The first kebab house in Istanbul to serve traditional eastern-Turkish skewers in chic surroundings, Kösebasi is now a successful chain. But the original villa location, in the Levent area, is still the favorite for its garden and its grilled dishes that come with all the requisite trimmings, like herbed tomato salad with pomegranate and the addictive findik lahmacun (lamb-topped mini pizzas).

We loved: Çöp sis, lamb cubes marinated in spices.