How locals eat
Understanding how Turks eat will save you money and help you eat better. The daily rhythm looks like this:
- Breakfast (kahvalti): The most important meal. Usually tea, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, eggs, honey, and fresh bread. Weekend breakfast is a social event.
- Lunch: Quick and practical. Lokanta (cafeteria-style) or a doner wrap from a street vendor.
- Dinner: Can be anything from home cooking to a full restaurant meal. Eating out is common and affordable.
Best advice: Eat where you see locals eating. If a lokanta is full of office workers at lunch, the food is good and the price is fair.
Where to eat by budget
Street food (15-80 TL / $0.50-$2.50)
The cheapest and often most delicious option. Safe to eat - Turkey has high food safety standards for street vendors.
| Food | Price (TL) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Simit | 15-20 TL | Sesame bread ring. Available everywhere, any time. |
| Lahmacun | 40-60 TL | Thin crispy flatbread with minced meat and herbs. Roll it up. |
| Doner/kebab wrap | 80-150 TL | Turkey's national fast food. Ask for "durum" (wrap). |
| Balik ekmek | 60-100 TL | Fish sandwich. Best at the Eminonu waterfront or Kadikoy. |
| Borek | 30-50 TL | Flaky pastry filled with cheese, spinach, or meat. |
| Midye dolma | 5-10 TL each | Stuffed mussels. Street vendors sell them from trays. |
| Kumpir | 80-120 TL | Giant baked potato with toppings. Famous in Ortakoy. |
Lokanta (150-300 TL / $5-10)
The best value for a full meal. Lokantas are cafeteria-style restaurants where you point at what you want from a display. Every neighborhood has several.
A typical lokanta meal includes:
- Soup (corba) - lentil is the classic
- Main dish (meat or vegetable stew, grilled chicken, etc.)
- Rice or bread
- Salad
- Tea
Price: 150-250 TL for a full meal. This is where most working Turks eat lunch daily.
Tip: Look for the word "ev yemekleri" (home-style cooking) on the sign. These are family-run lokantas with the best food.
Mid-range restaurants (300-600 TL / $10-20)
Sit-down restaurants with menus and table service. Good for dinner or a longer lunch. Istanbul has excellent cuisine across all price ranges.
What to try:
- Iskender kebab - Doner meat over bread with tomato sauce and yogurt
- Pide - Turkish pizza (boat-shaped flatbread with toppings)
- Manti - Turkish dumplings with yogurt and spiced butter
- Kofte - Grilled meatballs, usually served with bread and salad
- Mezze - Shared appetizer plates (hummus, ezme, patlican salatasi)
Fine dining (600+ TL / $20+)
Istanbul has a thriving fine dining scene, especially in Beyoglu, Nisantasi, and along the Bosphorus. Reservations recommended for popular spots.
Best food neighborhoods
Kadikoy
The food capital of the Asian side. Kadikoy's market streets have everything from fresh fish to artisan cheese. The area around the fish market (balik pazari) is packed with small restaurants.
- Kadikoy Market - Fresh produce, fish, spices, cheese. Open daily except Sunday. Map
- Ciya Sofrasi - Famous for southeastern Turkish cuisine. Worth the queue. Map
- Borsam Tasfirin - Best lahmacun in Kadikoy, locals' favorite. Map
Besiktas
Lively market area with excellent street food. The Besiktas Market (Tuesday and Saturday) is one of the best in the city.
- Besiktas Carsi - The market area. Get lost, eat everything. Map
- Karadeniz Doner - Iconic doner spot. Always a queue. Map
Karakoy / Galata
Trendy restaurant scene with a mix of traditional and modern. Higher prices than Kadikoy but excellent quality.
- Karakoy Lokantasi - Upscale lokanta with modern Turkish food. Map
- Gulluoglu - The original baklava shop. Been here since 1949. Map
Grocery shopping
Supermarkets
| Chain | Price level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BIM | Budget | Basic goods, very cheap. In every neighborhood. |
| A101 | Budget | Similar to BIM. Good for household basics. |
| SOK | Budget | Slightly more variety than BIM/A101. |
| Migros | Mid-range | Better selection, imported products. Has an app with discounts. |
| CarrefourSA | Mid-range | Largest stores, widest selection. |
| Macro Center | Premium | Organic, imported, specialty products. Expensive. |
Weekly markets (Pazar)
Every neighborhood has a weekly street market with fresh produce, cheese, olives, honey, and household goods at 30-50% below supermarket prices.
- Kadikoy: Tuesday (Sali Pazari)
- Besiktas: Saturday
- Cihangir/Beyoglu: Friday (Cihangir has a small one)
- Uskudar: Tuesday and Friday
Tip: Go in the last hour before closing (around 7 PM). Vendors drop prices to sell remaining stock.
Turkish breakfast (kahvalti)
Weekend breakfast is a social institution in Istanbul. Groups of friends spend 2-3 hours at a breakfast spot with a spread of:
- Cheese varieties (beyaz peynir, kasar, tulum)
- Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers
- Olives (multiple kinds)
- Honey with kaymak (clotted cream)
- Eggs (menemen = Turkish scrambled eggs with peppers)
- Fresh bread from the bakery
- Unlimited tea (cay)
Where to go:
- Van Kahvalti Evi (Cihangir) - The classic. Big spread, long waits on weekends. Map
- Namli Gurme (Karakoy) - Deli and breakfast spot with excellent cheese selection. Map
- Kadikoy breakfast spots - Multiple options along the market streets. Walk in and pick one.
Price: 200-500 TL per person for a full spread. Worth it as a weekend ritual.
Tips
- Learn these words: "Hesap" (check/bill), "Su" (water), "Cay" (tea), "Ekmek" (bread), "Acik" (open), "Kapali" (closed).
- Tea is free at many restaurants after your meal. Just ask "Cay var mi?" (Is there tea?).
- Water costs money. Restaurants charge 15-25 TL for a bottle. This is normal.
- Tip 10% at sit-down restaurants. Not expected at lokantas or street food.
- Bread comes free with every meal at traditional restaurants.
- Vegetarian options exist but aren't always labeled. Ask "Etsiz var mi?" (Do you have meatless options?). Lentil soup, pide with cheese, borek, and many meze are vegetarian.