🌊 A Vegan Evening Along the Bosphorus: Beşiktaş to Sarıyer

Start with hot lahmacun in Beşiktaş, stop for something sweet by the water and head north for a cocktail in Yeniköy. Along the way, leave time for the backstreets of Arnavutköy and a walk around Bebek Bay.

Pick the stops that appeal to you. One dinner, one dessert and a drink make a perfectly good evening. The named venues below are all in VeganIstanbul’s database.

🫓 Beşiktaş: Start with Turkish food at Vegan Masa

Come hungry to Vegan Masa on Mısırlıbahçe Sokak. Its fully vegan kitchen makes this the easiest starting point for trying Turkish favourites.

Order lahmacun, a thin, crisp flatbread with a savoury plant-based topping, or share a pide, the boat-shaped bread baked with fillings such as soy mince and vegan cheese. Add lemon and greens to your lahmacun, roll it up and eat it with your hands.

If your group would prefer burgers, Rakun Burger is on the same street and lists vegan options alongside meat and vegetarian burgers. Specify the vegan version when ordering.

🥔 Ortaköy: A street-food stop, if you have room

Head towards Ortaköy for a look around the square and the waterfront mosque. If you shared a light dinner, this is your chance to try kumpir, an enormous baked potato filled to order.

Ask before the seller starts mixing the potato. Butter and cheese usually go in first.

“Tereyağı ve kaşar peyniri koymayın, lütfen.” Please don’t add butter or kaşar cheese.

Choose simple toppings such as olives, pickles and corn, checking that nothing has been dressed with butter or mayonnaise. Skip creamy salads.

For a smaller snack, look for plain grilled corn or roasted chestnuts when available. Ask for corn without butter. Our vegan street-food guide explains the checks to make.

🍧 Arnavutköy to Bebek: Make time for dessert

Continue through Kuruçeşme to Arnavutköy. Take a little detour into the streets behind the waterfront before carrying on towards Bebek.

Girandola Gelato is listed under Bebek, but its address is at Akıntıburnu on the Arnavutköy waterfront. Keep that in mind when planning your stop.

Ask which sorbets are vegan that day. The shop also sells dairy gelato, so a fruity flavour alone is not enough to go by. A cup avoids having to check the cone’s ingredients too. Vegan options vary with the season, as explained in our ice-cream guide.

🍰 Prefer cake? Take the Etiler detour

For a plant-based café stop, Bi Nevi Deli offers cakes, homemade desserts and savoury options on Dilhayat Sokak in Etiler.

Choose something from the day’s display and have a coffee before continuing north. This is an uphill detour from Bebek, so allow extra time and consider taking a taxi. It works best as an alternative to the ice-cream stop.

🍨 Yeniköy: Pistachio sorbet in Sarıyer

Carry on past Rumelihisarı, Emirgan and İstinye to Yeniköy, which is part of Sarıyer district.

If you saved dessert for later, try Mua Yeniköy on Köybaşı Caddesi. Its listing includes Antep pistachio sorbet and dark chocolate sorbet, alongside other vegan options. Ask what is available and confirm your chosen flavour is vegan.

Pistachio sorbet is a particularly good one to look for if you usually find yourself choosing between lemon and strawberry.

🍸 Yeniköy: Settle in for a cocktail

Apartıman Yeniköy is our pick for the drinks stop. It is a neighbourhood bistro and bar with a cocktail selection, a short walk along Köybaşı Caddesi from Mua.

Tell the bartender you are vegan and ask for a drink without egg white, honey, dairy or milk clarification. Ask them to check the other ingredients too.

The restaurant serves animal products, and its listing does not confirm specific vegan dishes. If you want something alongside your drink, ask what the kitchen can prepare that evening.

🚕 Continuing to Sarıyer town centre

You can finish in Yeniköy or continue north through Tarabya and Kireçburnu to Sarıyer town centre for a final waterfront stroll.

Start in the late afternoon if you want the longer outing. Walk selected stretches and use buses or taxis between neighbourhoods; the whole route is too much to treat as a casual evening walk. Check opening hours before setting off and leave room for coastal traffic.

📌 Save this for your Istanbul trip. Send it to the friend you’d take for dinner by the Bosphorus.

Last reviewed: September 2, 2026, Menus, product availability, and operating hours may change. Before visiting, contact the venue to confirm the accuracy of the information.