Where to eat in Istanbul: 26 tried-and-tested places by district

Mykyta Dzhus · Updated 2026-10-25 · 5 min read · Where to go

Istanbul is easy to eat your way through in three days if you know where to go. We picked 26 places that have kept high ratings from thousands of visitors for years, from köfte next to Hagia Sophia to breakfast with a Bosphorus view. Ratings and prices come from Google Maps, October 2026.

In short: what and where

• Sultanahmet and Sirkeci: köfte, kebabs and the most famous baklava next to the main sights.
• Eminönü: fish sandwiches from boats, a restaurant inside the Spice Bazaar, kebab with a Golden Horn view.
• Karaköy: Güllüoğlu baklava and deli breakfasts.
• Beyoğlu and Taksim: dürüm, late-night «wet» burgers, meyhane with meze, menemen.
• Kadıköy (Asian side): Anatolian cooking, the market, kokoreç and coffee since 1923.
• Beşiktaş and Ortaköy: the breakfast street, a legendary döner and kumpir by the mosque.

What to try

Sultanahmet and Sirkeci

Around Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque there are plenty of restaurants with touts: prices are higher and quality is hit and miss. Go to places that have been around for half a century, or walk a few blocks down to Sirkeci.

Selim Usta has made köfte since 1920; the menu is just a few dishes, and that's why people come. Vefa Bozacısı has served boza since 1876: drop in after the Süleymaniye Mosque, it's around the corner.

Eminönü: fish sandwiches and the Spice Bazaar

By the Galata Bridge, painted boats rock on the waves while mackerel is grilled right in front of you. Their rating is modest (it's fast food for crowds), but it's worth trying once. Ask the price before ordering.

Pandeli has been open since 1901 above the Spice Bazaar entrance, in a hall covered with blue tiles. At Hamdi ask for a terrace table: you can see the Golden Horn and Galata from there.

Karaköy and Galata

Between the Galata Bridge and the Galata Tower you'll find the city's most famous sweets and hearty breakfasts.

Güllüoğlu sells baklava by weight: get a piece of several kinds to find your favourite. Mandabatmaz is a tiny café in an alley off İstiklal where the coffee is so thick «a water buffalo wouldn't sink», which is what the name means.

Beyoğlu and Taksim

İstiklal Avenue and the streets around Taksim stay open late: cheap dürüm, meyhane with meze and rakı, and the legendary «wet» burgers at 2 a.m.

Book a table at Zübeyir and the meyhane for the evening. The ıslak burger at Kızılkayalar is a small bun in garlic-tomato sauce kept in a steamer: cheap, odd and somehow very good.

Kadıköy: the Asian side

The ferry from Eminönü or Karaköy to Kadıköy takes about 20 minutes and is a Bosphorus cruise in itself. There are fewer tourists on the Asian side, and the market streets around Güneşlibahçe are full of fish, cheese and sweets.

Çiya Sofrası cooks dishes from all over Anatolia that are rare elsewhere: order several plates to share. Kokoreç (spiced grilled lamb intestines) is for the brave, but Adalı has one of the highest ratings in the city.

Beşiktaş, Ortaköy and the Bosphorus

Beşiktaş has a whole breakfast street (Çelebioğlu Sokak), and Asım Usta's döner often sells out by the afternoon. Ortaköy is famous for kumpir by the waterfront mosque, and Rumelihisarı for breakfast under the fortress walls with a view of the bridge.

Prices and how not to overpay

• Prices. Dürüm or balık ekmek: 200–400 ₺, lunch at a lokanta: 400–1,200 ₺, dinner with meze: from 1,000 ₺ per person (Google Maps data, October 2026).
• Fish by weight. In fish restaurants (especially Kumkapı) the price is per kilo: ask for the weight and the total before it's cooked.
• Menus without prices and touts at the door: better keep walking.
• Service charge is sometimes already on the bill (servis ücreti). If not, leave 5–10 %.
• Paying. Cards and Apple/Google Pay work almost everywhere; carry some lira for the boats, street carts and small cafés.
• Lokanta (esnaf lokantası) is a canteen with dishes on display: point, pay little, eat like a local.

Mobile data to find it all

Maps, reviews, photo-translation of menus and taxis via BiTaksi or Uber only work with mobile data. Turkey isn't covered by EU roaming, so install a travel eSIM before you fly: Turkey from $2.99, 5 GB for 30 days is $7.49, unlimited for a week $14.99. Useful apps are in “Turkey travel apps: BiTaksi, Uber, transport, maps, translation”, and a city route in .

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Mykyta DzhusProgrammer and traveller from Kyiv

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