Spice Bazaar
Covered 1664 bazaar full of spices, Turkish delight, dried fruit and cheese.
- Category
- Market
- Duration
- 1 h
- Price
- $$
- Best time
- Early morning
Tip: Compare prices and taste before buying.
Show on mapFood & Drink – Istanbul
Istanbul's cuisine joins Ottoman palace cooking, Anatolian dishes and Bosphorus fish. Enjoy menemen and tea at breakfast, kebab or a lokanta lunch, and a meyhane dinner.
Local dishes
- Menemen – Classic breakfast dish of eggs cooked with tomato and peppers.
- İskender Kebab – Döner on pide bread served with tomato sauce and melted butter.
- Fried Anchovy – Seasonal fried Black Sea anchovies, best in winter months.
- Mantı – Tiny dumplings served with garlic yogurt and spiced butter.
Must-try
- Baklava – Crisp pastry of thin phyllo, pistachios and syrup.
- Turkish Coffee – Strong coffee brewed in a cezve, a UNESCO-listed tradition.
- Lahmacun – Thin spiced-meat flatbread, rolled with lemon and parsley.
- Turkish Delight – Soft sweets with rose, pistachio or walnut, dusted in sugar.
Street food spots
- Simit – Sesame-crusted bread ring, the classic morning snack with tea.
- Stuffed Mussels – Mussels stuffed with spiced rice, eaten with a squeeze of lemon.
- Kokoreç – Spiced grilled lamb intestines served in bread.
- Wet Burger – Taksim late-night classic: small burger soaked in garlicky tomato sauce.
Map
The interactive map needs JavaScript.
Use two fingers to move and zoom the map.
Places
Çiya Sofrası
Legendary Kadıköy restaurant serving forgotten regional Anatolian dishes.
- Category
- Restaurant
- Duration
- 1.3 h
- Price
- $$
- Best time
- Lunchtime
Tip: Pick from the counter, ask staff.
Show on mapKaraköy Güllüoğlu
Famous baklava shop known for crisp pistachio baklava.
- Category
- Dessert
- Duration
- 30 min
- Price
- $
- Best time
- Early morning
Tip: Order by weight, try with kaymak.
Show on mapEminönü Fish Sandwich
Grilled fish sandwiches served from boats beside Galata Bridge.
- Category
- Street food
- Duration
- 20 min
- Price
- $
- Best time
- Lunchtime
Tip: Add lemon, pickles and şalgam juice.
Show on mapKadıköy Market
Locals' food market of fishmongers, pickle sellers, cheesemongers and taverns.
- Category
- Market
- Duration
- 1.5 h
- Price
- $$
- Best time
- Weekday mornings
Tip: Arrive hungry and graze the stalls.
Show on mapHamdi Restaurant
Classic Eminönü restaurant with southeastern kebabs and a Golden Horn terrace.
- Category
- Restaurant
- Duration
- 1.5 h
- Price
- $$$
- Best time
- Evening
Tip: Reserve a terrace table at sunset.
Show on mapHafız Mustafa 1864
Sweet shop serving baklava, lokum and milk desserts since 1864.
- Category
- Dessert
- Duration
- 40 min
- Price
- $$
- Best time
- Late afternoon
Tip: Try the sütlaç or kazandibi.
Show on mapOrtaköy Kumpir
Stalls by the Bosphorus piling toppings on giant baked potatoes (kumpir).
- Category
- Street food
- Duration
- 25 min
- Price
- $
- Best time
- Late afternoon
Tip: Eat by the water near the mosque.
Show on mapMandabatmaz
Tiny cafe near İstiklal known for thick-foamed Turkish coffee.
- Category
- Café
- Duration
- 30 min
- Price
- $
- Best time
- Midday
Tip: Sip slowly; do not stir the grounds.
Show on map
Last updated:
Please verify with official sources before your visit.
Create a plan for this city
Pick themes and days; we build your day-by-day trip plan.
Create a plan for this city