If you are looking for a warm, unhurried way to welcome 2027 in the old city of Istanbul, the 2027 New Year Eve Party at Nuz Restaurant offers exactly that: a long Anatolian dinner in the historic heart of Sultanahmet, built around regional mezes, slow-cooked meat and a generous drinks package. Instead of a crowded club or a rushed buffet, Nuz invites you to spend the last night of the year around a table, sharing plates the way Anatolian families have done for generations. This guide walks you through the full New Year menu, what is included in the price, and how to plan your evening in Sultanahmet.

Why Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Sultanahmet?

Sultanahmet is the oldest part of Istanbul, and on New Year’s Eve it carries a very particular mood. The domes and minarets of the old peninsula are lit against the winter sky, the streets around the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia fill with visitors from all over the world, and the whole city counts down together as midnight approaches. Fireworks rising over the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn are part of the classic Istanbul New Year picture, and the historic peninsula is one of the most atmospheric places to feel that energy.

What many travellers miss, however, is a proper dinner. The New Year rush makes it easy to end up with a quick bite and a long walk in the cold. Nuz Restaurant, a hidden garden restaurant on İncili Çavuş Street in Alemdar, solves that problem: you sit down to a complete set menu, your drinks are taken care of, and you are only a short stroll from the landmarks of Sultanahmet. It is a calm, food-focused way to celebrate the New Year without leaving the old city.

The Nuz 2027 New Year Menu

Nuz Restaurant - 2027 New Year Menu card with cold appetizers, salad, appetizers, main courses and dessert
The official Nuz 2027 New Year Menu: 150 € per person, drinks package included.

The Nuz New Year menu is a set menu served course by course. Every guest enjoys the same cold appetizers, salad, warm appetizers and dessert, and chooses one of two main courses. The full menu is below, exactly as it appears on the restaurant’s menu card. You can also open the 2027 New Year menu as a PDF.

Cold Appetizers

  • Zahter Salad – fresh zahter (wild thyme), green olives, assorted spices and olive oil.
  • Muhammara – pepper paste, pomegranate molasses, walnuts and regional spices.
  • Topik – chickpeas, tahini and caramelized onions.
  • Spicy Ezme – tomatoes, peppers, onions and regional spices.
  • Mutabbal – roasted eggplant, tahini and pomegranate seeds.

Salad

  • Sun-Dried Tomato Salad – lamb’s ears (kuzu kulağı) with an olive oil and lemon dressing, sun-dried tomatoes, almonds and dried mulberries.

Appetizers

  • Boiled Stuffed Meatballs (haşlama içli köfte) – made with bulgur, beef, walnuts and various spices, served with yogurt.
  • Dried Stuffed Vegetables (kuru dolma) – dried eggplant filled with beef and lamb, rice, bulgur and local spices, served with yogurt.

Selection of Main Courses (choose one)

  • Veal Lokum served with a side dish, or
  • Lamb Shank with Keşkek.

Dessert

  • Afyon Style Pumpkin Dessert – pumpkin with tahini and walnuts, served with ice cream.

Price and What Is Included

150 € per person. Unlimited soft drinks, unlimited local alcoholic beverages, water, tea and coffee are included in the price.

A Closer Look at the Cold Appetizers

Nuz Restaurant - muhammara and topik mezes served in copper bowls
Muhammara and topik, two of the cold appetizers on the New Year menu, from the Nuz kitchen.

The opening of the New Year dinner is a table of five cold mezes, and it is where the Anatolian character of Nuz shows most clearly. Each one comes from a different regional tradition, so the spread is meant to be shared, tasted and passed around while the evening slowly gets going.

Zahter salad is a southeastern classic: the fragrant leaves of fresh zahter, a wild thyme, are dressed simply with olive oil and spices and paired with green olives. It is herbal, bright and a perfect palate-opener. Muhammara brings sweetness and depth with pepper paste, tangy pomegranate molasses and crushed walnuts. Topik, a meze with Armenian and old Istanbul roots, combines chickpeas and tahini with soft caramelized onions for a rich, slightly sweet bite. Spicy ezme adds heat and freshness with finely chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions, while mutabbal balances the table with smoky roasted eggplant, creamy tahini and juicy pomegranate seeds.

If you enjoy this style of eating, our article on Anatolian mezes and meze culture in Sultanahmet explains the tradition behind these small plates in more detail.

Salad and Warm Appetizers: From Lamb’s Ears to Içli Köfte

After the mezes, the New Year menu moves to a salad that is a little unusual for many visitors. Lamb’s ears, known in Turkish as kuzu kulağı, is a tender wild green with a gentle lemony note. At Nuz it is combined with sun-dried tomatoes, almonds and dried mulberries and finished with an olive oil and lemon dressing, so every forkful is crisp, sweet and tangy at once.

The warm appetizers are two of the most beloved home-style dishes of Anatolia. Haşlama içli köfte are boiled stuffed meatballs: a thin shell of bulgur wrapped around a filling of beef, walnuts and spices. Boiling instead of frying keeps them delicate and light, and they are served with yogurt. Alongside them comes kuru dolma, dried stuffed vegetables made from sun-dried eggplant that has been rehydrated and filled with beef and lamb, rice, bulgur and local spices, again with yogurt on the side. Drying vegetables in summer to stuff them in winter is an old Anatolian habit, which makes kuru dolma a fitting dish for a winter celebration such as the New Year.

Fans of minced-meat dishes may also like our story on Turkish meatballs as a timeless culinary tradition.

The Main Course: Veal Lokum or Lamb Shank with Keşkek

For the main course, every guest chooses one of two dishes, and both reflect the meat expertise Nuz is known for.

Veal lokum takes its name from Turkish delight (lokum), a nod to how tender this cut is. It is served with a side dish and is the right choice if you prefer a clean, juicy piece of meat with a soft texture. Lamb shank with keşkek is the more traditional, comforting option. The shank is slow-cooked until it falls from the bone, and it is paired with keşkek, the ancient Anatolian dish of wheat and meat cooked together for hours until it becomes silky. Keşkek is so closely linked to celebrations in Anatolia that it is listed by UNESCO as part of Turkey’s intangible cultural heritage, which makes it a meaningful plate for New Year’s Eve.

If you are curious about how Nuz approaches meat, read our guide to the best meat restaurant in Istanbul and our article on slow-cooked beef rib tandır and lamb rack.

Dessert: Afyon Style Pumpkin Dessert

The New Year dinner ends with a classic Turkish winter dessert. Pumpkin is cooked slowly with sugar until it becomes glossy and candied, then finished Afyon style with tahini and walnuts and served with ice cream. The combination of warm, sweet pumpkin, nutty tahini and cold ice cream is a lovely final note before midnight, and it pairs perfectly with the tea and coffee that are part of the drinks package.

Drinks Included in the New Year Package

One of the strongest points of the Nuz New Year offer is its simplicity. For 150 € per person, unlimited soft drinks and unlimited local alcoholic beverages are included, together with water, tea and coffee. You do not need to keep an eye on a drinks bill during the evening, which makes the New Year celebration easier to plan, especially for couples, families and groups of friends. Note that the package covers local alcoholic beverages; if you are looking for a specific imported label, please ask the team when you book.

The Setting: A Hidden Garden Restaurant in the Old City

Nuz Restaurant - the covered dining room in Sultanahmet
The dining room at Nuz Restaurant on İncili Çavuş Street, Sultanahmet.

Nuz Restaurant describes itself as a hidden garden restaurant in the historic heart of Sultanahmet, combining traditional Anatolian cuisine with a relaxed dining atmosphere. The restaurant sits on İncili Çavuş Street in the Alemdar neighbourhood, within walking distance of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the tram line, so it is easy to reach from most hotels in the old city.

On a winter night like New Year’s Eve, the covered dining room offers a cosy, intimate setting for a long dinner. You can read more about the space in our article on the garden restaurant in Sultanahmet.

Tips for Planning Your 2027 New Year’s Eve in Sultanahmet

  • Book early. New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year in Istanbul, and set-menu tables fill up quickly.
  • Confirm your main course. Let the team know whether you prefer veal lokum or lamb shank with keşkek, and mention any allergies (the menu includes walnuts, almonds, tahini and dairy).
  • Ask about timing. The menu card does not list an evening programme, so ask for the seating time of the New Year dinner when you reserve.
  • Plan your way home. Streets around Sultanahmet get crowded around midnight and some roads may be closed; walking or using the tram is usually easier than a taxi.
  • Dress for the season. Late December evenings in Istanbul are cool and often damp, so bring a warm layer for the walk before and after dinner.

How to Reserve Your Table

To book your place at the 2027 New Year Eve Party at Nuz Restaurant, contact the team directly:

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the New Year menu at Nuz Restaurant?

The 2027 New Year menu is 150 € per person.

Which drinks are included?

Unlimited soft drinks, unlimited local alcoholic beverages, water, tea and coffee are included in the price.

Can I choose my main course?

Yes. Each guest chooses either veal lokum served with a side dish or lamb shank with keşkek.

Is the New Year menu suitable for vegetarians?

Several cold appetizers and the salad are meat-free, but the warm appetizers and both main courses contain meat. Please contact the restaurant before booking to ask about alternatives.

Where is Nuz Restaurant?

Nuz is at Alemdar Mh., İncili Çavuş Çk. No:5, Fatih, in Sultanahmet, a short walk from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

Conclusion

The 2027 New Year Eve Party at Nuz Restaurant is an invitation to end the year slowly, with a table full of Anatolian mezes, home-style içli köfte and kuru dolma, a choice of veal lokum or lamb shank with keşkek, and a warm pumpkin dessert to close the meal. With the drinks package included and the historic streets of Sultanahmet just outside, it is an easy and memorable way to welcome the New Year in Istanbul. Reserve early and start 2027 around a good table.