Istanbul Restaurants
Istanbul offers some truly fantastic eateries that reflect the Turkish passion for food, with everything from take-away kebab vendors to five-star restaurants. Visitors looking to enjoy either a lunchtime or evening meal out will find restaurants across the city dishing up the finest Turkish cuisine as well as a selection of others offering international fare.
Business visitors will find plenty of establishments offering business lunches so entertaining colleagues and associates can be a delicious and not overly pricey experience. Evening dinner establishments tend to open around 18:00 to 19:00; although, as a rule, Turks like to eat late and eateries remain fairly empty before 20:00.
Local cuisine
Istanbul offers the best in traditional Turkish cuisine with all of the countrys most popular dishes gracing restaurant menus. Savoury dishes in Istanbul make use of ingredients such as green peppers, aubergines, tomatos, garlic, lentils and cucumbers as well as herbs and spices such as paprika, oregano, thyme, parsley, cumin, mint and pepper. Sweet dishes use fruits such as cherries, melons, lemons, figs, apricots and nuts such as almonds, pistachios, pine nuts and walnuts.
Kebabs are of course a specialty throughout Turkey and are no less popular in Istanbul. Lamb is the meat of choice for the typical kebab and is either grilled on a skewer over charcoal or cooked on vertical skewers against a hot grill. Typically, kebab meat is served with salad in a pocket of pita bread.
Popular dishes making use of aubergine (eggplant) include patlican salatasi, which is eggplant salad, and patlican dolmasi, which is stuffed eggplant. Famous deserts include the pastry dish known as baklava and the sweet milk-based creations known as tlac, tavuk ggs and kazandibi.
Where to eat
If youre staying in a reputable hotel, then youll probably find that it has its own restaurant serving a high standard of Turkish cuisine. This however may exclude you somewhat from experiencing an authentic Turkish dining experience, as many such restaurants are tailored to suit foreign visitors.
If its authenticity you are looking for, then the city is full of small venues where the locals like to eat and its these places where the food is likely to be the most typically Turkish, and the prices wont drastically empty your wallet!