Eat your way through
Food & drink
Order family-style. Share everything. Always say evet to tea.
What to order
Kahvaltı
Turkish breakfast — cheese, olives, tomato, cucumber, eggs, jams, simit. Order for the table and share.
Simit
Sesame ring bread from a street cart. 15₺-ish. Perfect mid-morning snack.
Menemen
Soft scrambled eggs with tomato & green pepper. Gentle and warm.
Balık ekmek
Grilled mackerel sandwich at Eminönü. Cheap, iconic, eat by the water.
Mantı
Tiny dumplings in garlic yogurt + brown butter. Comfort food.
Pide & lahmacun
Turkish 'pizza'. Order one of each at a pideci.
Köfte
Grilled meatballs with bulgur pilaf and roasted peppers. Try Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi.
İskender
Sliced döner on bread with yogurt, tomato sauce, and butter. Heavy — share.
Meze + rakı
A long evening table of small cold plates with the anise spirit. Fun meyhane night.
Baklava & künefe
Karaköy Güllüoğlu for baklava. Künefe is hot cheese pastry in syrup — order to share.
Dondurma
Stretchy Maraş ice cream. The vendors put on a little show.
Çay & Türk kahvesi
Tea comes in tulip glasses, all day, everywhere. Coffee is small, strong, with grounds — sip slowly.
Trusted spots
Çiya Sofrası (Kadıköy)
Regional Anatolian home cooking. Worth the ferry across — easy on elders, point-and-choose.
Van Kahvaltı Evi (Cihangir)
Famous breakfast spread in a quiet neighborhood.
Karaköy Lokantası
Beautiful tiled lunch spot, classic Istanbul meyhane food.
Hamdi (Eminönü)
Southeastern kebabs with a Golden Horn view from the top floor — book ahead.
Mandabatmaz (Beyoğlu)
Tiny stall serving thick, foamy Turkish coffee. A 10-minute ritual.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu
The baklava benchmark. Order a mixed box to take home.