Istanbul is one of the great food cities, and you do not need a big budget to eat well. The best meals are often the simplest: a warm simit from a street cart, a bowl of lentil soup at a workers' canteen, a fish sandwich by the water. This guide covers what to try, where it is done best, and a few practical points on menus, prices and paying.
We have named well-known places where they are long-established and easy to find, but the general rule holds everywhere: eat where locals are queuing, and walk a few streets away from the main sights before you sit down.
Turkish breakfast (kahvaltı)
Breakfast is the meal Istanbul takes most seriously, especially at weekends. A full Turkish breakfast is a spread of small plates for the table to share: white cheese and aged kaşar, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers, honey with clotted cream (bal kaymak), jams, butter, eggs, fresh bread and endless glasses of black tea. A serpme kahvaltı brings dozens of these plates at once and is meant for two or more people.
- Menemen: eggs scrambled with tomatoes, green peppers and sometimes sucuk (spicy sausage). Whether it should include onion is a famous Turkish argument.
- Simit: the sesame-crusted bread ring sold from red carts on every corner. Eat it warm with white cheese and tea. Since 26 September 2026 a standard simit costs 30 TL in Istanbul, according to local press reports.
- Börek: layered pastry filled with cheese, spinach or minced meat. Look for su böreği, the soft, boiled-layer version.
- Gözleme: a thin hand-rolled flatbread cooked on a griddle with cheese, spinach or potato.
Where to go: Beşiktaş has a whole lane of breakfast cafés in its market area, known as Kahvaltıcılar Sokağı (breakfast street). Cihangir, above Karaköy, has long-running breakfast places such as Van Kahvaltı Evi, which serves breakfasts in the style of eastern Turkey. On the Asian side, the streets of Kadıköy and Moda fill with brunch crowds at weekends.
Istanbul street food
| Food | What it is | Where to try it |
|---|---|---|
| Balık ekmek | Grilled fish (usually mackerel) in bread with onion, lettuce and lemon | The boats and stalls by the Galata Bridge in Eminönü, or Karaköy fish market |
| Midye dolma | Mussels stuffed with spiced rice, eaten with a squeeze of lemon | Evening vendors in Beşiktaş, Kadıköy and around İstiklal |
| Kokoreç | Lamb intestines grilled on a spit, chopped with spices and served in bread | Specialist shops in Beyoğlu, Beşiktaş and Kadıköy |
| Döner | Meat cooked on a vertical spit, in bread, wrap or on a plate | Everywhere; busy local shops are best |
| Islak hamburger | "Wet burger" in a garlicky tomato sauce, steamed in a glass cabinet | Taksim Square end of İstiklal, a late-night tradition |
| Kumpir | Baked potato mashed with butter and cheese and piled with toppings | Ortaköy, by the mosque and the Bosphorus |
| Tantuni | Finely chopped beef cooked on a griddle and wrapped in flatbread | Mersin-style shops in Beyoğlu and Kadıköy |
| Çiğ köfte | Spicy bulgur patties (today made without meat), wrapped in lettuce or lavaş | Chains and small shops across the city |
| Kestane and mısır | Roast chestnuts and grilled or boiled corn | Street carts, especially in autumn and winter |
Kebabs, lokanta food and home cooking
Kebab is only one part of Turkish cooking. Some of the best everyday food is found in an esnaf lokantası, a tradesmen's canteen where trays of the day's stews, vegetables and rice sit in a steam counter and you point at what you want. They are cheap, quick and usually busiest at lunchtime; many close in the early evening. Look for them in Karaköy, Fatih, Eminönü and around office areas.
- Kebabs: Adana (minced lamb with chilli), Urfa (the same without chilli), İskender (döner over bread with tomato sauce, yoghurt and browned butter) and şiş (cubes on a skewer).
- Köfte: grilled meatballs. In Sultanahmet, the old köfte restaurants on Divanyolu serve them with white-bean salad (piyaz).
- Kuru fasulye: white beans stewed with tomato, served with rice. The little restaurants on the lane beside the Süleymaniye Mosque are known for it.
- Lahmacun and pide: thin flatbread with spiced minced meat, and boat-shaped bread with toppings, baked in a wood oven.
- Mantı: small dumplings with yoghurt, garlic and chilli butter.
- Hünkâr beğendi: lamb stew on a smoky aubergine and cheese purée, an Ottoman palace classic.
- Soup: mercimek (red lentil) is the everyday soup; işkembe (tripe) is the traditional late-night cure.
For dishes from across Turkey under one roof, Kadıköy is the place: the market streets around the ferry pier are packed with delis, fishmongers and restaurants, including Çiya Sofrası, known for regional dishes that are hard to find elsewhere in the city. Our Kadıköy and Moda guide covers the area.
Landing hungry? Fixed price to Sultanahmet, driver waiting inside arrivals.
Meze, fish and rakı at a meyhane
A meyhane is a tavern where an evening is built around small cold dishes (meze), followed by hot starters and fish, all with rakı, the aniseed spirit that turns cloudy with water. Typical meze include haydari (thick yoghurt with herbs), ezme (spicy tomato and pepper), stuffed vine leaves, fava (broad-bean purée), and dishes cooked in olive oil and served cold.
Fish follows the seasons. Autumn and winter are the best months, when hamsi (anchovies) and lüfer (bluefish) come through the Bosphorus. Fish is often priced by weight, so ask for the price per kilo and how much the fish you choose weighs before it is cooked. Beyoğlu's side streets, Kumkapı in the old city and the Bosphorus villages all have meyhanes; Kumkapı in particular is popular with tour groups, so compare menus.
Sweets, coffee and drinks
- Baklava: thin layers of pastry with pistachio or walnut, soaked in syrup. Karaköy Güllüoğlu, near the Karaköy ferry pier, is the best-known name.
- Künefe: shredded pastry baked with stretchy cheese and syrup, served hot.
- Lokum (Turkish delight): try it fresh from an old confectioner around Eminönü and the Spice Bazaar rather than in gift boxes.
- Milk puddings: sütlaç (baked rice pudding), kazandibi (caramelised) and tavuk göğsü, a pudding made with finely shredded chicken breast.
- Dondurma: stretchy ice cream thickened with salep and mastic.
- Turkish coffee: strong, unfiltered and served with a glass of water. Turkish coffee culture is on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. Tea (çay), served in small tulip glasses, is what people actually drink all day.
- Boza and salep: two winter drinks. Boza is a thick, slightly sour fermented millet drink, classically drunk at Vefa Bozacısı, in business since 1876; salep is hot, milky and dusted with cinnamon.
- Ayran: salted yoghurt drink, the standard partner for kebab.
Vegetarian, vegan and halal
Vegetarians eat well in Istanbul once they know what to ask for. Zeytinyağlı dishes (vegetables cooked in olive oil and served at room temperature) are usually meat-free, as are most cold meze, lentil soup, gözleme with cheese or spinach, simit, and çiğ köfte. Be careful with stews and rice in lokantas, which are often made with meat stock. Useful phrases: "etsiz" (without meat) and "et suyu var mı?" (is there meat stock?).
Meat served in Turkey is generally halal. Alcohol is widely available in Beyoğlu, Karaköy, Kadıköy and the Bosphorus districts, but some restaurants, especially in conservative areas such as Fatih, do not serve it.
Menus, prices and tipping
- Prices change often. Turkish food prices have risen quickly in recent years, so we have kept prices out of this guide except where we could verify them. Check the menu, and ask the price of anything without one.
- No service or cover charge. Under a rule published in Turkey's Official Gazette on 30 January 2026, restaurants and cafés may not add a compulsory service, table or cover charge. If one appears on your bill, ask for it to be removed.
- Unordered meze. At some tourist restaurants a waiter brings a tray of meze or bread to the table. Anything you eat is charged, so say no if you do not want it.
- Tipping is voluntary. Around 5–10% in cash for good table service is common practice; it is not expected at street stalls or canteens.
During Ramadan (expected to begin around 8 February 2027, with the exact date set by Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs), restaurants stay open during the day, though some places in conservative neighbourhoods close until sunset. At iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, restaurants fill up quickly, so book or eat a little earlier. Our best time to visit guide has more on holidays.
A food day with a driver
The best eating areas are spread out: breakfast in Beşiktaş, lunch in Kadıköy, baklava in Karaköy and dinner by the Bosphorus. Ferries link many of them, and our public transport guide explains how. If you would rather not plan connections, a chauffeur by the hour (from $40/hour in a Private Mercedes Vito or $55/hour in a VIP Vito, minimum 3 hours) can take you between neighbourhoods on both sides of the city and wait while you eat. See book hourly or our tours.
Staying on the Asian side? Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Kadıköy is a fixed $65 in a Private Vito or $75 in a VIP Vito, per vehicle for up to 6 passengers, tolls included, paid to the driver on arrival. For more ideas, see things to do in Istanbul, where to stay and our guide to a Turkish bath, the traditional way to end a long day. Istanbul VIP is operated by Regatta Turizm (TÜRSAB licence 10138).
Flying into Sabiha Gökçen? Fixed price to Kadıköy, the city's best food market.
