Restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey
Michelin-recognised, easy to book, worth it.
Aila holds consecutive Michelin Plate recognition for 2024 and 2025 and a 4.6 Google rating (407 reviews), making it one of Istanbul's stronger value propositions in the modern cuisine tier. Priced at ₺₺₺ — a band below Mikla, Neolokal, and Turk Fatih Tutak — it suits special occasions and business dinners where credentials matter and the room needs to hold a conversation. Booking is easy relative to the ₺₺₺₺ tier.
Aila earns two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) and a 4.6 Google rating across 407 reviews, which puts it in reliable company for Istanbul's modern cuisine tier. At ₺₺₺ pricing — one band below the ₺₺₺₺ crowd at Turk Fatih Tutak, Mikla, and Neolokal — it represents a more accessible entry point into Istanbul's Michelin-tracked modern dining scene without sacrificing the credentials. If you are planning a celebration dinner or a serious business meal and want a venue with verifiable quality signals that won't strain the budget as hard as the top tier, Aila is a sound choice. Book it.
Aila sits on Büyükdere Caddesi in Şişli, one of Istanbul's primary commercial and dining corridors running through Mecidiyeköy. The address puts it in a part of the city that tends toward a composed, professional energy rather than the tourist-facing buzz of Sultanahmet or the weekend-crowd intensity of Karaköy. The atmosphere here reads as settled and purposeful, the kind of room where the noise level stays at a register that allows conversation , a genuine advantage if the meal is serving a professional or romantic function. For special occasions that require you to actually hear the person across the table, this matters more than it might seem.
The Michelin Plate designation, held in both 2024 and 2025, signals consistent kitchen output. The Plate is Michelin's recognition of good cooking that falls below star level , it tells you the inspectors found the food worth noting, that standards are being maintained year to year, and that the kitchen is not coasting. Two consecutive years without a drop in recognition is a meaningful continuity signal, particularly in a city where the modern cuisine tier is competitive and the Michelin Guide has been increasingly active in Turkey. For context on what that active presence looks like beyond Istanbul, see what is happening at venues like Maçakızı in Bodrum and Narımor in Izmir, where the same scrutiny is being applied across the country.
The cuisine type is listed as Modern Cuisine, which in Istanbul's current dining context typically means a kitchen working with Turkish ingredient foundations but applying contemporary technique and plating discipline. This matters for how you should think about sourcing and price justification. Modern cuisine venues at the ₺₺₺ level in Istanbul are generally operating with better primary produce than mid-range Turkish restaurants , tighter supplier relationships, seasonal rotation, and sourcing decisions that show up on the plate rather than just in the menu description. Without confirmed dish-level data, it is not possible to name specific sourcing practices at Aila, but the Michelin Plate designation implies the inspectors found the ingredient quality commensurate with the positioning. That is the floor you are buying into at ₺₺₺.
For a special occasion or a date dinner, the Büyükdere Caddesi setting also has a practical advantage: it is well-connected and direct to reach from central Istanbul neighbourhoods. This is not a venue you have to plan a logistical expedition around, which removes friction for guests arriving from different parts of the city. If you are coordinating a group for a birthday dinner or a professional meal, the accessibility of the Şişli location is worth factoring into the decision. Venues like Avlu Restaurant and Foxy Nişantaşı occupy a similar neighbourhood band and are worth cross-referencing if you want options at different price points or formats.
The 4.6 rating across 407 reviews is a volume-backed signal rather than a small-sample outlier. At that review count, a 4.6 is difficult to sustain without genuine consistency across service, food, and setting. It puts Aila above many restaurants in the same Istanbul tier and is consistent with what you would expect from a venue holding a Michelin Plate across two consecutive years. The convergence of the Michelin recognition and the public review score is a stronger trust signal than either data point in isolation.
For those building a broader Istanbul dining itinerary, Aila sits naturally in a multi-night plan that includes at least one splurge at the ₺₺₺₺ tier , see our full Istanbul restaurants guide for the complete picture. If you are also looking at where to stay or what else to do in the city, our Istanbul hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the broader trip. Beyond Istanbul, the modern cuisine format Aila represents has international reference points worth knowing: Frantzén in Stockholm and Maison Lameloise in Chagny show what the format looks like at the starred level, which is useful calibration for understanding where a Michelin Plate venue sits on the quality spectrum. Within Turkey, Nahita Cappadocia in Nevsehir and Aravan Evi in Ürgüp offer regional contrasts to the Istanbul modern dining scene.
Booking difficulty: Easy , no extended lead time required based on current availability signals. Price tier: ₺₺₺, one band below Istanbul's leading Michelin-tracked venues. Address: Mecidiyeköy Mahallesi, Büyükdere Cd. No:76, Şişli, Istanbul. Awards: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025. Google rating: 4.6 (407 reviews). Leading for: Special occasions, date dinners, business meals requiring a conversation-friendly room. Reservations: Recommended; booking ahead secures your preferred time. Dress: Smart casual is a safe assumption for a Michelin-recognised modern cuisine venue in this part of Istanbul, though no formal dress code is confirmed in available data.
Specific menu data is not confirmed in the available record, so naming dishes would be speculation. What the Michelin Plate designation tells you is that the kitchen's output met inspector standards , meaning the food is the point here, not just the setting. Ask the service team for the kitchen's current strengths on the night; a Michelin-recognised room at this price tier should have staff who can answer that question directly.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in the current data. For a venue in this format on Büyükdere Caddesi, counter or bar dining is not a standard feature of Istanbul's modern cuisine rooms. Plan for a table booking rather than a walk-in bar seat.
Go in knowing you are at a Michelin Plate venue priced a tier below Istanbul's starred competitors. The ₺₺₺ pricing makes it one of the more accessible quality signals in the city's modern cuisine category. The Şişli location is easy to reach. Booking ahead is recommended even though availability is generally easier than the ₺₺₺₺ tier. The room's atmosphere suits conversation, which makes it work well for dates or professional meals.
Tasting menu availability is not confirmed in the data. If one is offered, the Michelin Plate across two consecutive years suggests the kitchen has the discipline to sustain a multi-course format. At ₺₺₺ pricing, the value proposition would be stronger here than at the ₺₺₺₺ venues if the format and quality are comparable. Ask when booking whether a tasting menu is available.
Yes, it is a strong option for a birthday dinner, anniversary, or serious date. The Michelin Plate recognition provides a credible quality signal to share with guests, the atmosphere is conducive to conversation rather than performance, and the ₺₺₺ pricing makes it easier to add a wine spend without the total bill reaching the level of Mikla or Neolokal. For a celebration where credentials matter but the splurge ceiling is moderate, Aila delivers.
At ₺₺₺ with two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions and a 4.6 Google rating across 407 reviews, the price-to-credential ratio is favourable compared to Istanbul's ₺₺₺₺ tier. You are getting Michelin-tracked kitchen standards at a lower price point than Turk Fatih Tutak or Neolokal. That is a genuine value gap worth using.
For more ambition and a view, Mikla is the call , it sits at ₺₺₺₺ with a Bosphorus rooftop position and a stronger regional profile. For a deeper Turkish ingredient focus, Neolokal at ₺₺₺₺ is more research-driven. Turk Fatih Tutak is the highest-tier option if budget is not a constraint. If you want to stay closer to the ₺₺₺ band, Foxy Nişantaşı and Avlu Restaurant are worth considering depending on format preference. See our full Istanbul restaurants guide for the complete tier breakdown.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aila | Modern Cuisine | ₺₺₺ | Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Turk Fatih Tutak | Modern Turkish | ₺₺₺₺ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Neolokal | Modern Turkish, Turkish | ₺₺₺₺ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Mikla | Modern Turkish, Mediterranean Cuisine | ₺₺₺₺ | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Nicole | Modern Turkish, Modern Cuisine | ₺₺₺₺ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Arkestra | Fusion | ₺₺₺₺ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Specific menu items are not published in available venue data, so the safest move is to ask the front-of-house for the kitchen's current focus when you book. What the two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions (2024 and 2025) do signal is consistent execution on modern cuisine — so trust the tasting menu or chef's selection over ordering à la carte if that option exists.
Bar or counter seating details are not confirmed in available venue data. Contact Aila directly via the address at Büyükdere Caddesi No:76, Şişli to confirm seating formats before arriving without a reservation.
Aila is a Michelin Plate-recognised modern dining room on one of Istanbul's main commercial corridors in Şişli — not a neighbourhood hidden from the city, but not a tourist-circuit destination either. Booking is currently easy with no extended lead time required, which puts it in a different category from Istanbul's harder-to-access fine dining rooms. At ₺₺₺ pricing, it sits one band below the city's most expensive Michelin-level venues, making it accessible for a considered weeknight dinner rather than strictly a big-occasion splurge.
Menu structure and pricing are not confirmed in available data, so a definitive per-course verdict isn't possible here. The two consecutive Michelin Plates do indicate the kitchen delivers at a consistent standard — and at ₺₺₺, Aila is priced below Istanbul's top-tier tasting menu rooms, which makes the risk lower than at a four-figure-per-head venue.
Yes — two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025), a 4.6 Google rating across 407 reviews, and easy booking availability make it a reliable choice when you need dinner to work. It is better suited to a mid-tier special occasion than a milestone celebration requiring the full theatre of Istanbul's most decorated rooms like Turk Fatih Tutak or Mikla.
At ₺₺₺, Aila prices below Istanbul's most ambitious Michelin-level restaurants while carrying two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions — that ratio is solid. For the price tier, you are getting externally validated modern cuisine without the booking difficulty or pricing ceiling of the city's top tables. Worth it for a reliable, well-regarded dinner; not the move if you want maximum prestige per lira spent.
For more ambition and higher price points, Turk Fatih Tutak and Neolokal are the credentialed alternatives with stronger national and international profiles. Mikla and Nicole offer comparable modern cooking with Bosphorus views, which Aila's Şişli address does not provide. Arkestra is worth considering if you want a similar modern-cuisine format at a comparable price tier. Choose Aila when booking ease and consistent execution matter more than setting or trophy credentials.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
