Istanbul's Best Pasta Restaurants: Real Italian Pasta in Eminönü and Karaköy

Ask us where to find the best pasta in Istanbul and the answer is short: at the two ends of the Galata Bridge. On the Eminönü side stands HR Italy Eminönü, on the Karaköy side HR Italy Karaköy. The claim is ours and we are not hiding it; behind it, though, stands a counter that is set up fresh every morning. Dough kneaded from durum wheat semolina, machines we brought from Italy, and the recipes Chef Ramazan Karagüney has refined over the years. This post walks through all of it, and ends with the plates we would put in front of you first.

A real pasta house makes its own pasta

In Turkish there is a lovely word for it: makarnacı, a place whose whole trade is pasta. Istanbul has many kitchens that cook Italian food; true pasta houses are rare. One question separates them: where does your pasta come from? In both of our restaurants the answer is the same, from inside the kitchen. The dough is kneaded on site every morning and reaches the plate the same day. The fettuccine you eat at noon was made that morning; it has never seen a box or a freezer.

The flour is no ordinary flour either. White flour does not enter our kitchen; our pasta is made from durum wheat semolina. Semolina is a hard flour and will not hold together when rolled by hand, so our dough is rolled by special pasta machines from Italy. That is where it takes its shape as fettuccine, penne and spaghetti.

Our pasta is genuinely Italian

In Italy, the law requires dried pasta to be made from durum wheat semolina; Italians call it semola di grano duro. We follow the same road: the same flour, the same method, the same machines from Italy. That is where our pasta gets its golden colour and the bite it keeps when cooked al dente.

The dishes come from the same tradition. Carbonara, bolognese, pesto, arrabbiata, osso buco, ravioli, tortellini: each one a special dish Italian cooking knows and loves. Chef Ramazan Karagüney prepares these classics with his own recipes, measured to the gram, so that what lands on your table in the middle of Istanbul is a true Italian dish, not a tourist imitation with an Italian name.

We are serious about pasta that won't weigh you down

We do not like the "heavy food" label pasta carries. So we started with the flour: no white flour, only semolina. Semolina pasta cooked al dente is digested more slowly than products made from white flour and raises blood sugar more gently. Our chef's recipes work toward the same goal: pasta that does not sit on your stomach and lets you rise from the table light. Portions are measured, sauces balanced.

And we will not tell you fairy tales: no single food makes you gain weight or protects you from it, your day's total does. We gave the long and honest answer in a separate post: Is There a Pasta That Won't Make You Gain Weight? Our part is to make the pasta do its best.

We vouch for our dishes twice

If a restaurant is going to vouch for its food, there are two moments that count. The first happens at the table: the fork goes in, the sauce clings to the pasta, the parmesan melts in the heat. For that moment we vouch for the flavour; the dough was rolled that morning, the sauce built that day.

The second moment comes after you leave the table, and most places forget about it. That mid-afternoon heaviness, the bloated feeling that lasts till evening; that is exactly what we do not want. Chef Ramazan Karagüney's recipes were developed for this moment: semolina, al dente cooking and measured sauces, so that digestion stays easy. We vouch for the flavour while you eat, and for the lightness after.

One more kitchen rule belongs here: nothing goes to waste at HR Italy. Daily production is planned around it; the counter empties in the evening and is set up fresh the next morning.

The pasta house in Eminönü: HR Italy Eminönü

Our first restaurant is in Eminönü, on Yeni Cami Caddesi. Two steps from the Spice Bazaar, five minutes from the ferry piers. You walk in through the scent of spices, and at the door the scent changes: fresh dough, parmesan, pizza coming out of the oven. Few things cure bazaar fatigue like a hot plate of pasta.

Address: Rüstem Paşa, Yeni Camii Cd. No:37, 34116 Fatih/İstanbul. Phone: +90 546 257 44 93. Every day 09:00–21:00. Open it in Maps and you will spot us as you turn the corner.

The pasta house in Karaköy: HR Italy Karaköy

Our second restaurant stands at the other end of the bridge, in Karaköy, on Kölemen Street. It is the neighbourhood where the slope coming down from the Galata Tower ends and the smell of coffee spills into the street. Visitors walking down from the tower, passengers off the ferry, gallery-goers; at noon they are the ones who keep our counter busy.

Address: Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Kölemen Sk. No:12, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul. Phone: +90 543 948 14 28. Every day 09:00–21:00. Open in Maps.

The menu and prices are the same in both restaurants; come to whichever is closer to your road.

Highlights from the counter

The full menu is on our menu page; this is our own shortlist, with our guests' clear number one at the top.

Creamy Mushroom Chicken

The undisputed number one in our order book. Fresh fettuccine, cream, parmesan, mushrooms and chicken; it reads simple on paper and tastes anything but at the table. Most first-time guests start here.

Carbonara Fettuccine

The dish on the cover. Fresh fettuccine, cream, parmesan, smoked beef and an egg yolk on top. Breaking the yolk with a fork and stirring it into the sauce has become a little ritual among our guests.

Osso Buco Fettuccine

Beef shank roasted in the oven for four hours, pulled into strands and set on creamy fettuccine. Milan's grand classic as it looks on our counter; when it reaches the table, conversation tends to pause.

Five Cheese Ravioli

Five Italian cheeses meet inside fresh ravioli: ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, gorgonzola and pecorino romano. If you love cheese, this is the first line to look for on the menu.

Creamy Bolognese Fettuccine

A long-simmered bolognese, softened with cream and parmesan. It is what we suggest to anyone who cannot decide; bolognese rarely lets anyone down.

Penne Arrabbiata

The cream-free pasta on our menu. Fresh penne in an arrabbiata sauce built on tomato, garlic and chilli. The first stop for anyone after a lighter plate.

If you would like to try these at home, we collected home versions of our dishes in 22 Italian pasta recipes.

The table is set, the road is short

Now you know what stands behind our claim to Istanbul's best pasta: semolina, machines from Italy, a chef's recipes and a double guarantee. The rest is a matter of tasting, and that we cannot do in writing. To try it right away, come to our restaurants; both are open every day from 09:00 to 21:00.

The full menu with ingredients is on our menu page, and details of both restaurants are on our restaurants page.