FOOD. My favourite restaurants, cafes and sweet shops.
My favourite restaurants, cafes and sweet shops.
This is an east-Mediterranean Turkish restaurant. You can find very good kebabs and Eastern Turkey kitchen in here but i think the best of this restaurant is its breakfast. They have a big open buffet breakfast at the weekends. It is really impressive how many things they serve for breakfast.
6 locals recommend
Akdeniz Hatay Sofrası
No:44 Ahmediye Cd.This is an east-Mediterranean Turkish restaurant. You can find very good kebabs and Eastern Turkey kitchen in here but i think the best of this restaurant is its breakfast. They have a big open buffet breakfast at the weekends. It is really impressive how many things they serve for breakfast.
A kebap restaurant where you can taste the typical Turkish kebaps and appetizers. They have a nice terrace as well and a good view. It is located in an old town at a small old square where there are some other small restaurants and fisheries shops.
10 locals recommend
Develi1912 Samatya
No:5 Gümüş Yüksük Sk.A kebap restaurant where you can taste the typical Turkish kebaps and appetizers. They have a nice terrace as well and a good view. It is located in an old town at a small old square where there are some other small restaurants and fisheries shops.
This great restaurant is just 200 metres from my apartment and i think it is the best fish restaurant of Istanbul. If you want to have Turkish style seafood, i think you must try it. Especially the appetizers are wonderful. My very favourite one is Midyeli pilav.
23 locals recommend
Balikci Sabahattin
1 Şht. Hasan Kuyu Sk.This great restaurant is just 200 metres from my apartment and i think it is the best fish restaurant of Istanbul. If you want to have Turkish style seafood, i think you must try it. Especially the appetizers are wonderful. My very favourite one is Midyeli pilav.
For me ice-cream means Mado, Mado means ice-cream.
This shop has the best ice-cream of Istanbul. Especially the one with walnut, with pistachio and the plane one are my favourites. All their ice-creams are made by goat milk which gives a great taste and aroma. This shop is like 500 meters from my apartments but they have a few more branches in Istanbul, in the rest of Turkey and in some other countries.
Another good thing they have is their breakfast.
21 locals recommend
Mado
Selmanağa SokakFor me ice-cream means Mado, Mado means ice-cream.
This shop has the best ice-cream of Istanbul. Especially the one with walnut, with pistachio and the plane one are my favourites. All their ice-creams are made by goat milk which gives a great taste and aroma. This shop is like 500 meters from my apartments but they have a few more branches in Istanbul, in the rest of Turkey and in some other countries.
Another good thing they have is their breakfast.
Sometimes i feel very lucky for having such a great kitchen.
Turkish kitchen is really big, tasty and very rich. KELLE PACA is a good example of our rich and tasty kitchen. It is a soup made of the meats around the sheep head, brain and tongue. It is a very tasty and healthy food and this small, unpretentious restaurant is no doubt the best place to have Kelle Paça soup. I love having this soup in the morning as breakfast.
Tezveren Baba Ocakbasi
59/A Türkeli Cd.Sometimes i feel very lucky for having such a great kitchen.
Turkish kitchen is really big, tasty and very rich. KELLE PACA is a good example of our rich and tasty kitchen. It is a soup made of the meats around the sheep head, brain and tongue. It is a very tasty and healthy food and this small, unpretentious restaurant is no doubt the best place to have Kelle Paça soup. I love having this soup in the morning as breakfast.
Here is a heaven for offal and mussels. Kokoreç (roasted sheep's intestines) is a delicious food of Turkish cuisine. I really love this dish and this place makes the best one. They also make mussels filled with rice and fried ones. My favourite ones are filled ones but the fried ones are good too with their special sauce.
9 locals recommend
Şampiyon Kokoreç
No:21 Sahne Sk.Here is a heaven for offal and mussels. Kokoreç (roasted sheep's intestines) is a delicious food of Turkish cuisine. I really love this dish and this place makes the best one. They also make mussels filled with rice and fried ones. My favourite ones are filled ones but the fried ones are good too with their special sauce.
Baklava by far is the best dessert of Turkish kitchen for me. It is one of the product of our kitchen which i feel lucky for. Almost every place with food sells baklava but actually all these are not Baklava, just some food with sugar. If you want to have the real baklava this is the right place to have it. Go here and taste the real Turkish Baklava. I love everything in here but my very favourite ones are midye Baklava and Baklava with pistachio.
12 locals recommend
Köşkeroğlu Baklava
No:46 Gümrük Sk.Baklava by far is the best dessert of Turkish kitchen for me. It is one of the product of our kitchen which i feel lucky for. Almost every place with food sells baklava but actually all these are not Baklava, just some food with sugar. If you want to have the real baklava this is the right place to have it. Go here and taste the real Turkish Baklava. I love everything in here but my very favourite ones are midye Baklava and Baklava with pistachio.
In the last years they opened lots of branches including one in Sultanahmet just 400 meters from my apartments and i think this made it to lose something. For me Köşkeroğlu is the best for Baklava and other desserts but this shop makes really nice puddings with lots of varieties. Especially in summer it is so nice to have them cold. Plus their branch in Sultanahmet is in an old library and kinder garden. It has a good atmosphere.
Hafiz Mustafa 1864 Beyazıt
No: 39 /1 Yeniçeriler Cd.In the last years they opened lots of branches including one in Sultanahmet just 400 meters from my apartments and i think this made it to lose something. For me Köşkeroğlu is the best for Baklava and other desserts but this shop makes really nice puddings with lots of varieties. Especially in summer it is so nice to have them cold. Plus their branch in Sultanahmet is in an old library and kinder garden. It has a good atmosphere.
Boza. It is one of the oldest known Turkish drink. Made of wheet, vinegar and sugar. This place is by far the best and oldest place where they make and serve it. If you go there take a look of the marble door saddle how it is weared off by the years.
32 locals recommend
Vefa Bozacisi
66 Vefa Cd.Boza. It is one of the oldest known Turkish drink. Made of wheet, vinegar and sugar. This place is by far the best and oldest place where they make and serve it. If you go there take a look of the marble door saddle how it is weared off by the years.
Here is a heaven for me. Even being there and taking a look at the hundred varieties of mezes is enough for me. It is a Delicatessen shop with great kinds of dried meats, cold fish, salads and so many other things. My favourite is Pastırma which is a very special dried meat covered with a special spice.
You can go there for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
76 locals recommend
Namlı Gurme
No:6 Rıhtım Cad.Here is a heaven for me. Even being there and taking a look at the hundred varieties of mezes is enough for me. It is a Delicatessen shop with great kinds of dried meats, cold fish, salads and so many other things. My favourite is Pastırma which is a very special dried meat covered with a special spice.
You can go there for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
I don't know how to name this place. It is neither a restaurant nor a cafe but for sure they have the best Doner Kebap in Istanbul. It is just 600 meters from my apartments. A very small place with a few tables. You can be sure that you will have the very best Doner Kebap in there. Try it.
7 locals recommend
Sedef Büfe
21 Divan Yolu Cd.I don't know how to name this place. It is neither a restaurant nor a cafe but for sure they have the best Doner Kebap in Istanbul. It is just 600 meters from my apartments. A very small place with a few tables. You can be sure that you will have the very best Doner Kebap in there. Try it.
Here is another offal heaven :-) It is a street with several restaurants where you can find offal food and some really special dishes such as Buryan, Perde Pilavı, Mumbar and Çig Kofte. Buryan is the lamb cooked in the pit for 8 hours. Perde Pilavı is a kind of rise with very rich ingredients. Cig Kofte is uncooked meat with red rise and some spices.
Like i said in the beginning, this street has a few restaurants and almost all are the same. When I go there i generally go to Beşir Buryan or Seref Buryan.
Kadınlar Pazarı
no 53 İtfaiye Cd.Here is another offal heaven :-) It is a street with several restaurants where you can find offal food and some really special dishes such as Buryan, Perde Pilavı, Mumbar and Çig Kofte. Buryan is the lamb cooked in the pit for 8 hours. Perde Pilavı is a kind of rise with very rich ingredients. Cig Kofte is uncooked meat with red rise and some spices.
Like i said in the beginning, this street has a few restaurants and almost all are the same. When I go there i generally go to Beşir Buryan or Seref Buryan.
Meatball (köfte) and Piyaz, a great couple of Turkish cuisine and here is the best place you can have them. It is a very old restaurant (i think almost 100 years) and since then they are making the best meatballs (köfte) of Istanbul. Even because this restaurant is in Sultanahmet the Meatballs (köfte) is now called Sultanahmet köfte in İstanbul. As this restaurant became very famous some other ones opened around him and they are all named Sultanahmet Köftecisi. To be honest i never tried the others but the real one is SELİM USTA
40 locals recommend
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta
No:12 Divan Yolu Cd.Meatball (köfte) and Piyaz, a great couple of Turkish cuisine and here is the best place you can have them. It is a very old restaurant (i think almost 100 years) and since then they are making the best meatballs (köfte) of Istanbul. Even because this restaurant is in Sultanahmet the Meatballs (köfte) is now called Sultanahmet köfte in İstanbul. As this restaurant became very famous some other ones opened around him and they are all named Sultanahmet Köftecisi. To be honest i never tried the others but the real one is SELİM USTA
This is a 250 years old art shop. The art of Turkish delight and candies. It is on the top of all shops. The first and best quality of real Turkish delight and traditional candies. They are also the best on making the window design. Go there and prise your eyes and your mouth.
Ali Muhittin Hacı Bekir
Zahire Borsası SokakThis is a 250 years old art shop. The art of Turkish delight and candies. It is on the top of all shops. The first and best quality of real Turkish delight and traditional candies. They are also the best on making the window design. Go there and prise your eyes and your mouth.