As you may have seen, our Istanbul-to-Venice cruise started with a few days exploring Istanbul, Türkiye.
When we travel, we always try to eat as much local food as possible. With just a few days in Istanbul and knowing the cruise ship would offer much more Western fare, we dove in headfirst.
Here’s everything we ate in Istanbul!
Radisson Hotel Breakfast
As we mentioned in our Radisson Hotel Istanbul Sultanahmet blog, the hotel breakfast was excellent. Since we weren’t in any rush in the morning, we often lingered over breakfast.
Mark especially enjoyed a second cup of coffee, usually served with traditional Turkish Delight.
Turkish Delight
Turkish Delight, or Lokum, is a confection created in the 18th century. It is made with sugar, water, and cornstarch, cooked until it thickens into a gumdrop-like gel.
Traditional flavors include rosewater, lemon, orange, mint, and bergamot, and some varieties include chopped nuts or dates.
Be sure to check out our Radisson Hotel Istanbul Sultanahmet blog for amazing food and our hotel review.
Ayasofya Kebab House
Alemdar, İncili Çavuş Sk. No:8/A, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Located near Sultanahmet Square and the Hagia Sophia, we chose Ayasofya Kebap House for dinner.
The outdoor space was filled with overstuffed banquettes in local fabrics and, more importantly, no one was waving menus at us, a common theme during our time in Istanbul.
We started with a cold local beer for about 30 TL ($0.60 US). Despite being a Muslim country, we found beer, wine, and liquor in a majority of larger restaurants.
For our entrees, Chuck had the Chicken Shish Kebab (4,60TL / $9.30 US).
Mark ordered the Adana Kebab, a traditional lamb kebab made with hand-chopped meat and red chilis. (4,90 TL / $10.00 US)
Both were delicious, served with flatbread, rice, and fries (another common theme here), plus a small salad, condiments, and roasted peppers and tomatoes.
We splurged on some dessert; okay, Mark did! A traditional Turkish Kunefe (3,90 TL / $8.00 US); it was flavorful, melted, and incredible.
Kunefe
Kunefe is a traditional warm cheese pastry. It is made with shredded phyllo dough, a soft, mild cheese packed into a buttered pan, and baked. It’s then finished with a sugar syrup and usually chopped pistachios.
Foodie-ist Cafe and Brasserie
Alemdar, Muhterem Efendi Sk. No:13 Zemin kat, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
The restaurant is listed as offering Modern Turkish and Mediterranean food. It was probably the most expensive meal we had in Istanbul, but not crazy expensive.
The restaurant was located steps away from the Basilica Cistern and a few other landmarks, so we expected it to be a bit pricier. It was an ideal spot for lunch before we entered the cistern.
For drinks, we had a bottle of water (380 TL / $7.60 US) and a Coke Zero (320 TL / $6.50 US), YIKES!
Chuck ordered the Izgara Kofte (750 TL / $15.00 US), A dish of seasoned ground beef formed into patties and grilled over hot coals. It came with pilaf, fries, and grilled tomato and pepper. It was fatty, moist, and flavorful.
Mark went for the Manti (680 TL / $13.75 US), a Turkish dumpling filled with spiced meat and, in this case, tossed in seasoned butter, topped with cooling yogurt and a light tomato sauce. Be sure to try this when visiting Istanbul!
Our lunch total, including a 255 TL service fee, came to 2385,60 TL, or about $48.00 US. Not terribly expensive, but much higher than what we’ve paid elsewhere.
Hayat Cafe Restaurant
Cankurtaran, Cankurtaran Meydanı Sk. No:1, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
This tiny, family-run restaurant won our hearts. Not because the food was extraordinary, but because the people were.
Multiple times a day, as we walked up the hill toward Sultanahmet Square, restaurants and vendors waved you in. Waving menus, not taking no for an answer.
Located right around the corner from our hotel, we passed an older gentleman sitting near the doorway, smoking a cigarette and sipping tea, who nodded and said hello each time. Nothing more, no sales pitch.
When we stopped for dinner on our second night, the staff greeted us warmly and brought our drinks with a plastic container of fresh bread.
We each got a bottle of water, Chuck ordered a chicken kebab, and Mark ordered a Lamb kebab.
The portions were decent-sized, served with rice and fries, a small salad, grilled peppers and tomatoes, and a creamy dipping sauce. All in, our dinner came to 1180 TL, or just under $24 US.
We enjoyed it so much we stopped there the next night for dinner. This time the older man was in the kitchen, and his adult son was waiting tables. Excited that he spoke English, we asked him to explain to his father why we chose the restaurant and came back. The older man got a huge grin when his son translated our message.
We enjoyed the same entrees and ended our night with complimentary Turkish tea and a big handshake!
Eating On The Street
While much of the food we ate in Istanbul was at sidewalk cafes and in markets, you’ll also find a few true street foods sold from carts.
Turkish Ice Cream
Turkish ice cream, known as dondurma, isn’t like anything you’ve had before. It’s a bit chewy and stretchy. Made from goat’s milk, it also contains Salep, a flour made from wild orchid tubers, and mastic, a plant resin. As odd as it sounds, it’s delicious and comes in familiar flavors.
Half the fun of buying Turkish ice cream is the vendors’ performance. You’ll have to see for yourself!
Simit
Simit is sometimes called a Turkish bagel; it is a round bread coated in grape molasses and sesame seeds. It’s an iconic breakfast food and easy to snack on while on the move.
It’s so iconic we even found a statue dedicated to it right outside the Spice Bazaar.
Chestnuts and Corn
We also saw lots of carts around the city selling freshly grilled corn and chestnuts. We weren’t really fans of either, and with so many other amazing foods, we never tried them.
Bambi Islak Hamburger
Bambi Cafe is a small chain of cafes established in 1974, and we found one just outside the Spice Bazaar. We had seen several YouTube videos of their Wet Burgers.
They are small burgers dipped in what they call a garlic sauce. We tried their combo with two small burgers, fries, and a can of soda for 380 TL / $7.60 US.
We found the sauce similar to Sloppy Joe Sauce, but a little less flavorful. It was okay, but I don’t know that we’d rush back for another.
Turgut Kebab Restaurant
Sultan Ahmet, Akbıyık Cd. No:66, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Partway up the hill between our hotel and the Blue Mosque, we stopped at Turgut Kebab Restaurant. Partly because they had a good Google rating (4.8 with nearly 30,000 reviews), but also because they didn’t have aggressive vendors and had misters over their outdoor seating.
We tried several sharing plates, and they worked perfectly for our late-afternoon main meal.
It was hot, so we started with fresh Lemonade (160 TL or about $3.25 US), which was refreshing and delicious. We also had a large bottle of water for about 190 TL.
Next, we had a hummus platter with a refreshing tomato-and-pepper dip called ezme and a cooling yogurt dip called haydari. It cost 320 TL (about $6.50 US), and we added a PUFF for 95 TL ($2.00 US). This puffy flatbread was perfect with the dips.
Honestly, it’s more show than go: it looks cool but deflates as soon as it hits the table.
Next up was Chuck’s favorite, Falafel ( 385 TL / $7.75 US). It was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside, flavorful, and a good-sized portion- with more hummus.
Lastly, we tried their Tavuk Kaptar Pide (495 TL / $10.00 US). This boat-shaped flatbread is often called Turkish pizza. We tried the version filled with spiced chicken, onions, peppers, and a spicy sauce, with melted cheese inside. It was delicious.
Our lunch totaled 1,805 TL / $36.50 US, and we truly had a lot of food!
We didn’t try it, but we’ve heard great things about their Testi Kebab: cubes of meat, tomatoes, and vegetables sealed in a clay jug with bread dough and baked. They put on a big tableside show as they opened and served the dish.
Bosphorus Dinner Cruise
Our last meal in Istanbul was for Chuck’s birthday dinner. We booked a Bosphorus Dinner Cruise!
Be sure to check out our Exploring Istanbul blog post to see that delicious food and everything we did in Istanbul.
Next up, a recap of what we loved and hated in Istanbul.
