Istanbul Street Food: What to Eat and What to Cook at Home

Istanbul eats on the move. Commuters grab a sesame ring on the way to the ferry, fishermen grill mackerel by the water, and late at night the kebab shops are still full. For Pakistanis, used to Karachi’s Burns Road and Lahore’s Gawalmandi, the city feels familiar: a lot of good, cheap food, eaten standing up. Here’s what to look for, and which of it you can recreate at home.

Breakfast on the go

Simit is the first thing you’ll see: a crisp ring of bread dipped in grape molasses and covered in sesame seeds, sold from red carts on almost every corner. People eat it with a glass of tea, or split it with a triangle of cheese. Poğaça, soft buns filled with cheese or potato, and börek sold by weight from bakeries are the other classic morning foods. At home, our crisp sigara böreği gives you the same pastry-and-cheese pleasure.

By the water

Balık ekmek (fish in bread) is sold from boats and stalls near Eminönü: a grilled mackerel fillet in half a loaf with onion and lettuce, often eaten with a glass of pickle juice. Midye dolma, mussels stuffed with spiced rice, are sold by street vendors, especially in the evening. Seafood from street stalls is something to judge carefully; choose busy places where the turnover is fast.

Flatbreads and wraps

Lahmacun, thin dough with a spiced minced meat topping, is rolled up with parsley, onion and lemon and eaten as fast food. Dürüm is grilled meat wrapped in thin lavaş bread, Turkey’s answer to a paratha roll. Gözleme, thin dough filled and cooked on a big griddle, is often made by women at stalls and markets, rolled out in front of you.

Kebabs and köfte

Döner is everywhere, carved from a vertical spit into bread or onto rice. Street köfte, grilled meatballs in bread, are sold from small grills, like a smaller version of our izgara köfte. Late at night, people head for kokoreç (spiced grilled offal) and tantuni (finely chopped beef cooked on a griddle and wrapped in thin bread), which is closer to our kata-kat than anything else in Turkey.

Snacks and sweet things

• Kumpir: giant baked potatoes mashed with butter and cheese, then loaded with toppings, popular in Ortaköy.
• Roasted chestnuts and corn: sold from carts in winter, like our roasted chilgoza and chhalli.
• Lokma and tulumba: small fried dough sweets soaked in syrup, cousins of our jalebi.
• Dondurma: stretchy ice cream thickened with salep and mastic, served by vendors who love to tease customers.

What to drink

Fresh pomegranate juice, nar suyu, is squeezed in front of you from autumn to spring. In winter, look for hot salep and thick, tangy boza topped with cinnamon. Ayran is the default drink with kebabs, and in summer vendors sell glasses of fresh lemonade and sherbets.

Eating halal on the street

Turkey is a Muslim-majority country and street meat is generally halal, but a few things are worth knowing: some dishes and sauces contain wine or alcohol in restaurants (rare on the street), and some sweets use gelatine. Our halal food in Turkey guide explains what to ask and which words to look for.

Bringing it home

Most Istanbul street food is easy to make in a Pakistani kitchen. Start with lahmacun or gözleme on a weekend, add ayran and a big bowl of salad, and you have a Turkish street-food night for the family.