Ahirikapi Balikçisi

Call it the Sultanahmet squeeze: how to stay close to the monuments in the old city yet avoid eating in tourist traps? Ahirikapi Balikçisi is one of the dining secrets of Sultanahmet. This little dive with a loyal following of workers is just across from the lovely dervish lodge, Dede Efendi. With a simple menu dominated by fresh fish at reasonable prices and colourful locals sipping raki, this is the sort of place a concierge might tell you to avoid. In warm weather, when they drag tables out onto the pavement, there are few better places in Sultanahmet to eat grilled fish washed down with a cold beer.
• Keresteci Hakki Sokak 46, Cankurtaran/Ahırkapı, +90 212 518 4988, mains TL16 (£6). Open 3pm-midnight daily

Tarihi Karaköy Balikçısı

At this humble, laughably cramped restaurant, nothing is ever short of excellent – and nothing ever changes. A reliable supply of extremely fresh fish helps, but Muharrem Usta, the man at the helm in the kitchen, is the main source of inspiration. This place has been a Karaköy institution since 1923 and is a destination for gourmands from all over Istanbul. The sea bass in parchment and rolls of skewered sole are not to be missed. A meal at TKB might cost more than at most fish shacks on the docks, but craftsmanship and consistency are worth a little extra.
• Tersane Caddesi, Kardeşim Sokak 30, Karaköy, +90 212 251 1371, tarihikarakoybalikcisi.com, average main £8. Open Mon-Sat 11.30am-3.30pm

Adem Baba

It must have taken an entire fleet of nets, anchors and buoys to decorate Adem Baba. The decorations makes sense: the restaurant got its start as a boat-borne kitchen floating dockside in the Bosphorus neighbourhood of Arnavutköy, and has transformed itself into a local seafood empire with three locations on the same street. But for serious fish eating, this is one (or three) of the top addresses in town, and consistent high quality and great value have established a cultish following. Excellent fish soup, perfectly fried calamari and a luscious salad round out a great menu. The only thing missing is a glass of crisp white wine.
• Satışmeydani Sokak 2, Arnavutköy, +90 212 263 2933, adembaba.com, mains £6. Open noon-midnight daily

Kandilli Suna'nin Yeri

Spotting boats on the Bosphorus is a favourite pastime for those lucky enough to have windows with a view of it. At weekends at Suna'nin Yeri, where tables are dangerously close to the water's edge, ship and boat traffic unfolds on the busy strait that divides this city right in front of you. Simple food, consisting of a few outstanding meze and the day's catch, and a spectacular setting, are what keeps this excellent restaurant afloat. A late lunch at Suna'nin Yeri is a rare moment to relish – perfectly prepared, fresh food served in an environment that celebrates nothing more than the beauty of the city itself.
• Kandilli İskele Caddesi 4-17, Üsküdar, +90 216 332 3241, mains £7. Open 10am-midnight daily

Koco

In Istanbul's Moda district on the Asian shore is a fish restaurant that could justifiably be described as a shrine – literally. For more than 50 years, a local Greek family has been serving saints and sinners alike at Koco, a rambling seaside fish house situated atop an ayazma, or sacred spring. There's meze and fresh grilled fish with raki upstairs, candles and holy water downstairs. The usual suspects of chilled meze, hot starters and seasonal fish are served up to local families of this old, largely unchanged, Istanbul neighbourhood on the sea, a scene that is rapidly disappearing.
• Moda Caddesi 265, Moda, +90 216 336 0795, mains £7. Open noon-midnight daily

Fürreyya Galata Balikcisi

From the outside, Fürreyya Galata Balikcisi, a tiny restaurant in Beyoğlu's quaint Galata area, doesn't look like much. A few tables and stools at a short counter, a smoky grill and not much else. But inside this modest fish shack beats the heart of a more ambitious establishment. Run by a friendly husband and wife team and located just a stone's throw from the 13th-century Galata Tower, the restaurant offers a great (and affordable) alternative to eating at one of Istanbul's fancier fish restaurants. Fürreyya's excellent balik dürüm, a wrap filled with grilled fish and caramelised onions, is perfect.
• Serdar-i Ekrem Sokak 2, Beyoğlu, +90 212 252 4853, furreyyagalata.com, mains £6. Open noon-11pm, closed Sun in summer

Asmali Cavit

The cosy front room of this classic Beyoğlu meyhane is a preferred haunt for celebrated Turkish academics and journalists enjoying a slow dinner of meze, fish and a hot debate. Unlike many other traditional restaurants in the area that seem to serve the same tired food and feel more like a fraternity party by the end of the night, Asmali Cavit has a subdued vibe, intensified by excellent food. You can't go wrong with anything on the meze tray – seasonal sautéed vegetables, and the hard-to-find Armenian specialty, topik, mashed chickpeas around a nucleus of onions and currants. Save room for an excellent local fish grilled or fried.
• Asmalimescit Sokak 16, Beyoğlu, +90 212 292 4950, mains £8. Open Mon-Sat 6pm-1am

Çukur Meyhane

The only ambience at this slightly shabby meyhane is created by the smart locals who come to unwind over a meal and bottle of raki, often in excess. Though the menu is an afterthought for some, it's really all about the food at Çukur. That garlicky yoghurt loaded with celery root and purslane and drizzled with olive oil, is enough to ensure a return visit. Then there is the ciğer, or liver, sliced into strips, then lightly fried and dusted with red pepper. Most unusually, the folks at Çukur have figured out how to grill Black Sea anchovies, or hamsi, which are generally fried or baked.
• Kartal Sokak 1, Beyoğlu, +90 212 244 5575, mains £5. Open Mon-Sat 2pm-1am

Küçük Ev

Unlike the fish markets of Beyoğlu and Kumkapi, which have grown savvy about the tourist hordes that trample through, that of Samatya – a neighbourhood at the southwestern edge of Istanbul's city walls – seems to be frequented mostly by Samatyans. The feeling upon entering this small plaza of meyhanes and fish stands is that you've wandered into the kitchen of a very hospitable family. Küçük Ev is the dining spot of choice for an informal feast of fish. Pass the afternoon eating hamsi and drinking cold beer at this corner fish shack with a few tables right on the square.
• Kuleli Caddesi 46, Samatya, +90 212 588 5101, mains £3.50. Open 11am-11pm daily

Kiyi

Kiyi is a wonderful restaurant that puts its rivals on Büyükada, the largest of the Princes' Islands, to shame. While its rivals have impressive waterfront terraces, Kiyi's is a charming, ramshackle affair, shaded by vines and looking as if it's about to topple into the sea. But the biggest difference is in the kitchen. The restaurant has a large, if not obscure, selection of fish every day. But Kiyi's extensive meze menu includes unusual and tasty items, particularly the fresh salads made with greens and lettuces grown on the island by owner Adnan, and mezes made from wild greens found in salty marshes near the sea.
• Çiçekli Yali Sokak 2, Büyükada, +90 216 382 5606, mains £8. Open 8:30am-midnight daily

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