As a self-confessed foodie, I have taken countless food tours during my travels. Heading to Türkiye for the first time, I knew I needed a little help finding all the best Istanbul street foods. This unique mega city straddling east and west is like nowhere else, and neither is the food!
Istanbul is somewhere I’d wanted to visit for the longest time. Years. My expectations were sky-high which is often a recipe for disappointment. Following my first (but hopefully not last) trip, I can safely say Istanbul exceeded my expectations and then some.
From ancient history to cool cafes, bustling markets, colourful streets and glitzy sky bars, this city couldn’t be more diverse. Taking influence from Europe and the Middle East, the food scene is just as varied.
Eating street food in Istanbul with Culinary Backstreets
In such an enormous and eclectic city, I decided taking a food tour was a good idea. Culinary Backstreets run tours in cities around the world, connecting local guides with hungry travellers seeking an authentic eating experience.
They have several Istanbul tours including ones of the Old City. Knowing I’d probably spend a lot of time there while sightseeing, I decided to try their Born on the Bosphorus tour that crosses the river to the Asian side of the city to visit less touristic neighbourhoods.
Here’s what we got up to during the full-day tour led by our friendly guide, Ugur…
Beginning with the best ‘B’s: börek and baklava
Our first stop on the tour was a local bakery in the Beşiktaş neighbourhood. The pro football team of the same name puts this ‘hood on the map, but it’s a captivating area in its own right. Located on the European banks of the Bosphorus, this is one of the oldest areas of the city originally inhabited by Greeks and Jews.
Unlike the touristy restaurants found in the old city, Beşiktaş is a good spot for authentic Istanbul street food at authentic, casual bakeries and restaurants. We dived into a historic bakery known for börek and baklava.
Börek is an old friend of mine after I lived in Croatia for three months in 2022 and then backpacked around the Balkans. This flaky dough pastry is traditionally filled with ingredients like meat, potato, spinach and crumbly white cheese. We tried the latter which is my favourite.
Even though it was still morning, we all agreed it wasn’t too early for a taste of baklava. I can’t get enough of the sweet, syrupy flavour, flaky pastry or pistachio topping.
My first Turkish breakfast experience
Still in Beşiktaş, we took a break from walking at a local restaurant for a classic Turkish breakfast experience.
I call it an experience because this isn’t just a meal! Turkish breakfasts are huge and best shared (although I was soon to enthusiastically tackle the task of devouring one during a solo hotel stay).
The heart of this meal was menemen: a delicious egg dish I’d never seen outside of Türkiye. To call it egg and tomato would be an injustice. The herbs and spices fill this dish with flavour. The layer of rich, bubbling cheese didn’t hurt, either!
However, the highlight was the little side dishes. I loved the rich red pepper and walnut paste and the clotted cream cheese dish doused in sweet honey. Somehow the contrasting flavours went perfectly together!
The quintessential döner
Well, it wouldn’t be a tour of the Istanbul street food without a doner, would it now?
I’ll admit that being from the UK, I always thought of doner kebabs as greasy night-out food… until I moved to Mexico City and discovered tacos al pastor made with rotisserie meat (brought to the city by Middle Eastern immigrants and now the city’s national dish).
I couldn’t wait to try an authentic Istanbul döner kebab but I was concerned about getting too full early in the tour. Luckily, Ugur had instructed the staff to make us mini ones so we could taste the dish while retaining some stomach space.
Not only was the meat rich and flavoursome, but I loved the addition of hot peppers for an extra kick!
Cookies with history
After several savoury courses, it was time for a sweet snack! This wasn’t just any sweet snack but potentially the best cookies I’ve ever tasted (and that’s a lot, by the way).
We visited a historic bakery where a fresh batch of warm almond cookies was on its way out of the oven. I’m going to be dreaming about them for years!
All aboard the Bosphorus
Next was the part of the day I was really looking forward to, crossing the Bosphorus by local ferry. I had yet to venture across to the Asia side so I was looking forward to the culinary treats awaiting.
I love how accessible Istanbul is. Five minutes and 20 lira (50p) will take you between the two continents; many locals make the journey each day for work.
(Simply buy and add credit to an Istanbul Card then tap to pay as you board the ferry; journey times show on Google Maps).
Eats of the East
The ferry dropped us in Üsküdar, a neighbourhood known for authentic Istanbul street food and a thriving Fishermen’s Market (Üsküdar Balıkçılar Çarşısı).
We meandered through the market stands soaking up the sights, sounds and colours, and stopping at a honey bazaar!
I never knew there were so many types of honey but now I’m a pro. We got to sample several types including a delectable medicinal honey infused with ginger and turmeric. I was recovering from a cold and I think this definitely aided my recovery!
My other favourite stop was the pickle shop in the market. As a kimchi devotee following my South Korea travels, I’m more than partial to a pickle.
In this market shop, a wide variety of vegetables are pickled and served in plastic cups with their juice. It’s an acquired taste but one I enjoyed.
I even spotted locals buying cool cups of just the pickle juice. I imagine it does a good job of replacing your body’s salt supplies in the heat.
Lunch to make the street cats jealous
Miraculously, we were still hungry so headed to our official lunch stop, a seafood restaurant in the market. I love food tours for trying many different dishes; we didn’t need to pick between different types of fish because we ordered a bunch for sharing.
Everything was fresh and delicious, served with salad (something I’m often craving while grabbing street food on the road).
Lunch €2: a home-cooked feast!
Next, we hopped on a minibus to explore an area of Istanbul that I fell head over heels in love with.
Kuzguncuk neighbourhood, located on Icadiye Street, is also in Üsküdar but further north than the bustling fishermen’s market and Üsküdar Metro Station, adjacent to Ortaköy on the European side.
Historic buildings housing pretty cafes are shaded by tall trees giving the area a peaceful vibe. If wandering and sipping cay (Turkish tea) isn’t enough to keep you busy, you can snap photos of the ‘grammable Kuzgunuk Evleri wooden houses and visit Kuzgunuk community vegetable gardens where locals harvest fresh produce.
In this neighbourhood, we visited Inal Cay Evi, a lovely local restaurant with home-cooked dishes. Although I love the street food in Istanbul, it was great to sit down and share a family-style meal.
We had stuffed aubergine (eggplant to some), dolma vine leaves, and a dish I’d not tried before of artichoke patties topped with fava beans and olive oil. This was my favourite!
Dessert courses begin
Our penultimate stop was an ice cream shop where we sampled Turkish ice cream in flavours such as zingy lemon and creamy pistachio. Divine!
Fig finale
Finally, we stopped at a fruit store and picked up some fresh figs which we ate on the banks of the Bosphorus with white Turkish wine that Ugur pulled out of his backpack. The perfect end to the perfect day in Istanbul!
More Istanbul street foods
Here are a few other dishes I found during my extended travels in Türkiye. Go find them!
- Balik ekmek – the classic Turkish fish sandwich best eaten on the banks of the Bosphorus at a casual street food stand (preferably on the Asia side). Freshly caught fish is served between slices of crusty bread with salad and a squeeze of lemon.
- Simit – bagel-shaped bread sprinkled with sesame seeds. You can’t take more than a few paces without finding one!
- Pide and lahmacun – Turkish pizza is a carby, cheesy treat I don’t suggest you miss. Lahmacun is more of a flatbread, spread with minced meat and vegetables, while pide is thicker, doughy and oval-shaped.
- Midye dolma – stuffed mussels are a staple of Istanbul street food found on every corner. Inside is a small portion of rice marinated with flavours such as chilli and bay leaf.
- Gözleme – delicious crepe-like pancakes stuffed with ingredients like spinach.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you have a good idea of which dishes to try in Istanbul and you consider a Culinary Backstreets tour I took as a way to explore the city and find independent cafes and vendors. Enjoy!
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