The story
Arkestra, at Dilhayat Sokak No:28 in Etiler, Istanbul, holds one Michelin Star (2026) for its fusion cooking. Chef Cenk Debensason and Debora İpekel Debensason founded the restaurant in a villa built in the 1960s.
Debensason leads an open kitchen that draws on modern European cooking and applies French technique to local ingredients. Menus follow the seasons. Touches from his travels and a few Asian-inspired flavours give the fusion kitchen its range. Gault&Millau also scores the restaurant 16 for 2026, listing it as a chef restaurant.
The main restaurant is a grand room with wood wall paneling, detailed with small decorative touches, and Art Deco chandeliers. The mood is lively and relaxed. A secluded courtyard opens off the room for dining outdoors when the weather allows.
Ritmo is a 32-cover bistro behind velvet curtains in the front room, with its own entrance. Mirrored ceilings, custom-made colourful carpets and low light set the scene for small plates, local and international wines and cocktails. Upstairs, the Listening Room is a bar with palm-print feature walls, lounge seating and a wall of vinyl records. Selectors play from the house collection at weekly events, and entry is for restaurant guests only.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
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