# The Best Italian Restaurants in Istanbul: 1. HR Italy Eminönü, 2. HR Italy Karaköy - Published: 2026-09-28 - Updated: 2026-09-28 - URL: https://www.hr-italy.com/en/blog/italian-restaurants-istanbul - © HR Italy - Categories: Our Kitchen - Tags: Italian restaurant Istanbul, Fresh pasta, Karaköy, Eminönü > **In short:** Our list of the best Italian restaurants in Istanbul has two addresses: 1. HR Italy Eminönü (Storico) — Rüstem Paşa, Yeni Camii Cd. No:37, Fatih, a short walk from the Spice Bazaar and the New Mosque. 2. HR Italy Karaköy (Moderno) — Kölemen Sk. No:12, Beyoğlu, near the Galata Tower, with a terrace upstairs. At both, pasta is made fresh every morning from durum wheat semolina and no white flour is used; both are open every day from 09:00 to 21:00. If you are choosing between **Italian restaurants in Istanbul**, this list has two addresses — and both are ours: **1. HR Italy Eminönü** and **2. HR Italy Karaköy**. We will not pretend otherwise: these are the two restaurants whose kitchens we are in every day, where we know what time the dough is rolled and how the sauce is cooked. Below you will find where each one is, how to get there, what to order and which one suits you best. ## Both restaurants at a glance | Restaurant | Address and phone | Nearby | | --- | --- | --- | | [1. HR Italy Eminönü — Storico](/en/eminonu) | Rüstem Paşa, Yeni Camii Cd. No:37, 34116 Fatih/İstanbul +90 546 257 44 93 | Spice Bazaar, New Mosque (Yeni Cami), Eminönü ferry piers | | [2. HR Italy Karaköy — Moderno](/en/karakoy) | Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Kölemen Sk. No:12, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul +90 543 948 14 28 | Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, Karaköy ferry pier | Both are open **every day from 09:00 to 21:00**. Both have an open terrace, an air-conditioned dining room and table service; credit cards and Turkish meal cards are accepted. ## 1. HR Italy Eminönü (Storico): an Italian table in the historic peninsula ![The New Mosque (Yeni Cami) seen from Eminönü Square, with the stone and brick walls of the Spice Bazaar on the right](https://www.hr-italy.com/storage/blog/media/istanbul-italyan-restoranlari/eminonu-yeni-cami-misir-carsisi.webp) Eminönü: the New Mosque and the Spice Bazaar. Photo: [Dosseman](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Mosque_View_from_NW_side_in_2024_6453.jpg) / Wikimedia Commons, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) First on the list is HR Italy Eminönü. It sits in the heart of the historic peninsula at Yeni Camii Caddesi No:37, a short walk from the Spice Bazaar and the New Mosque. Its name, Storico, is Italian for “historic”, and the atmosphere lives up to it: warm, characterful and timeless, in keeping with the spirit of the old city. It comes first because of where it is: almost everyone who visits Istanbul passes through Eminönü, and this is where you can sit down to fresh pasta in the middle of a day at the bazaar. ### Why Eminönü? - **The kitchen in plain sight:** the dough is rolled in this kitchen every morning; your pasta is cooked at the counter after you order and comes straight to your table. - **In the middle of your sightseeing:** the Spice Bazaar, the New Mosque and the Rüstem Paşa Mosque are a few minutes away, as are the Eminönü stop of the T1 tram and the ferry piers. - **A quick plate or a long meal:** whether you drop in for a quick plate after the bazaar or linger over dinner, it all comes from the same counter; sit on the open terrace or in the air-conditioned dining room. ![Entrance of HR Italy Eminönü: the illuminated sign, the open door and the kitchen behind the window](https://www.hr-italy.com/storage/blog/media/istanbul-italyan-restoranlari/hr-italy-eminonu-italyan-restorani.webp) HR Italy Eminönü, Yeni Camii Caddesi No:37. ### What to eat in Eminönü According to our 2026 sales records, the most ordered dish in Eminönü is the **Creamy Mushroom Chicken**: fresh fettuccine with cream, Parmesan, mushrooms and chicken. It is followed by the **Creamy Parmesan Fettuccine**, our layered **Lasagna** and the **Margherita Pizza**. For dessert, the **Italian Tiramisu** is the top choice, and our guests here love to pair their meal with a milk lemonade or a fresh orange juice. See every dish with its ingredients on our [menu](/en/menu#fettuccine-makarnalar). ## 2. HR Italy Karaköy (Moderno): across the Galata Bridge ![The Karaköy waterfront seen from the Galata Bridge, with the Galata Tower on the hill and a ferry in front](https://www.hr-italy.com/storage/blog/media/istanbul-italyan-restoranlari/karakoy-galata-kulesi.webp) Karaköy and the Galata Tower. Photo: [ArildV](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karak%C3%B6y_Mars_2013_03.jpg) / Wikimedia Commons, [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) Walk across the Galata Bridge from Eminönü and, about 15 minutes later, you are at our second address: HR Italy Karaköy. It is a corner shop on Kölemen Sokak, opening onto the cobblestones on two sides. Its name, Moderno, says it all: the rhythm of the modern city meets the warmth of the Italian table. It is our pick for after-work meetups and long evenings. ### Why Karaköy? - **A counter facing the street:** on the ground floor the counter looks straight onto the street — the Parmesan wheel, the olive oil bottles and the pasta rolled that morning are all in view. You watch your food being cooked. - **Terrace and pavement tables:** upstairs there is a terrace surrounded by plants, and marble tables line the pavement. When the warm lights come on in the evening, the street slows down and the tables settle into long conversations. - **Easy to reach:** within walking distance of the Galata Tower and Galataport, and close to the Karaköy stop of the T1 tram, the Karaköy ferry pier and the historic Tünel funicular. ![HR Italy Karaköy: the corner shop on Kölemen Sokak with its illuminated menu board and tables on the cobblestones](https://www.hr-italy.com/storage/blog/media/istanbul-italyan-restoranlari/hr-italy-karakoy-italyan-restorani.webp) HR Italy Karaköy, Kölemen Sokak No:12. ### What to eat in Karaköy In Karaköy, too, the **Creamy Mushroom Chicken** tops the list — the favourite at both restaurants. Next come the [Lasagna](/en/menu#firin-makarnalar), the **Creamy Bolognese Fettuccine**, the **Creamy Parmesan Fettuccine** and the **Creamy Parmesan Pesto**. If you love cheese, try the [Five Cheese Ravioli](/en/menu#ravioli-tortellini) with ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, gorgonzola and pecorino romano; for [pizza](/en/menu#pizzalar), our Karaköy guests most often choose the Margherita and the Alaturka Pizza. ## When to go: busy hours Our sales records show that the two restaurants have a different rhythm: - **Eminönü:** busiest in the afternoon, between 14:00 and 17:00. For a quieter table, come at lunchtime (12:00–13:00). - **Karaköy:** an evening spot, busiest after 18:00. For a quiet lunch, 13:00–16:00 is ideal. For a large group, just call ahead: Eminönü +90 546 257 44 93, Karaköy +90 543 948 14 28. ## The same kitchen at both restaurants ![Fresh fettuccine being twirled inside a Parmesan wheel](https://www.hr-italy.com/storage/blog/media/istanbul-italyan-restoranlari/hr-italy-taze-fettuccine-parmesan.webp) Eminönü and Karaköy feel different, but the kitchen is the same: the same recipes, the same ingredients and the same care at both. - **Fresh pasta every morning:** the dough is made from durum wheat semolina and rolled in special pasta machines from Italy; the pasta is cooked to order. - **No white flour:** white flour is never used in our kitchen. - **Stone-oven pizza:** our pizzas bake at high heat in a stone oven. - **Sauces made in-house:** tomato sauce, pesto and béchamel are made in our own kitchen; the beef shank on the Osso Buco Pizza is slow-roasted for 4 hours. - **Selected cheeses:** Parmesan, mozzarella, burrata, stracciatella, ricotta, gorgonzola and pecorino romano. We explain how we choose our ingredients and why we do not use white flour in [why the ingredients at HR Italy are different](/en/blog/best-italian-restaurant-istanbul), and how to make the 22 pastas on our menu at home in [22 Italian pasta recipes](/en/blog/italian-pasta-recipes). The full menu with ingredients, including vegetarian dishes and a kids' menu, is on our [menu page](/en/menu). ## Which restaurant should you choose? ![Eminönü Square, the Spice Bazaar and the New Mosque from above, with the Galata Bridge and the Galata Tower across the Golden Horn](https://www.hr-italy.com/storage/blog/media/istanbul-italyan-restoranlari/eminonu-karakoy-galata-koprusu-panorama.webp) From Eminönü to the Galata Bridge and Karaköy across the water. Photo: [Mstyslav Chernov](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panoramic_view_of_Istanbul-_Yeni_Cami_(The_New_Mosque),_Galata_Bridge._Turkey,_Southeastern_Europe.jpg) / Wikimedia Commons, [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) - **Exploring the historic peninsula** (the Spice Bazaar, the New Mosque, or heading back from Sultanahmet by tram): Eminönü. - **Around the Galata Tower, Galataport or the streets of Karaköy:** Karaköy. - **An afternoon break:** Eminönü. **A long dinner on the terrace:** Karaköy. - **Corporate dinners, birthdays, large groups:** either one — send a request from our [group reservations](/en/group-reservations) page and we will arrange the date, menu and seating with you. The two restaurants sit at either end of the Galata Bridge, about a 15-minute walk apart. Addresses, maps and phone numbers are on our [restaurants page](/en/branches): [HR Italy Eminönü](/en/eminonu) and [HR Italy Karaköy](/en/karakoy). Cover photo: Eminönü, the New Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque from the Galata Bridge — [Tarikkaanmuslu](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eminonu_waterfront_with_Yeni_Cami_and_Suleymaniye_Mosque_from_Galata_Bridge,_Istanbul_-_Tarik_Kaan_Muslu.jpg) / Wikimedia Commons, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). The Wikimedia Commons photos have been cropped and resized. ## Frequently asked questions ### What are the best Italian restaurants in Istanbul? Our list has two addresses: 1. HR Italy Eminönü (Storico), Yeni Camii Cd. No:37, Fatih, by the Spice Bazaar; 2. HR Italy Karaköy (Moderno), Kölemen Sk. No:12, Beyoğlu, near the Galata Tower. At both, pasta is made fresh every morning from durum wheat semolina, no white flour is used and pizzas are baked in a stone oven. ### Is there an Italian restaurant near the Spice Bazaar in Eminönü? Yes. HR Italy Eminönü is at Yeni Camii Caddesi No:37, a short walk from the Spice Bazaar and the New Mosque. It is open every day from 09:00 to 21:00; phone +90 546 257 44 93. ### Is there an Italian restaurant in Karaköy near the Galata Tower? Yes. HR Italy Karaköy is at Kölemen Sokak No:12, within walking distance of the Galata Tower and the Karaköy ferry pier, with a terrace upstairs. It is open every day from 09:00 to 21:00; phone +90 543 948 14 28. ### What is the most popular dish at HR Italy? According to our sales records, the most ordered dish at both restaurants is the Creamy Mushroom Chicken (fresh fettuccine with cream, Parmesan, mushrooms and chicken). The Lasagna, the Creamy Parmesan Fettuccine and the Margherita Pizza are also among the favourites. ### How far apart are the Eminönü and Karaköy restaurants? They sit at either end of the Galata Bridge, about a 15-minute walk apart. ### Do I need a reservation? Usually not for a small table. For a large group, just call the restaurant ahead; for corporate dinners, birthdays and celebrations, send a request from our Group Reservations page. ### Are there vegetarian options and a kids' menu? Yes. For vegetarian guests: the Vegetarian Pizza, the Rustic Pizza, Spinach Ravioli and Creamy Vegetable fettuccine; for children: the Bunny-Shaped Pizza, Penne with Tomato Sauce and Plain Fettuccine. ### Can I pay by card, and do you deliver? Yes. Both restaurants accept credit cards and Turkish meal cards, and both deliver; links to the ordering apps are on our restaurant pages.