely, the combo platter mixes the safe Californian, Rainbow, and Boston rolls with a little of the more adventurous Dragon. There is also a Japanese and Kaiseki menu, but you need to flag that when you reserve, so call ahead if that is what you are after. Reservations are smart here in general.

5. Sunset Grill & Bar

This is the view pick, and the longest-running name on the list. Sunset has been on its hilltop in Ulus Park since 1994, which makes it past the 30-year mark and still one of the most polished fine-dining rooms in the city. It sits in the Michelin Guide selection, was singled out by Michelin for its service, and the terrace looks straight out over the Bosphorus and the bridge toward the Asian shore. For a sunset dinner it is hard to beat, so book a Bosphorus-facing table.

The menu is broad. There is classic French and Mediterranean cooking alongside what the kitchen calls “new Japanese cuisine”, so a mixed table can keep everyone happy. For the sushi side, the Bosphorus Dreaming platter is the showpiece: 7 Norway rolls, 7 Rainbow rolls, 6 Spicy Tuna, and 6 Shake Ikura Maki. If 32 pieces will not do it, the Sunset Dreamin’ box stretches to 46. The lobster tempura is excellent, and if you drift off the Japanese menu, the Peking-style duck with warm pancakes and a lime twist is a treat. You can make a reservation directly on their site, and you should. If you love eating with a view, my wider list of Bosphorus restaurants with a view covers the rest of the shoreline.

6. Nobu Istanbul

The famous one, and it lives up to the name. Nobu Matsuhisa’s global brand landed inside The Ritz-Carlton in Şişli, with a private dining space and a terrace looking out to the Bosphorus, and it carries a place in the Michelin Guide. This is Nobu’s signature Japanese-Peruvian cooking, built on the iconic dishes you may already know plus a few touches that use local Turkish ingredients.

It also happens to be one of the better high-end rooms in town for vegetarians, which is rare in sushi-land. The roasted crab legs with yuzu butter are a must-order. If you do want sushi, the beef nigiri is an unexpectedly good one, and the cup selection makes a filling meal. Wash it down with a Japanese beer, a glass of Turkish rakı, or one of the cocktails the bar will tailor to your taste. It is a splurge and a proper occasion dinner, so treat it as one. If you are mapping out a luxury evening, it slots neatly into a list of Istanbul’s high-end and fine-dining restaurants.

7. Naomi Sushi Bar

Naomi is the small, stylish one, a boutique room in the Nişantaşı area built around Nikkei cooking, which marries Far Eastern technique with South American flavour. It is a good fit for a relaxed date or a low-key dinner after an afternoon of shopping in the neighbourhood.

If you are new to sushi, the Philadelphia roll with cucumber, avocado, cream cheese, and salmon is a gentle way in. From there, try the Crunch Roll, the Crispy Roll, or the Double Tuna. The two standouts are the Chin Chin, shrimp wrapped in sweet potato with cream cheese, crab, avocado, and ginger sauce, and the Star Roll, which folds salmon with mango, avocado, and tempura crumbs for a sweet, crunchy finish. Follow it with the Gyunuki Udon (noodles with vegetables and beef) and leave room for the fried ice cream, which is the right way to end a meal here.

A few honest notes before you book

Most of these are not cheap, and the best ones get booked out, so reserve ahead, especially for Inari, Sunset, and Nobu. If you want raw fish with a view, Sunset and Nobu win. For a fun, casual night, Maromi’s conveyor belt is the easy yes. For the sharpest “scene” sushi, it is Inari. And if you are still deciding where in the city to base yourself for nights out like this, my notes on the best areas to stay in Istanbul will save you a lot of cross-city taxis.

Once you have had your fill of sushi, do come back to the Turkish table. A walking food tour through Istanbul is the fastest way to eat like a local and figure out which neighbourhood flavours you want to chase next.