Must Try Restaurants In Istanbul, Turkey
In November of 2023 I had fulfilled my new years resolution of visiting the history and beautiful Istanbul, Turkey. My week long vacation was filled with a ton of exploring of the historical sites and dining out and enjoying the Turkish cuisine.
Below I will list all the places I recommend you eating at as I had a good experience and the food was good.
Must try Restaurants In Istanbul
Guney – In front of Galata Tower
Address: Şahkulu, Şahkapısı Sk. No:2 D:B, 34421 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
I had to start the vacation off strong with Turkish Breakfast from Guney Restaurant right in front of Galata Tower.
This stunning spread of food was 489 TL. easily serves 2 people.
The main draw to this restaurant is you can eat right in front of the Galata tower and the view is unbeatable.
What is included?
Feta cheese, cheddar cheese, aged cheddar , cecil cheese, cold cuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, black and green olives, jam, honey cream, chocolate hazelnut cream, village butter, grilled sausage, beef ham, hand-rolled pastry (borek), pancakes, hot bagel (simit), seasonal fruit, fried egg and menemen.
Bitlisli
Address: Hoca Paşa, Hoca Camii Sokak 2/B, 34110 Sirkeci Fatih/Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
We had a late lunch we dined at Bitlisli we got the Karisk Kebap for 2 people which came to 900 TL. It had adana kababs, lahmajun, chicken cubes , rice, bread, salad. It was very filling and we ended up skipping dinner due to how filling it was.
Desert From Hafiz Mustafa
Hafiz Mustafa is a iconic and a go to place for turkish desserts in Turkey. We ended up going 3 different times during our vacation. Everything there is really fantastic, we really enjoyed the large pistachio paste baklava with turkish ice cream It was really sweet which I loved. I was less of a fan of the Kunafa as it wasn’t as sweet, but it was prepared fresh, served hot and topped with honey and pistachio. if you prefer a milder sweet go for the kunafa. The standard pistachio baklava with turkish ice cream was exquisite as well.
Hafiz Mustafa also sells metal baklava containers which can be vacuum sealed so you can take it on the plane. You can fill it with your favorite baklava pieces and enjoy it at home.
Salt – Fried Chicken
Address: Sinanpaşa, Şair Nedim Cd. No:46/A, 34357 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye
Salt is located on the Asian side of istanbul, there are many great place to eat in this neighborhood.
We got the Fried Chicken Combo to share, it had one fried chicken burger, fries, 3 chicken tenders and 3 chicken wings. It also came with three sauces BBQ, spicy mayo, and ketchup. The drink was extra, this was one of the more affordable places we ate at, the total was 428TL. The food was very good, simply not too spicy, but it was fresh and crispy.
Durumzade – Kabob Rolls
Address: Hüseyinağa, Kamer Hatun Cd. 26/A, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Durumzade was first featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Part’s Unknown TV show. Their name to fame is their freshly made kabobs wrapped in lavash bread. The restaurant is quite small so you may not be able to get a seat but will most certainly be able to order take out.
Make sure you bring cash as they do not accept card! I ended up paying with euro and they gave me change back in turkish lira
Go early in the day so you wont have to wait too long in line. I got the Adana Kabob wrap, the food is very good, meat is tender with a charcoal flavor, the bread is soft and fresh. It is topped with onions only. The beauty is in its simplicity and the rolls were not too pricy 150 TL ea
