As I mentioned above, we went on — not our usual one, but — two food tours during our time in Istanbul.  And while I worried that might be a bit excessive, double-food-touring actually ended up being one of the best decisions of our trip!  Each food tour provided an awesome overview of different neighborhoods around Istanbul, and introduced us to a record-number of new-to-us Turkish foods.  (Both food tours were notably longer and included more dishes than others we have taken over the years, so come extra-hungry if you decide to book one!)

Some other things not to miss in Istanbul — alllll the meze (try as many small plates as you can!), Turkish breakfast (which is served with approximately 1 million delicious things to try, we esp loved those (my favorite breakfast egg dish that I ordered nearly every day), Turkish coffee (fun to order from a street vendor so that you can see how it’s made), a visit to Ciya (which was featured on Chef’s Table and is surprisingly affordable, just go before peak times to get a table), a magical grilled mackerel wrap (see below, some of the best street food of my life), Turkish delight (the higher-quality kind is made with honey, and was much less sweet and more pleasant than I expected), Turkish baklava (also makes for a great souvenir, we filled a to-go box here), and if you want to drink like the locals, an evening with rake (the traditional anis-flavored liqueur).

Big thanks to our two tour guides, Esin and Latif, as well as our friends Ece, Serkan and Herman for all of the other great restaurant recommendations listed below.  They didn’t steer us wrong!

Brew Coffeeworks: Barclay loved frequenting the Turkish coffee food carts around the city each day.  But while I gave one a try the first day, the dark roast coffee and brewing method admittedly wasn’t really my style.  So I ended up popping by this cute spot in our neighborhood for a (very affordable) pour-over each morning, and really loved it.  Awesome coffee, cute shop, and really friendly baristas.

Ciya: This restaurant was at the top of our list of places to visit, after having watched an episode featuring it on Chef’s Table.  But as it turns out, our food tour during our very first day in Istanbul actually included Ciya as a stop, and gave us the chance to  sample at least a dozen or so of their dishes with our group.  And it we absolutely loved it. Whether you go on the tour or on your own, this no-frills, homestyle, cozy spot is a must.  The food is delicious, and I have so much respect for the chef, Musa Dağdeviren, whose heart for traditional Turkish cuisine comes through so clearly in his food.  Loved this spot.

  • I lost track and forgot to write down all of the dishes, but I do remember that we tried asude, keskek, patlican dolma, lahmacun, humus, kisir tabbouli, zahter (thyme salad), sarma, puff lavash bread, and a sumac drink.
  • Website | TripAdvisor | Google Maps

Culinary Backstreets “Hidden Beyoğlu” Food Tour: Our second food tour of the trip was led by Esin, our charming and incredibly knowledgable guide who had been born and raised in Istanbul and took great pride in showing us around her city.  We booked this tour because we were really interested in a deep dive into the neighborhood of Beyoğlu, which proved fascinating and also beautiful at sunset.  And the food stops were 100% amazing.  Highly recommend.

Fish Sandwich Stand: We kept passing by this tiny little fish wrap stand each day while walking by our hotel, and decided to finally stop for one on our last afternoon in Istanbul before heading to the airport.  And then pretty much instantly regretted not having ordered one each day — this grilled mackerel wrap was the absolute best!!  It was similar to balik ekmek, an iconic street food sandwich sold around the city.  But instead of sandwiching the freshly-grilled fish between a baguette, this version was more like a burrito with a wrap that was rubbed with pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and a 25-spice blend, then grilled to crispy perfection.  Seriously one of the most delicious foods I’ve had in my life.  And also…just $3.

  • We ordered one grilled mackerel wrap…but wished we could have ordered a dozen. :D
  • The food stand isn’t listed on Google maps, but if you are crossing the Galata Bridge in the direction of Karaköy, take a right immediately after the bridge to the path down along by the water.  And the stand is the first or second on your right that you will see (still kind of on the ramp leading down, look for the wraps).

Food Tour with AirBnB Experiences: This was our first food tour in Istanbul — a 6-hour adventure through Istanbul’s city center plus a ferry ride over to explore the Asian side.  Highlights included a traditional Turkish breakfast (which was where we first fell in love with the honey, clotted cream and hazelnut butter combo), sampling our way around the Spice Bazaar, a visit to Çiya Sofrasi, traditional Turkish kebaps and pide, pink pickle juice, stuffed mussels, amazing baklava and so much more.  It’s a long tour with sooo much food, so come hungry!

Hamdi Restaurant Eminönü: Our Turkish friends said that this traditional restaurant, located right next to the spice market with views overlooking the Bosphorus, is a must for first-time visitors to Istanbul.  So we went early one evening in time to catch the sunset, and actually lucked out and got seated on the second floor right by the window, and the views were Websiteincredible.  I also tried their famous pistachio kebab, which was easily my favorite kebab of the trip.

  • We ordered the pistachio kebab (their specialty), lots of meze and lentil soup, plus their signature baklava.  All were delicious.
  • We would definitely recommend making a reservation there, as the place was absolutely packed by the time we left.
  • Be sure to check out the bakery on their ground floor when you enter, where you can see all of the various kinds of baklava that they offer.
  • Website | TripAdvisor | Google Maps

Karaköy Güillüoglu: If you love baklava, be sure to swing by this traditional sweets shop at some point during your trip!  It’s fun just to browse around and see all of the beautiful types of baklava that they offer.  And if you happen to be looking for a trip souvenir, they will box and wrap up whatever selections you choose in cute little tins that travel well.  We brought some baklava home to our moms as gifts, and they were total fans.

Karaköy Gümrük: We actually happened upon this charming little gem near our hotel when looking for a place for dinner one night, and loved our meal there.  They offer Turkish cuisine with a modern twist (including some amazing salads), and an impressive selection of local beers, and really great bread with garlicky oil for dipping.

Karaköy Lokantası: Our Turkish friend from Barcelona, Serkan, actually ended up being in Istanbul during our first night there.  So he recommended we meet for dinner at this hip, cute spot in Karakoy that was right near our hotel.  He ordered a variety of traditional Turkish meze for us to try, as well as a bottle of rake, and it was pretty much the perfect way to begin our time in town.  Loved this place.

  • We ordered lots and lots of meze (various dips, veggies, salads, dolmas, grilled fish, and more) and enjoyed a round of rake together.
  • Facebook | TripAdvisor | Google Maps

Namli Gurme: We couldn’t resist the temptation to sneak in one last Turkish breakfast before our flight, so we headed down the road from our hotel to a place that’s popular with both tourists and locals. If you’re lucky enough to find a table (we nearly didn’t), just set your things down at your table and walk up to the front display cases to select the items you would like to order. Thanks to our food tours, we had a pretty good idea what we were looking for, and it ended up being a perfect last breakfast in Istanbul.

  • We ordered a variety of our favorite Turkish breakfast dishes, including grilled olives, veggies, various cheeses, clotted cream and honey, hazelnut butter, menemen, bread and hot tea.
  • Website | Facebook | TripAdvisor

Sensus Wine Boutique Galata: A cute little wine bar near the Galata tower, with live music happening most nights. We shared a couple of small plates and sampled some reds from Turkey’s wine producing regions, while listening to the jazz pianist who happened to be playing that evening, and it made for a lovely evening.

Van Kahvalti Evi: Hands-down our favorite Turkish breakfast in Istanbul.  (Also, one of the most affordable — the basic breakfast with tea was just $5!)  We arrived early in the morning and snagged a seat on the front porch overlooking the street.  Then stayed there for hours as an endless stream of small plates, menemen, Turkish coffee and teas just kept on coming.  It was such a fun way to start the day — highly recommend!