DINING
Turkish restaurants fall into three categories: meze, meat, or fish. Kandilli Borsa serves all three in an unpretentious atmosphere (12 Vaniköy Cad. Siraevler Sok.; 216-460-0304; entrées, $28-$77). Topaz has stylish takes on classic dishes; try the lamb with smoky eggplant puree and minted onion relish (50 Inönu Cad., Omer Avni Mahallesi; 212-249-1001; entrées, $12-$40). Four-story Changa, in Taksim, has led the city's gourmet scene for ten years with inventive, globally inspired dishes like smoked red mullet with pomegranate salsa (47 Siraselviler Cad.; 212-251-7064; entrées, $17-$27). Its modernist sister, Muze de Changa, is in the Sakip Sabanci Museum, near the Bosphorus (22 Sakip Sabanci Cad.; 212-323-0901; entrées, $16-$23). House of the Medusa, in a tranquil garden near Hagia Sophia, cooks up traditional dishes (19 Yerebatan Cad.; 212-511-4116; entrées, $11-$21). Cezayir, in BeyoØglu, serves New Turkish food in a garden setting—don't miss the signature borek, a pastry filled with pastrami and dried fruit and dipped in rose hip syrup (12 Hayriye Cad.; 212-245-9980; entrées, $14-$26).

Meze restaurants display a variety of traditional small dishes (cigar borek, imam biyaldi, coban salata) so you can choose your meal, order an aperitif of raki, and settle in for a leisurely feast. Some of the city's best are: Pandeli, in the Spice Market (212-527-3909); Taksim's Haci Abdullah (17 Sakizagaci Cad.; 212-293-8561); and old-fashioned Refik, near the Tünel subway stop (10-12 Sofyali Sok.; 212-243-2834).

Seafood lovers should try the simple, ultra-fresh fish at Balikci Sabahattin, in Sultanahmet (1 Seyit Hasan Koyu Sok.; 212-458-1824; entrées, $8-$31). On the Bebek waterfront, Bebek Balikçi has a 1930s feel and prime views of liners and yachts gliding through the harbor. Order local delicacies like gray mullet and sea bream (26/A Cevdet Pasa Cad.; 212-263-3447; entrées, $25-$45).

Istanbul has a vibrant café culture. Get a cappuccino and snag an outside table at Cafe Smyrna, a former antiques shop in Tünel (29 Akarsu Cad.; 212-244-2466). Nearby, Keve attracts cineastes and writers (10 Tünel Gecidi; 212-251-4338). Assk Kahve, on the Bosphorus, serves a tasty breakfast (63-66 Cad. Milli Reasürans Çarisi; 212-231-9172). A popular nightspot in Bebek, Lucca is a lovely café by day (51/B Cevdetpasa Cad.; 212-257-1255). For an old-fashioned Turkish coffeehouse, try Bebek Kahve (13 Cevdet Pasa Cad.; 212-257-5402). Near the Eyup Mosque, Pierre Loti serves good coffee, but the big draw is the view of the Golden Horn (Gumussuyu Cad. Balmumcu Sok.; 212-581-2696).