In the hilly streets of Cihangir and up seven flights of stairs we found Doğa Balik, the best seafood restaurant in Istanbul boasting a gorgeous view of the city.

We decided we deserved one really nice night out. Known for their fresh-off-the-boat seafood and simple, healthy preparations, Doğa Balik seemed like the ideal Saturday night indulgence. We were seated well, next to the large wall-length windows where we could gaze upon the glowing mosques of the old city. The staff buzzed around—professional and attentive almost to a fault.

Rubina and I trotted over to the display case of fish, while our main waiter ran through the different types of fishes and prices by weight. Because the restaurant emphasizes the catch of the day, there is no set menu. We decided on local varieties, assuming they would be the most interesting, and were then directed to choose our own mezes from the refrigerated case.

Every meze was delicious here, dips, cold seafood salads, fried stuffed zucchini rolls. The fish was exceptional. The fillets were lightly grilled and drizzled with olive oil—no flavorings drowned out the character of the fish itself. One of our choices was scorpionfish, which our waiter recommended grilled on skewers. Absolutely scrumptious.

The staff really was almost too attentive—each waiter seemed to be assigned to just 3 tables with a team of other waiters, so they could materialize instantaneously whenever the need arose. Dirty plates were not allowed to sit on the table more than a few seconds. The instant a wine glass ran low they asked if we needed to order more. Water was constantly refilled so the glasses were kept full. It was amazing coordination and appreciated, but it was almost too much—it became entertaining to simply watch the waitstaff and time their reactions.

With drinks, Doğa Balik was a splurge, but the amazing view, service and level of care taken with the food made it all worthwhile. We didn't take as many photos of this place so please do check out the website—their photos are absolutely mouthwatering and the albums 3 & 4 really show how the various mezes were displayed.

If you're patient, there actually is an elevator to the top—it only goes all the way down or up even though it stops on any floor when the button is pressed; it's easy to end up going the wrong direction.

Cost: 45YTL each, with drinks.
Doğa Balik website

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