Our travel expert Maria is our resident Turkey expert, having lived in Istanbul for several years. Here she shares her top food experiences in Istanbul.
Take a walk down to the boisterous Bosphorus and enjoy a rustic and delicious fish sandwich. A slice of grilled, locally fished mackerel, accompanied by lettuce, a squeeze of lemon and some pickled vegetables inside a crunchy baguette. Take a seat and watch the lively trade amongst locals who come down to enjoy this street food. Straight from the grills on the boats to you.
The most famous of Istanbul’s street food options. These mussels are stuffed with an aromatic rice mixture including cinnamon, all spice and currants. Just delicious. I highly recommend you try them and a great place is Golden Midyeci. This restaurant is in the Beyoglu/Taksim districts, which are known for excellent street food. You’ll find this restaurant right outside the gorgeous Cicek Pasaji (Flower Passage), built in 1876 and once a shopping arcade. Today it’s an exceptionally beautiful arcade full of restaurants and teahouses.
Still scattered around the city of Istanbul are traditional local drink houses called “Meyhane” where one can drink alcohol accompanied by meze. The traditional Meyhane is a place where you can enjoy Raki with local fish delicacies and choose from a great selection of delicious small meze (starters such as eggplant dips, stuffed grapevine dolma, crumbly feta cheese, artichoke and fava bean dishes, grilled baby octopus…the list goes on). Safa Meyhanesi is one of the best and most traditional in the Yedikule neighbourhood.
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