Zanzibar Zorlu

For those who might not be familiar with Zanzibar, the story behind the restaurant dates back to the ’90s, when the original Zanzibar was opened in Milli Reasürans Çarşısı in Nişantaşı. In the early 2000s the restaurant relocated to a 19^th-century mansion on the Caddebostan shore that’s still a popular destination for weekend breakfasts. In contrast to the sunny, laid-back vibe of Cafe Zanzibar on the Asian side, the newly opened Zanzibar Zorlu has an ambience that’s closer to the restaurant’s early days in Nişantaşı. Don’t be thrown off by the name; Zanzibar actually serves a heavily Italian-influenced menu featuring dishes like beef émincé with porcini mushrooms as well as pizza and scrocchiarella varieties. The scrocchiarella is similar to a thin-crust Roman-style pizza; here, it’s served as two layers of crispy dough filled with ingredients like smoked salmon and cream cheese. Each scrocchiarella comes with six slices, making it the perfect light, shareable starter.

Designed by Aloş Çavdar, the restaurant’s interior features zebra patterns intended to conjure the restaurant’s African namesake, while the terrace section overlooks the shops on the bridge floor of Zorlu Center. Zanzibar Zorlu is currently the most elegant link in the restaurant chain, and though you could stop by for a quick meal before catching a show at Zorlu PSM, we recommend making reservations for a leisurely dinner here instead.