Pandeli Restaurant

The 38 Best Istanbul Restaurants | Eater

"The story starts over a century ago, when Pandeli Çobanoğlu served piyaz (bean salad) from a street cart near the Spice Market. Eventually he worked his way up to opening this iconic restaurant. Today Pandeli Lokantası is one of the oldest restaurants in town, with 119 years of history and a list of historic guests like Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn, and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Located on the first floor of the Spice Market, the space mesmerizes guests with its iconic blue tiles, but many diners choose to sit looking out at the ferries and trams passing through Eminönü Square. Pandeli serves classic Istanbul cuisine with a couple of modern twists thrown in. The signature dishes are divine, including hünkar beğendi (charcoal-roasted eggplant pureed with milk, butter, and cheese, served with tomato-braised veal), dönerli patlıcan böreği (eggplant börek topped with döner), lamb shank with mashed spinach, sea bass en papillote, almond cookies, and vişne tiridi (bread pudding soaked in cherry syrup, served with clotted cream)." - Tuba Şatana