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

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 glassware stuck to the...

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

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

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 atmosphere, without the...

Drolly named after the café's designer, Ali, this relatively new addition to Ortaköy's nightlife absorbs the overflow from its noisier neighbour, the House Café, especially for...

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 bar on the ground...

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

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 coloured furniture, a...

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 for the decent range...

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 chain-smoking and...

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 be described as...

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 the larger, darker...

Part-way down the precipitous slope of Yeniçarşı, Limonlu Bahçe is set in a big, bucolic back garden. This pretty setting draws a self-conscious young crowd who loll on...