20 Places to Eat and Drink in Istanbul | Turkey.

Istanbul is one of the biggest cities in the world and the definition of where east truly meets west. One way that this is reflected is through the food that Istanbul has to offer. If you’re looking for some places to check out whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, a snack, or coffee, keep reading! Here are 20 places to eat and drink during your time in Istanbul, Turkey.

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Breakfast

1. Galata Süheyla. – Şahkulu, Şahkulu Sk. No:14, 34421 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

Located near Şişhane Metro, this has a very homely, cozy atmosphere. The smell of the food instantly hits you when you walk inside. Imagine walking into someone’s very nice warm house. I came at 10am and there was another group from China happily eating away.

I ordered the 1 person breakfast and menemen (a fresh tomato sauce) with cheese based on the server’s recommendation. The staff were very friendly and even after my trip I think that Galata Süheyla is definitely a stand-out restaurant recommendation. Check out their Instagram here.

2. Van Kahvalti Mutfağı – Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Maç Çk Sk No: 6, 34000 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Located down a nice quiet street in Istanbul, this café had a fine selection of breakfast food (bread, Turkish breakfast, menemen).  There’s plenty of space and friendly staff with indoor and outdoor seating. You’ll find a mixture of locals and tourists were here as well! Another one I would happily recommend and come back to. The siaraga boregi (roll pastry) was my favourite. Check out their Facebook page here.

3. Quppa – Sinanpaşa, Şair Nedim Cd. No:8, 34022 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Located on a bougie street near the palace, Quppa serves a killer Turkish breakfast along with some other Turkish favourites like menemen and Turkish sausage. They provide indoor and outdoor seating with heaters. The inside is large and spacious as you go into the back. This is another place I would recommend and return to especially if I planned on visiting Dolmabache Palace nearby. Take a look at their website for more information here.

4. Babel Cafe – Kuloğlu, Turnacıbaşı Cd. No:56, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Babel Cafe is a great spot to start your morning as you amble along the winding streets of Beyoğlu in Istanbul. There’s plenty of seating and they serve a range of Turkish dishes. You can’t go wrong with their Turkish breakfast or menemen. When I visited, the staff were friendly and keen to chat with customers and offer local information to their customers. Check out their Instagram here.

Lunch/Dinner:

5. Zubeyir Ockbasi. – Şehit Muhtar Mahallesi Bekar Sokak No::28, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Located near Taksim Square, this place is well known for its lamb and it didn’t disappoint. There’s plenty of seating (when I visited it was just before lunchtime and it started to slowly fill up). They have friendly staff and a great selection of food on the menu. 

If you go indoors, you’ll see a large coal grill where meat is cooked. You’ll be offered bread and water after you get seated. I opted for the aubergine and feta cheese side dishes (both recommended!).

The special lamb chops and the minced garlic lamb kebab were the real winners here with the taste hitting your tongue instantly. You’ll be provided with onions and bread to create your own wraps as well. 

Service was fast and friendly. They also have loads of other side dishes, mains, desserts and drinks for you to try (I opted for Fanta orange, it’s been a while!). I’d come back and I’d recommend it to a friend! Their website is available to view here.

6. Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi – Alemdar, Divan Yolu Cd. No:12, 34110 Fatih Istanbul.

This place is very popular with locals and food is served quickly. It has locations in Turkey and abroad. If you’re looking for tasty Turkish food in between trips to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, this may be the spot for you! Check out their full menu here.

7. Nusr-Et Steakhouse – Ç. Nuruosmaniye Cd. 47-25, Mollafenari, 34120 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Nusr-Et Steakhouse also known as the Salt Bae restaurant has several locations around Istanbul. I visited the one located close to the Grand Bazaar. I chose the Nusr-Et special which was drenched in melted butter and added sea salt. The staff add to the whole experience in the way they serve you and present the food as well.

The ‘salt thing’ is literally one split second of your whole time there. For dessert, I chose a baklava and they brought down the other desserts for me to see as well. As you can see from the picture below, they’re very tempting if you have any bit of a sweet tooth. Even when they were presenting the baklava to me, they put on a whole show! This restaurant is slightly above the average price of restaurants in Turkey but I would still recommend it as a once-off at least. You can take a look at their official site here.

8. Kebapçi Iskender – Caferağa, Albay Faik Sözdener Cd. No:3, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye.

This place was full of locals and it is the spot where Iskender kebabs were invented. It did not disappoint! Although the staff had limited English, they were very hospitable. The 1 portion gives you lamb, bread, yoghurt and a pepper for 650 TL. They pour lamb butter on top of the kebab as well. Sira is a popular raisin drink on offer that’s non-alcoholic but the strength of it initially would make you think differently! Take a look at their Instagram here.

9. Hayri Usta Ocakbaşı – Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Çukurlu Çeşme Sk. No:15, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

Hayri Usta Ocakbaşı is another place that’s popular with locals. They have examples of each meal on a shelf for you to view. I ordered the mixed kebab with a plethora of different meats. I was also given a massive plate of salad. The food was served quickly and while there were some locals there, it didn’t feel too hectic either. Their Instagram is available to view here.

10. Pera Antakya – Asmalı Mescit, Balyoz Sk. No:14, 34437 Beyoğlu/İstanbul.

Pera Antakya was one of the best if not the best restaurant of my trip. I enjoyed it so much that I came back again! The staff were very friendly and their lamb dishes in particular were delicious. They offered plenty of sides as well in the form of salad, tomato and onions which complemented the food well. Its location is not too far from Istikal Caddesi as well. Check out their Instagram here.

11. Antakya Mutfagi – Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Küçük Parmakkapı Sk. No:9 D:4, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

This is another location which isn’t too far off of Istikal Street. It is a cosy restaurant which can fill up very quickly. Service is quick, staff are welcoming and the food is worth checking out. Although I didn’t stay here for too long, I tried the Harbiye Tavuk (a chicken dish) which had a fusion of flavour. Check out their website here.

12. Baran Lahmacun – Kuloğlu, Turnacıbaşı Cd. No:39A, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Baran Lahmacun has a wide rang of pittas, kebabs, salads and meat dishes. There were plenty of locals there when I visited and it had both indoor and outdoor seating available. It’s well located in Beyoğlu and close to several tourist attractions and museums. For more information, click here to see their official website.

13. Midyeci Ahmet – Sinanpaşa, Beşiktaş Cd. No:5, 34353 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye.

If mussels are your thing, Midyeci Ahmet will certainly be your thing. This restaurant specialises in spicy mussels in particular. It has a great location near Dolmabache Palace and there is seating upstairs where you can go out onto the balcony and watch the world go by. For more information, check out their official website here.

14. Lades Menemen – Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Mahallesi, Sadri Alışık Sk. 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Menemen is a typical Turkish dish with scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Lades Menemen has a variety of different types to choose from such as menemen with mince, chicken, meat, cheese, etc. Some might argue that menemen is a breakfast spot, but it’s also open until 10pm. Their official website can be viewed here.

15. Faros Restaurant Taksim – Kocatepe, Cumhuriyet Cd. No:31, 34437 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t starving when I visited Faros Restaurant near Taksim Square. That said, I really enjoyed their aubergine and mushroom dishes. It wasn’t too busy when I visited but there was indoor and outdoor seating with friendly staff. Click here to view their Instagram page.

Desserts/Tea/Coffee

16. Sirin Firin Bakery – Şahkulu, Büyük Hendek Cd. No:16/A, 34420 Beyoğlu/İstanbul.

You’ve probably heard about San Sebastián Cheesecake and this is THE place to get it close to Galata Tower! It costs 165 TL and the chocolate sauce is an extra 20 TL. You can sit inside or outside and the staff are friendly. This is another one I’d come back to and recommend to a friend! I paid 95 TL for a latte as well but you’re really coming for the cheesecake! Check out their Instagram here.

17. Mendel’s Bakery – Sinanpaşa, Şair Nedim Cd. 18/A, 34357 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Everything about Mendel’s is rich and decadent. Mendel’s is a chocoholic’s dream and has a grand selection of chocolate dishes and sweet treats. I was a big fan of their chocolate bomb but I was definitely full afterwards! This is the perfect place if you’re craving a sweet and chocolatey dessert and it’s located not too far from Dolmabache Palace as well. Check out their official website here.

18. Toganoo – Cihangir, Kuloğlu Mahallesi, Ağa Hamamı Sk. No: 13/A, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Toganoo is a very instagrammable tea house. Come to sit outside and people watch or come inside to the lovely smells of palo santo and different teas. They have a fine selection of teas from all over the world (winter guard and tumeric blend are both Turkish and very nice).

They also have some sweet desserts such as a very wet and rich chocolate cake and a sweet matcha cheesecake with a biscuit crust. This is another place with a nice selection of items that would make me want to return. I feel like it would be a regular spot if I lived in Istanbul. The clientele was a mixture of young and middle-aged conversing with friends, people watching, phone scrolling. Staff were very friendly and hospitable, too! Take a look at their website with online shop here.

19. Kronotrop Moda – Caferağa, Dr. Esat Işık Cd. No:14, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye.

This is a busy coffee shop in the Moda District of Istanbul. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating with a big glass windows to look out of. I opted for the brownie and a flat white but there are loads of different specialty coffees, drinks and snacks to choose from. Their official site is here for you to check out.

20. Hafiz Mustafa – Binbirdirek, Divan Yolu Cd. No:14, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye.

Hafiz Mustafa is the perfect spot for food or a drink if you’re near Sultanahmet and in between visits to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. You can also get food here if you like. They have several locations around Istanbul and if you’re looking to take some gifts home with you (such as their baklava) it could be a great shout. I also tried my first Turkish coffee (acquired taste, even if you’re a coffee lover) here as well! Their official website can be viewed here.

Thanks for Reading!

Finally, I hope that you enjoyed reading and that this post has given you some ideas if you ever decide to go thrift shopping in Istanbul. If not, I still think that they are shops worth visiting if you tend to be passing through. Thanks for taking the time to read! If you liked this post, you might like some others I have written about Turkey.

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