Istiridye Balik Lokantasi: The Business of Lunch
1 response - Posted 03.08.10
Just as we thought we had managed to break out of our Beyoglu dining rut, we found ourselves once again trawling the neighborhood’s streets for places to eat. To be more specific, we found ourselves walking along Mumhane Caddesi, a street in the waterfront Karakoy area that has so many ...continue

48 Hours in Istanbul: An Eater’s Guide
11 responses - Posted 02.08.10
(Editor's Note: The New York Times' travel section recently ran a "36 Hours in Istanbul" feature that was low on good eating suggestions. Prompted by the Times piece, today's post is a food-centric "48 Hours in Istanbul" guide we prepared a few months ago for a local magazine.) Day One: Turkey’s ...continue

Istanbul’s Top 5 Street Foods: #2 – Çitir Simit Bakery
no responses - Posted 12.03.09
Let’s hear it for the (deceptively simple) simit. With only a few ingredients to its name, this sesame-encrusted bread ring has gone on to become the most ubiquitous snack in Istanbul, the undisputed heavyweight champ of the city’s street food scene. In fact, in recent years, the plucky simit has ...continue

Grifin: Seafood Oasis
no responses - Posted 10.23.09
In Karaköy’s Persembe Pazari, a historic commercial district on the shores of the Golden Horn, the dining scene is decidedly no-frills. Simple lunch spots thrive by day on the business of hungry and busy people buying and selling hardware – a meat and potatoes crowd. Any white tablecloth in these ...continue

Güngör Büfe: Sultan of Sandwich
no responses - Posted 09.25.09
The büfe is a prominent part of the Istanbul streetscape, playing a vital role in the daily life of the city. These are corner stores, where you can get a can of beer, a single cigarette, a lotto ticket and, often, a panini-like grilled cheese sandwich. At most büfe, food ...continue

Mutfak Dili: Tradesmens’ Paradise
1 response - Posted 09.18.09
Istanbul Eats lunch hunting tip #1: Wander into one of Istanbul’s numerous districts of small commerce and find yourself on a small street with a shoe cobbler, a knife sharpener, and hardware shops. #2: Enter one of those shops, preferably one where two old men are sitting at the counter looking at the ...continue

Erzurum Cağ Kebapcisi: Turkish Gaucho Grub
2 responses - Posted 05.22.09
(UPDATE -- Unfortunately, we recently discovered that this place has closed down, the kebab maker having returned to his former job as an electrician. In the meantime, you can try cağ kebab at a place called Sehzade Erzurum Cağ Kebab, which is near Kasap Osman on Hocapasa Sokak in Sirkeci.) If ...continue

Akın Balık: (the other) Karaköy Fish House
7 responses - Posted 05.15.09
For good reason, there is a well-beaten path to Karaköy Balıkcısı, an excellent fish restaurant in Perşembe Pazarı, a district near the Golden Horn filled with small shops selling power tools and bathroom fixtures. The fish there is superb; as it should be for a lunch that can cost $40 ...continue