Testi Kebabı · ₺780
Sealed clay-pot kebab, cracked tableside — a plume of steam, the aroma of the clay
Sultanahmet, Fatih · Est. 1897
Ottoman palace cuisine
Hoş geldiniz
Garden
1897
A Delicious History Journey
Ottoman palace cuisine, served in a Sultanahmet garden in the shadow of Hagia Sophia.
4.9
20,000+ Google reviews
1897
Est. Sultanahmet, İstanbul
12:00–00:00
Open daily
The plate
Seen through the arch
Adana Kebap · ₺520
Spicy hand-minced lamb skewer, the mangal spread with the Bosphorus behind
Mutancana · ₺820
Ottoman lamb braised with apricot, fig, almond and honey — a recipe from the palace
The house
A delicious history journey
1897 — the year the late-Ottoman mansion at the heart of our garden was built.
Turkish cuisine evolved over centuries by blending the regions the Turks inhabited throughout history. Ottoman palace cuisine — the foundation of the modern Turkish table — grew more elaborate as the empire spread across continents and absorbed the flavours of each.
At Garden 1897 you taste that rich culture, a gift of history, in its original form. Think of the restaurant as a timeline you can step through, switching between centuries, with our chefs as your guides on a delicious history journey.
We sit in the garden of a mansion restored to its 19th-century architecture, in the historic heart of Sultanahmet. From the tables you take in the silhouettes of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque at sunset, the nostalgic texture of the old streets, and the gentle Bosphorus breeze.
Afiyet olsun — may it be good for you.
The garden
The setting
Evening, Sultanahmet
Lantern-lit evening dining with the old town and Hagia Sophia behind
The courtyard
The leafy courtyard garden against the historic Ottoman building
From above
Overhead view of the courtyard garden with set blue-cloth tables
The experience
Three reasons to visit
01
Testi kebabı, cracked at your table
Lamb and vegetables slow-cooked sealed inside an earthenware pot, then split open in front of you — a plume of steam, the aroma of the clay, and a dish the Ottomans would recognise.
02
Mutancana — a recipe from the palace
Lamb braised with apricot, fig, almond and honey, sweet and savoury at once. A dish carried down from the Ottoman kitchens, plated for the modern table.
03
Dinner under Hagia Sophia
A restored 19th-century garden in the heart of Sultanahmet. As the sun sets behind the domes and minarets, the old streets glow and the Bosphorus breeze arrives.
Find the garden
Visit & reserve
Step into the glasshouse garden. For larger parties, call or message ahead — the counter answers from noon to midnight, every day.
Address
Küçük Ayasofya Mah., Şehit Mehmet Paşa Sk. No: 5, 34122 Fatih / İstanbul
Hours
Open daily · 12:00–00:00Noon until midnight, seven days a week
Phone
Blue Mosque
Hagia Sophia
Garden 1897
Şehit Mehmet Paşa Sk. No: 5 · Küçük Ayasofya · Fatih