Chef Mehmet Gürs gained acclaim for his Turkish-Finnish dishes in his fine dining restaurant in the Marmara Pera Hotel. From 2005 to 2012, Mikla served food that blended the chef's dual nationalities, but recently, with the help of a cultural historian and consultant, Mikla's menu has been revamped and now draws deeper inspiration from Anatolia than from Europe in a style dubbed the "new Anatolian kitchen."[Photo]

Located on the ground floor of the 8 İstanbul Suites, chef Maksut Aşkar's restaurant serves modern dishes, which are mostly winners. The menu changes with the seasons, so in the winter, look for beetroot and bulgur, while in the warmer months there is fresh broad bean and green chickpea hummus with sea bream ceviche.[Photo]

Alex Waldman, an American cocktail expert and long-time İstanbul resident, mixes excellent drinks at this tiny bar in Asmalımescit. Since Turkey’s liquor supply is dominated by industrial brands, his drinks employ the country's strengths: herbs, spices, and produce. There are dozens of bottles of homemade bitters and syrups; garnishes are procured from the Ekolojik Pazar in Bomonti.[Photo: perennialplate/instagram]

The long-established grill master Ziver Usta recently retired from this simple meatball shop near Sirkeci Station and the Spice Bazaar. There is a new man at the coals, but the menu hasn't changed. At Filibe, you can still expect satisfying grilled meatballs served with a white bean and shredded carrot salad.[Photo]

Atop the Demirören Mall in Beyoğlu, the Philippe Starck-designed Mama Shelter hotel is home to a restaurant of the same name that bills itself as French, though pizza is served and the wine list is all over the map. The menu, which was designed by Alain Senderens and Jérôme Banctel, is executed by Swiss-trained chef Murat Artukmaç from an open-plan kitchen.[Photo]

Gile Restaurant, which opened in Beşiktaş in April, is among the newest and most promising additions to Istanbul's dining scene. Posited as "avant-garde Turkish cuisine," the restaurant's chefs Üryan Doğmuş and Cihan Kıpçak use modern techniques and traditional ingredients to create unconventional flavors and texture contrasts.[Photo]