Our great guide to food in Turkey! Tips, hints and tips on what to try from the national cuisine in Istanbul and in the resorts and where to eat deliciously and inexpensively. Review of food prices in 2021 in Istanbul, description and photos of dishes.
Turkey is a gastronomic tourist's paradise. We love to eat deliciously, so we seriously prepared before the trip: we learned what to try in Istanbul from the national cuisine, what are the prices for food, where to eat tasty and inexpensive. We share the accumulated experience and proven places with you!
Exchange rate: 1 Turkish Lira (TRY) ≈ 10 RUB.
What to try in Istanbul + prices
We have compiled a list of what to try in Turkey first, with Turkish names and food prices. Prices may differ in different establishments - we usually chose inexpensive cafes, lokants (canteens) and kebabs. In lokanta, everything is usually cheaper.
So, here are our top must-try dishes in Istanbul.
Soups
In Turkish, soups are Çorbalar. There are many types, you can't list all of them. We mainly ate:
- Red Lentil Puree Soup (Mercimek çorbası, mercimek chorbası) - from 6 liras. It is very similar in taste and consistency to Moroccan harira soup, cheap and hearty. If you are tired of pastries and omelettes for breakfast, then this is a great alternative!
- Bulgur soup (Ezogelin) - similar to lentil.
- Chicken soup (Tavuk çorbası, tavyk chorbasy) - from 7 lira (from 2.40 in lokanta). The usual homemade chicken noodle soup, like in Russia.
- Lamb head, legs and tripe soup (Kelle paça, kelle pacha) - from 7 lire.
- Giblet soup (Işkembe çorbası, ishkembe chorbasy) - from 5.60 liras in lokanta, more expensive in other establishments. Looks like creamy milk soup.
In general, if you hate giblets, hooves, brains, etc., be careful with soups - some look very attractive (for example, ishkembe). Ask what kind of soup it is before ordering.
Kebabs, shashlik and other meat dishes
Kebabs are the main national food in Turkey, the most popular and widespread. There are a dime a dozen different kebabs in Istanbul! You can also get confused in the variety of kebabs. What do you need to know? First, meat kebabs are more expensive than chicken ones. Secondly, if the menu indicates the weight (50-200 grams), do not be alarmed - this is not the weight of the dish, but the weight of the meat. Kebabs are found in bread, flatbread, pita bread and on a plate.
- Doner kebab we tried everything - this is our usual shawarma (in bread or pita), only much tastier than in Russia. Prices are very different: we also ate super-cheap doners at the Galata Tower - from 4 liras or more. Usually meat kebab (100 g) in a street establishment costs from 11 liras, chicken - from 7. In cafes, doners are large, 200 g of meat each, and are more expensive - 14-17 liras.
- Dürüm - this is shawarma, kebab in pita bread. Happens with cheese. From about 11 lire with beef and from 7 with chicken.
- Iskander kebap - a famous national dish in Turkey from Bursa: meat on slices of flatbread, poured with tomato paste and yogurt. Very tasty, we definitely recommend trying it in Istanbul! The price depends on the portion and type of meat (with beef - from 22 liras).
- Köfte - look like grilled cutlets. Served with rice, fries and vegetables. Many kinds, we have tried Izgara köfte. Price - from 15 liras.
- Pilav Üstü - meat on pilaf. Price: with chicken - from 9 liras, with beef - from 15 liras. Pilaf is not at all familiar to us.
- Kokoreç - this is a very special doner, because it is made from lamb giblets, which are fried on a spit. Some people think that this kind of doner tastes better than usual and is definitely worth trying in Turkey. There are many establishments with kokorech in the bazaar area, there is also Balyk Pazary in Taksim. Price - from 5-7 liras for a quarter.
- Shish kebab (Şiş) - the price depends on the type of meat and weight. From 15 lire per serving about 200 g.
- Dolma - minced meat with or without rice, wrapped in grape leaves. Costs from 12 lire.
Street food in Istanbul
- Stuffed Mussels (Midye Dolma) filled with rice and spices. Sprinkle the filling with a slice of lemon. Sold both on the street and in establishments. Delicious, but nothing special. The price is about 1-2 liras per piece.
- Fried and boiled corn - from 2 lire apiece. Too dry in our opinion. Süt Mısır - dairy corn.
- Kumpir - giant stuffed baked potato. There are so many filling that it falls out. Price - from 12 liras.
- Simit Is a popular street food in Turkey. This is a crunchy sesame bagel. Tasty, but they wouldn't buy it a second time. From 1.25 to 2 lire apiece.
- Roasted chestnuts (Kestane) from 5 liras per 100 grams, but more often it is found for 7 liras. Very satisfying, but dry - it is better to have water with you. Great snack on the run between museums!
- Balık Ekmek - the famous fish sandwich with vegetables, which everyone advises to try in Istanbul, exactly at the Eminonu Marina. We, frankly, did not understand why everyone is fan of him and compose odes: a lot of bones, little fish, noise, crowds of people around (however, atmospheric). Price - from 8 liras.
By the way, about balyk ekmek... There is a legendary master of fish sandwiches in Istanbul, who, it seems, is already famous all over the world! Uncle's name is Emin Usta, but everyone knows him by the name Super Mario - because of his remarkable mustache. Queues line up for Emin because he cooks his Balık Ekmek with a secret sauce. Emin was shown in one of the episodes of "Heads and Tails", after which the Russian-speaking audience poured over to him. And everything is fine, but the latest reviews for 2020 are almost all negative, so be careful. The Turks are cunning, and with the help of the character they lure into other cafes, bring a huge bill and God knows how tourists are bred. Be careful! If you are still thinking, then come before lunch. Balyk ekmek costs about 20 liras - more expensive than others. The approximate coordinates of the place: 41.022364, 28.970702.
Bakery products
- Lahmajun (Lahmacun) and pide (Pide) - Turkish pizza. They differ in shape: the first is in the form of an ordinary pizza on a thin crust, the second is in the form of a boat. Fillings are different. They are usually sold in pideji, and can also be found in eateries. Price - from 4 liras and more, depends on the filling.
- Borek, Börek is different, it is eaten for breakfast. Basically it is a puff with filling, sometimes it is sweet. Sous beregi with cheese is very different from the rest and is somewhat reminiscent of lasagna. Borek with meat is fatty, it is better to drink it with ayran. Very satisfying. The price in a cafe is 8-9 liras.
- Simit (Simit), the bagel mentioned above is one of the symbols of Istanbul. Sold almost at every turn. Price - from 1.25-2 lira.
Turkish sweets
Turkish sweets tatlılar beyond praise. You should definitely try them in Turkey and bring them as a gift to your friends and family. We will not talk a lot about them - just go to the pastry shop and try everything. We did just that - we bought 2 pieces of each type. The pleasure is not cheap, usually a small set cost 15-20 liras. A kilogram of sweets costs on average from 40-45 lire and above... There are very expensive Turkish delight, from 60 liras.
- Sütlaç - Milk rice pudding, baked in a clay pot, sprinkled with hazelnuts on top. Hearty, sweet, like rice porridge. Cost - from 6 liras.
- Tavuk göğsü - chicken breast pudding. Do not be intimidated by the chicken breast, it is almost not felt. An interesting dessert, we advise you to try it. Cost - from 7 liras.
- Baklava needs no introduction, there are a lot of species (with cocoa, pistachios, walnuts, etc.). It costs from 45 liras per kg, from 7 liras per serving.
- Künefe - sweet from Kadaif vermicelli with goat cheese and sugar syrup. Strange dessert. From 2.5 liras per serving if you buy on the street, and from 9 - in a cafe.
- Şekerpare - round sweetness with a nut on top. 8 lire apiece in a cafe.
- Bülbül Yuvası - "nightingale's nests" with nuts.
- Turkish delight of various types - the simpler they are, the cheaper.
Where to taste Turkish sweets? We bought at small pastry shops and eateries that we came across by accident. Giants like Mado and Koska were diligently avoided, as much is unreasonably expensive there, especially dondurma and drinks.
Dondurma
What we really discovered in Turkey is the local ice cream dondurma - viscous and unusually tasty. We tried it both in a waffle cup (with pistachios the best, from 5 lira), and in cafes specializing exclusively in dondurm. Or rather, on dondurme with hot sweet halva on top - Dondurmalı İrmik Helvası... Unusually delicious! We have never read about such a sweetness, so we were very surprised when, together with the usual ice cream, we received such an unknown dish. And they were even more surprised when they tried it. And once they tasted it, they came to the cafe almost every day - this is really an indescribable taste.
Let's reveal the secret: the institution is called Hacı Şerif (the link is the official website with addresses). The price for dondurma is from 5 lire for a small portion, 7 for a medium portion and 9 for a large portion. We ate at a cafe near the Egyptian Bazaar. Interestingly, mostly adults come to eat. There are often queues in the cafe, sold out, tourists were not seen even once.
Beverages
- Freshly squeezed juices, especially pomegranate, try it in Turkey - it's not at all like pomegranate juice in a store. Prices vary, you can find from 3 liras per glass.
- Salep - a drink made from dried orchid roots. They write that now it is made from a chemical powder, since this type of orchid is dying out. It is poured from samovars. Drink it hot, cold is not at all the same, but be careful - you can burn your tongue. Prices: for 2 lira it was so-so, and for 7 lira it was just excellent, like liquid dondurma.
- Turkish coffee (Türk kahvesi) - 5-7 liras per cup.
- Tea (Çay) - from 3 lire.
- Ayran - from 3 lire.
Photo of the menu and food prices in Istanbul
How much does it cost to eat in Istanbul? On average, we spent about 22-30 liras for breakfast, lunch - 25-40 liras, we often skipped dinner, since the portions in Istanbul are decent. If your room has a kitchen, you can save on breakfast or dinner. Buy in supermarket fruits, bread, yogurt, ayran, eggs, cheese, sausage, syutlach - everything is quite cheap. Large selection of products in supermarkets Şok.
Here are pictures of the menu with prices in Istanbul for food:
