Fans of colonial watering holes tend to head for the bar at the Pera Palas Hotel; that's because they don't know about the Büyük Londra. Another late...

The decor at Buz, a decadent chain of nightspots frequented by Istanbul's bohemians, is nothing if not eccentric: there is almost as much furniture and...

Behind the Galatasaray Lycée, this fabulous 19th- century building was originally a school for the Italian Workers' Association. Beautifully converted into...

Akbıyık Caddesi is backpacker boulevard, all cut-rate travel agencies, hostels and last-ditch diners. Bars are as transient as their clientele, but Cheers...

A shopping mall may seem like a strange place for a bar, but Nişantaşı's Milli Reasürans Carşışı is full of them. Corridor has a lively but laid-back...

Turkish bears and other earthy types who won't do with the bright lights and thumping electronica of Beyoĸlu gather here in the comparatively more exotic...

The only way to tell this place apart from the dozens of other establishments on Nevizade Sokak is by the '27' crudely painted on the wall. There's a mellow...

This no-nonsense bar is a big hit with the young locals of Moda, many of whom are expats. The red-brick interior features a random assortment of brightly...

This Egyptian-themed bar, with wall paintings and statues, is incongruously located in a converted three-storey townhouse. The top-floor wine bar holds...

The first and only Irish pub in Istanbul. The decor is predictably clichéd, but the punters are a mixed bag of worldly Turks, expats and tourists who come...

Kaktüs' elegant dark-wood interior owes a great deal to the classic French café. Its patrons do their best to recreate the ambience of a Godard movie by...

Kaktüs's elegant dark-wood interior owes a great deal to the classic French café. Its patrons do their best to recreate the ambience of a Godard movie by...

This much-loved haunt in the heart of Kadıköy's bar strip is known for three things: alternative music, cheap beer, and fine art. The music policy can only...

This karaoke club near Taksim Square consists of a small bar and two private rooms that are available for hire - the intimate, red-leather Tokyo Room and...