Great Mexican Food In Istanbul

I make it a point to seek out Mexican food wherever I am in the world. Admittedly, it’s usually pretty bad…but that was not the case in Istanbul, where I enjoyed a delicious and surprisingly authentic dinner.

Best Mexican Food Istanbul

I have to give credit to my friend for finding this place…I was ready to go to Casa Cipriani back at the Park Hyatt, but he suggested this place and the menu looked good.

…but menus can be deceiving.

After our concert, we walked here….it took about 15 minutes and is located in Beyoğlu.

Los Altos Gourmet Mexicano
Tomtom, Yeni Çarşı Cd. no:38/5
34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul
+90 533 439 15 40
3:00 PM – 1:00 AM (Sunday, Tuesday – Thursday)
3:00 PM – 2:00 AM (Friday, Saturday)

The restaurant is located on the terrace level of a building that has a few bars on the ground and upper levels. Despite being a cold night, it was hopping.

Upstairs we were met by a barking dog. A Russian couple had a cute little dog, but it would not stay quiet sitting in his human’s lap or on the adjacent chair. In fact, it got so loud the couple left without finishing their meal. Simple solution: no animals allowed.

I will typically order enchiladas or tacos at a Mexican place overseas, but I was surprised to see lamb shank on the menu. Regular readers know I love lamb anytime, anywhere but was surprised to see lamb like this (versus lamb barbacoa tacos, which I also would have been happy to order).

From what I can gather, this lamb shank is actually not so uncommon in Mexico, even if you would never see it on a Tex-Mex menu.

And it was delicious…it was marinated with lime and topped with a delicious pico de gallo and served with a side of rice and almonds. It was perfect.

My friend had fried seabass tacos, which he enjoyed. We both ordered a margarita which was fine, but alcohol is so expensive in Turkey (about $20 for a cocktail)…it is just not worthwhile.

As a bonus, the restaurant has beautiful views of Istanbul and one warmer nights the roof can be retracted.

So indeed, I finally found some great Mexican food in Istanbul….I certainly will return.