Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

WINE BAR SOLERA ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-252 2719; Yeniçarşı Caddesi 44, Galatasaray; h 11am-2am; W ; m Şişhane, j Tünel) Stocking more than 300 Turkish wines and pouring an extraordinary 100 by the glass, this atmospherically lit wine cavern is the city’s best wine bar. Regulars tend to head here after work for a glass of wine accompanied by a cheese plate ( ₺ 22); many stay on for a perfectly cooked steak ( ₺ 35). Bookings are essential on Friday and Saturday night. ALEX’S PLACE ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Gönül Sokak 7, Asmalımescit; h 6pm-1am Tue-Sat; m Şişhane, j Tünel) A hole-in-the-wall speakeasy in the heart of the Asmalımescit entertainment precinct, this place is beloved of local bohemians who work in the arts and cultural sectors. American owner Alex Waldman is passionate about cocktails and his craft creations have been known to convert beer and wine drinkers alike. There aren’t as many traditional teahouses in Beyoğlu as on the Historic Peninsula, so this çay bahçesi (tea garden) in a picturesque cobbled courtyard fringed by secondhand bookshops and vintage boutiques is beloved of locals. To access it from İstiklal Caddesi, head through the narrow passage full of tacky jewellery stands. 360 ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0533 691 0360; www.360istanbul.com; 8th fl, İstiklal Caddesi 163; h noon 2am Sun-Thu, to 4am Fri & Sat; W ; m Şişhane, j Tünel) İstanbul’s most famous bar, and deservedly so. If you can score one of the bar stools on the terrace you’ll be happy indeed – the view is truly extraordinary. It morphs into a club after midnight on Friday and Saturday, when a cover charge BAR TEA GARDEN BAR CAFE GRAND BOULEVARD ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Hazzo Pulo Pasajı; h 8am-3am; m Şişhane, j Tünel)