Sarnic, Soğukçeşme Sokaği 34122, Sultanahmet, Istanbul

Sarnic is a famous restaurant in Sultanahmet, Istanbul. It sneaks into every guide book and tourist brochure. Locals in Istanbul are apparently not very fond of going out for formal sit down dinners, preferring grilled meats and street food on the go or eating at home, so Sarnic is for the celebs and the tourists. It is located in an ancient cistern near Saint Sofia and the Topkapi Palace. Cisterns like these abound in Istanbul, now restored to their former glory after years of misuse as car garages and such like. It has been fitted out crusades-style with medieval wrought iron chairs and candle holders everywhere, an open fire, lyre and lute players and lots of random weapons and suits of armour (sounds cheesy beyond belief but it actually works). The menu is traditionally Turkish, with mezze, charcoal grill and Iskender all of which were superb. The service is attentive and prompt, although I’ve no idea what it would be like when it’s really busy. In short, I loved the place and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone visiting Istanbul. I was surprised to read a few internet reviews on various websites when I got home. The reviews criticised the food. Sarnic has a traditional Turkish menu and a few more western friendly options like chicken curry and pepper steak. Now if you go all the way to Istanbul and eat chicken curry and don’t like it, then tough. It’s a Turkish restaurant, eat Turkish!