What should you eat in Istanbul?

Street food

Simit. A ring of bread dipped in molasses and crusted with sesame, sold from red carts on every corner from early morning. It is breakfast on the move, often with a glass of tea. Buy it in the morning, when it is fresh.

Balik ekmek. Grilled mackerel fillet in half a loaf with onion, lettuce and lemon. The classic place is Eminonu, at the southern end of the Galata Bridge, where it is grilled on the waterfront by the ferry piers and under the bridge, and eaten at tables by the water. Squeeze the lemon on and add the salt; a cup of pickle juice (tursu suyu) from the nearby carts is the traditional pairing.

Midye dolma. Mussels stuffed with spiced rice, pine nuts and currants, sold by the piece from trays at night around Beyoglu and Kadikoy. The vendor opens each one and you squeeze lemon on and eat it with the top shell as a spoon. Buy from busy vendors and eat them on the evening they are sold.

Kokorec. Lamb intestines wrapped around sweetbreads, slow-roasted on a horizontal spit, chopped on a griddle with tomato, pepper and oregano, and served in bread. It is late-night food, after a drink, and much better than it sounds.

Kumpir. A huge baked potato mashed with butter and cheese in the skin and loaded with toppings you choose from a counter. Ortakoy, on the Bosphorus below the mosque, is the kumpir neighbourhood. One is plenty for two.

Sit-down classics

Meze and raki at a meyhane. A meyhane is a tavern where dinner is a long run of small cold plates (white cheese, melon, eggplant salads, haydari yoghurt dip, stuffed vine leaves), then hot starters, then fish, all with raki, the anise spirit drunk with water and ice. The streets around Nevizade and Asmalimescit in Beyoglu and the fish restaurants of Kumkapi near the old city are the classic meyhane areas. Let the waiter bring the meze tray and point; do not order everything at once.

Turkish breakfast (kahvalti). Cheeses, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, honey with kaymak clotted cream, jams, eggs cooked in a pan with sucuk sausage or as menemen, bread and endless tea. In Besiktas, a street of breakfast cafes behind the fish market serves it daily, and it fills with long tables of locals at weekends. Order the full spread (serpme kahvalti) for two and plan to sit for an hour or more.

Esnaf lokantasi. Tradesmen's restaurants, serving home-style stews, beans, rice and vegetable dishes from a steam table at lunch. You point at what you want. They are the best-value meals in the old city and around the bazaars, and many close in the late afternoon.

Kebab and pide. Istanbul has every regional kebab: Adana (spicy minced lamb), urfa (milder), Iskender (doner over bread with tomato sauce and butter, from Bursa). Pide, a boat-shaped flatbread baked with cheese, egg or meat, and lahmacun, a thin minced-meat flatbread rolled with parsley and lemon, are the cheap versions. Order a doner only where the spit is clearly busy.

Sweets, tea and coffee

Baklava. Layers of filo, butter and pistachio in syrup. Istanbul's best is in the Karakoy area near the Galata Bridge. Order the pistachio (fistikli) version by the portion, with a glass of tea; the carrot-slice shape (havuc dilimi) is the richest.

Lokum. Turkish delight, sold by weight. Buy it plain rose, double pistachio or with pomegranate in the old city's confectioners and the Spice Bazaar; ask for a taste before you buy.

Kunefe. Shredded pastry around a stretchy cheese, baked in syrup and served hot with crushed pistachio. Order it at the end of a kebab meal.

Tea and coffee. Black tea (cay) is served in tulip glasses all day, everywhere. Turkish coffee is thick, unfiltered and served with a glass of water; order it sade (no sugar), orta (medium) or sekerli (sweet), because the sugar is cooked in. Do not drink the grounds at the bottom.

Markets and food districts

• Eminonu and the Spice Bazaar: balik ekmek, lokum, spices, dried fruit and nuts. Buy spices from the side streets around the bazaar for lower prices.

• Kadikoy, Asian side: a 20-minute ferry from Eminonu or Karakoy, with the city's best food market streets: fishmongers, pickle shops, delis, meze shops and cafes. If you only cross to Asia once, do it for this.

• Beyoglu: meyhanes, midye dolma and late-night kokorec around Istiklal.

• Besiktas: the breakfast street and a lively fish market.

• The weekly neighbourhood markets: street markets selling produce, fish and cheese take over a different neighbourhood each day; they are where locals shop and the best way to see what is in season.

Our 3 days in Istanbul itinerary pairs these areas with the sights.

Etiquette and tipping

In restaurants, about 5 to 10 percent is customary if service is not already on the bill; at street stalls and simit carts nobody tips. Our Istanbul tipping guide has the details, including cover charges. Check the bill at meyhanes and fish restaurants, where meze you did not ask for can arrive at the table; send back what you do not want before you start.

Accept tea when it is offered in shops; it is hospitality, not a sales trap. During Ramadan, many restaurants stay open, but eat discreetly in conservative areas during the day. See what is considered rude in Turkey for the rest.

If you only have one day to eat in Istanbul

• Morning: a simit from a cart, then a full breakfast in Besiktas.

• Lunch: balik ekmek at Eminonu, a walk through the Spice Bazaar, and baklava in Karakoy.

• Afternoon: the ferry to Kadikoy to graze the market streets.

• Evening: meze and raki at a meyhane in Beyoglu, and midye dolma or kokorec on the way home.

For where to base yourself near these areas, see where to stay in Istanbul; for trips out of the city, day trips from Istanbul. The dishes of the rest of the country, including Cappadocia's testi kebab, are in our Turkey food guide, and our 33-day Turkey route shows where Istanbul fits.

Frequently asked questions