TL;DR: Pino Gare Roof Restaurant is at Hüdavendigar Caddesi No:24 in Sirkeci, on the 7th floor of the Orient Express Hotel. In normal traffic it is roughly 45–60 minutes by road from Istanbul Airport (IST) and roughly 60–80 minutes from Sabiha Gökçen (SAW). By rail, you get off at Marmaray's Sirkeci station and walk two minutes. If you land with suitcases, check in at your hotel first and come up to the terrace light. We are open every day from 13:00 to 23:30.
To book a table: reservation.
First, the address: where we are in Sirkeci
Pino Gare sits inside the historic peninsula, in the Hocapaşa neighbourhood right behind Sirkeci Station. The building is the Orient Express Hotel and the restaurant is on the 7th floor, on the roof. A lift takes you from the entrance straight up to the terrace floor. Typing "Hüdavendigar Caddesi 24, Sirkeci" into your maps app is enough.
A few reference points: the Sirkeci T1 tram stop is about 3 minutes away, the Eminönü ferry pier about 5 minutes, the Galata Bridge entrance 4–6 minutes and Hagia Sophia a 10–12 minute walk. So on the day you land, you can walk off dinner towards the old city's best-known sights.
Coming from Istanbul Airport (IST)
Istanbul Airport is in the far north of the city, close to the Black Sea coast. Allow 45–60 minutes by road to Sirkeci in normal traffic; at evening rush hour and on the way into the historic peninsula it can take longer. If your flight lands in the late afternoon, think of passport control, baggage and the drive together: booking your table at least two to three hours after landing is a realistic plan.
Taxi or a pre-booked transfer. With luggage, door-to-door is the easiest option. On a pre-booked transfer the driver waits for you in the arrivals hall with a name sign, so you are not negotiating a taxi in a new city. We usually point our guests to the Istanbul Airport – Sultanahmet transfer run by our sister company Kings World Transfer; Sirkeci is in the same area, a few minutes further on. Disclosure: Kings World Transfer is a sister company in the same group as Pino Gare. This is our own recommendation, not an independent comparison, and any taxi or transfer company will get you here just as well.
Rail. If you travel light, the metro works too, but it involves changes: the M11 line from the airport to Gayrettepe, the M2 from there to Yenikapı, then Marmaray from Yenikapı to Sirkeci. Timetables and transfer corridors change from time to time, so check Metro Istanbul's current information before you set off. At Sirkeci it is a two-minute walk from the Marmaray exit to the restaurant.
Coming from Sabiha Gökçen (SAW)
Sabiha Gökçen is on the Asian side. To reach Sirkeci you have to cross the Bosphorus; allow 60–80 minutes by road in normal traffic. The bridge and tunnel crossings are the biggest source of uncertainty at busy times, so leave a wider margin if you land in the late afternoon.
Rail. Take the M4 line to Ayrılık Çeşmesi and change to Marmaray, which carries you under the Bosphorus to the European side; get off at Sirkeci. Because the train is not affected by bridge traffic, it is the most predictable option from SAW in the evening. Again, check the current timetable before you leave.
The last few minutes in Sirkeci
From the Marmaray exit it is a two-minute walk to Hüdavendigar Caddesi. If you came on the T1 tram, it is about three minutes from the Sirkeci stop. By car, telling the driver "Orient Express Hotel" is enough; the building is on the street itself. Once inside, take the lift to the 7th floor: the terrace floor is the restaurant.
Luggage, hotel and timing
You can come straight from the airport, but we would not recommend it: the narrow, hilly streets of the historic peninsula are tiring with a suitcase, and half an hour at your hotel after a long flight makes the evening far more enjoyable. If you are staying in Sultanahmet, Sirkeci or Eminönü, you can reach us on foot or with a single tram stop; we walk through that short route step by step in our post on a rooftop dinner from your Sultanahmet hotel.
A simple plan for arrival day: you land, check in, and come up to the terrace towards sunset. Because we open at 13:00 every day, a late lunch is also a good start after a morning or midday arrival. If you would like to see what is cooking before you come, our menu is here.
Booking around your landing time
If you know your flight time, mention it when you book; if the flight is delayed, let us know on WhatsApp. To book, use the reservation page or WhatsApp: +90 546 950 36 36.