This rooftop restaurant and bar serves a full menu, but skip dinner and go for the cocktails and the amazing 360-degree views. The clientele is young and fashion-conscious.

With an open kitchen concept and a terrace overlooking the neighborhood, Alaf serves Anatolian dishes with a contemporary spin that can be enjoyed either à la carte or via a tasting menu. The food is on the pricier side, but the portion sizes in the tasting menu are larger than what many might expect of a fine dining restaurant—plus, you are also paying for location.

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Serving elegantly-plated Turkish classics like kebabs and hummus alongside dishes like sea bass and pesto linguine, Arafta draws diners for its charming outdoor dining spaces and unique interior decor.

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This cozy rustic-chic Michelin-starred restaurant set in an old house is all partially exposed brick, old chandeliers and potted plants. The menu is modern with influence from Turkish traditions.

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Set in a 1960s villa, this festive Michelin-starred restaurant combines a fine dining experience with a buzzy night on the town, courtesy the mini club upstairs. The main dining room is done up with sleek wooden walls and Art Deco light fixtures and has high ceilings and an open kitchen concept. Upstairs a DJ plays buzzy music in a lounge and bar space. Diners looking for something a bit less formal should try Ritmo, the restaurant’s third space done in gold and red velvet, where the chef serves small plates and cocktails. (Ritmo can also be booked for private events.) There is also courtyard dining available.

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At the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Avlu serves Anatolian cuisine in either a garden terrace or an elegant glassed-in courtyard.

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Seafood-focused Azur has an expansive outdoor dining patio with cushioned wicker seating and views of the Bosphorus. Split across two floors, the interior design is as modern as the food, which is best paired with Turkish wines from the restaurant’s cellar. Keep in mind, the view is only visible on the end of the patio closest to the river.

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First opened by a fisherman, Balikci Sabahattin is a (primarily) seafood restaurant that is popular with locals. In warmer months, most seating is under an outdoor tent, although atmosphere at this family-run spot is pleasant inside and out.

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Bebek Balikçi serves some of the city’s best seafood in a waterfront location in upscale Bebek, one of the northern towns along the Bosphorus. The menu is pricey but the fish excellent and the dishes change daily, based on what local fishermen deliver.

An elegant, sprawling restaurant with high ceilings and a color scheme of rich orange, brown and gold tones (with pops of bright blue and green glass), Biz’s menu is based off the home cooking of Istanbul, tying together dishes from the past and present. Travelers who want to be in the action should dine in the bar, which faces into the open kitchen. Or request a table near the window to enjoy the views over town.

Borsa has been serving up Turkish and Anatolian cuisine alongside views of the Bosphorus and Adile Sultan Palace for the better part of a century. While the interior design was inspired by the palace, the best views are found on the terrace, especially during the warmer months. The service is high quality, and the menu is full of classics like stuffed grape leaves, borek, kofte and more. This is a good spot for a special occasion.

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For travelers seeking a change from the classic Turkish cuisine, Cecconi’s serves modern Italian in a charming covered palazzo courtyard. The woven lanterns, abundant greenery and twinkle lights ensure a whimsical and romantic vibe outside, while inside, diners dig in to pasta and pizza alongside a wall of windows and an open kitchen.

With a daily-changing menu crafted from seasonal ingredients, Cuma is a modern Turkish restaurant that can be enjoyed for any meal of the day. The interior feels a bit like dining in someone’s cozy home (without being stuffy) but travelers can also dine on the outdoor terrace.

This dual-level restaurant in Nişantaşi serves as an all-day restaurant as well as a wine shop, bakery and take-away counter. The menu features simple pastas, soups, sandwiches and a few heartier entrees. There is a small terrace off the upstairs level.

There is a touristy quality to this place that may remind you of classics like the 21 Club in New York and Tour d’Argent in Paris, but it has an incredible location right on the edge of the Bosphorus with views of the twinkling bridge lights and lapping water.

Frankie has dubbed itself a “MediterrAsian” restaurant, serving a mix of small and large sharing plates influenced by cultures that span half the world—think a paella-inspired seafood rice dish on the menu alongside duck gyoza. Vegetables and seafood are the dominant dishes here (unsurprising at a restaurant drawing on Mediterranean traditions) and visitors can dine either on the sprawling outdoor terrace overlooking the Bosphorus or inside where floor-to-ceiling windows help ensure you don’t lose the benefits of the restaurant’s coveted location. (Keep in mind that because of the size of the restaurant, even on the terrace you are not guaranteed a sweeping view.) Frankie is also well regarded for its cocktails, and there is a DJ booth that plays music daily. Reservations are recommended.

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Inside the Sura Design Hotel, Galeyan aims to bring the best of historic Anatolian cuisine to your table. The menu is dictated by the seasons, but the best-known dish is the lamb tandoori with two rice pilafs—one from a 15th century recipe and one from the 19th century. The space itself is sleek and modern with touches of history like the old wooden doors hung on the walls. Conveniently located in the old city, Galeyan is within walking distance of many popular sights like the Basilica Cistern, Sultanahmet Square and the Hagia Sophia.

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Founded by Ayşe Şensılay, the daughter of a Cretan family, Giritli serves Turkish mezze in an old Sultanahmet house, with a terrace for dining across the street. Şensılay serves as the chef here as well, and her Cretan dishes showcase fresh fish, produce and seasonal products that the entire table can share. Vegetarian options are available.

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With three locations in Istanbul, Gizia Brasserie's cuisine draws on Anatolian, Mediterranean and Asian roots. Produce, seafood and meats come from some of the best farmers and fishermen in Turkey, with dishes such as sea bass ceviche, Chinese dumplings, wood-fired pizzas, grilled octopus, homemade pastas and grilled lamb. Stop in for a quick breakfast or lunch, leisurely dinner or an evening cocktail.

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No trip to Istanbul is complete without a kebap (Turkish for “kebab”) lunch. Located in the Old City on a rooftop on the waterfront by Galata bridge, just steps away from the Egyptian Spice Market, Hamdi offers sweeping views and a casual, bustling, neighborhood atmosphere. Start with mezze, then order a variety of grilled kebaps; I particularly enjoyed the pistachio (a spicy meatball with lamb, beef and pistachios) and the lamb. They are served with fresh pitas, wraps, grilled hot peppers, tomatoes, couscous and chopped onions, so that you can build your own, fajita style. Locals swear the baklava is the best in town. (Note: Make sure you go to Hamdi Restaurant, not Hamdi Kofte, which is three doors down.)

Housed in the Istanbul Modern with a unique industrial décor and an impressive water view of the harbor, the Istanbul Modern Café is considered one of Istanbul’s most stylish lunchtime eateries. Expect a predominantly Turkish menu and light fare; the lunch menu serves a variety of pastas, salads and sandwiches.

On the Bosphorus Strait, Lacivert delivers waterfront views and seafood dishes with a Mediterranean touch. Charred branzino comes with an eggplant bechamel sauce, while seafood pasta is done with homemade spaghetti, shrimp and octopus in tomato sauce. Other offerings include dishes like salmon carpaccio, fried calamari and zucchini blossom fritters with ricotta.

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In between the two domes of the Cagaloglu Hamam (the last baroque hammam, which has been preserved for over 300 years) is Lokanta 1741, an intimate restaurant serving contemporary Turkish cuisine. Romantic through and through, guests can dine in the dimly lit open-air courtyard and bar or in one of the interior dining spaces, where tables are set along low-lit stucco walls beneath wooden and glass ceilings. Tasting and à la carte menus are available, with dishes like fish stew, goose dumplings and grilled sea bass, among others.

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Well known around the world and especially in London, this is the first Madhu’s in Turkey, housed inside the Swissôtel. For almost 100 years, Madhu’s has been making traditional Indian dishes, crafted from secret family recipes that are even popular with the British Royal Family. Must-trys are the nyamah choma, which is a rack of lamb marinated with pepper and lemon; punjabi samosas filled with tamarind chutney sauce; and masledar kuku, chicken thighs cooked in a sweet sauce with traditional herbs. There’s a garden area for dining outdoors, and the wine cellar is stocked with almost 300 different wines.

At Istinye Park, Masa is a good place for those looking to take a shopping break. Global flavors collide on the menu, which includes kebabs, burgers, seafood salads, pasta and wood-fired pizzas. In warmer months, dine in the garden, and in winter, the swanky interior space. Keep in mind that the service at this mall restaurant can be a little spotty, and you can only dine here if you plan to eat a full meal as opposed to just drinks or dessert.

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Located on the terrace of the Ottoman Hotel Imperial and across the street from the Hagia Sophia, Matbah serves traditional Ottoman cuisine (think saffron pilaf and stuffed vine leaves) in a charming setting (although the views are not as good as one might expect given the proximity to the famous landmark).

Mikla is as ambitious and assuming as its name—which in Norse means magnificent (its hotshot chef Mehmet Gürs was born in Finland, grew up in Sweden and is part Turkish). Despite the strong attitude, the award-winning Mikla, in a glass-walled, U-shaped space on the top two floors of the Marmara Pera hotel, delivers in terms of design, cuisine and vista—the view over the Golden Horn is breathtaking. Well-heeled guests enjoy Gürs’ much lauded Mediterranean cuisine before heading to the terrace on the top floor for after-dinner drinks. Those who are interested in the view but can’t commit to an entire meal can also stop by for cocktails on the roof.