What to Eat in Istanbul: Local Dishes, Where Locals Eat & the Best Food Tours
What to eat in Istanbul: balık ekmek fish sandwiches, İskender and Adana kebabs, lahmacun, midye dolma, a full Turkish breakfast, and künefe and baklava - the dishes to order, the street food, and where to eat, with çay, Turkish coffee and rakı.
The short version: in Istanbul, eat kebab and köfte, lahmacun and pide, a balık ekmek fish sandwich by the water, a sesame simit from a street cart, a long table of meze with rakı, and baklava with a glass of tea. For köfte go to Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta in the old city; for Adana kebab, Tarihi Degustasyon Ocakbaşı in Beyoğlu; for the regional cooking of all of Türkiye, Çiya in Kadıköy. Drink rakı, Turkish wine, tea and Turkish coffee. And if you only have a few days, a guided street-food tour is the shortcut through a city of thousands of counters. Below: what to eat, exactly where to eat it, what to drink, and the food experiences worth booking.
Book an Istanbul food tour
Short on time? Let a local walk you to the right places.
Our top pick is the European and Asian Side Foodie Walking Tour: 5.5 hours, rated 4.9 from 1,394 reviews on GetYourGuide.
What to eat in Istanbul, and where to eat it
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it in Istanbul |
|---|---|---|
| Adana kebab | Hand-minced lamb pressed onto a wide skewer and grilled over charcoal, with flatbread, onions and sumac | Tarihi Degustasyon Ocakbaşı |
| Dürüm | Grilled meat rolled tight in thin lavaş flatbread | Aynen Dürüm |
| Döner | Meat roasted on a vertical spit and sliced thin, in bread or on a plate | Kaya Döner; Uğur Büfe |
| Sultanahmet köftesi | Grilled meatballs with pepper flakes, eaten with piyaz bean salad or in bread | Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta |
| Lahmacun and pide | Lahmacun: thin flatbread with spiced minced meat, rolled with parsley and lemon. Pide: boat-shaped bread baked with toppings | Çiya Kebap |
| Balık ekmek | Grilled fish in bread with onion and salad | The boats and harbour stalls at Eminönü, and the Kadıköy fish market |
| Meze | Small cold and warm plates to share: cacık, aubergine, stuffed vine leaves, seafood | Mezme; Giritli |
| Kavurma | Cubed beef braised for hours in a copper cauldron over wood | Kavurmacı Goze |
| Turkish breakfast | A spread of cheeses, olives, eggs with sucuk sausage, and bal-kaymak (honey with clotted buffalo cream) | Boris’in Yeri; Kahvaltıcılar Sokağı |
| Baklava | Layers of filo, butter and pistachio or walnut, soaked in syrup | Hafız Mustafa 1864 |
Where to eat in Istanbul
Istanbul is a city on two continents, and its food is just as spread out. The rule for eating well: look for the esnaf lokantası, the tradesmen’s canteen with the day’s dishes in a glass case, at lunch; the ocakbaşı, the grill house where you sit around the charcoal, for kebab; and the meyhane, the meze and rakı tavern, for a long evening. Avoid the restaurants with photo menus and touts on the main squares of Sultanahmet: two streets back, the same money buys a much better meal.
Sultanahmet, the Grand Bazaar and Kumkapı
The old city has more good food than its tourist strip suggests. On Divan Yolu, Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta serves log-shaped İnegöl-style köfte: ask for the spicy red pepper sauce. Sefa Restaurant on Nuruosmaniye Caddesi is a classic esnaf lokantası: point at the home-style dishes in the glass case, or order a karışık (mixed) plate, or ask for az, a small portion, of several. At the edge of the Grand Bazaar, Aynen Dürüm rolls grilled meat in your choice of thin traditional lavaş or a thicker, chewier bread. For dinner, Giritli in Cankurtaran serves a prix fixe meze menu with plenty of seafood: grilled octopus, a seafood and orzo salad, olives stuffed with walnuts and feta. And for breakfast, walk down to Kumkapı for Boris’in Yeri (Boris’s Place) and order the bal-kaymak and fried eggs with spicy sucuk. Late at night, head further west along the shore to Samatya, where Tarihi Mimoza serves fiery bowls of kelle paça soup from 14:00 until 03:00, the city’s classic cure after a night at the meyhane.
Eminönü and Sirkeci
Down at the water by the Galata Bridge and the Spice Bazaar, Eminönü is the city’s market quarter. Kavurmacı Goze, in a han (old commercial building) in Sirkeci, has one dish on the menu: kavurma, beef cubed and cooked for three to four hours in a copper cauldron over a wood fire. It opens Monday to Saturday, for lunch and the afternoon. Inside the Spice Bazaar itself, Pandeli has served Turkish cooking since 1901, by the Fish Market Gate (Balık Pazarı Kapısı). And by the ferry piers, the fish sandwich boats sell balık ekmek straight from the grill. For something sweet, Hafız Mustafa 1864, the historic confectioner, sells baklava, kadayıf, milk puddings and lokum, and also serves breakfast.
Beyoğlu and Nevizade
Across the Golden Horn, Beyoğlu is the city’s night-time quarter, and Nevizade Sokak, off İstiklal Caddesi, is its meze and grill street. Tarihi Degustasyon Ocakbaşı on Sahne Sokak is an ocakbaşı for Adana kebab, meze and grilled meats, cooked by chef Mehmet Tanrıkulu. A few doors away, Antakya İşi Kebab & Sokak Lezzetleri brings the street food of Antakya to Beyoğlu, with an excellent hummus made by İbrahim Usta. Up the hill at Gümüşsuyu, by Taksim, Ayaspaşa Rus Lokantası is a piece of the city’s cosmopolitan past: borscht, Olivier salad and its famous chicken Kyiv, from recipes with Russian and Hungarian roots.
Kurtuluş, Pangaltı and Bomonti
North of Taksim, these old residential neighbourhoods of Şişli are where Istanbullus eat on an ordinary day. Mezme, on a tiny backstreet in Kurtuluş, is a meze house that mixes classic Istanbul cooking with the cuisine of Hatay. In Pangaltı, Uğur Büfe is a no-frills counter for chicken döner and daily home-cooked dishes, at prices below the rest of the neighbourhood. In Bomonti, Kaya Döner, open since 2024, makes its döner from beef and lamb; it closes at 20:00 and on Sundays. And in Osmanbey, Mahir Lokantası is the lokanta to know for home-style cooking.
Kadıköy, on the Asian side
Take the ferry across the Bosphorus: the twenty-minute crossing is part of the meal. Kadıköy is the liveliest neighbourhood on the Asian side, and its market streets by the ferry port are full of fishmongers, delis and small restaurants. Here, in the fish market streets, Çiya Sofrası is the city’s great regional kitchen: seasonal dishes drawing on Mesopotamia, Ottoman cooking, the Balkans and the Caucasus. The original Çiya Kebap, a few metres away, is the one for kebab and lahmacun. In the evening, walk down to Moda, where a pedestrian street of meyhanes puts tables on the pavement.
Quick picks
- Classic dinner: Tarihi Degustasyon Ocakbaşı in Beyoğlu, or the meze menu at Giritli in Sultanahmet.
- Cheap and fast: köfte at Selim Usta, dürüm at Aynen, döner at Uğur Büfe, a fish sandwich at Eminönü.
- Special night: meze at Mezme in Kurtuluş, then a ferry to Kadıköy for a late walk.
- Best for the signature dish: Çiya for regional cooking, Tarihi Degustasyon for Adana kebab, Kavurmacı Goze for kavurma.
Names link to Google Maps for directions. We checked these places in October 2026. Opening days change, especially out of season, so check before you go.
The markets
The Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı) at Eminönü is the city’s historic food bazaar: sacks and pyramids of spices, dried fruit and nuts, lokum (Turkish delight), teas, cured meats and cheeses. Go in the morning, before the crowds. The busy streets between it and the Grand Bazaar are part of the same market district. On the Asian side, the Kadıköy fish market (Balıkçılar Çarşısı) is a cluster of lanes by the ferry port with fishmongers and food shops, home to Çiya’s restaurants and a good place to buy a balık ekmek. It is the place to see what is in season, such as hamsi (anchovies) in winter.
What to drink in Istanbul
The drink of the meyhane is rakı, the aniseed spirit, mixed with water and ice until it turns milky white and sipped through a long meal of meze and fish. Turkish wine is worth exploring too: the red grapes to ask for are Öküzgözü and Boğazkere from eastern Anatolia and Kalecik Karası from near Ankara, and the white is Narince. With kebab, Istanbullus drink ayran, salted yoghurt, or şalgam, a tangy fermented purple-carrot juice. Tea, çay, is drunk all day from small tulip glasses, and Turkish coffee comes thick and strong, with the grounds left in the cup. In winter, try boza, the thick fermented millet drink served with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas, at Vefa Bozacısı in Vefa. For rakı and meze, the classic settings are the meyhanes around Nevizade Sokak in Beyoğlu and in Moda, where tables fill the street on warm nights.
Food experiences to book in Istanbul
Istanbul’s food is spread across two continents and hundreds of tiny specialists: the shop that only makes köfte, the stall that only makes kavurma, the market lane that only sells pickles. That is why a street-food tour pays off on a short visit: a local guide takes you through the bazaars, onto a ferry and into the counters you would never find alone, and explains what to order. A cooking class is the other good choice, for meze or mantı dumplings to take home. These are the best-rated options on GetYourGuide.
| Experience | Length | Rating (reviews) | Best for | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European and Asian Side Foodie Walking Tour | 5.5 hours | 4.9 (1,394) | Both continents | Check availability |
| Culinary Tour: Local Tavern and Street Food | 3.5 hours | 4.9 (126) | An evening meze | Check availability |
| Europe to Asia Food Tour with Markets and Ferry | 4 hours | 4.8 (98) | Markets on a budget | Check availability |
Our pick: the European and Asian Side Foodie Walking Tour, rated 4.9 (1,394) on GetYourGuide.
Ratings as shown on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Check the listing for live prices and availability.
Frequently asked questions
What is the one dish to eat in Istanbul?
Kebab, in one of its many forms: Adana kebab at an ocakbaşı such as Tarihi Degustasyon in Beyoğlu, or a dürüm at Aynen by the Grand Bazaar. For the widest view of Turkish cooking in one meal, eat at Çiya in Kadıköy.
Where do locals eat in Istanbul?
In esnaf lokantası canteens like Sefa and Mahir Lokantası at lunch, in residential neighbourhoods like Kurtuluş, Pangaltı and Kadıköy, and at meyhanes such as Mezme in the evening. The squares of Sultanahmet are mostly for visitors.
Where can I eat cheaply in Istanbul?
At the counters: köfte at Selim Usta, dürüm at Aynen, döner at Uğur Büfe or Kaya Döner, kavurma at Kavurmacı Goze, and balık ekmek from the boats at Eminönü. A simit from a street cart is the cheapest breakfast in the city.
What is a Turkish breakfast and where do I get one?
A spread of cheeses, olives, tomatoes, eggs, sucuk sausage, honey and kaymak with bread and endless tea. Try Boris’in Yeri in Kumkapı, or Kahvaltıcılar Sokağı, the breakfast street in Beşiktaş, at the weekend.
Where can I eat late at night in Istanbul?
Beyoğlu’s grill houses and meyhanes around Nevizade Sokak stay busy late, and Tarihi Mimoza in Samatya serves kelle paça soup until 03:00. Some counters close early, though: Kaya Döner shuts at 20:00 and Kavurmacı Goze at 17:00.
Do I need to book restaurants in Istanbul?
For dinner at Giritli, Mezme and the meyhanes on a Friday or Saturday, yes. Counters, canteens and kebab shops take no bookings; some, like Kavurmacı Goze, close in the late afternoon, so go at lunch.
Is an Istanbul food tour worth it?
Yes, especially on a first visit: in a few hours you taste street food on both sides of the Bosphorus, learn how to order at a lokanta and a meze table, and find the specialists. Compare them above, or see our Istanbul food itinerary.
Plan your Istanbul food trip
Best food tours in Istanbul · Istanbul street food tours · Istanbul cooking classes · Istanbul food itinerary · Istanbul cooking classes: mantı and meze
