How to eat your way around Istanbul in a day?

Welcome to the heaven of cuisines in the world. If you say ‘’This food is the best I have ever eat’’, you are absolutely in Turkey. There is any type of cuisine from olive-oiled food to Kebab, from a variety of seafood to vegetables in the country. This multicultural cuisine is based on being the intersection of three continents so that it meets numerous different tastes. Let’s see which ones are the most delicious foods and places in a day




Amanda Bravo in Resitpasa attracts people with its simple and delicious foods. Celery with quince in olive oil, bonito fish with fennel salad is just some of the most featured foods in the restaurant.

Gram Kanyon is another address of your journey. Didem Senol who is a chief promises you to daily food prepared with seasonal vegetables and also advised her burgers and hummus. The place is found at Kanyon Shopping Mall.

Petra Roasting Co. is one of the cafes that comes to our mind. This third-wave coffee shop takes coffee from the source and roast in a small amount. By that way, the cafe guarantees you a fresh coffee all the time. Petra Roasting Co. is waiting for all visitors in Gayrettepe.

Kilimanjaro is found at Bomontiada. Chief Mustafa Otar promises to people happy hours with his seasonal menus in this spacious restaurant. Within the simple and modern foods, don’t forget to eat delicatessen plates and rib.

One of the most sought after restaurants in Nisantasi, Lahmacun in Tatbak is the most featured cuisine since 1960. After lahmacun, you can order Lamb skewers or kebab with yogurt.

Here is the heaven of Kebab. Local people mostly prefer to eat types of kebab such as doner and lahmacun. So, places, where generally kebab shows out, are very famous. One of the most famous places with kebab is found in Kurtulus. Due to not being on a sought after street, people recognize the place later but nowadays the popularity of the place gets bigger day by day. You should try to the most famous menu of Adana Ocakbasi which is Adana Kebab served with lavash and sumac onion. Besides, liver skewer and sweetbread are the other famous meals in this small place served in Spring.

Also, it is hard chocolate with cherry liquor in another place than Ustun Palmie Patisserie because then even make the liquor themselves and they don’t produce until next year when their products finish. Its cold lemonade and easter buns are also famous for.

Another sweet shop in the same town is Damla Ice Cream in Ferikoy. This old fashion ice cream shop offers you numerous types of ice cream with strawberry, lemon, caramel and more.

Daily meal for many people living in Besiktas is doner in Karadeniz Pide ve Doner Salonu. You should eat pide with doner. The service starts at 10.30 a.m but you should be hurry because it is consumed by the afternoon. If you wait on the line, you will see that it is worth it.

On the other hand, Zencefil has run its business for 25 years. The place might be the first vegetarian restaurant in the city. Soup, a slice of quiche or rich vegetable menu… There are also multiple choices for vegans in this heavenlike place with an enormous garden.

So, you are curious about ‘’where am I going to have breakfast?’’. Then, Kuzguncuk Cinaralti Cafe is the right address for an amazing breakfast. Here is one of the most sought after places for breakfast-lovers, especially weekends. Buttered egg, sausage, hellim cheese, salad, and tea…

However, if you are interested in tasting new foods at breakfast in Turkey. We offer you to go Lades found in Beyoglu. This such a popular place is famous for Turkish spicy omelet with sausage, regular, cheese or chicken.

The additional candy shop is found in Beyoglu where the place is in the Beyoglu Fish Bazaar. Uc Yıldız Sekerleme is highly nostalgic that they are making types of candies such as akide, lokum, and halvah with tahini. The place has been very popular since 1926. You can also find Turkish delight with roses, quince, strawberry, fig, orange, and cherry.

Pickle is a common culture in the country and unlike the pickles found in a burger or other foods, it is served with another plate instead of putting inside of the meal. Such a common culture that many local people know how to make it. That’s why you can find numerous types of a pickle. There are even many pickle shops which only sell pickle such as Petek Tursulari. The shop also sells pickle water to drink and gets popularity with it. Enjoy your healthy beverage and don’t forget to put in a couple of pickle pieces in your beverage. The place is found Kadikoy, Balikpazari.

Another famous delicious taste is found in Beyoglu, Sabirtasi meatball. Crispy outside and softly inside… But we offer you to purchase two meatballs not to turn back again because only one is never enough.

The hidden taste of Beyoglu is not limited to foods. Mandabatmaz found in Olivia Gecidi, Asmali Mescit serves a tasty Turkish coffee with amazing consistency. The foam is such a tough that limits your sight to see the coffee.

The other Turkish coffee shop has a different approach to make Turkish coffee. Third-wave coffee shop, Kronotrop Coffee Bar & Roastery doesn’t mix cores and makes coffee in the copper coffee pot. You should try Kronotrop coffee. There are four branches of the cafe in Istanbul.

Old fashion Ozkonak Muhallebicisi is very famous for sweet, yogurt and skimmings. You feel as if you are in an old Turkish movie when you enter the place because the sweet shop serving in Cihangir since 1962 has never changed its decoration.

You will taste gorgeous Turkish foods in Mikla thanks to Mehmet Gurs who has a new Anatolian approaching. The materials come from local producers and turn out delicious Anatolian foods.

If you visit Turkey, then you should try Turkish food such as karniyarik served with cacik and rice, especially in Sahin Restaurant. Such delicious that the foods are completely consumed by the afternoon. Don’t forget to leave enough space for kadayif. The place is found in Asmali Mescit.

Nicole found in Tomtom cooks Turkish foods with French techniques. You can just buy tasting foods and the list of the place changes every six weeks based on seasonal materials.

In addition to it, appetites are inevitable tastes in the country. Eggplant salad, tarama, fava, sea bass marinated, Lacerda, black-eyed peas, shakshuka ... it will be hard to eliminate one of them when the tray comes on you. Don’t forget to visit Asmali Cavit to taste delicious appetites.

You will be out of the noise of Istiklal Street when you enter the Yeni Lokanta. Don’t make yourself full of sourdough bread and burnt butter coming before the real dinner because pachanga, stuffed zucchini flowers, dried eggplant ravioli, and humus are going to wait on the line. However, the most famous food of Yeni Lokanta is Antep sausage with walnuts and warm kidney bean puree.

You can see simit in each corner, on the street and bakeries but just a few of them are as delicious as the simit in Galata Simitcisi. Another favorite taste is catal in the place which is found in Karakoy.

The country includes every taste for all people. If you want to eat seafood, Murver serving different menus for afternoon and night cooks meat, seafood, and vegetable on fire. Start with octopus, continue with Trachia sheep and get double enjoy by tasting amazing cocktails with the foods.

Another historical eatery point is Nato Lokantası. The age of the place is as equal as the year (1952) when Turkey was invited to NATO. Boiled lamb is a wonderful taste. Also, the portion of the doner should be tasted. It may also be a different experience to share your table with strangers in this little place.

Let’s turn back to Istiklal Street. In Neolokal in Salt Galata, The foods of Anatolia is served with modern interpretations and great presentations. You will get hard to decide which one is more attractive, Golden Horn view? Or your plate?

There are hidden tastes of Istanbul for fish grids in Hirdavatcilar Street. The absolute choice should be perch. We also suggest you taste shrimp skewed. However, don’t forget that the place is only open in the afternoons.

On the other hand, you can find various cheese, sausages, kinds of bacon, jars of honey and olives in Cankurtaran Gida found in Spice Bazaar. The place has kept its popularity since 1964. The most popular product is the Erzincan Tulum cheese.

Besides, If you are on a cultural visit to Istanbul, don’t forget to visit Meshur Filibe Koftecisi which is so close to Marmaray Sirkeci Station. The place is famous for a meatball that is as small as a coin served with pepper and piyaz. The restaurant has been open since 1893.

Types of meat food are not limited to it, you should visit Sehzade to taste a different kind of kebab whose name is Erzurum cag kebab served with onion, lavash, and yogurt. If you are not full, kadayif is also a delicious sweet after dinner.

Then, we turn back to Sirkeci, near Filibe Koftecisi. Hocapasa Pidecisi cooks delicious pides with braised meat and cheese, made in front of you. Pide with braised meat, pickle and Ayran are going to be your favorite menu if you are a meat-lover.

Cup griye with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, the cream is another hidden taste served in Baylan found in the town of Caferaga. Petit four, cakes with ice cream and chocolates also make you happy.

For the local food of the country, you can go to Ciya Sofrasi. Chef Musa Dagdeviren who is the owner of the place identifies the Ciya menu as ‘’ Village foods’’. In Ciya which brings the forgotten taste of Anatolia to Istanbul, you can start with salad and appetites, then going through meals or lamb kebab. Ciya is found in Kadikoy, Balikpazari.

In addition to it, another eatery place in Kadikoy, Moda. Basta Street Food Bar approaches from a different perspective. Rolls with lamb, sausage, chicken are so delicious besides hummus and sutlac.

Finding numerous restaurants in the city is quite possible. Beyti will be a great example from the other part of Istanbul. The place found in Bakirkoy is one of the most sought after places for meat lovers. The taste comes from the good meat choice of Beyti Guler who is the owner of the restaurant. You can also try his olive oiled foods and pastry. Beyti has been open since 1945.