The Hagia Sofia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace will forever be beautiful. But even on my first visit to Istanbul, during which I very much admired those spectacular sites, what won my heart was the emerging neighborhoods, the creative chefs and designers, and the city’s generally cosmopolitan character.
Every time I’ve returned, I’ve delved deeper into the “real” Istanbul, places frequented by (admittedly well-off) locals. And after a recent visit, I’m finding that the more I explore, the more I find to love. (Full disclosure: My trip was hosted by the tourism board, but my unofficial guide was a friend of a friend, Arda Sayiner, a well-traveled Istanbulite journalist, bon vivant and general man about town.)
And since some people might be wondering, I have never once felt unsafe in Turkey. With that unfortunate clarification out of the way, here are seven places to enjoy right now. (PS: The economic situation might make for provocative headlines, but it also makes for a great value.)
Balat
An up-and-coming neighborhood worth at least a day’s visit is Balat. The houses are painted in all sorts of colors; laundry lines are strung between buildings; remnants of Jewish, Armenian and Orthodox history still stand; and you’re just as likely to see women in abayas doing their shopping as their more secular counterparts wearing (conservative) Western dress and a few tourists wearing all kinds of things. This is the idea of Istanbul as a tolerant melting pot writ large. Also, the hipsters have moved in, setting up shops like Smelt & Co., which serves a variety of homemade kombuchas, and Balat Coffee & Guide (among many other cafés), which serves pour-over whatevers and Greek-style iced coffee, with detailed neighborhood maps and optional guided tours on the side.
Karakoy
Granted, this neighborhood—a former trade district near a major train station and port that is full of banks—has been gentrifying for some time. But now it’s fully in its stride. It’s near the tourist center of Sultanhamet and close to busy neighborhoods like Taksim and Galata, but more vibrant with creative energy than those more developed areas. The House Hotel Karakoy, from local darlings the House Hotels, was a luxury pioneer when it opened in 2014. Now a Bosphorus-front Peninsula Hotel and a spiffed-up cruise terminal are in the works. In between them are bustling laneways—á la Melbourne—filled with people sipping coffee and cocktails outside. Here, said Sayiner, you completely forget you’re in Turkey.
The House Hotel Karakoy
One of the best indie hotel brands, around, the Turkish House Hotels group turned a former bank into a 63-room luxury hotel with a soul. Restored by the Agha Khan Award–winning Turkish architect Han Tümertekin, the building structure retains original features, while the luxurious modern interiors were dreamed up by local designer Sinan Kafadar. The in-house curator asked ten young Turkish artists to create works showing “Karakoy inside and out” and exploring the area’s gentrification. A Spanish Michelin-star chef will be consulting on an upcoming rooftop gastropub.
Murver
The last thing you would expect from a hotel restaurant, Murver, which opened in late June on the rooftop of the Novotel Istanbul Bosphorus (but is not technically run by the hotel), is both casual and glamour-drenched. A wood-burning oven turns out plates of classic Turkish fare, which are meant to be shared over wine and groovy cocktails—mine, with gin, lemon, honey and rosemary, was called the Drunk Violinist—such as grilled spicy sausages and roasted local fish. Star chef Mehmet Gurs of the well-regarded Mikla (on the World’s 50 Best list) consulted on the menu, which also has an excellent selection of vegetarian mezes.
Tomtom
This newly hip neighborhood was busy with the city’s Levantine society in the late 18th century. After some time off the radar, when it became a sleepy neighborhood of consulates, it is emerging as a creative hub, with cafés, art galleries and indie designers galore. Some are calling it in the “next Karakoy.” The development is meant to be inclusive and multicultural, along the lines of the Miami Design District. The Tom Tom Suites, with 20 rooms in an old Franciscan house, is a trendy place to stay.
Inside, there’s a cool art gallery and exhibition space. On the rooftop, there’s Neolokal, a venture from chef Maksut Askar. The food is meant to reinterpret the tastes and flavors of Anatolia for today’s palates, with produce sourced according to the Slow Food movement’s Ark of Taste guidelines. But really, the reason to go is for a laid-back cocktail or a soft rosé with stunning views over the river.
Bomonti
One more newly trending neighborhood, Bomonti is home to a host of new restaurants and cafés, one of the city’s best concert venues, an "embedded city campus" in the form of Bomontiada, and a hip cowork/event space called Atolye. A standout event is the monthly Expat Spotlight, showcasing projects made by Istanbul’s international community. Oh, and there’s also a House Hotel here, this one designed by Conran + Partners.
Getting there: Turkish Airlines flies to Istanbul from, well, just about anywhere, and offers a very comfortable business class and a new wellness program developed in partnership with Dr. Mehmet Oz.
