One of our favorite kebab places in the whole city and an oasis of calm in the bustling Grand Bazaar. Try the kunefe dessert. Read more.
Tiny shack located near the Grand Bazaar "currency exchange." Try the Adana kebab dürüm (dürüm =wrap) or the kuzu şiş kebab dürüm (lamb shish kebab wrap). Read more.
We recommend the pumpkin spread meze. All grill items are fantastic - try chicken wings (kanat) or lamb chops (pirzola). Reservations recommended. English menu available. Read more.
Try the hamsi (Black Sea anchovies) in the fall when they're in season or ask Hayri which fish he recommends. We generally like Adem Baba better but Hayri Balik serves alcohol. Read more.
One of our favorite meyhanes. For mezes, try patlican salatasi (eggplant puree) & soslu patlican (fried eggplant in a tangy tomato sauce). The ciğer (liver) & grilled hamsi (anchovies) are delicious. Read more.
Serves Black Sea cuisine; plan for a multi-course feast. We recommend fried hamsi (Black Sea anchovies), muhlama (cheesy cornmeal fondue), and hinkali dumplings. Read more.
Black Sea soul food; We recommend the lightly fried hamsi (anchovies) and cornbread. Read more.
Affordable and fresh fish. Try balık koftesi (grilled fish cakes with basil aioli), manti (little dumplings stuffed with fish here), hamsi (anchovies), and the classic balik durum (fish wrap) for 4TL. Read more.
Low-key waterfront fish restaurant with a great environment. The food and fish offerings are humble but tasty; it's affordable and is not overrun with hungry crowds. Read more.
A great lunch spot. Serves high-quality döner and lots of other homey Turkish dishes. Read more.
Get ayva tatlısı (quince desert topped with kaymak) when it's in season in autumn. Read more.
Laz/Black Sea cuisine. We recommend muhlama (cheesy cornmeal fondue), hamsili pilav (rice with anchovies), and Laz böreği (sweet pastry filled with a scoop of pudding). Read more.
Right at the entrance of the Sunday market in Tarlabaşı is a pushcart selling lavaş and an excellent buttery, flaky flatbread called katmer. Yöremiz Pide is the bakery where this katmer is made. Read more.
Serving authentic food from Uighur, a place in Western China known as East Turkistan. Order the Uighur-style mantı (dumplings); somsa, a savory pastry stuffed with lamb; and handmade lagman noodles. Read more.
Serving one of our favorite street foods, içli köfte. The savory snack consisting of a bulgur wheat shell filled with ground meat, onion, parsley and spices, is handmade upstairs by Fatma Hanım. Read more.
Head to Reşat Balık, a third-generation family business that has supplied traditional meyhanes around town with lakerda (pickled bonito) since the 1940s. Read more.
The best place to try lakerda (pickled bonito) made by the masters at Reşat Balık market. Other highlights include soslu patlıcan (eggplant smothered in tomato) and Arnavut ciğeri (Albanian liver). Read more.
One of our favorite tea gardens. By serving tea and coffee to local shopkeepers day in and day out for 30 years, Mustafa Amca ("Uncle Mustafa") has become an Istanbul institution. Read more.
We love the century-old, two-item menu of köfte (Turkey’s equivalent of the hamburger) and piyaz (white bean salad). Revani makes a nice addition for dessert. Read more.
Serving up traditional favorites with great wine and service, try the lakerda (pickled bonito), topik (chickpea softball), içli köfte, Patlıcanlı börek with egglpant, and fried hamsi (anchovies). Read more.
This place has been keeping Kumkapı’s restaurants and residents stocked with bal-kaymak, a rich buffalo milk cream served under a blanket of honey, for almost a century. A great treat for breakfast. Read more.
Head here for the original and best İskender kebab -- a plate of döner laying on a bed of cut flatbread doused with tomato sauce and butter and served with a scoop of cool yogurt on the side. Read more.
The best çiğ köfte we've had. What were once raw meatballs are now served meatless with walnuts, bulgur, tomato and red pepper paste, isot pepper, and spring onion, served in a lettuce leaf. Read more.
High-powered businessmen stop here for a humble yet delicious lunch of kuru fasulye. The blond and creamy beans, bathed in a rich, red gravy, are certainly worthy of their dedicated following. Read more.
Küçük Ev is a small fish shack that provides a front-row seat onto the hustle and bustle of the fish market and is our favorite spot in Samatya. Everything here is fresh, local, and inexpensive. Read more.
A specialty café near Taksim serving a wide variety of gazoz (Turkish soft drinks). Offering 14 different kinds, the menu includes notes on the flavor, history and origin of each producer. Read more.
The baked beans are among the best we’ve had in Istanbul. This restaurant also serves up other Black Sea specialties, including muhlama (a sort of Turkish fondue), stuffed chard leaves and corn bread. Read more.
A hole-in-the-wall spot whose food and atmosphere remind us of the tiny taquerías in Mexico and the US that we miss so much. Head here for lunch to try tantuni, one of Turkey’s classic street foods. Read more.
A great place for a simple, honest breakfast. Try the peynirli (cheese) menemen, kaymak (clotted cream with honey), and fried eggs with kavurma (chunks of beef cooked and preserved in their own fat). Read more.
We like the open-face pide with a few toppings, like pastırma. The pide comes lathered in butter, so if you want a little less butter just say "az tereyağı". Read more.
A great place for Erzincan-style baked beans. Ingredients such as onion, tomato and chili pepper are more recognizable in the soupy base, as the bean is bigger than its Black Sea counterpart. Read more.
A Turkish version of the American-style greasy-spoon diner, this restaurant specializes in all things fowl. Try the chicken soup, variety of egg dishes, and tavuk göğsü (chicken pudding) for dessert. Read more.
The "wet burger" is a sinful pleasure at 2am. Doused with an oily, tomato-based sauce, the garlicky patties are left to incubate in a glass-lined burger hamam, where the bun becomes greasy and chewy. Read more.
Make the trek for the baked beans of Selma Usta, who stakes her claim as the only female kuru fasulye master in Istanbul. The defining feature is the farm-fresh butter sourced from the city of Tokat. Read more.
Our favorite place for kuru fasulye (baked beans) crowned with a generous helping of tender roasted beef. Located in Üsküdar on the Asian side, it's a bit out of the way, but worth the trip. Read more.
One of our favorite places for Georgian food tucked inside the Emniyet bus station. Try the lobio (red kidney beans), khinkali (meat dumplings) and pork shashlik (fried chunks of ham and onions). Read more.
One of the oldest masters around of kokoreç -- lamb intestines wrapped around sweetbreads and grilled -- now a widely loved fast food. Read more.
The best milk puddings in town. Go for the tavuk göğsü (a traditional dessert made with thickened milk and thin strands of poached chicken) and kazandibi (chicken-free with a caramelized bottom). Read more.
Located on a pleasant, pedestrian-only square, this is our favorite spot to eat specialties from Siirt in Southeastern Turkey. The perde pilavı and büryan kebabı are must-trys. Read more.
Our favorite European-side venue for lahmacun - the perfect savory snack: crispy, oven-fired crust, light and spicy meat spread, a fresh green garnish and a tangy spray from a lemon. Read more.
Our top place for lahmacun in Istanbul. The branch of this mini-chain located on Serasker Sokak #78 is the best. Read more.
An old favorite and celebrated destination for Istanbul lahmacun lovers. Garnish with parsley and a spritz of lemon and you've got the perfect snack. Read more.
Reason in and of itself to organize a day trip to the Princes' islands. The perfect combination of inspired food, chill ambiance and small-label Turkish wines, all at ridiculously low prices. Read more.
A newly opened neighborhood meyhane with an old soul, serving good simple food at great prices. Come on Friday or Saturday night for live music. Read more.
Traditional Turkish breakfast AND brunch favorites like pancakes. Something for everyone. Great Black Sea cooking at lunch (hamsi, etc.) Read more.
The address is now Mumhane Cd. No:19, down the street from original location! A great spot if you want to skip the hipster scene and have an old school Karakoy lunch. (click link for our full review) Read more.
Great Iranian food in Istanbul! (click the link for our full review) Read more.
A charming neighborhood place. Keep an eye out for the dog - his name is Obama! (click link for our full review) Read more.
Amazing crispy fried liver! The closest thing to Edirne in Istanbul. (click link to see our full review) Read more.
A great and hassle-free place to eat doner in the Grand Bazaar. (click the link to see our full review) Read more.
Taste Gaziantep in their incredible beyran corbasi! Closed on Mondays. (click link to see our full review) Read more.
We don't always love the "New Turkish Kitchen," but it's done well here at a good price. Good cocktails too! Click the link to read our full review. Read more.
Delicious Balkan-style kofte and sausage. And pickled yellow peppers stuffed with kaymak! Click the link to read our full review and learn more about the fascinating owners and neighborhood. Read more.
This family has been in the pilav game for 5 generations. Be sure to try the kavurma in addition to the delicious rice and beans. Read more.
Our favorite main course is the meyveli kavurma, which arrives sizzling hot in a wide copper pan. Ilahe balances the intense, fatty and savory meat with punchy sour cherries, green onion and cinnamon. Read more.
