Istanbul offers a great nightlife and many entertainment choices. There are several centers of nightlife: Ortakoy at the Bosphorus (European side), the Istiklal Street from Taksim to Tunel where you will find many students, Aksaray with the more Turkish style nightlife and red-light district (European side) and Kadiköy with its various choice of bars and little restaurants (Asian side). Here are some hints to help you choose:
Istiklal/Beyoglu
Godet
Revamped, refreshed and roaring to go! It’s a cool little place, nice to start the night if you’re an electro-funk fan. Dance until you drop to techno, house, and electronic music. Address: Istiklal near Taksim.
Babylon
Babylon is probably the most rocking place to go for entertainment these days. Tucked away in a tiny side street behind Istiklal, it has an excellent reputation for alternative international as well as local talent. Address: Tunel
Kiraz Cafe
Kiraz Cafe has a nice, lively atmosphere. Good food. Nice people. Address: Yeni Yuva Sokak - Cihangir
Yaga Bar
Cover charge is 3,500,000TL with the one free drink included. Happening time is after 11:00.
Address: Siraselviler Cad. No:67/1 Tel: 0212 292-2829
Magma Music Club
Diverse crowd, techno music. Live acts and DJ’s. Entry: 8,000,000TL. (5,000,000 before 1.00am)
Coco Pazzo
Cafe, Bar and Restaurant in one. Very Funky.
RIDDIM
Cool place for reggae and world beat music. Some of the best mixes of the Caribbean, African and Latin American music can be heard here. The cool vibe is enhanced by a friendly, laid-back English-speaking bar staff. Open every night until 2:00am. Beer is only 750,000TL. Address: Buyukparmakkapi Sok. No:8/1
Exen
Nice, friendly and not at all pretentious. Address: Siraselviler Cad. No:103/6
Jazz Stop
On a street with more fire than flair is a truly unique place, reminiscent of Parisian bistros and Greenwich Village haunts. Address:Tel Sok. No: 9 (at the end of Buyukparmakkapi Sokak)
Kadikoy/Asia:
HERCAI
one of the cute cafes nestled among the other cafes, restaurants, bars and bookshops in Dumlupinar Sokagi. A meal for two at Hercai will cost you around $5-6 and you won’t regret the forage into the delightful back streets of Kadikoy. Good value for money, with great service and a peaceful atmosphere. Open Monday - Saturday 9:00-21:30. Address: Dumlupinar Sokak No: 21, Tel: 0216 414 28 26
Between Beyazit and Aksaray you will not find only a lot of sights and the university but also the center of the Turkish nightlife. Many bars and cafes with traditional Turkish music. There are even a few spots where you still can get a Shisha, a water pipe. Here are some suggestions:
Club Academia
If you can imagine dancing to blaring techno music while sipping exotic cocktails and nibbling on warm, salty, freshly made popcorn, in an underground water cistern dating back to the Roman times than this is the place for you. Address: Sekbanbasi Sokak No:10, Beyazit
Ortakahve
One of the cool places to get a nargile pipe. Address: SOKAK No:4 - BEYOGLU
