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Street Food in Istanbul

Turkish cuisine is definitely the most varied one among the others. On the other hand, street food is fresh, cheap, plentiful, varied and available in an increasing number of metropolitan locations. Street foods are ready-to-eat foods and beverages prepared and sold by vendors especially in the streets and city squares. They represent a significant part of urban food consumption for millions of low and middle income consumers, as well as tourists who'd like to experience the most famous and exceptional street food on a daily basis.

Istanbul is such an amazing city where you can taste the exceptional street food. The city boasts hundreds of dishes and rich food culture. You can get a taste of the most beloved bites on the streets and discover the heart, soul and wildly diverse real people behind the food. Street food in Istanbul is very informal; you either order the vendor and eat on foot, or sit down outside the establishment and the waiter will serve you with a delicious local food.

Where to eat the best street food in the city? Well, you can ask local people where to eat because there is no better guide than someone who lives in the area. Generally speaking, Sirkeci, Eminonu, Sultanahmet, Karakoy, Besiktas, Kadikoy, Taksim Square and Istiklal street are some of the good places to experience the must-eat street food in Istanbul.

The cheapest options are sweet corn, bagel (Simit) and roasted chestnuts. Baked potatoes, fish and bread, Pide and Lahmacun (Turkish pizzas), rice and stuffed mussels have a medium price. Meanwhile kebabs and street food made of meat, such as Doner, Kokorec (lamb intestine), meatballs (Kofte), liver, are the most expensive ones. Below is a list of the best street food you can experience in Istanbul at any hour of the day.

Simit and Açma (pretzel and bagel)

Simit is a circular bread with sesame seeds, similar to pretzel. It's the most popular street food on-the-go and the cheapest option to eat as a snack during the day. It goes best with a Turkish tea.
Açma is a kind of Turkish style soft bagel. Both Simit and Açma can be found all over the city in carts on the streets or pastry shops or simit stores.

Misir (sweet corn)

Misir can be found in street vendors as boiled, grilled, or in a cup with butter and salt.

Börek (pastry)

Börek sold on the street carts or at special stores is prepared in plain, or with cheese between layers of dough.

Midye dolma (stuffed mussels)

Mussels in the shell are first boiled and then mixed with spicy rice and served with a squeeze of lemon juice, served right out of a tray on the street. It can be found all around the city, but mostly in Taksim area and in Besiktas neighborhood.

Lahmacun (thin pizza)

Lahmacun is a thin dough topped with minced meat, onion, parsley, red and green pepper mixture cooked in the oven, and squirt some lemon juice on it, then roll it into a wrap. This one is also referred as "Turkish pizza" and goes best with ayran drink.

Pide (Turkish pizza)

Pide is an oval shaped flat bread and can be filled or topped with cheese, minced meat, pastrami, eggs, sausage etc according to your choice. It looks a bit like pizza.

Gözleme (thin pastry)

Gözleme is a Turkish flat pastry stuffed with cheese, spinach, potatoes or meat. It goes best with an Ayran drink.

Balik-Ekmek (fish and bread)

It's a fish sandwich or wrap sold especially on small boats in Eminönü near Galata Bridge or markets near Karaköy. It is best enjoyed with Tursu suyu (pickle juice) drink.

Tavuk Pilav (rice)

Rice with chicken or rice with chickpeas are a popular snack or even a quick lunch that can be found in any corner of the city. It's sold in glass-covered carts on the streets or in small side restaurants especially in Unkapani area. It goes best with a glass of cold Ayran as beverage.

Kumpir (baked potatoes)

Kumpir is a big baked potato in the oven and filled with butter, yellow cheese, sausage, corn, mayonnaise, olives, peas, carrots etc. You can find it in many neighborhoods but Ortaköy is the most popular area to try it.

Islak Hamburger (wet burger)

This is a steamed burger topped with a special tomato sauce and spices, which makes the burger "wet" and spicy. It's mostly sold in small cafeterias near Taksim Square.

Çig köfte

Çig köfte is originally a specialty of the southeastern Turkey but it can be found in Istanbul in street carts or special çig köfte establishments. It can be spicy and less-spicy. Originally and traditionally the mixture included meat, but today it's made of fine bulgur and a variety of spices and served with greens, pickles and lemon. You roll the köfte in lettuce leaves or wrap them inside thin lavas bread and eat.

Dürüm (wrap)

Dürüm is a wrap prepared with chicken, beef, cheese or veggies.

Tantuni

Tantuni originally comes from Mersin province but it's widely found in Istanbul too. It's similar to Dürüm and prepared with beef, tomatoes, peppers and spices wrapped in a thin tortilla bread.

Cag Kebab

Cag Kebap is a Turkish lamb specialty originated from Erzurum province. It looks like Döner Kebab put horizontally, but it is a more oily and juicy. It can be found in restaurants where they stick small skewerds on the meat and cut it, then serve you in a plate but you wrap it in a thin lavas bread to eat.

Kokoreç (lamb intestine)

Kokoreç is actually spiced and skewered sheep's intestines, cooked on charcoal and served in bread loaf with plenty of spices and salt.

Tursu suyu (pickle juice)

Pickle juice is the perfect accompaniment with fish sandwich. It has a bold flavor and includes small pieces of pickles in it, so you can both drink the juice and eat the pickles in the glass.

Ayran (yogurt drink)

Ayran is simply made by diluting yogurt with water. Some salt is added to taste and best served chilled. It goes very well when accompanied with street food made of meat or with pizza type street foods.

Dondurma (ice cream)

Turkish ice cream, or specifically the Maras ice cream, is dense and chewy with mastic resin, sahlep (flour made from the tubers of wild orchids), goat milk and sugar. It's served in the cone, or between "kagit helva" (wafer halva), a wafer-like confection filled with condensed milk.

Hope to see you soon in Istanbul.