Lunch Near Hagia Sophia: A Seafood Set Menu in a Historic Garden

Sightseeing in Sultanahmet builds an appetite. Just a five-minute walk from the Blue Mosque, a little away from the crowded squares, Balıkçı Sabahattin serves a complete seafood lunch in the garden of a wooden mansion built in 1927. Our family has been serving fish here for over half a century.

Fisherman's Lunch – €35 per person

A set menu made for a relaxed midday break between sights:

• Starters: mussel pilaf, smoked aubergine salad, courgette with yogurt and hummus

• Seasonal salad

• Fish of the season: currently grilled bonito (palamut)

• Dessert: semolina halva with ice cream

• Water included

The price is fixed at €35 per person, so you know exactly what lunch will cost before you sit down. The fish changes with the season, as it always has in our kitchen.

When to come

The Fisherman's Lunch is served every day from 12:00 to 16:00. Walk-ins are welcome; for larger groups, a quick call ahead helps us prepare your table.

How to find us

• From the Blue Mosque: about 5 minutes on foot

• From Hagia Sophia: about 8 minutes (600 m), on a mostly flat route

• Address: Cankurtaran, Şht. Hasan Kuyu Sk. No:1, Fatih, İstanbul

Why have lunch here

In summer, tables are set under the vines in our garden; in the cooler months, inside the wooden mansion. Our mussel pilaf is the dish guests mention most, and our fish arrives fresh every day. After a morning of palaces and mosques, it is a quiet, unhurried table in the middle of the old city.

We are also open for dinner until midnight. Reservations: +90 212 458 18 24.