Istanbul-born chef Fatih Tutak shares his favourite culinary experiences in his hometown, from Turkish barbecue at Ahmet Ustam Ocakbaşı to micro-seasonal menus at Nazende.
Straddling two continents, Istanbul has been shaped by millennia of Silk Road traders and the meeting of great religions. From the Byzantines to the Ottomans, each of the city’s historical inhabitants have left behind impressive architecture, unique cultural traditions and a rich culinary legacy.
“Turkish cuisine is an undiscovered diamond mine,” says chef Fatih Tutak of two-Michelin-star Turk in Istanbul. “In the early ’90s, Turkish food became very much [seen as] street food, especially in Europe. [There], you can make a very bad quality döner kebab and no one [knows]. Turkish food is not very easy to cook properly. It’s complex. [In Istanbul] we have many different people from around Turkey and they cook their own cuisine. It’s a melting pot.”
At Turk, Tutak gives age-old Turkish recipes a cutting-edge spin. However, when he’s not in the kitchen, he prefers something lower key. “As a chef I am very specific when I go to restaurants in Turkey, especially in Istanbul,” he explains. “I try to always go very local and where the food is ultimately high quality, prepared with amazing ingredients.”
A year-round destination with warm summers and cool winters, the city topped Euromonitor’s list as the most visited city in the world in 2023, so there’s never been a better time to dive into Istanbul’s excellent culinary scene.
Here are Tutak’s favourite dining spots in his hometown.
Ahmet Ustam Ocakbaşı1. Best for Turkish barbecue: Ahmet Ustam Ocakbaşı
Visitors to Istanbul will likely notice the word “ocakbaşı” plastered on restaurant signage everywhere. It means “fireside” in Turkish, and is the name given to grill houses where a chef cooks kebabs on glowing hot coals. It is one of the most popular ways to dine in the city, and for Tutak, Ahmet Ustam Ocakbaşı is the best in the business.
“This is where I go on my days off,” he says. “[They have] an artisanal way of making kebabs; hand chopped, with different varieties of meat cuts. They do the best minced kebab and shish kebab, and also chicken wings and salad and grilled veggies and lavash (thin flatbread).
For Tutak, it’s not just about the food but also the experience. “Chef Ahmet has been doing this job for almost 20 years. He is very passionate,” he says. “You sit down in front of the grill and he is there cooking in front of you; like Japanese robatayaki. Also, you can drink rakı [a Turkish aniseed flavoured spirit] because the best way of enjoying the kebab, for me, is [with] rakı: the Turkish way.”
Tutak’s advice: “You should not leave without eating the Adana kebab,” which he proclaims to be “the best in the city”. Possibly Turkey’s most popular variety of kebab, it’s made from skewered mincemeat and seasoned with red pepper flakes for mild heat and named after the city of Adana in south-eastern Turkey, where it originates from.
Address: Maslak Mah. Dereboyu 2 Cad. No:8/1, Istanbul
Phone: +90 53 0175 6114
Instagram: @ahmetustamocakbasi
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