What to Eat in Istanbul: A Food Guide Beyond Kebabs
Ahmet Yılmaz
Food Critic
The Culinary Diversity
Yes, the kebabs are incredible, but Turkish cuisine is one of the most diverse in the world, heavily influenced by the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and the Middle East. Eating your way through Istanbul is the cheapest world-class food experience in Europe — if you know what to order.
Must-Try Street Food
- Balık Ekmek (Fish Sandwich): Freshly grilled mackerel served in half a loaf of bread with onions and lemon. Eat this right off the boats in Eminönü.
- Midye Dolma (Stuffed Mussels): Mussels stuffed with spiced rice, pine nuts, and currants. You eat them standing up on the street, squeezing lemon over each one until you've eaten twenty.
- Islak Burger (Wet Burger): A small, garlicky burger drenched in a tomato sauce and kept hot in a steam box. It is the ultimate late-night food in Taksim Square.
- Simit: The sesame-crusted bread ring sold from red carts on every corner — breakfast for millions of commuters, best eaten warm with a glass of tea.
- Kumpir (Ortaköy): A giant baked potato mashed with butter and cheese, then piled with a dozen toppings of your choice. The stands along the Ortaköy waterfront are the classic place to attempt one.
Esnaf Lokantası (Tradesmen Restaurants)
For lunch, you must visit an Esnaf Lokantası. These are cafeteria-style restaurants that serve traditional, slow-cooked, home-style meals (Sulu Yemek). You point at the hot trays behind the glass to order stews, stuffed eggplants, and pilafs. It is incredibly cheap, fast, and healthy — and at 13:00 you will be elbow to elbow with shopkeepers, lawyers and dockworkers, which is exactly the point.
The Turkish Breakfast (Kahvaltı)
Clear a weekend morning for a proper serpme kahvaltı: a table buried under small plates of cheeses, olives, honey and clotted cream, tomatoes, fresh bread, menemen (eggs scrambled with tomato and pepper) and endless tea. It is less a meal than a two-hour social institution. Finish the trip on a sweet note with baklava, künefe served hot with melted cheese, or milk-based puddings from a historic muhallebici.
Where to Eat: Europe vs Asia
On the European side, eat balık ekmek by the water in Eminönü, drink and graze through the meyhanes of Beyoğlu, and browse Karaköy's modern cafes. Then take the ferry across: the Kadıköy market district on the Asian side is arguably the best eating neighborhood in the city, from fish stalls to Anatolian kitchens that draw chefs from around the world. The 20-minute crossing with an Istanbulkart is part of the fun.
Culinary Tours
If you book a food tour that takes you from the spice markets of Europe to the fish markets of Asia, you will need stamina. Start your culinary journey right by ensuring your initial airport arrival is handled by a smooth, stress-free VIP Transfer — Istanbul Airport to Sultanahmet from €50, or Sabiha Gökçen straight to the Kadıköy food district from €45 — so the first thing you taste in Istanbul is not airport-queue stress.
Frequently asked questions
What food is Istanbul famous for besides kebabs?
Street classics like balık ekmek (grilled fish sandwiches), midye dolma (stuffed mussels) and simit; slow-cooked home-style stews at tradesmen's lunch canteens; the sprawling Turkish breakfast; and desserts from baklava to hot künefe. The variety spans Mediterranean, Balkan and Middle Eastern traditions.
Where is the best street food in Istanbul?
Eminönü's waterfront for fish sandwiches, Taksim for the late-night wet burger, Ortaköy for kumpir baked potatoes, and the Kadıköy market district on the Asian side for everything at once. Follow the queues of locals — high turnover is both the quality and the safety signal.
Is street food in Istanbul safe to eat?
Generally yes, at busy stalls where food turns over fast and is cooked in front of you. Choose vendors with a crowd, be sensible with raw or long-sitting seafood in high summer, and drink bottled water. Millions of locals eat this food daily.
What is an esnaf lokantası?
A tradesmen's canteen serving slow-cooked, home-style Turkish dishes cafeteria-style: you point at the steaming trays and a plate appears in seconds. They are cheap, fast and delicious, and lunchtime — roughly noon to 15:00 — is when the food is freshest.
What is a full Turkish breakfast?
Serpme kahvaltı is a spread of dozens of small plates — cheeses, olives, honey with clotted cream, tomatoes, eggs, breads — refilled with endless tea. Plan a lazy two hours for it, ideally on a weekend morning, and skip lunch afterwards.
Is Istanbul good for vegetarians?
Very. The zeytinyağlı tradition — vegetables cooked in olive oil and served at room temperature — plus stuffed peppers and vine leaves, lentil soup, cheese pides and the largely meat-free breakfast spread mean vegetarians eat exceptionally well without ordering around the menu.
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