Fatih Tutak: the chef behind TURK, Istanbul’s two-Michelin-star restaurant
Fatih Tutak is the chef-owner of TURK Fatih Tutak in Istanbul, the first restaurant in Turkey to be awarded two Michelin stars. It still holds them in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Türkiye, along with a Michelin Green Star for its work with independent farmers, fishers and producers.
His story is one of leaving and coming back. Tutak spent years in some of the most closely watched kitchens in the world, from Tokyo to Copenhagen, then made his name in Bangkok before returning home in 2019. TURK is the result: a restaurant that uses everything he learned abroad to argue that Turkish cooking is far more varied than most of the world realises.
Early life and career
Istanbul and Mengen
Tutak was born in Istanbul on 31 August 1985 (Wikipedia). His mother’s cooking was his first influence, and it led him to culinary school in Mengen, in Bolu province (National Geographic). He then served an apprenticeship under the chef Paul Pairet in Turkey (Wikipedia).
Asia and Europe
His career took him to China, with spells in Qingdao, Beijing and Hong Kong, then to the Marina Bay Sands kitchens in Singapore. He worked at Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo under Seiji Yamamoto and at Noma in Copenhagen under René Redzepi (TURK Fatih Tutak).
Bangkok
In 2015 he became head chef of The Dining Room at The House on Sathorn in Bangkok, and later its director of culinary operations. The restaurant was ranked No. 36 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017 and No. 43 in 2018 (Wikipedia). It was there that he began bringing Turkish flavours onto the menu, including the dish that became his calling card, “From My Mom” – his reworking of mantı, small Turkish dumplings.
Restaurants
TURK Fatih Tutak, Bomonti, Istanbul
Tutak returned to Turkey in December 2019. Before opening, National Geographic reports, he travelled more than 2,500 miles around the country to study its ingredients and regional cooking. TURK Fatih Tutak is in Bomonti, in the Şişli district. A meal is staged in three acts: drinks and small bites in the ALVU lounge, the savoury tasting menu in a dining room that looks into the kitchen, and desserts served at the kitchen counter itself (Michelin Guide). The menu is only handed to guests at the end.
The room mixes clean, Japanese-Scandinavian lines with Turkish details: a marble floor patterned with Ottoman stars, the old Turkish alphabet and work by Turkish artists. The wine list leans heavily on Turkish producers.
Cooking style and signature dishes
Michelin points to “delicate acidity and smoky flavours” and a focus on coastal specialities, all built on Turkish produce from local suppliers. National Geographic describes a micro-seasonal menu that moves from sharp, acidic flavours towards smoke, fermentation and umami as the meal goes on. Dishes it has highlighted include:
- Mussel dolma – dolma means “stuffed”; here rice-stuffed mussels come with an edible shell and beer mayonnaise. National Geographic calls it the restaurant’s most iconic dish.
- Cured mackerel with a dotted, colourful presentation inspired by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.
- Squid şiş (a skewer) made with squid from Çanakkale.
- Dry-aged lamb chop from Thrace, served with matsutake tempura and a kokoreç sauce (kokoreç is a classic Turkish street dish of grilled lamb intestines).
- A butter and honey course with wood-fired sourdough and three regional butters.
Tutak has said he wants to show how diverse Turkish cuisine is, and to help train the next generation of Turkish chefs (National Geographic).
Awards and recognition
- Michelin: two stars in the first Istanbul selection, announced in October 2022 (Michelin Guide). TURK holds two stars and a Green Star in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Türkiye, where it was joined at two stars by Vino Locale in Izmir (Michelin Guide).
- The World’s 50 Best Restaurants: No. 66 on the extended list in 2023, according to the restaurant.
- La Liste: named Best Restaurant in Türkiye in 2023 and 2024, according to the restaurant.
- Time Out Istanbul Food & Drink Awards 2020: Best Chef and Best Restaurant.
- CNN Travel: TURK was listed among the world’s best new restaurants for 2020.
Watch
Tutak leads a food tour of Istanbul in this film.
Where to eat food like this in London
London does not have a TURK, but you can find modern takes on Turkish cooking among our meze and fine dining listings, and plenty of fish and shellfish in our Turkish seafood restaurants (see also our guide to Turkish seafood in London). To cook the dishes that inspired him, start with our mantı recipe or yaprak sarma (stuffed vine leaves).
- Fora City – Turkish meze & fine dining in City of London
- Mangal Meze – Turkish meze & fine dining in Romford
- Izgara Finchley – Turkish meze & fine dining in Finchley
- Gallipoli – Turkish meze & fine dining in Islington & Angel
- Beyzade Turkish Kitchen – Turkish meze & fine dining in Putney
- Ev Restaurant – Turkish meze & fine dining in Borough & Southwark
See all 95 Meze & Fine Dining places in London
Quick facts
- Born: 31 August 1985, Istanbul
- Trained: culinary school in Mengen, Bolu
- Worked at: Nihonryori RyuGin (Tokyo), Noma (Copenhagen), The House on Sathorn (Bangkok)
- Restaurant: TURK Fatih Tutak, Bomonti, Istanbul
- Michelin: two stars and a Green Star (2026 guide)
Further reading
- TURK Fatih Tutak – MICHELIN Guide
- Why Fatih Tutak’s TURK is Istanbul’s trendiest restaurant – National Geographic
- About Fatih Tutak – TURK Fatih Tutak
- Fatih Tutak – Wikipedia
Pictured: mantı. Photo: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
