Yanyalı Fehmi Lokantası

Overview

Yanyalı Fehmi Lokantası stands on Yağlıkçı İsmail Sokak in Kadıköy, in the market streets of the Asian side. It opened in 1919, and the same family still runs it, now in the third generation. It holds a Bib Gourmand in the MICHELIN Guide.

The Story of Yanyalı Fehmi

A family lokanta since 1919

Fehmi Efendi, who had come to Istanbul from Ioannina, in today’s Greece, opened the lokanta in 1919 and made Hüseyin Efendi, a cook who had left the palace kitchens, his head chef. For more than a century, Yanyalı Fehmi has served the home cooking of an Istanbul esnaf lokantası. Inside, dark woodwork and Chesterfield banquettes keep the feel of an older Istanbul.

The pastry counter

At the front, pastry cooks work in view of the street, and you can take their pastries away. Behind them, a long counter shows the dishes of the day, so you can choose with your eyes.

What to Eat at Yanyalı Fehmi

Start with the slow-cooked aubergine filled with minced lamb under a cheesy béchamel. Then order the leg of lamb with roast potatoes and vegetables. To finish, the crisp kadayıf filled with pistachios is hard to resist.

Who Yanyalı Fehmi Suits

We suggest it for lunch on a day in Kadıköy, between the market and the seaside. It also suits travelers who want to eat in a place with a long family story.

Our suggestion

Our Kadıköy food tour and Istanbul Asian side tour both cross to Kadıköy, so lunch here fits either day. With the third generation at the counter, it sits beside Vefa Bozacısı and Kurukahveci in our family-run restaurants in Istanbul. Afterward, walk on to Moda for tea by the sea.

Updated: November 1, 2026.

Dining in Istanbul with Us

Lunch at Yanyalı Fehmi goes well with our Kadıköy food tour; pick your day on the Asian side.