Istanbul Restaurant

Head down to Sidwell Street and you'll find Istanbul tucked in amongst the usual parade of independent businesses. This is the kind of place where they're not trying to be clever—they're just cooking proper Turkish and Mediterranean food, the sort of thing that makes you wonder why more places in Exeter bother with gimmicks. The kitchen clearly knows what it's doing, and the 233 glowing reviews suggest locals have cottoned on to something good. You're getting authentic flavours without the pretension, which in a city sometimes obsessed with the next trend, feels properly refreshing.