Where to eat in Istanbul
Istanbul eats well at every price, from a fish sandwich by the water to a long meyhane dinner. Eat breakfast slowly, lunch at a lokanta where you point at the pots, and keep the evening for meze and rakı. Karaköy and Kadıköy are the best two districts for the most food in the fewest streets.
The short answer
- Best area to eat
- Karaköy for a mix of old and new, Kadıköy across the water for the best market and local food.
- Order this
- A Turkish breakfast, a plate of meze, then a grilled fish or adana kebab. Finish with baklava or künefe.
- When to eat
- Breakfast late morning, lunch at 1pm, dinner from 8pm. Meyhanes fill after 9pm.
- Book or walk in
- Walk in for lokantas and kebab places. Book meyhanes and fine dining at weekends.
- Tipping
- Round up, or leave 5 to 10 per cent in a sit-down place if service is not already on the bill.
What to eat in Istanbul
- Turkish breakfastCheeses, olives, eggs, tomatoes, honey and clotted cream with endless tea. Best at a place that serves it all morning.
- Meze and rakıSmall plates such as haydari, ezme and fried calamari, shared over a long evening at a meyhane.
- Balık ekmekA grilled fish sandwich with onion and salad, sold from boats and stalls by Eminönü and Karaköy.
- Adana and İskender kebabMinced lamb on a skewer, or sliced döner over bread with tomato sauce and yoghurt. Look for a place that grills over charcoal.
- MantiSmall dumplings in garlic yoghurt with chilli butter. Most lokantas make them each morning.
- Baklava and künefePistachio baklava from a specialist baker, and künefe, hot shredded pastry and cheese in syrup, eaten right away.
- Simit and çayA ring of sesame bread from a street cart and tea in a tulip glass, the standard small snack.
Where to eat in Istanbul, by neighborhood
Karaköy and Galata
The densest mix of modern Turkish restaurants, coffee, baklava and bars. Good for a first dinner after the old city.
Kadıköy
Across the Bosphorus by ferry, with a food market, fish shops, meyhanes and lokantas. The best place for a long lunch on the Asian side.
Sultanahmet and Eminönü
Mostly tourist menus, but there are good fish sandwiches by the water and older dessert shops near the Spice Bazaar. Choose with care.
Beyoğlu and Çukurcuma
Meyhanes off İstiklal Avenue, small restaurants and bars. Go to Asmalımescit and Nevizade for the classic evening.
Places worth a booking or a queue
-
Çiya Sofrası
₺₺Anatolian restaurant · Kadıköy
Orderthe daily changing stews and kebabs
Regional dishes from across Anatolia, cooked from a daily menu. Look at the counter and point.
- Book
- Walk in, expect a short wait at peak hours.
Confirmed open: theworlds50best.com
-
Karaköy Lokantası
₺₺₺Lokanta · Karaköy
Orderthe meze and the grilled fish of the day
A long-running modern lokanta in an old bank building, with a daily Turkish menu.
- Book
- Book for dinner, walk in for lunch.
Confirmed open: guide.michelin.com
-
Hafız Mustafa 1864
₺Sweet shop · Sirkeci and Eminönü
Orderpistachio baklava and a pot of tea
An old Istanbul confectioner with several branches, good for Turkish delight and baklava after the Spice Bazaar.
- Book
- Walk in.
Confirmed open: hafizmustafa.com
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Karaköy Güllüoğlu
₺Baklava shop · Karaköy
Orderthe mixed baklava by weight
A family firm known for thin pastry and lots of pistachio, with a seated café upstairs.
- Book
- Walk in.
Confirmed open: karakoygulluoglu.com
-
Mikla
₺₺₺₺Fine dining · Beyoğlu
Orderthe tasting menu
A rooftop restaurant with a modern take on Anatolian ingredients and a view over the old city.
- Book
- Book several weeks ahead for a sunset table.
Confirmed open: themarmarahotels.com
Food markets in Istanbul
- Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)Spices, dried fruit, cheeses, tea and Turkish delight, with shops that let you taste first.Open daily, usually 9am to 7pm, and closed on religious holidaysSource: guideistanbul.com
- Kadıköy marketFish, cheeses, olives, pickles and street snacks in the lanes behind the ferry pier. Come hungry and graze.Open daily, roughly 9am to 8pm, busiest late morningSource: istanbul.com
How Istanbul eats
- Meal timesBreakfast is a long weekend meal from about 10am. Lunch is at 1pm, dinner is after 8pm, and meyhanes go late.
- TippingLeave 5 to 10 per cent in a sit-down restaurant if service is not already included. Round up in cafés.
- ReservationsWalk-in is fine for lokantas and kebab houses. Book meyhanes and any fine dining on Friday and Saturday.
- TeaTea is offered everywhere and often free in shops. Accept it and sit for a moment.
Signs of a place to walk past
A tout outside who waves you in with a printed menu in six languages.
Menus with photographs of every dish and no prices on the street board.
A kebab or döner place with no queue of local people at lunch.
Eating in Istanbul: questions people ask
What food is Istanbul known for?
Turkish breakfast, kebab, meze, fish from the Bosphorus and sweets such as baklava and künefe. Street snacks include simit and balık ekmek.
Where is the best street food in Istanbul?
Eminönü and Karaköy by the water for fish sandwiches, and Kadıköy market for snacks and cheeses. Look for busy stalls.
Is Istanbul tap water safe to drink?
Most people drink bottled water. The tap water is treated, but the taste is poor and the pipes vary by building.
Do restaurants in Istanbul serve alcohol?
Yes, in most restaurants and meyhanes, and rakı is the traditional drink with meze. Some conservative places do not, so ask.