Restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey
Serious plant-based cooking, Asian-side detour required.
Istanbul's strongest argument for serious plant-based cooking, Telezzüz holds a Michelin Plate (2024) for creative, zero-waste vegan cuisine at the Koç Sports Club in Kuzguncuk. At ₺₺₺₺, it matches the city's top modern Turkish restaurants on price — and delivers a level of plant-forward technique that has no real competition in Istanbul. Book if vegan cooking with genuine ambition is what you are after.
Telezzüz earns a confident recommendation for anyone in Istanbul who wants serious plant-based cooking rather than a token vegan menu. Sitting inside the Koç Group Sports Club in Kuzguncuk on the Asian shore, it is an odd address on paper, but it works in practice. The Michelin Plate recognition (2024) tells you the kitchen is operating at a level most dedicated vegan restaurants in Europe would envy, and a Google rating of 4.5 across 151 reviews confirms the consistency. At ₺₺₺₺ pricing, it is not cheap for Istanbul, but it is priced in line with the city's leading modern Turkish restaurants — all of which still serve meat. If creative, zero-waste, plant-forward cooking is what you are after, book here first.
The sports complex address in Kuzguncuk, on the quieter Asian side of the Bosphorus, is the first thing first-timers need to make peace with. This is not a restaurant on a busy pedestrian strip with foot traffic nudging you through the door. You come to Telezzüz deliberately, which means the crowd inside has also come deliberately — a subtle but real advantage for the atmosphere. The exterior is ornate and colourful, a clear signal that the experience inside is going to be more considered than a standard health-food café. Visually, the space commits fully to a celebration of nature, with the decor reinforcing the kitchen's ethos rather than contradicting it. The overall effect is relaxed without being casual in a way that costs quality , exactly the register that makes this kind of meal work.
For a first visit, know that Kuzguncuk is one of Istanbul's more charming neighbourhoods, and building time around the area makes the trip across the Bosphorus more rewarding. The restaurant is reachable by ferry to Üsküdar and then a short ride, or directly by taxi from the Asian side. It is worth planning around rather than treating as a spontaneous drop-in.
The Michelin recognition specifically calls out the kitchen's creativity, and the examples given in the award notes are instructive: mushroom ceviche, and deep-fried artichoke served with mushroom ketchup, a sweet plum and chilli sauce, olive oil mayonnaise, and crunchy vegetables. These are not simplified or apologetic dishes. They use technique , frying, fermentation, sauce-building , to create layered flavour without animal products, which is meaningfully harder than it sounds. The zero-waste commitment and local sourcing are built into the cooking rather than announced as marketing, which is the right way to operate. The cocktail programme is noted as a genuine complement to the food, not an afterthought, so arrive ready to drink alongside your meal rather than defaulting to water.
For anyone who has spent time at the better vegan restaurants in Europe, such as KLE in Zurich or Légume in Seoul, the cooking at Telezzüz sits comfortably in that tier. The difference is the Turkish flavour vocabulary , the plum sauces, the artichokes, the chilli balance , which gives the menu a specificity that imported plant-based formats often lack.
Booking is classified as easy, which means you do not need to plan weeks ahead the way you would for Istanbul's harder-to-access tasting-menu restaurants. That said, the sports complex setting and the deliberate clientele mean this is not a last-minute walk-in restaurant by feel. Make a reservation, arrive on time, and give the kitchen the chance to show what it can do across multiple courses. The cocktail pairing is worth taking seriously , the food is complex enough that the drinks are doing real work alongside it. Dress is relaxed; this is not a formal dining room, but the ₺₺₺₺ pricing means you will feel comfortable in smart casual rather than gym wear. The ornate exterior and nature-led interior give the meal a sense of occasion without requiring you to perform formality.
If you are visiting Istanbul for the first time and want to understand the city's restaurant scene beyond the obvious, Telezzüz is a useful data point. It shows that Istanbul's serious cooking is not limited to modern Turkish tasting menus or Bosphorus-view fish restaurants. The Asian side has its own distinct character, and Kuzguncuk is one of the better arguments for crossing the water. For a broader picture of what is available, see our full Istanbul restaurants guide, and if you are building a longer trip, our Istanbul hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide are worth checking alongside it.
Telezzüz is located at the Koç Group Sports Club, Kuzguncuk, Kuşbakışı Cd. No:16, 34674 Üsküdar, Istanbul. The Asian-side address means a ferry to Üsküdar or a taxi from the Asian shore is the most practical route. Hours and phone contact are not publicly confirmed at time of writing, so check current booking availability directly. Dress smart casual. The cocktail programme is strong enough to factor into your budget. This is a sit-down, multi-course experience rather than a quick lunch format. Quick reference: Koç Sports Club, Kuzguncuk, Asian Istanbul , book ahead, smart casual, cocktails recommended.
If you are travelling beyond Istanbul, Maçakızı in Bodrum, Narımor in Izmir, and Nahita Cappadocia in Nevsehir are worth adding to your itinerary. On the Asian side of Istanbul, Poyraz Sahil Balık Restaurant in Beykoz is a strong alternative for seafood. For a different register altogether, Kokorecci Asim Usta in Bornova and Aravan Evi in Ürgüp show the range of what Turkish hospitality can offer outside the fine-dining category. Casa Lavanda is worth a look if you want a traditional-leaning option back in Istanbul.
Yes, with some caveats. The Michelin Plate recognition and the creative, multi-component cooking give it the substance a special occasion needs. The setting inside a sports complex is unusual, but the ornate, nature-led interior delivers a real sense of occasion once you are inside. It works leading for occasions where the food is the centrepiece rather than the view or the formality. For a Bosphorus-view celebration, Mikla or Neolokal would be stronger choices. For a plant-based celebration meal, Telezzüz has no real competition in Istanbul at this level.
Smart casual. The ₺₺₺₺ price tier and Michelin recognition mean this is not a jeans-and-trainers room, but it is also not a black-tie environment. Think the kind of outfit you would wear to a well-regarded neighbourhood restaurant in Istanbul. The sports complex exterior might suggest otherwise, but the interior is considered and the clientele is intentional about being there. Overdressing is unlikely to be a problem; underdressing might feel out of place.
The database does not confirm a tasting menu format specifically, but the Michelin notes reference multi-component dishes , mushroom ceviche, deep-fried artichoke with several sauces , that suggest the kitchen thinks in courses rather than single plates. At ₺₺₺₺ pricing with Michelin Plate recognition, the value case is solid if you commit to the full experience including cocktails. Going in for a single dish at this price point would underuse the kitchen's range. Order broadly and let the meal build.
There is no direct vegan equivalent at this quality level in Istanbul, which is part of what makes Telezzüz worth the trip to the Asian side. If you want the ₺₺₺₺ tier with meat on the menu, Turk Fatih Tutak is the city's most technically precise modern Turkish option, and Neolokal leads on heritage ingredient sourcing. Mikla is the right call if location and views matter as much as the plate. For something looser in format, Arkestra covers fusion ground at the same price tier. None of these are plant-forward in the way Telezzüz is.
Yes. The deliberate, reservation-led crowd and the focus on the food rather than the social scene make it a comfortable solo environment. You are not competing with large groups for the room's energy, and the cocktail programme gives you something to engage with between courses. The Kuzguncuk setting also makes it easy to build a solo afternoon or evening around the neighbourhood. The main practical consideration is the distance from the European side , factor in the journey if you are staying across the Bosphorus.
The entire menu is vegan, so the kitchen is structurally equipped for plant-based eating without special requests. The zero-waste, local-sourcing approach suggests a kitchen that thinks carefully about ingredients, which typically correlates with transparency about allergens and preparation. Specific allergen details and contact information are not confirmed in the current database , reach out via the venue directly before your visit if you have specific requirements beyond vegan eating, such as gluten or nut allergies.
At ₺₺₺₺ in Istanbul, Telezzüz is priced at the leading of the local market , the same tier as Turk Fatih Tutak, Mikla, and Neolokal. The Michelin Plate and a 4.5 Google rating across 151 reviews suggest the kitchen justifies that positioning consistently. For a vegan diner, there is no comparable alternative in the city at any price, which makes the comparison direct: if plant-based cooking done at this level of technique and creativity is what you want, this is where you spend the money. If you are not committed to plant-based eating and are weighing it against meat-inclusive options at the same price, the peer restaurants above offer broader menus , but Telezzüz offers something none of them do.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| telezzüz | Vegan | ₺₺₺₺ | Even before you walk into this colourful establishment, the ornate exterior hints that nature is celebrated at Telezzüz. The location, in a sports complex, is also rather unique. The restaurant clearly prioritises sustainable practices such as local sourcing, a zero-waste approach and plant-forward cooking. The chefs are creative in crafting delicious vegan dishes. Think mushroom ceviche, or deep-fried artichoke with a rich mushroom ketchup, a sweet plum and chilli sauce, olive oil mayonnaise and crunchy vegetables. And what better than a refreshing cocktail to accompany such deliciously natural food?; 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 | — |
A quick look at how telezzüz measures up.
Yes, with a caveat: the Koç Group Sports Club address in Kuzguncuk is unconventional, so set expectations accordingly. The Michelin Plate recognition and the kitchen's evident ambition — mushroom ceviche, deep-fried artichoke with layered sauces — make it a credible special-occasion choice for guests who value creative cooking over a grand formal room. If your guest expects a conventional fine-dining setting on the European side, consider Mikla or Nicole instead.
The sports complex location and plant-forward ethos suggest an informal but considered approach: neat casual rather than formal wear. A Michelin Plate venue in a sports club context does not call for a jacket, but arriving in gym wear would be a misjudgement. Think the kind of outfit you would wear to a serious neighbourhood restaurant, not a black-tie dinner.
Telezzüz is priced at ₺₺₺₺, which is premium by Istanbul standards. The Michelin Plate signals that the kitchen earns its ambition, and the awarded dish notes — mushroom ceviche, artichoke with mushroom ketchup, plum and chilli sauce — point to cooking with genuine technique rather than assembly. Whether that justifies the spend depends on how seriously you take plant-based cooking: if it is your format, yes; if you are a reluctant omnivore being accommodated, look elsewhere.
For high-end Turkish cooking with Michelin credentials on the European side, Turk Fatih Tutak and Neolokal are the clearest comparisons. Mikla and Nicole offer Bosphorus views and strong à la carte formats. None of these are vegan-focused, so if plant-based is the priority, Telezzüz has no direct peer at this price point in Istanbul.
The setting inside a sports complex and the creative small-plate format make solo dining workable here. Booking is classified as easy, so there is no pressure to plan far ahead to secure a single seat. If solo dining at the counter is a priority, European-side spots like Neolokal may be more accessible without the ferry or taxi leg across to Üsküdar.
The entire menu is vegan, so plant-based diners are not navigating a menu built around meat with token alternatives. The kitchen's stated zero-waste and local-sourcing approach suggests awareness of ingredient provenance. For specific allergen queries — nuts, gluten, soy — check the venue's official channels before booking, as hours and contact details are not currently listed.
At ₺₺₺₺, Telezzüz is one of Istanbul's pricier restaurants, and a Michelin Plate backs the ambition. The trade-off is the Asian-side location: factor in ferry or taxi time from the European centre. For committed plant-based diners, the value case is clear — there is no comparable vegan option at this level of craft in the city. For mixed groups where vegan is not the main interest, that premium is harder to justify.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
