Izaka Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Rooftop Table Above the Bosphorus

Izaka Terrace occupies the rooftop of the CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel in Gümüşsuyu, Istanbul, where the city unfolds in every direction and the strait stretches out below. The setting carries genuine historical weight: the legacy of Park Restaurant, once one of the most elegant gathering spots on the terrace of the historic Park Hotel, lives on here through a kitchen philosophy that is anything but nostalgic. It is forward-looking, disciplined, and rooted in the land.

The Kitchen and the Chef

Head Chef Serhat Eliçora leads a culinary team guided by a single governing principle: minimal intervention. Ingredients sourced directly from local producers—selected at their seasonal peak and in their purest form—travel from field to kitchen with their character intact. Fire and the stone oven are the primary tools. Techniques are precise and deliberate, never decorative.

The menu is built around sharing, drawing on Anatolia's fire traditions and Istanbul's layered culinary memory. The result is a contemporary Turkish and European cuisine that does not chase style for its own sake. Each plate—from starters designed not to overwhelm the palate, to seafood that reflects the purity of the sea, to desserts balanced by aromatic restraint—is a direct expression of that philosophy.

Seasonality is taken seriously enough to shape the menu month by month. A recent focus on asparagus, sourced from Kuşkonmaz Vadisi in Antalya—a certified sustainable producer working with local farmers—illustrates how Izaka Terrace translates its sourcing commitments into something guests can actually taste.

Recognition and Atmosphere

Wine Spectator's 2025 Award of Excellence signals that the beverage program matches the kitchen's ambitions. The wine list, alongside a full bar and cigar menu, is curated with the same attention to quality that defines the food.

The atmosphere is that of a contemporary Istanbul table—open, convivial, unhurried. Outdoor seating makes the Bosphorus view a constant presence, and the space accommodates private gatherings as naturally as it does solo diners settling in for a long evening. This is Turkish and European cuisine served with confidence, in one of the city's most compelling settings.