RFK Rankings · Istanbul
Best Restaurants for Family-Friendly in Istanbul (2026)
Family-friendly · Istanbul · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published September 30, 2023 · Updated June 9, 2026
Turkish rooms adore children, so the question in Istanbul is not whether kids are welcome but where the food is worth the trip. Develi has grilled kebabs for a century and Sutis spreads breakfast along the Bosphorus. These six, ranked, are where to eat with children in the city.
1.Develi 1912
A century of southeastern kebabs and baklava on a 750-seat Marmara terrace; come with children for the grill and the view.
Develi has grilled kebabs since the family carried the Antep tradition to Istanbul, opening in the historic Samatya quarter in 1966 under the 1912 name. The Adana kebabs, the lahmacun and the baklava and kunefe carry a southeastern Turkish menu, and the rooftop terrace seats around 750 with a Marmara Sea view.
Mains run roughly 350 to 600 lira, so a family meal lands near 500 lira a head. The big terrace, the open grill and the sweet trolley keep children engaged, and the scale of the room absorbs a noisy family table without a second look.
2.Kosebasi
Award-winning Adana kebabs and meze in a Levent garden house; come with children for the grill and the open lawn.
Kosebasi has served kebabs for more than twenty years, with its flagship in a Levent house wrapped by a garden and a second room in a kosk on the Asian side. The Adana and Tarsus-style kebabs, the wide meze spread and the kofte carry a menu Time named the city's best.
Mains run roughly 350 to 550 lira, so a family meal lands near 480 lira a head. The garden gives children room to move between courses and the meze table lets fussy eaters graze, which makes it the easy upscale-casual family kebab in the city.
3.MIDPOINT
A long brasserie menu and a dedicated kids' menu across the city; come with children when tastes do not agree.
MIDPOINT runs casual brasserie rooms across Istanbul, including the Taksim flagship with city views and waterfront branches, part of a chain of more than thirty locations in Turkey. The Turkish grills, the burgers, the seafood and the pasta carry a long menu built for mixed tables.
Mains run roughly 300 to 500 lira, so a family meal lands near 420 lira a head. There is a genuine children's menu, which is rarer in Istanbul than the welcome, and the breadth of the menu means a child wanting spaghetti and a parent wanting kebab order at the same table.
4.Emirgan Sutis
A Turkish breakfast spread on a sunlit Bosphorus terrace by Emirgan Park; come with children for a long weekend morning.
Emirgan Sutis is a Bosphorus institution, serving its serpme breakfast by the water with a bright patio overlooking the strait and Emirgan Park a short walk away. The fresh borek and pastries, the cheeses, and the kaymak with honey carry a generous Turkish breakfast.
A breakfast spread runs from about 300 lira a head. The waterside terrace, the milk puddings and the park next door make it the family weekend morning in Istanbul, where children eat pastries and run off energy in the green space between.
5.Cecconi's Istanbul
Handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza in the olive-tree courtyard of Palazzo Corpi; come with children for the relaxed garden.
Cecconi's sits in the courtyard of Palazzo Corpi, the 19th-century building that houses Soho House Istanbul in Beyoglu, open to the public as well as members. The handmade pasta, the wood-fired pizza and the cicchetti carry a Northern Italian menu, served indoors or among the olive trees in the garden.
Pasta and pizza run roughly 450 to 700 lira, so a meal lands near 650 lira a head. The relaxed courtyard and the pizza make it the stress-free Italian option when a family wants a break from Turkish food, with space for a larger table in the garden.
6.Namli Gurme
A point-and-build breakfast plate from a vast Karakoy deli counter; come with children who pick what they eat.
Namli Gurme runs from Rihtim Caddesi in Karakoy by the water, the first and best-known branch of the deli, with further rooms in Nisantasi, Gokturk and Atakoy. Guests build a plate by pointing along an expansive counter of cheeses, cured meats, eggs to order, olives and salads.
A built breakfast plate runs from about 350 lira a head. The point-and-choose format is ideal for children who want to see and pick their food, the staff move quickly and warmly, and it serves breakfast all day so the timing bends around a family.
Not for everyone
Adults-only, novelty, or not for a family meal
Mikla and Turk Fatih Tutak. Istanbul's tasting-menu rooms, including the rooftop Mikla and the two-Michelin-star Turk Fatih Tutak, are long, refined adult evenings. They are superb for a celebration without children, but a multi-course tasting menu is the opposite of a family meal; the rooms above are built for kids.
Reina and the Bosphorus clubs. The Bosphorus club-restaurants are about the late-night scene and the view, not a family dinner, and many run an over-21 door after dark. Take the family to Develi's terrace or Sutis for the waterside Istanbul experience instead, both of which welcome children all day.
Karakoy Lokantasi at peak. Karakoy Lokantasi is a wonderful meyhane, but the tiled room is tight and the evening is built around long, boozy meze and raki for adults. It is not closed or unwelcoming, simply not a children's room; bring the family to Namli Gurme nearby for the easy daytime version.
How to eat with children in Istanbul
["Istanbul's family rooms run along the Bosphorus, where Emirgan Sutis and the Kuruceme waterfront sit north of the centre, in the historic kebab quarters like Samatya for Develi, and in the Levent and Beyoglu districts for Kosebasi and Cecconi's. A park or a waterfront is built into most of them.", 'Turkish rooms welcome children warmly almost everywhere, so the real planning is around timing and food: a long weekend breakfast on the Bosphorus, an early kebab dinner on a big terrace. Book Develi and Kosebasi ahead on weekends, and treat the breakfast spots as walk-in mornings.']Frequently asked
What are the best family restaurants in Istanbul?
Develi 1912 in Samatya grills southeastern kebabs on a 750-seat Marmara terrace and is the family benchmark. Kosebasi serves award-winning Adana kebabs in a Levent garden house, and Emirgan Sutis spreads a Turkish breakfast on a Bosphorus terrace beside Emirgan Park.
Are children welcome in Istanbul restaurants?
Almost universally. Turkish culture adores children and they are accommodated in nearly every room except the very high-end tasting menus. The planning in Istanbul is less about whether kids are welcome and more about where the cooking and the setting, such as a Bosphorus terrace or a garden, suit a family.
Which Istanbul restaurant has a kids' menu?
MIDPOINT, the casual brasserie chain with a Taksim flagship and waterfront branches, runs a genuine children's menu, which is rarer in Istanbul than the welcome itself. The long menu of Turkish grills, burgers, pasta and seafood lets a child and a parent order very different things at the same table.
Where can you have a family breakfast on the Bosphorus?
Emirgan Sutis serves its serpme breakfast spread on a sunlit terrace overlooking the strait, with Emirgan Park a short walk away for children to run. Namli Gurme in Karakoy offers a build-your-own plate from a vast deli counter, served all day, so the timing bends around a family morning.
Is Develi good for families with children?
Yes. Develi 1912 in Samatya has grilled kebabs since 1966 and seats around 750 across its rooms and a Marmara Sea rooftop terrace. The open grill, the baklava and kunefe trolley and the sheer scale of the room make it comfortable for a noisy family table, which is exactly why it tops the list.
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Browse the full Istanbul dining guide, plan a night out with the Istanbul first-date ranking, take in the Bosphorus from the Istanbul view ranking, find a quiet seat in the Istanbul solo dining ranking, or open the full RFK rankings index.
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