Looking for a Vegetarian Restaurant in Eminönü or Karaköy? HR Italy's Meat-Free Menu

You have just walked around the Spice Bazaar in Eminönü, or come down from the Galata Tower into Karaköy, and you are looking for somewhere to sit down with a friend who doesn't eat meat. This post is about our two restaurants and the meat-free side of our menu. Let's be clear from the start: HR Italy is not an all-vegetarian restaurant, and there are chicken and meat dishes on the menu. But Italian cooking knows vegetables, cheese and dough very well, and 31 of the 62 dishes on our menu contain no meat or seafood. A vegetarian and a meat-eater can share a table and both order exactly what they want.

Why HR Italy works for vegetarians

• Half the menu is meat-free: 8 pizzas, 9 pastas, 3 ravioli and tortellini, 5 salads, 2 children's dishes and 4 desserts.
• Ingredients are listed: the menu lists what goes into each dish, so you can see what is in it without having to ask.
• Semolina pasta: white flour is never used in our kitchen. The pasta dough is made from durum wheat semolina and rolled every morning in machines from Italy.
• Two neighbourhoods, one kitchen: the menu is the same in Eminönü and Karaköy, and both are open every day from 09:00 to 21:00.

HR Italy Eminönü: a meat-free break by the Spice Bazaar

Spices at the Spice Bazaar. Photo: Miomir Magdevski / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

HR Italy Eminönü is at Yeni Camii Caddesi No:37 in Rüstem Paşa, a short walk from the Spice Bazaar and the New Mosque. When wandering among the spices has made you hungry, it is a place to sit down to a plate of spinach ravioli or a Vegetarian Pizza. It has an open terrace and an air-conditioned dining room, with table service. Afternoons are its busiest hours.

To experience our meat-free menu right away, come to the restaurant: HR Italy Eminönü page · open in Maps.

HR Italy Karaköy: dinner below the Galata Tower

Karaköy and the Galata Tower at sunset. Photo: Hamdigumus / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

HR Italy Karaköy is at Kölemen Sokak No:12, a few minutes from the Galata Tower and the Karaköy ferry pier. The counter of this corner shop looks straight onto the street, and upstairs there is a terrace surrounded by plants. Karaköy is at its liveliest in the evening, and this is a good place to share a Burrata Salad and a Pomodoro Pizza.

To experience our meat-free menu right away, come to the restaurant: HR Italy Karaköy page · open in Maps.

Meat-free pizzas

Our pizzas bake in a stone oven. The eight meat-free pizzas on the menu:

• Vegetarian Pizza: tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, courgette, aubergine, peppers and sweetcorn. True to its name, the one with the most vegetables.
• Margherita Pizza: tomato sauce, mozzarella, pesto and oregano.
• Pomodoro Pizza: tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, cherry tomatoes, basil and pesto.
• Burrata Pizza: tomato sauce, mozzarella, burrata, pesto, rocket and cherry tomatoes.
• Stracciatella Pizza: tomato sauce, mozzarella, stracciatella, pesto and cherry tomatoes.
• Rustic Pizza: basil sauce, mozzarella, courgette, rocket, lor (a fresh Turkish curd cheese) and pomegranate molasses.
• Fungi Pizza: mozzarella, mushroom cream, button mushrooms and oregano.
• Four Cheese Pizza: mozzarella, Parmesan, Emmental, Roquefort and oregano.

Meat-free pastas

Our pasta dough is made from semolina. The nine meat-free pastas:

• Fresh Truffle Mushroom: fettuccine, cream, Parmesan, truffle and truffle oil. The dish in the photo.
• Porcini & Truffle Mushroom: fettuccine, cream, porcini and Parmesan.
• Creamy Parmesan Fettuccine: fettuccine, cream and Parmesan; the simplest dish on the menu.
• Creamy Parmesan Pesto: fettuccine, cream, Parmesan and pesto.
• Caramelized Onion & Mushroom: fettuccine, cream, Parmesan, caramelised onions and mushrooms.
• Creamy Vegetable: fettuccine, cream, Parmesan, boiled vegetables and peppers.
• Mac & Cheese: fettuccine, cream, cheddar, Parmesan and croutons.
• Penne Arrabbiata: penne in a spicy tomato arrabbiata sauce; the only pasta on this list without cream.
• Baked Penne with Creamy Vegetables: penne, cream, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, Parmesan, garlic, pesto and mozzarella, finished in the oven.

You can make most of these at home too; the recipes are in 22 Italian pasta recipes.

Ravioli and tortellini

• Spinach Ravioli: fresh ravioli filled with spinach.
• Five Cheese Ravioli: fresh ravioli with cream and five cheeses: ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, gorgonzola and pecorino romano.
• Cheese Tortellini: tricolour tortellini with a cheese filling.

Meat-free salads

Burrata salad, illustrative photo. Photo: Peachyeung316 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

• Burrata Salad: seasonal greens, burrata, cherry tomatoes, pesto, balsamic and olive oil.
• Quinoa Salad: seasonal greens, quinoa, dill, cucumber, mint, parsley, pomegranate seeds and pomegranate molasses.
• Italian Salad: seasonal greens, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, croutons and pesto.
• Mozzarella Grilled Mushroom Salad: seasonal greens, mozzarella, Parmesan, grilled mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, truffle oil, balsamic and pesto.
• Grilled Halloumi Salad: seasonal greens, grilled halloumi, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, walnuts, pomegranate molasses and olive oil.

Desserts and children's dishes

For dessert there is Italian Tiramisu (made with mascarpone), Chocolate Soufflé with Ice Cream, White Chocolate Brownie and the Nutella Calzone Pizza with Nutella, banana and strawberries. Panna cotta is traditionally set with gelatine; if you are vegetarian, ask when you order.

On the children's menu, the Penne with Tomato Sauce and the Plain Fettuccine are meat-free; both come with orange juice.

Ordering notes for vegetarian guests

• Cheese and rennet: some Italian cheeses, such as Parmesan, pecorino and gorgonzola, are traditionally made with animal rennet. If this matters to you, ask our team when you order.
• Vegan guests: no dish on the menu is labelled vegan. Going by its ingredients, the Quinoa Salad contains no animal products; for other dishes, please ask our team.
• Adding more: the extras include mushrooms, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado and truffle oil.
• Mixed groups: for large groups of vegetarians and meat-eaters, send a request from our group reservations page and we will put the menu together with you.

Why Italian food suits vegetarians

Most of Italian cooking is meat-free to begin with. A classic Margherita is tomato, mozzarella and basil; pesto is basil, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil; arrabbiata is tomato, garlic and chilli. Italy's cucina povera, the peasant cooking of the countryside, uses little meat and plenty of vegetables, cheese and dough. So being vegetarian in a good Italian restaurant does not mean hunting for one or two “alternatives” at the edge of the menu; the choice is there already.

Where to try our meat-free menu

To experience these dishes 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.

Cover photo (illustrative): Nenad Stojkovic / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. The Wikimedia Commons photos have been cropped and resized.