Best Restaurants Open Monday in Istanbul 2026

Why a Monday list matters in Istanbul

The Michelin Guide reached Istanbul in 2022, and the city's smaller chef-driven rooms keep tight schedules, with several closing one weekday to recover. Monday is the most common rest night. That leaves a gap exactly when a visitor on a short city break wants a serious table.

The rooms that hold Monday are the ones tied to hotels and the Bosphorus, where seven-day service is built into the business. Mikla crowns The Marmara Pera in Beyoglu, Tugra sits inside the Ciragan Palace, and Aqua runs out of the Four Seasons on the Bosphorus. The order below leads with the rooftops and palace rooms, then the international names that anchor a reliable Monday. Hours are checked against each restaurant's published schedule. Every name links to its full review with the score and booking mechanics. For the rest of the week, start with the Istanbul dining guide.

The Monday list

Mikla

New Anatolian · Pera, Istanbul · $90–160 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 18:00–23:30 (dinner)

Mehmet Gurs crowns The Marmara Pera in Beyoglu with Mikla, a glass-walled rooftop looking across the Golden Horn to the old city. The Scandinavian-Anatolian cooking (lamb shoulder slow-cooked overnight, sourdough baked in-house) and the tasting menu are the draw; a meal runs $90 to $160 a head. Monday is dinner only, six to half-eleven. The view at dusk over the minarets makes it the Monday pick for a first night in the city or an occasion that needs a skyline.

Tuğra

Ottoman palace cuisine · Beşiktaş, Istanbul · $90–150 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 19:00–23:00 (dinner)

Tugra occupies a frescoed hall inside the Ciragan Palace Kempinski on the Bosphorus shore in Besiktas, the most ornate dining room in the city. The researched Ottoman-court dishes (lamb with sour cherries, saffron-scented rice) and the terrace over the water are the order; a meal lands $90 to $150 a head. Monday runs dinner from seven to eleven. The palace setting makes it the Monday choice for a once-in-a-trip dinner, and the terrace table is the one to request.

Aqua

Italian and Mediterranean · Beşiktaş, Istanbul · $90–160 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 18:30–23:00 (dinner; breakfast from 07:00)

Aqua is the Bosphorus-side dining room of the Four Seasons at Sultanahmet's sister property in Besiktas, with a terrace at the water's edge. The Italian and Mediterranean menu (handmade pasta, grilled local fish) and the wine list are the draw; a meal runs $90 to $160 a head. Monday dinner is half-six to eleven, with breakfast from seven. The waterside terrace and the calm, well-spaced room make it the Monday pick for a quiet business dinner or an anniversary by the strait.

Spago Istanbul

Californian · Nişantaşı, Istanbul · $80–140 per head

Monday hours: Monday, from 18:30 (dinner; terrace bar earlier)

Wolfgang Puck's Spago sits atop The St. Regis Istanbul in Nisantasi, the city's luxury-shopping district, with a terrace over the rooftops. The California-Mediterranean menu (the signature smoked-salmon pizza, grilled prime cuts) and the cocktail terrace are the order; a meal runs $80 to $140 a head. Monday opens for dinner in the evening. The Nisantasi address and the terrace make it the Monday choice for a polished, international dinner away from the tourist core.

Zuma Istanbul

Contemporary Japanese · Ortaköy, Istanbul · $90–160 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 12:00–01:00 (lunch and dinner)

Zuma's Istanbul outpost sits on the Bosphorus at Ortakoy, beneath the bridge, a contemporary izakaya with a robata grill and a sushi counter. The black cod marinated in saikyo miso and the robata-grilled skewers are the order; a meal lands $90 to $160 a head. Monday is the longest service on this list, noon to one in the morning. The lively room and the late hours make it the Monday pick for a group that wants energy, cocktails and a long table by the water.

Sunset Grill & Bar

Mediterranean and sushi · Ulus, Istanbul · $80–150 per head

Monday hours: Monday, 12:00–24:00

Sunset Grill & Bar sits on the Ulus hilltop in Besiktas, with one of the widest Bosphorus panoramas in the city and a famous cellar. The grilled fish, the sushi bar and the deep wine list are the draw; a meal runs $80 to $150 a head. Monday runs noon to midnight. The terrace view over the bridge at sunset gives it its name, and makes it the Monday choice for a long dinner that starts in daylight and ends under the lights of the strait.

How to book a Monday table in Istanbul

On a Monday the Bosphorus terraces are the prize: Tugra's palace terrace, Aqua's waterside tables and the Sunset Grill hilltop all go first at dusk, so book the moment your date is set. Mikla's rooftop sells its window tables days ahead for the skyline view. Zuma and Sunset Grill hold more last-minute room and are the safer choice for a Monday on short notice. For a solo Monday, the sushi counter at Zuma or the bar at Sunset Grill are the easiest seats and a strong solo-dining move. Entertaining a client? Aqua and Spago are the discreet, well-spaced rooms for it. Most take bookings direct or through the hotel concierge; for the meyhane and grill side of the city, see the Istanbul dining guide.

Frequently asked questions

Which fine-dining restaurants are open on Monday in Istanbul?

Six upscale Istanbul rooms keep a confirmed Monday service: Mikla on the Pera rooftop, Tugra inside the Ciragan Palace, Aqua at the Four Seasons Bosphorus, Spago at The St. Regis, Zuma at Ortakoy and Sunset Grill & Bar on the Ulus hilltop. These are mostly hotel and Bosphorus rooms, which run seven days; several of the city's smaller chef-driven kitchens rest on Monday, so a confirmed list saves a wasted evening.

Is Mikla open on Monday in Istanbul?

Yes. Mikla, Mehmet Gurs's rooftop restaurant atop The Marmara Pera in Beyoglu, serves dinner on Monday from 6pm to 11:30pm. Its Scandinavian-Anatolian tasting menu runs about $90 to $160 a head, and the window tables with the Golden Horn view book out several days ahead. Reserve early and ask for a table on the glass side for the skyline at dusk.

Which Bosphorus restaurants are open on Monday in Istanbul?

Several of the best waterside rooms keep Monday service. Tugra runs its terrace inside the Ciragan Palace in Besiktas, Aqua sits at the water's edge at the Four Seasons Bosphorus, Zuma is on the strait at Ortakoy, and Sunset Grill & Bar looks down on the bridge from the Ulus hilltop. All four are open Monday, and all four fill their terrace tables first at sunset, so book ahead for a waterside seat.

Are most upscale restaurants in Istanbul closed on Monday?

Not most, but several of the smaller chef-driven rooms close one weekday, and Monday is the most common choice after a heavy weekend. The rooms that stay open are mostly tied to hotels and the Bosphorus, where seven-day service is part of the business. That is why a confirmed Monday list matters, led here by the rooftops at Mikla and the palace setting at Tugra.

Do I need a reservation for Monday dinner in Istanbul?

For these rooms, yes, particularly for the terrace and rooftop tables at Mikla, Tugra, Aqua and Sunset Grill, which book out days ahead for the sunset view. Zuma holds more last-minute room and its sushi counter takes walk-ins, but a booking direct or through the hotel concierge is the safe move for any party larger than two on a Monday.

Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule as of June 2026; confirm directly before travelling. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.