In Istanbul, the best meals happen near water. At rooftop restaurants and crowded market stalls where the Bosphorus Strait stretches between Europe and Asia, centuries of history move with the current. That sense of place is exactly what Doved and Tammy Sexter have spent two decades recreating in Florida. Now, St. Petersburg has a seat at the table.
The EDGE District, the stretch of Central Avenue between 9th and 16th Streets, has quietly become one of the more compelling neighborhoods in Tampa Bay. Breweries, kava bars, coffee shops and casual restaurants line the walkable corridor, while murals and storefronts give the district its own rhythm. When the Moxy St. Pete opened in August 2024 as the neighborhood’s first lifestyle hotel, bringing Rose’s Coffee and Sparrow Rooftop with it, the project signaled that the district was ready for something more elevated. What had not yet arrived was a full-scale dining destination built not simply to feed guests, but to transport them somewhere else entirely.
Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine opened on Central Avenue in February 2026, bringing a richly detailed Turkish dining experience to the neighborhood. The restaurant traces its roots to Winter Park, where the original Bosphorous opened on Park Avenue in 2004. Tammy and Doved Sexter, both former Darden Restaurants executives, later purchased the business and transformed it into a family-owned brand known for authentic Turkish cuisine and richly layered interiors.
The St. Petersburg restaurant marks the company’s sixth location and second in Tampa Bay, following its opening in Tampa’s SoHo district on South Howard Avenue. Expanding into downtown St. Pete had long been part of the plan. The Sexters spent years searching for the right location before landing in the EDGE District.
What emerged feels unlike anything else nearby. The sprawling dining room draws heavily from Istanbul, blending imported Turkish glassware, traditional recipes and old-world craftsmanship into a space designed to feel transportive without becoming theatrical. Ornamental pillars inspired by Istanbul’s Basilica Cistern wrap around structural beams that could not be removed during construction, turning a design obstacle into one of the restaurant’s defining architectural features.
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The menu deepens the experience. It begins, as many Turkish meals do, with bread. The Lavas, Bosphorous’ signature hollow loaf baked to order, arrives warm and steaming, ready to tear apart and pair with soups, spreads and nearly everything else on the table.
The Mixed Appetizer, or Karisik Meze, spreads across the table like a small feast. Hummus, babaganoush, sautéed eggplant, muhammara, haydari and stuffed grape leaves arrive together, each made from scratch and distinct in texture and flavor. Among them, the Ezme stands out most. The spicy mixture of chopped tomatoes, peppers, walnuts, garlic, parsley, dill pickle, jalapeño and lemon juice delivers enough heat and brightness to keep drawing you back for another bite.
For the posher palate, the Lamb Shanks remain the centerpiece. Seasoned with Turkish spices and braised slowly for five hours with carrots, onions and bell peppers, the meat arrives tender enough to fall from the bone with almost no effort. It is the kind of dish that quiets a table mid-conversation. For something less expected, the Lahmacun, often called Turkish-style pizza, offers its own surprise. Freshly ground lamb, peppers, tomatoes and herbs rest on a thin, crisp crust that makes the dish feel both familiar and unexpectedly refined.
Dessert deserves equal attention. The baklava satisfies, but the Künefe steals the final course. Shredded filo dough surrounds sweet Turkish cheese before the dish is baked golden and finished with citrus-infused syrup and pistachios. It is intended for sharing, though that becomes less appealing after the first bite.
In a neighborhood that already does casual dining exceptionally well, Bosphorous arrived with a different ambition. The restaurant brings a story, a sense of craft and a level of immersion that feels rare along Central Avenue. For a few hours, the restaurant succeeds in doing exactly what it set out to do: transport the room somewhere else.
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