Istanbul New Year’s Guide: Dinner & Party Combos

Talya Arditi / December 08, 2011

A nearly-no-fuss New Year’s Eve is within reach if you decide to go for a dinner-and-party combo at one venue. You go for the food, stay for the party, don’t need to worry about getting in (as you’ll have prior reservations), and just concentrate on making the transition from 2011 to 2012 a hangover-worthy night.

Budget-friendly with a Bosphorus view: Indulge in a seven-course menu, a fantastic Bosphorus view, and serious NYE entertainment at El Beso Restaurant & Club. The set dinner menu includes sea bass wrapped in bacon, crab cake, turkey and seasoned rice, limoncello, lamb shank or turbot, and chocolate mousse or quince dessert. After-dinner entertainment features a live music performance by Mine (singing the best of Latin and Turkish pop), a percussion show, DJ Ufuk, and UHR. All this for 250 TL (including all local and standard international drinks). Muallim Naci Caddesi No.64/D, Kuruçeşme; P: (0212) 287 57 59

Turkish Tavern fun minus the Taksim crowd: Start the New Year with a classic Turkish experience at Kalamata Meyhanesi.Meze options are on offer, including cheese, pickles, salad, chargrilled pepper, salted bonito, stuffed vine leaves, shrimp-avocado rolls, Circassian chicken, Albanian fried liver, celery with orange,and pastırma (Turkish pastrami). The NYE-special course is the roasted turkey served with seasoned rice. Desserts include quince dessert and pumpkin dessert. Late-night snack is the classic tripe soup, a very good hangover prevention method. Dinner starts at 08:00pm, live Greek and Turkish music by Kota & Tuba duo starts at 09:00pm and continues until around 03:00pm. Expect a belly dancer to show up around midnight. For those who want to keep going, there’ll be music playing until the wee hours of the morning. All this for 220 TL including local drinks. Making a reservation before the 20th of December is recommended. Süleyman Seba Caddesi No. 45, Akaretler. P: (0212) 258 87 88

Barhop without getting in traffic: Nupera is a complex of three restaurants that turn into clubs around midnight. Which means—barhopping without getting in line, getting in traffic, or getting cold. This is crucial—especially on New Year’s Eve. So, with Nupera, you’ve got three options:

Auf: The set menu features pumpkin soup, salad with prosecco and caviar, smoked salmon, grapefruit sorbet, roasted turkey or steak, seasoned rice or risotto with pumpkin, apple-pomegranate tatin with vanilla ice-cream, coffee-and-champagne truffle, and macaroons. Dinner is served between 08:00pm and 11:30pm. The price is 150 TL per person including all wine ordered before 11:30pm. DJ Tolga Saka will take you through the rest of the night.

67: The set menu includes chestnut and cognac soup; foie gras; shrimp with risotto or mille-feuille with camembert, Roquefort, walnuts, and honey; green apple sorbet; lamb chops with mashed potatoes or salmon or grilled vegetable calzone; and baklava. Dinner is served between 08:00pm and 11:30pm. The price is 180 TL per person including a glass of prosecco and all wine ordered before 11:30pm. After 12:00am, DJ Ulaş Yağmur will make sure you don’t rest for a minute.

LilBitz: The set menu includes duck stock and octopus soup with shrimp bisque; Turkey burger and blackberry chutney with mini potato crisps; purslane salad with fresh herbs, goat cheese, and beetroot; hibiscus and passion fruit sherbet shots; crispy brain with turmeric, cucumber yogurt, and mint jellies; shrimp on sirloin powder with corn and truffle cream, and calamari ink crisps; and vodka-filled Turkish delights with elderflower and lavender. Unlimited beer, wine, and rakı as well as 15\\% off on LilBitz cocktails until 11:30pm. The price for this gourmet NYE dinner, followed by the classic LilBitz mix of upbeat dance songs, is a mere 200 TL.

Nupera; Meşrutiyet Caddesi No.67, Tepebaşı; P: (0212) 245 60 70

Feel the beat at the heart of the city: Enjoy the magnificent Istanbul views, have a delicious dinner, and have some serious fun at 360istanbul. After some champagne and tasty little bites, the set dinner menu will include salmon, lobster, chestnut sorbet, turbot with cauliflower puree and mastic sauce or veal ribs with eggplant risotto and red wine sauce, and Turkish dessert platter. The night will get going with the live performance of Desaparecidos. (You've definitely heard of them; this song was quite popular a few years back.) Later in the night, a DJ will get behind the deck to continue the party with popular house music. The pricing hasn’t been finalized but expect something north of 300TL. İstiklal Caddesi No.311, Beyoğlu; P: (0212) 251 10 42

Bellydance your way into the New Year: Start the New Year with luscious dance shows and food at Beyrouth. Dinner menu features salmon roll with vine leaves, Lebanese meze platter, shepherd’s salad, grilled Haloumi cheese, crunchy shrimp, risotto with eggplant, lahmacun (Turksih-style pizza), beef and chicken on skewers, roasted lamb, grilled sea bass, lobster. Desserts include tiramisu, baklava, and revani (semolina pastry). Post-dinner entertainment includes intoxicating belly dancing shows by both male and female dancers, followed by an upbeat mix of popular Turkish and international songs. The night, which gets going at 08:00pm, will cost you 375 TL plus 10\\% service charge by credit card or 340 TL plus 10\\% service charge if you pay cash, including unlimited select local brands of wine, beer, rakı, and soft drinks. If you want, pay an extra 75 TL to get unlimited international drinks (select brands only). Act fast – reservations close on the 15th of December! Süleyman Seba Caddesi No:42-46, Akaretler; P: (0212) 236 50 17

Dress to impress: Expect an excellent Mediterranean set menu at Vogue for 350 TL including unlimited local and standard international drinks. Dinner starts at 08:00pm and the night gets going with a DJ performance. Good music, great food, fantastic Bosphorus view. What more would you want for New Year’s Eve? Süleyman Seba Caddesi BJK Plaza A Blok, Akaretler; P: (0212) 227 44 04

See and be seen on NYE: Anjelique is also hosting a New Year’s Eve party with a yet-to-be-disclosed set menu and partying until dawn. All for 300 TL, including all local and standard international drinks. Salhane Sokak No. 5, Ortaköy; P: (0212) 327 28 44

Tough Luck: Ulus 29 has once again put together a fantastic menu for New Year’s Eve but we won’t brag about it too much because it’s already full. Better luck next year!

The Guide Istanbul

Istanbul New Year’s Guide: Dinner & Party Combos

Related Content