City break - Eat your heart out in Istanbul
Istanbul has been one of my favourite cities for so long- rich in history, and obviously, tonnes of great food. Last year I was lucky enough to go multiple times, which helped me find little gems and figure out my fav spots and areas in the city.
Starting off with the Eminönü area: located in the historic pensinsula.
My preferred bazaar you can find in this area is the Egyptian bazaar (spice bazaar) where they sell cheeses, spices, sausages, Turkish delights etc.. Definitely get your hands on some salep: a flour made from the tuber of an orchid. It’s usually used in a thick winter drink made with cinnamon and milk, warms you right up. Also get some Urfa chili- this Turkish chili is not quite spicy, it tends to be smokey, sweet and sour, something that’s quite hard to find in other countries.
If you’re getting hungry, I would recommend you walk to Hocapasa Pidecisi- a 10 minute walk from the bazaar and you can get some delicious pide (Turkish ‘pizza’) for £3. A cheap but delicious and filling meal.
My absolute favourite place in Istanbul is the Beyoğlu / Karaköy area. Right across the bridge connecting to Eminönü- it’s the 'hip, cool and modern’ place. Pains me to say it like that, but it really is. You can find loads of coffee shops, bars, pop up stores, independent artisans/artists...
If you’re looking for Turkish delights, make your way onto Istiklal Caddesi, you’ll find Hafiz Mustafa. This may or may not be a tourist trap since it’s on a terribly busy main street but, the Turkish delights are the best I’ve tasted. Their sweets seem to be tossed in cornflour or some kind of starch helping them not become sickly to the point it would hurt your teeth. My favourites are the milk and pistachio and pomegranate pistachio- get the ones in a roll as they are made of honey, the cubed ones are made of sugar and tend to give you achey teeth.
In the neighbourhood of ÇukurCuma in Beyoğlu you can find Cuma a really cute restaurant, that does great breakfast, (a warning though- It took me a while to find it the first time since there are no visibly big signs pointing at it.) I’m not a huge breakfast person, so dealing with a traditional Turkish brekkie spread is a nono for me. Cuma does great dishes with eggs, whether poached or fried- still keeping it traditional.
A few minutes walk from Cuma, is tomtom kaptak sk. This street is home to Meshur Tarihi Bogazkesen Simit Fırını. Any time I’m in Istanbul, the one thing I cannot go without eating is a simit from this bakery (around £0.10-0.25- BARGAIN!). Simit is essentially a sesame bagel BUT it’s infinitely better. Crispy outside, fluffy and slightly chewy inside, with perfectly toasted sesame… You cannot leave Istanbul without trying one.
For a properly delicious lunch head down to Karaköy Lokantası. This is my favourite restaurant on the European side. They make mezze as well as mains for a pretty good price. One of my highlight dishes actually comes from this restaurant and its their chicken and rice; sounds plain and simple but it cannot be missed - buttery and comforting, get it with a side of parsley and pomegranate salad. This mezze is perfectly tart, sweet and refreshing- exactly what you need to balance out the chicken.
If you’re in need of dessert or a sweet treat; 2 minutes away from Karaköy Lokantası is Karaköy Güllüoglu. THE spot for baklava. I always make sure to go there multiple times during my stay and to get a box to travel with… they’re that good- and not sickly sweet. My special sweet treat to get if i’m eating there is the baklava filled with dondurma (ice cream) and a Turkish tea- the duo are perfect together, both the ice cream and tea make the baklava less sweet, and it’s genuinely just a perfect pairing.
The third and last area is Kadiköy. Located on the asian side of Istanbul, and a very short ferry ride away from Karaköy. They have a great food market, where most of the things sold I found are cheaper than the European side.
The one and only Çiya Sofrası is located a footstep away from the fresh market, and since the first time I went, it is my go-to restaurant in Istanbul (the chef has actually been highlighted in an episode of Netflix's chef's table- lives up to the rep) . It’s made up of 3 restaurants; 2 of them doing kebap and a main restaurant with a mezze buffet and mains. The mezzes are all vegetarian which is a huge difference to most restaurants in Istanbul catering heavily for meat eaters, and you should try a bite of all of them. I go to Çiya for 3 reasons: the stuffed vine leaves from the mezze bar, lahmacun and the spicy lamb kebab- if I still have space I finish my meal off with Turkish tea and künefe. A dessert made of 2 layers of crispy buttery shredded wheat/noodles?, in the middle, a layer of stringy melted cheese finished off with syrup on top and sometimes a little pistachio- very different from the usual dessert you may know, but honestly tasty.
If that wasn’t enough for dessert, you can’t leave Kadiköy without going to Meshur dondurmaci Ali usta for the best dondurma. Dondurma is a turkish ice cream made with mastic and salep- these two ingredients give the ice cream a different texture from gelato, making it a little chewier, and in general, it’s less sweet than regular ice cream. I have 3 flavours I have to absolutely get each time- walnut, pistachio and coffee.
On your way back to the ferry terminal, pop by Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi. Turkey is known for their really strong but delicious coffee and the asian branch is the place to pop into for a souvenir. I tried going to the ones on the European side but the queue is longggg.
Each time I’ve gone to Istanbul I’ve found new spots to love. It’s a great place to visit whether you’re on a budget or have loads to spend. It’s a vibrant city, the people are welcoming and try their best to communicate with you even if they don't speak english. From what I understand, Istanbul is made up of 7 hills- so after all the eating, make your way around the city by foot to make space up for your next meal!