Following the tour above, you can see many great places (and earn the right to say you have actually seen Istanbul) while you are also having a gastronomic experience.
Here are some additional gastronomy suggestions in the town:
For a traditional streetfood experience for:
Doner Kebap: Karadeniz Döner Asım Usta in Besiktas. It’s the most popular street food in Turkey. It’s made of lamb, beef, or chicken that is slowly roasted on a rotating vertical skewer. Wrapped with pita and sprinkled with salad or vegetables, including tomato, lettuce, cabbage, onion with sumac, fresh or pickled cucumber, or chili, and various types of sauces.
Iskender Kebap
Lahmacun, also jokingly named Turkish pizza, is made out of a round dough topped with minced meat and vegetables and various other herbs and spices.
Kumpir is a famous street food in Istanbul. This tasty dish is baked in a special oven, then blended with local butter and cheese to make a rich flavor and a fun selections of toppings you can pick from Try them in Ortaköy.
Börek is a delicious roll made out of flaky dough and prepared with a variety of fillings. Minced meat, cheese, spinach, and potato are some of the other options you can try.
Köfte are the traditional Turkish Meatballs.
Mante known as Turkish ravioli is soft dough filed with minced meat, served in a garlic yogurt sauce and tomato sauce. Try it fried and add a little mint, sumac, and pepper in Casita
Turkish desserts:
Baklava is a delicious dessert made of crispy layers of dough filled with pistachios, walnuts, or hazelnuts and the sticky honey or syrup melting with each bite. Try them in Karaköy
Kunefe is a traditional dessert that consists of thin layers of shredded phyllo dough filled with sweet cheese and topped with sugar syrup.
Lokma is a classic Turkish dessert that consists of deep-fried dough balls soaked in syrup or honey, making it both crispy and sticky at the same time.
Keskul is a Turkish Almond Pudding. This traditional sweet consists of crushed almonds, sugar, milk or cream, and spices cooked together until it forms a thick pudding-like consistency.
Kazandibi is a creamy, custard-like treat is made by cooking milk and sugar until they thicken and caramelize at the bottom of the pot. The resulting pudding is then topped with a crunchy layer of burnt sugar which adds an extra level of flavor and texture.
Dondurma (Turkish Ice Cream)
Lokum, or Turkish delight, is a traditional Turkish treat. This sweet treat consists of cubes of jelly-like confection often flavored with rosewater or lemon.
Türk Kahvesi, Turkish coffee has a strong historical presence, because it has been here since the Ottoman Empire and has been prominent ever since. For example, this coffee is used in kız isteme rituals (asking for the girl’s hand in marriage) and fal bakma (fortune-telling). Istanbul is home to various coffee shops, try as many places as you want.
Simit is one of the street food delicacies. This tasty treat is encrusted with sesame seeds, blended with molasses, and transformed into a bagel. I advise you to have simit either with ayran or Turkish tea depending on your palate. Above all, simit is found everywhere in Istanbul at simitçi cafés, street vendors, bakeries, and more. You can find simit in every district in the city and the most popular are Karaköy, Istiklal, and Kadıköy and Üsküdar, try it fresh, crispy, and warm.
