Sunday Jazz Nights at Nardis
Nardis has been the beating heart of Istanbul's jazz scene for decades, tucked into a Galata side street where the room itself feels tuned to the music. Sunday nights draw a loyal crowd of musicians, regulars, and curious newcomers who know that the quality on this tiny stage consistently punches well above its weight. Arrive early — the space is genuinely intimate, and good seats disappear fast.
- Location
Nardis Jazz Club
Kuledibi Sok. No:14, Galata, Beyoğlu
About this event
Few venues in Istanbul carry the lived-in credibility of Nardis Jazz Club. Opened by guitarist Önder Focan in 2002 in the shadow of the Galata Tower, it has quietly become one of the most respected jazz rooms in the eastern Mediterranean — a place where the music comes first and the atmosphere follows naturally. The Sunday night session is the cornerstone of its weekly programming, drawing both established local names and international touring musicians who make a point of stopping in when passing through the city. The room holds perhaps eighty people at capacity, which means you're never more than a few metres from the bandstand. The acoustics are warm and direct. Conversations happen between sets, not during them — the audience tends to be attentive in a way that's rare in a city with so many competing distractions. The ₺200 cover is one of the more honest transactions in Istanbul nightlife: you pay to hear music played seriously, in a room that was built for exactly that purpose. Galata is walkable from Karaköy and Tünel, and the neighbourhood has enough good bars and meyhanes nearby to turn the evening into something longer if the mood takes you. The club itself serves drinks throughout the performance. Reservations aren't always available online, so a call ahead or an early arrival is the sensible approach — especially on Sundays, when the room fills reliably from about 21:30 onwards.
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