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As NATO Leaders prepare to gather in Ankara, Türkiye for the 2026 NATO Summit, one place in the heart of Istanbul offers an unexpected connection to the Alliance's long history with Türkiye – not through diplomacy or defence, but through slowly cooked lamb and bean stews.
Welcome to NATO Lokantası 1952, a restaurant that has been serving hearty, traditional dishes reflecting the country’s rich culinary heritage since Türkiye’s accession to NATO almost 75 years ago.
Keeping culinary traditions alive
Already before sunrise, the steam rises from simmering pots with traditional stewed dishes. Fresh vegetables and herbs are cut by skilled cooks in the kitchen while the lamb slowly cooks to tenderness and döner meat turns on the grill. Behind the counter is Mevlüd Öztürk, the owner of the lokanta, who has dedicated his life to this place. For him, this is not just a restaurant; it is his home and a living memory of Karaköy, the central Istanbul neighbourhood where the eatery is located.
Chef Mevlüd Öztürk (left) with his wife and sons.
“We don't just cook here,” he explains. “We keep alive the traditions and pass them down from father to son, from master to apprentice.”
The restaurant's story began in 1952, the same year that Türkiye became a member of NATO (read more about Türkiye’s history in NATO here). According to Mevlüd, at that time, the country’s accession dominated conversations in the streets, coffeehouses and across newspaper headlines. Inspired by the significance of the occasion, the restaurant's founders chose a name that reflected the moment: NATO Lokantası 1952.
More than 70 years later, a lot has changed in Karaköy, but the name above the door has stayed the same. And so has the restaurant’s focus on friendly hospitality and fresh, quality food cooked every day from scratch.
“Our restaurant was the meeting point for sailors arriving at the nearby port as well as craftspeople of the neighbourhood, and we try to maintain that character,” Mevlüd says with pride.
Some of the dishes available at the NATO restaurant in Istanbul.
From stews to politics
Today, the restaurant also welcomes office workers, students, tourists and curious visitors from around the world. Mevlüd mentions that many first enter because of the name.
“Especially the younger generation or foreign tourists often ask if there is a military connection. We have even witnessed many foreign bureaucrats and journalists discovering us because of this name and then leaving amazed by our food.”
An illustration of the restaurant made by a visiting tourist.
That blend of history and hospitality feels especially timely as Türkiye prepares to host the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, bringing the Alliance together for the second NATO summit ever held in the country (the first was in Istanbul in 2004). More than two decades later, Türkiye will welcome leaders from all 32 member countries in its capital on 7-8 July 2026.
Like NATO itself, the NATO restaurant is committed to maintaining its founding principles. Despite the transformation and modernisation of the surrounding neighbourhood that turned Karaköy into one of Istanbul’s busiest port districts, the recipes, ingredients and cooking methods at the NATO restaurant remain the same. The meals are ready for the lunchtime rush, the tables slowly clear up in the early afternoon and the cooks start preparing for the next day.
“We live in a world where consumption is very fast-paced and visual appeal is prioritised,” says Mevlüd. “However, no matter how many different world cuisines people try, at the end of the day they look for a warm, comforting bowl of soup and a hearty meal. We are living museums that preserve our country's culinary heritage.”
Menus for generations
Among the restaurant's most popular dishes are its döner kebab, braised lamb and traditional olive oil-based stews and fish. When asked what he would serve to NATO Leaders visiting Türkiye for the summit in Ankara, Mevlüd does not hesitate.
"Hünkar Beğendi," he says.
As he explains, this traditional Turkish meal, also called ‘Sultan’s delight’, is about each individual ingredient contributing to the whole in harmony – roasted eggplant gets combined with milk and cheese to create creamy purée, and is served with cooked, tender lamb on top.
The traditional Turkish dish of Hünkar Beğendi, or “Sultan’s delight” (Photo: Turkish Foodie).
“Similar to NATO, this dish has a long history. And like the Alliance, its different flavours come together to create something stronger,” smiles Mevlüd.
For Mevlüd, the restaurant's greatest achievement cannot be found on its menu. He recalls customers who came to the lokanta as children decades ago, holding their parents’ hands. “Today, they bring their own children or grandchildren, saying ‘Look, I used to eat here when I was your age’, and sit them at the same familiar table. That is probably the best part of being a traditional tradesman restaurant.”
As NATO prepares for its upcoming Ankara Summit, NATO Lokantası serves as a reminder that history is not only preserved in the speeches or official documents made by world leaders. Sometimes, it lives through local communities and collective memories for generations. And at the NATO restaurant, it is kept alive through traditional family recipes and full-of-flavour pots that have been simmering in Karaköy since 1952.
Another tourist drawing of the NATO restaurant in Istanbul.
