Aşşk Café

Set right on the Bosporus, this relaxed Mediterranean eatery recalls the waterfront cafés of Mill Valley and Sausalito. (The resemblance is no accident; owner Petek Mermillon, who went to California years ago to study film, wound up studying the Bay Area dining scene instead.) Like her northern Cali counterparts, Mermillon creates menus largely sourced from local produce: artisanal olive oils, handmade jams, cheeses from nearby village markets. Her French husband, Mathieu, supervises the excellent wine list. Come for brunch amid the parasols and colored tiles, for a fresh-coriander martini after a hectic day of sightseeing, or for dinner with a vegetarian friend (this may be the only place in Istanbul that serves tofu).