İsmet Baba

New restaurants open every day as old ones close, but İsmet Baba resolutely remains in place in Kuzguncuk. Having been host to writers and artists over time, even today İsmet Baba’s popularity hasn’t lessened and it has many local customers. This window-clad venue in Kuzguncuk on the Asian side is known as the last place where author and poet Nazım Hikmet had rakı in Turkey. The wooden walls are covered in old photographs of İsmet Baba in his yellow gumboots and old fishing gear. Right on the water, if you’re after a place where you can listen to music with your meal, this may not be the one for you as even the radio doesn’t play in the background—the only sound is of the various conversations going on inside. Specialties include potato pastry (börek) with yoghurt, cheese, and parsley; fried turbot, poached seabass, pilaki (cold fish and beans with onions) and, make sure you leave space for dessert because there’s banana dessert with honey. At the city’s best shed-like fish restaurant, you can enjoy fish and rakı without emptying your pockets.