For centuries, İstanbul has dazzled the world with its history, culture and cross-cultural personality. From the Golden Horn and on both sides of the Bosphorus, this gateway of humanity facilitates dialogue between continents and brings people together, along with their know-how, traditions and recipes from near and far.
@Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul;
The first İstanbul restaurant selection will be revealed on October 11, 2022.
Istanbul is a gastronomic destination fueled by ancient traditions and young creative talents, which have shaped a unique culinary identity After Dubai and Estonia, which were announced in March and beginning of April, İstanbul becomes the 38th destination to be spotlighted by the MICHELIN Guide.
İstanbul will therefore become the 38th international destination to have its gastronomic scene brought to the fore by the MICHELIN Guide inspectors.
A city of more than 15 million inhabitants, with the special characteristic of straddling two continents, İstanbul is an amalgamation of cultures unlike anywhere else on earth. As a front row witness to this strategic location, İstanbul gastronomic scene is rooted in an especially varied culinary tradition, which has steadily been enhanced and fine-tuned over the centuries. Its plant-based recipes – such as the incredible array of dolmas, mezzes and salads – are the standard bearers, with recipes honoring fish and prime cuts of meat, not forgetting the countless desserts, where fresh and dried fruit takes center stage. The Turkish classical repertoire covers a broad spectrum, featuring tremendous variety and culinary techniques.
“The MICHELIN Guide’s arrival showcases this top-class gastronomic destination for gourmets everywhere. Fueled by ancient traditions, which have shaped a unique culinary identity, and young, open-minded and creative talents, İstanbul’s culinary scene simply astounded our team”, explained Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides.
“The interest shown in the Istanbul food and beverage sector by the Michelin Guide is an indication that Turkey is at the forefront of gastronomy tourism. I firmly believe that the special selection prepared by the Michelin Guide for İstanbul will support our efforts to position İstanbul on the global stage as a “Gastrocity”, spotlighting our establishments, which stand out for their originality, diversity, sustainability, and creativity, with a brand-new perspective and drawing tourists who are interested in excellent food and flavors. Bringing fresh produce from fields to tables in its unique geography, with regions of different climates, Turkish cuisine has led culinary trends throughout history as a waste-free food culture with cultural accumulation. Offering countless opportunities to sample not only traditional Turkish dishes but also the best of world cuisines, Istanbul is a gastronomy capital with the potential to respond to all taste quests.” – Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
As well as remaining loyal to this still vibrant culinary heritage, İstanbul also offers gourmets more daring, innovative and fusion recipes created by talented homegrown and foreign chefs, brimming with creativity. Together, these variations, which food lovers can sample in the quaint streets of Sultanahmet and Pera or the lively Karakoy, Moda and Cihangir districts, are a reminder of the way İstanbul has always turned dining into a real way of life.
The İstanbul restaurant selection will be put together according to the long-standing and universal MICHELIN Guide method, which has been applied by its professional inspectors for nearly a century. The inspection teams will work completely independently to identify and recommend the city’s best restaurants, after anonymously appraising the quality of the cuisine offered by these restaurants according to 5 criteria: the quality of products, the mastery of cooking techniques, the harmony of flavors, the personality of the chef in his/her cuisine and the consistency on the menu and between inspectors’ visits.
From October 11th 2022, the first restaurant selection of the MICHELIN Guide İstanbul will be available online on the MICHELIN Guide website: guide.michelin.com and on the application, available for free download on iOS and Android, where users can narrow their search according to location, type of cuisine and special services on offer, to find exactly what they are looking for.
The MICHELIN Guide is now present in 38 destinations. A destination covered by the MICHELIN Guide can be a city, a region or a country which our inspectors visit regularly to appraise local restaurants before drawing up their annual selection.
@Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul; @mandarinoriental.com/
