Amazing Restaurants to Try Traditional Turkish Food in Istanbul

Various plants grow in Anatolia. In the village, people eat food that is prepared with their own agricultural products. For this reason, the best traditional Turkish food restaurants where meals are made with natural products brought from the villages are highly preferred. In this article, we’ll discuss Türkiye’s well-known flavors and where you can taste these traditional foods in Istanbul. Here are some of the best traditional Turkish food for locals and travelers.

Before we start, here is a useful cocotte set where you can bake lots of Turkish recipes!

Ottoman Kitchen

Ottoman cuisine with dishes worthy of the sultans is a culture on its own. These dishes are both flashy and very tasty. The chefs of the palaces would not tell anyone the recipe of their food. They have written the recipes in their notebooks. In the libraries of the Ottoman palaces and in the archives of the large libraries, notebooks with Ottoman recipes were found, and the Ottoman cuisine menu was reshaped. Many secrets were revealed. To capture the flavor of many Ottoman cuisine dishes:

Hunkar Begendi (Sultan’s Delight)

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The indispensable food of the Ottoman palaces makes everyone happy. In the first bite, you will witness the wonderful harmony of eggplant and meat. One of the dishes prepared for such a long time and consumed in seconds! The best traditional Turkish food restaurant for this meal:

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1. Tarihi Bankalar Lokantası (Historical Banks Restaurant)

Established in 1947, the restaurant was the place where all the bank employees in the area had a meal. The restaurant is ideal for a quiet dinner with its nostalgic appearance and peaceful interior decoration. Its meticulousness on the first day continues. Especially stone walls add a fascinating atmosphere to the stylish and quality restaurant. The authentic food menu of the restaurant is changed every day. The grill menu consisting of fish, chicken, and meat is fixed. You can learn the menu by visiting the website before going to the restaurant.

More Information

Open Hours: 11:00 – 21:00, Saturdays 11:00-20:00, Sundays 12:00 – 20:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 245 09 49

What are some popular traditional Turkish dishes?

Some popular traditional Turkish dishes include dolma (stuffed grape leaves), manti (Turkish dumplings), kebab, baklava, and lahmacun (a type of Turkish pizza). These dishes are typically made with a combination of meat, vegetables, and spices, and are often served with rice, bread, or yoghurt. Turkish cuisine is also known for its use of herbs and spices such as cumin, mint, and sumac, which give dishes a unique and flavorful taste.

Cherry Leaf Wrap

The taste of wrapped vine leaves is slightly sour. The taste is enhanced by adding sour cherry. One of the favorite dishes of Ottoman sultans, cherry leaf wrap is not a dish you can find in every restaurant.

Yaprak sarması (stuffed vine leaves) is not easy to make. Check out this link to order ready-to-eat yaprak sarması or tools to prepare yaprak sarması easily.

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For the best traditional food restaurants in Istanbul, we recommend:

2. Deraliye Ottoman Cuisine

The dishes served to the Ottoman sultans were kept a secret by the sultans’ chefs. These recipes were stored in various libraries over time and found recently. Thus, the unique dishes of Ottoman cuisine started to be served again. After a nice Sultanahmet tour, you can take a break in Deraliye and taste the dishes worthy of the Ottoman sultans. The restaurant is right next to Hagia Sophia. If you want, you can participate in a workshop in Deraliye and can cook these sultan meals for your friends when you return home.

More Information

Open Hours: 12:00 – 23:45
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 520 77 78
Website: View

Acem Pilaf

The amazing harmony of Acem pilaf: meat, rice, almonds, carrots, and stuffed peanuts. It is made in the Mediterranean, especially in Kahramanmaraş, and has a taste so good that it deserved to enter the Ottoman palaces. If you want to taste the Ottoman dishes and traditional foods in Istanbul that are eaten both in palaces and folk cuisine, we recommend:

How can I find the best traditional Turkish food restaurants in Istanbul?

One of the best ways to find the best traditional Turkish food restaurants in Istanbul is to ask locals for recommendations. Many people in Istanbul are proud of their food culture and will be happy to recommend their favorite restaurants. You can also check online reviews and food blogs to find the best traditional Turkish food restaurants in Istanbul. Some of the popular and well-known restaurants for Turkish food culture are “Asitane”, “Hunkar”, and “Konyalı”.

Check out the HeyTripster readers’ top-rated Istanbul attractions:

3. Konyali Restaurant

The meals in the circumcision feast prepared for the sons of Suleiman the Magnificent, Şehzade Beyazıd and Şehzade Cihangir, in November 1539 are recorded as “A Banquet Book”. This book was kept in Beyazıt Library for years and, in 1991, was found on the dusty shelves of the library. More than 200 recipes were rediscovered. These recipes are now offered to you in Konyali Restaurant at the Topkapi Palace Museum. Enjoy the best traditional Turkish food against the view of the Bosphorus!

P.S: You may like to read restaurants with view in Istanbul.

More Information

Open Hours: 09:00 – 22:00, closed on Tuesdays
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 513 96 96
Website: View

The Imam Fainted (İmam Bayildi)

Although the translation is fainted, it means that the imam loves this dish. The eggplant is fried. The onions are cooked in a seasoned pilaf with garlic and tomatoes. The inside of the fried eggplant is split, and the seasoned pilaf is put in. Then the food is cooked in the oven. Thus, the aromas mix. Meat is not used, and the dish is made with olive oil. If you are a vegetarian, this best traditional Turkish food is for you. Our restaurant recommendation:

4. Matbah Restaurant

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Restaurants and lounges are presented in a magnificent palace. Some parts, inspired by the Ottoman palaces, are used as summer gardens, and some as winter gardens. The lounge, operating as a summer garden, is prepared for sultans, and you can have dinner here after resting or drinking coffee. If you are a large group, you get the chance to have a special meal in a special place in the lounge. You can feel like sultans while eating Ottoman dishes in the best Turkish food restaurants, where many international gourmets frequent too.

More Information

Open Hours: 09:00 – 22:30
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 514 61 51
Website: View

Southeastern Anatolia and Gaziantep Cuisines

All the flavors of Gaziantep will take you to a magical land. In 2004, Gaziantep was selected as a creative city by UNESCO. There are several categories in UNESCO’s creative cities. Gaziantep is one of the nine cities in the world in the gastronomy section. Here are some traditional foods of Gaziantep:

Urfa Kebab

Adana and Urfa kebabs are very similar. However, the taste intensity of the meat and the preparation are different. Urfa kebab is served with roasted peppers, and you can taste the meat fully. The meat prepared for Urfa kebab is taken as a whole piece and then minced by the butcher. You can easily feel the kebab made from minced meat that was prepared with a butcher knife because it is divided into tiny pieces as soon as you touch your fork. Meat is obtained from the animals that are fed and grown in the Şanlıurfa region. You should go to the best traditional food restaurants in Istanbul to have a real Urfa kebab. Restaurant recommendation is:

5. Hamdi Restaurant

The restaurant, founded by Hamdi Arpacıklı, expresses great effort and success. Hamdi, who came to Istanbul in 1960 and became a street seller, was immediately known for his delicious kebabs. Hamdi, who made and sold kebabs on the same street corner in Eminönü for seven years, finally rent a floor of the apartment standing just behind the sales counter with the money he saved. He had so many customers that Hamdi bought the other floors and became the owner of the 5-storey restaurant.

He prepares his kebabs with meticulousness of the first day. This restaurant is famous not only for its delicious kebabs but also for other Turkish cuisine dishes. Everyone who comes to Istanbul hears about Hamdi.

More Information

Open Hours: 12:00 – 23:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 528 03 90
Website: View

Kebab with Pistachio

It has a different taste than the other kebabs, you know. The color of this kebab is green. It contains pistachios. Pistachio kebabs are usually not ordered by people who don’t know about them. It is a secret flavor. With the skewers, you can make your own kebab at home!

Our suggestion of the best traditional food restaurants in Istanbul is:

6. Develi Restaurant, Samatya

Develi Restaurant was established in Mardin in 1912. Its founder, Arif Develi, was raised as a kebab master from the age of 6. He came to Istanbul in 1966. The first Develi Restaurant was opened in Samatya, in a nostalgic place. Arif Develi introduced Gaziantep cuisine to Istanbul residents. Develi has always been the place for Istanbul residents, fascinating them with the taste of kebabs and other dishes. Arif Develi also has his special recipes. The most famous of these recipes is pistachio kebab. Develi Restaurant continues to serve with many branches.

More Information

Open Hours: 11:00 – 23:30
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 529 08 33
Website: View

Ali Nazik

Interestingly, there are people in Türkiye who don’t like kebabs. We leave these alone with Alinazik kebab and watch how they get captivated. “I do not like kebab”, we don’t accept such a sentence. But you might say I don’t like that type of kebab. Alinazik is among the best traditional Turkish food that you can easily make at home. It is important to soften the meat before making the kebab. The restaurant we recommend:

7. Ziya Şark Sofrası, Fatih

Ziya Sark Sofrasi, which has been preparing delicious meals for Istanbul residents for over 35 years, introduces you to Şanlıurfa’s culture as well as its flavors of Turkish cuisine. It prepares one of the most important dishes of Şanlıurfa, Ali Nazik, with its full taste. While enjoying the privileges such as botanical terraces, children’s playgrounds, and VIP meeting rooms in this best Turkish food restaurant, you will be enchanted by delicious meals.

More Information

Open Hours: 10:00 – 23:30
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 512 11 50
Website: View

Are there any vegetarian options available in traditional Turkish cuisine?

Lahmacun

Lahmacun is made of thin dough and is crispy. It looks like pizza, but the flavor is very different. Gaziantep’s lahmacun is prepared with the meat of the animals raised in this region. The taste and density of spices differ in other regions. Our recommendations:

8. Karakoy Koskeroglu

Koskeroglu is actually known for its baklava. However, after you eat the lahmacun here, you may not want to have lahmacun elsewhere. The restaurant, which offers the best tastes of Gaziantep cuisine, is in Karaköy. You will feel at home in Istanbul, in the warm and friendly atmosphere of Koskeroglu, founded in 1946.

More Information

Open Hours: 08:00 – 22:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 245 52 45
Website: View

If you want to have a spicier lahmacun, then Kilis and Hatay region is for you. The garlic lahmacun is also worth tasting. For this, you should go to these restaurants: Öz Kilis Kebab and Lahmacun Salon. Order buttermilk with lahmacun.

9. Akdeniz Hatay Sofrasi

Akdeniz Hatay Sofrasi, which carries traditional Hatay flavors to Istanbul, is a restaurant where those who miss Hatay often stop by and dine in. All meals are prepared by using raw products in a private production center in Antakya. The dishes are cooked according to the recipes of Dahiye Sultan, the mother of Mehmet Deveci, the owner of the restaurant. Dahiye Sultan comes to this best Turkish food restaurants at certain times and checks whether the meals here are in accordance with her recipe.

More Information

Open Hours: 09:00 – 23:30
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: 444 7 247
Website: View

Baklava

Baklava is among Türkiye’s traditional desserts and has a heartfelt place in Turkish cuisine. It belongs to the Gaziantep region. However, it is now possible to find baklava almost anywhere Türkiye.

The baklava masters we recommend:

10. Karaköy Güllüoğlu, Karakoy

Karaköy Güllüoğlu is perhaps the only restaurant, its name being used in fake branches. The baklava of Güllüoğlu is so famous that everyone wants to sell their baklava under the name of Güllüoğlu. However, the restaurant has only one branch, and it is in Karaköy. Here, each baklava master has a separate dough rolling technique. The most important point of this technique is to roll out the dough very thin. Each ingredient put in the baklava is brought from its original region. Each baklava, the best traditional Turkish food, is unique and special for you.

More Information

Open Hours: 07:00 – 01:00, 08:00 – 01:00 on Sundays
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0850) 308 45 45
Website: View

Künefe

Künefe is a dessert made in Hatay. Of course, it is made elsewhere too, but it cannot be like Hatay künefe. One of the best Turkish desserts in Turkish cuisine. Recommended restaurant is:

11. Hatay Ekol Kunefe

Kunefe belongs to Urfa, Mersin, Hatay, Antep, and each region adds a different aroma. Hatay Ekol Kunefe claims that they make the best kunefe. We have tried, and they are absolutely right. It is very important that Kunefe’s ingredients are local. If you want to eat a delicious kunefe at the end of a tiring day or night, Hatay Ekol Kunefe is waiting for you. You may want to have ice cream with it that is brought from Maras.

More Information

Open Hours: 10:00 – 02:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0216) 651 72 73
Website: View

Dishes of Central Anatolia

Central Anatolia region, is right in the middle of Türkiye. Since there is no seashore, there are not many herbs and similar items used in the food. The dishes are mostly fried bread, dough, and meat. Some of the dishes of Central Anatolia are as follows:

Konya Meat Bread

Konya’s meaty bread is similar to lahmacun. But the meat and spices used are different. Moreover, tomatoes are added when a lahmacun is prepared. Although the fineness of the lahmacun dough and meat seem to be the same, the ground beef used in meat bread is juicier. Therefore, the outer part of the dough is hard and crispy and the inner part is soft. We recommend you to have this dish of Turkish cuisine:

12. Konyalılar Etli Ekmek, Kadıkoy

Konya, the city of tolerance, is here with its humble taste: meat bread (you can also have tandoori; its taste is also amazing). One of the most visited restaurants in Kadıköy, Konyalılar Etli Ekmek, brings the sincerity and warmness of Anatolia. All the meat, wheat and other ingredients come from Konya. The dishes are prepared in this best Turkish food restaurants and served to you freshly.

More Information

Open Hours: 12:00 – 22:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0216) 369 99 99

Madımak

If you are vegetarian, you can have Madimak. It is made from a plant that grows in Sivas, one of the famous cities of Türkiye. It can be made with meat and without meat. The best traditional food restaurants in Istanbul we recommend for Madimak:

13. Çiya Sofrasi, Kadikoy

Çiya is a name that evokes high mountain peaks and mountain flowers. It is possible to reach all the hidden tastes of Anatolia in this restaurant that prepares only the best traditional Turkish food. In this restaurant, passion, love, research and sharp desire are combined. The purpose of the restaurant is to bring together the forgotten Anatolian tastes with people. Here, it is possible to reach all the flavors you want to taste in a wide geographical area extending from Mesopotamia to the Ottomans, from the Balkans to the Caucasus and the Arabian Peninsula.

More Information

Open Hours: 11:30 – 22:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0216) 418 51 15
Website: View

Turkish Ravioli

It is the food that belongs to Central Anatolia, especially Kayseri. The ravioli consists of ground beef placed in dough. Pour garlic yogurt and sauce over. Spices such as mint and sumac further enhance the flavor. The best Turkish food restaurants we recommend:

14. Askana Manti, Ulus

Askana means “food house” in the Tatar language. Here, the ravioli is made in Tatar style. Minced meat, dough, butter, and yogurt are brought or prepared daily. You can see a kebab’s meticulousness in the minced meat. Sauce and peppermint sauces are also prepared according to the customer’s request. In classic ravioli, garlic yogurt and tomato sauce are poured over the ravioli. Serving Istanbul residents for a quarter of a century, Askana had been preserving its flavor since the first day.

More Information

Open Hours: 12:00 – 21:30, closed on Tuesdays
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 268 74 42
Website: View

Black Sea Region Dishes

The Black Sea region is the northern part of Türkiye. There, the weather is rainy and cool, and the region is especially known for fish dishes, pitas, and bread. You should definitely try the cornbread. We share a few of the most valuable best traditional Turkish food of the Black Sea region:

Anchovy Rice

Anchovy is cleaned and dried. Seasoned pilaf is prepared. Anchovies are placed on a baking tray, rice is poured, rice is completely covered with anchovies, and cornflour is added. You should have cornbread and “kuymak” in generally fish restaurants in Istanbul. Our restaurant recommendations:

15. Anzer Sofrası, Sariyer

The people from the Black Sea are very friendly. They bring all to the table and prepare the most delicious Turkish cuisine dishes for their customers. Anzer table runs with this logic. You can find the best meals of the Black Sea here. Also, you should taste cornbread and should ask for the pickle roast as an appetizer. You will experience the Black Sea of Istanbul.

More Information

Open Hours: 07:00 – 00:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 223 25 33
Website: View

Kuymak

Kuymak is one of the best traditional Turkish food options that belong to the Black Sea region. It may be a little greasy, so it’s not right to have it in large portions. Kuymak is made from Trabzon cheese. Some tried it with kashar cheese, but unfortunately, they could not get the same result and became devistated. Recommended restaurants:

Copper egg pan is used for many dishes in Türkiye. Check out this link to get one for yourself!

16. Muhlama Karadeniz Mutfagi, Beykoz

The most important characteristics of the Black Sea cuisine is that the products with which the food is prepared come from the Black Sea. The products are different due to the climate and vegetation of the Black Sea. Although the Black Sea food is prepared with products from other regions, it will not have the same taste. Muhlama Karadeniz Mutfagi, aware of this, brings all its products from the Black Sea. It is especially assertive with mihlama (also called Kuymak). Mihlama, one of the most famous dishes of the Black Sea, is buttery. If you want to breathe the beautiful atmosphere of Beykoz for breakfast and have a delicious Black Sea breakfast, go to Muhlama Karadeniz Mutfagi.

More Information

Open Hours: 07:00 – 21:30, closed on Fridays
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0216) 425 25 22
Website: View

Pita

You tell the pita you like, we will tell you where to go. For Black Sea pita, choose the restaurants that has the local products of the Black Sea region. Pita is also known as Turkish pizza. The flavor of the pita bread is incredible with the roasting from Rize and the cheese and butter from Trabzon. The best traditional food restaurants in Istanbul that we recommend:

17. Fatih Karadeniz Pidecisi İbrahim Usta

İbrahim Usta has been making delicious meals since 1969. Pita bread is at the top of these dishes. Cooking the pita is as important as the ingredients used or the preparation process. It needs to be cooked in stone ovens. Roasting meat and butter used in pita bread comes from Rize. Bacon or minced meat obtained from the animals fed in the highlands of Trabzon adds a completely different flavor to the pita. İbrahim Usta cannot take you to Trabzon, but he brings Trabzon to you. Try it, you won’t regret it.

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Open Hours: 09:00 – 21:00, closed on Mondays
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 534 00 23
Website: View

Turkish Aegean Coast Food

Especially if you are following a vegetarian diet, you will love Aegean cuisine. These splendid flavors of herbs, vegetables and olive oil are waiting to enchant you. What’s going on? Take your fork and start eating!

Artichoke

There are restaurants that make artichokes with olive oil and broad beans, which are one of the best traditional Turkish foods of the Aegean region. They are known to be especially good for the liver. Therefore, artichokes are always on the tables of people who have damaged livers. You may want to discover vegan restaurants in Istanbul since their menus include lots of veggies!

The restaurant we recommend:

18. Borsa Restaurant

With its modern and stylish decoration, Borsa Restaurant combines traditional foods with today’s concepts. You can see business people, politicians, artists and jet society here. It tries ways to make healthier and tastier food with recipes that synthesize today’s lifestyle with the palace tradition. If you visit Kandilli Borsa, you will be in the historical palace of Adile Sultan.

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Open Hours: 10:00 – 22:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0216) 460 03 05
Website: View

Eggplant Roast and Pepper (Cigirtma)

It is one of the most delicious dishes of Bergama. Prepared with olive oil and fried in olive oil, aubergine carries the magnificent aroma of olive oil. The fried aubergine becomes a very good appetizer with peppers and sauce added on it. The restaurant we recommend:

19. Radika, Kadikoy

You can feel yourself in a seaside town in Radika. The interior decoration, colored in blue tones, looks modest and stylish. Radika is a country restaurant. If you witness your appetite growing, don’t get surprised.

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Open Hours: 10:00 – 00:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0216) 339 13 15
Website: View

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Before making stuffed squash blossoms, which is one of the delicious dishes of the Aegean region, you need to collect your flowers. Pumpkin flowers are collected in the early hours of the day. It is then cleaned and filled. Delicate leaves should not be filled too much. Otherwise, they might tear apart, but you can not get the flavor either if you fill less. A masterpiece. The best Turkish food restaurants we recommend:

20. Feriye Restaurant, Ortakoy

Feriye is not just a restaurant. It is a culture of life. It gives you information on many subjects, such as theater, cinema, dance,  and stand-up, or takes you into this culture of life by hosting workshops. Be careful, it’s very attractive and addictive!

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Open Hours: 12:00 – 24:00, weekends 10:00-24:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 227 22 16
Website: View

The Marmara Region

It is possible to find different tastes in the Marmara Region. There is a food culture that blends with the palace tradition. Traditional foods in Istanbul:

Iskender Kebab

If you ask which is the tastiest kebab of Bursa, everyone will say Iskender kebab. In the earlier times, it was doable to go to Bursa to eat Iskender because it is always better to eat in the local area. This magnificent flavor is caught with the meat of fattened animals fed at the foothills of Uludağ and cannot be found anywhere else. You will be a regular. We are. Bursa’s famous kebab is brought to Istanbul.

21. Etiler Uludag Kebapcisi

Doner is cooked and cut into thin pieces. Firstly, the flatbread is placed on the plate, then the doner, then the tomato sauce, and lastly, the hot butter. This layered delicacy will cause a feast in your mouth. Iskender kebab that you will have in this warm and friendly restaurant will definitely change your attitude towards traditional foods in Istanbul.

More Information

Open Hours: 12:00 – 21:30
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 358 59 58

Rice Pudding (Baked Rice Pudding)

One of the most beautiful Turkish desserts made with milk. When the rice pudding is baked in the oven, it is called the oven rice pudding. The recommended restaurant for traditional foods in Istanbul:

22. Tarihi Sarıyer Muhallebicisi, Sariyer

Founded in 1928, Tarihi Sarıyer Muhallebicisi was first a very small shop. It has made so many delicious puddings that it became very famous. It has grown over the years and started to serve the lovers of this flavor in Sarıyer’s center. Sarıyer Muhallebicisi, which provides organic flavors with the milk and eggs produced in its farm in Zekeriyaköy, makes chicken breast dessert as well as custard. We suggest you try these delicacies of Turkish cuisine.

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Open Hours: 06:00 – 23:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 242 68 83
Website: View

Stuffed Leaves

The vine leaves have a distinctive, sour taste. This taste is legendary when combined with specially prepared minced meat. A piece of minced meat is placed on each vine leaf and then wrapped. It’s cooked like that. There is also leaf wrap with olive oil. It’s more like an appetizer than a meal. It is a delicious and satisfying meal. You’ll love it. Our best Turkish food restaurant recommendation:

23. Çiya, Kadikoy

Çiya has three branches across Istanbul. Two of them serve flavors prepared entirely with kebabs. Another makes authentic dishes. If you seek traditional foods in Istanbul, just go to Kadıköy. In its multi-story, you will encounter different flavors that you have never known before. Be prepared for beautiful surprises on this journey of flavors.

More Information

Open Hours: 11:30 – 22:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0216) 418 51 15
Website: View

Menemen

It is a dish that you can have for any meal of the day. In fact, it is mostly prepared and consumed on long weekend family breakfasts. Menemen is made by roasting onions, tomatoes, and peppers and adding eggs. It is important that the tomatoes and peppers are cooked well. Traditional Turkish breakfasts are served with menemen. Our best traditional food restaurant in Istanbul:

24. Lades Menemen, Taksim

Lades Menemen is a lifestyle. The place, which established its first branch in 1969, offers you great specialties of an energetic breakfast. Its small and modest restaurant has the same decoration as it had on the day of opening. In Lades, nobody pays attention to decoration while eating delicious food. Once you taste the food, you will understand what we mean.

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Open Hours: 07:00 – 23:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 249 52 08

Haricot Bean

Haricot beans, which are indispensable for everyone in Anatolia, are made in different ways. Sausage, pastrami, and meat varieties each have a different flavor. Try Cassoulet. Keep in mind that baked beans and pilaf are a great duo. Be sure to ask for an onion or pickle as accompaniments. You’ll understand what we mean. The restaurant we recommend:

25. Erzincanli Ali Baba , Fatih

Kurufasulyeci Erzincanlı Ali Baba, founded in 1924, is here with its magnificent dishes of Turkish cuisine whose taste will last in your mouth. Located right across the Süleymaniye Mosque, the restaurant creates a warm atmosphere with its private garden and sincere style. Beans are grown in Erzincan. A bean type of this region is called dermason. We recommend Ali Baba’s restaurant to have Turkish-made beans. Don’t forget to visit Süleymaniye before or after meal.

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Open Hours: 05:00 – 22:00
Location:View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 513 62 19

Sarıyer Pastry (Sariyer Borek)

A crispy pastry offering a completely different flavor with spices and ground beef. It is called Sarıyer pastry because it is made in Sarıyer, in Istanbul. Especially for breakfast, the Sariyer pastry with tea goes so well. This is the most delicious traditional foods in Istanbul. Bon Appetit! The best Turkish food restaurants recommendation:

26. Tarihi Sariyer Borekcisi

Historical Sarıyer Pastry Shop has been serving since 1895. Bringing the flavors of Safranbolu to Istanbul, the historical Sarıyer pastry stands out when it comes to Balkan cuisine and Turkish cuisine. If you want to eat pastry in Sarıyer’s unique beauty, with the abundance of oxygen and woodland, stop by Sarıyer Pastry.

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Open Hours: 05:00 – 23:30
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 242 15 39

Mediterranean Region and Cyprus Cuisine

Adana Kebab

It is made with the meat of male cattle that are raised in the region. The animal that grows by eating the grasses of the region also contains the aroma of those grasses. Lard is also used as fat in Adana and surrounding provinces. Therefore, the food in this region is fatty and tastes rich. Adana kebab is a kebab made with plenty of spice and hot.

Adana cuisine and especially Adana kebab are among the best traditional foods you can have:

27. Adana Ocakbasi, Kurtulus

Would you like to sip your drink while eating kebab? Then Adana Ocakbaşı is waiting for you. Meat comes from Balıkesir, Gönen. It has been offered to customers with the same taste for years. In addition to kebab, they also have amazing appetizers. While eating, you will not believe the sincerity of the people in this best traditional food restaurants in Istanbul. Attending to a topic discussed at the next table is never silly. It is a friendly assembly.

More Information

Open Hours: 12:00 – 23:30, closed on Mondays
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 247 01 43

Sour Meatballs

Also known as groom meatballs. Meatballs contain bulgur and chickpeas. Do you have to say it’s a lemon dish? If you want to try this wonderful taste of the Mediterranean Region of Turkish cuisine, these restaurants are our suggestion:

28. Osmani

It is possible to find many traditional foods in Osmani. The best Turkish food restaurants, which has been serving in a single branch for 11 years, has opened its second branch, and this branch is also overflowing with people. With the specially designed dinner, you will be satisfied visually as well. You can go to Osmani for all meals, from breakfast to dinner.

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Open Hours: 10:00 – 22:00
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 345 56 00

Peach Kebab

If you want to try this famous dish of Cyprus, it will not be that hard to find in Istanbul. Peach kebab is practiced everywhere by kebab masters. However, there is only one restaurant where the products are brought from Cyprus:

29. Latife Hanım Tavern

Are you tired of urban life? Are you looking for some quietness and peace? Be a guest of Latife Hanım. You will be fascinated by its historical decoration and local foods. It has many sections where you will feel comfortable: the ground floor garden, mezzanine or upper hall. Latife Hanım’s kitchen will fascinate you with different tastes, such as Topik.

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Open Hours: 12:00 – 00:30, closed on Sundays
Location: View on Google Maps
Phone Number: (0212) 293 00 69

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