35 cheap eats rooms in Istanbul, editor-picked. the best low-budget rooms in Istanbul: the places editors actually return to. All Istanbul food.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu ★ 4.8
karaköy · Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mah., Rıhtım Caddesi No:3-4, 34425 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Karaköy Güllüoğlu, the one-counter Rıhtım Caddesi baklava emporium across from Galataport, has filled the Güllü family's pistachio version since 1949.
Mandabatmaz ★ 4.7
beyoğlu · Asmalı Mescit Mah., Olivya Geçidi No:1A, 34430 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Mandabatmaz in Beyoğlu's Olivya Passage, a 1967 single-room Turkish coffee bar whose foamy cup is the standard against which the rest of Istanbul is measured.
Karaköy Güllüoğlu Counter ★ 4.6
karaköy · Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mah., Rıhtım Caddesi No:3-4, 34425 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Karaköy Güllüoğlu's takeout counter on Rıhtım, where the Güllü family has cut pistachio baklava by the half kilo since 1949 for a queue that moves fast.
Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir ★ 4.5
eminönü · Hobyar Mah., Hamidiye Caddesi No:31, 34110 Fatih, İstanbul
Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir at Bahçekapı, the 1777-founded confectioner credited with inventing modern lokum, run from a heritage-listed shopfront beside Yeni.
Kronotrop Cihangir ★ 4.5
cihangir · Kuloğlu Mah., Firuzağa Cami Sokak No:2/B, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Kronotrop in Cihangir across from Firuzağa Mosque, Turkey's first specialty micro-roastery, brewing Chemex and V60 on the La Marzocco Strada it imported.
Sade Kahve ★ 4.5
sarıyer · Rumeli Hisarı Mah., Yahya Kemal Caddesi No:20, 34470 Sarıyer, İstanbul
Sade Kahve below the Rumeli Hisarı fortress walls, where Turkish coffee gets brewed slow over hot ash and an all-day kahvaltı spread spills.
Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek ★ 4.5
eminönü · Galata Köprüsü No:28, Eminönü, 34421 Fatih, İstanbul
Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek at the Galata Bridge, the red-and-gold fish-sandwich boats grilling mackerel into half-loaves with lettuce and lemon for whoever.
Hayvore ★ 4.4
beyoğlu · Turnacıbaşı Sokak No:4, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Hayvore tucked off Istiklal, cooking the corn-bread, anchovies and smoky bean stews of the Black Sea since 2009 in a noisy steam-table lokanta close.
Karabatak Karaköy ★ 4.4
karaköy · Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mah., Kara Ali Kaptan Sokak No:7, 34425 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Karabatak in Karaköy, a high-ceilinged ex-metal-workshop cafe pouring Austrian Julius Meinl espresso and salep across two floors below Galata.
Van Kahvaltı Evi ★ 4.4
cihangir · Kılıçali Paşa Mah., Defterdar Yokuşu No:52/A, 34425 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Van Kahvaltı Evi in Cihangir, an all-day breakfast room serving the dense herb-and-cheese spread of Turkey's east, kaymak with honey and otlu peynir.
Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek ★ 4.4
eminönü · Galata Köprüsü No:28, Eminönü, 34421 Fatih, İstanbul
Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek at the Galata Bridge, the red-and-gold fish boats grilling mackerel into half-loaves with lettuce and lemon for around 100 lira.
Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi ★ 4.3
eminönü · Hocapaşa Sokak No:19, Sirkeci, 34112 Fatih, İstanbul
Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi off the Sirkeci side-streets, pulling kıymalı and kuşbaşılı pide from a wood oven since the 1960s for the lunchtime suit crowd.
Hafız Mustafa 1864 ★ 4.3
eminönü · Hobyar Mah., Hamidiye Caddesi No:84, 34112 Fatih, İstanbul
Hafız Mustafa 1864 on Hamidiye Caddesi, the original Sultan Abdülaziz-era confectioner still rolling lokum and laminated baklava in Eminönü over a 160-year.
Şampiyon Kokoreç ★ 4.3
beyoğlu · Hüseyinağa Mah., Sahne Sokak No:21, 34435 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Şampiyon Kokoreç on Sahne Sokak, the 1962 Beyoğlu kokoreççi shaving spiced grilled lamb intestine into sandwich bread for the late-night Balık Pazarı crowd.
Hayvore ★ 4.3
beyoğlu · Turnacıbaşı Sokak No:4, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Hayvore off Istiklal, a Black Sea steam-table cooking hamsi pilav, muhlama and bean stews where a full lunch with pide and ayran lands under 300 lira.
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta ★ 4.2
sultanahmet · Alemdar Mah., Divanyolu Caddesi No:12, 34110 Fatih, İstanbul
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta on Divanyolu, the 1920 original now run by the fourth generation, still grilling its flat charcoal köfte beside piyaz.
Borsam Taşfırın ★ 4.2
kadıköy · Caferağa Mah., Serasker Caddesi No:78, 34710 Kadıköy, İstanbul
Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, a stone-oven lahmacun and pide salon running since 1968 with a counter line that turns over every five minutes at lunch.
Köfteci Hüseyin ★ 4.2
beyoğlu · Şehit Muhtar Mah., Kurabiye Sokak No:9/A, 34250 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Köfteci Hüseyin on Kurabiye Sokak off Taksim, the Hüseyin Taşsöken counter that started on a 1958 push-cart, salt-bread-onion patties grilled.
Saray Muhallebicisi ★ 4.2
beyoğlu · Kuloğlu Mah., İstiklal Caddesi No:107, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Saray Muhallebicisi on Istiklal, the 1935 muhallebici pulling chicken-breast pudding, kazandibi and milk-pudding bowls into the small hours.
Borsam Taşfırın ★ 4.2
kadıköy · Caferağa Mah., Serasker Caddesi No:78, 34710 Kadıköy, İstanbul
Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, pulling stone-oven lahmacun and pide since 1968 from a glass-fronted counter on the Bahariye side of Caferağa. At Caferağa Mah..
Privato Cafe ★ 4.2
beyoğlu · Şahkulu Mah., Galip Dede Caddesi, Tımarcı Sokak No:3/B, 34421 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Privato Cafe on a Galata side-lane, a mismatched-crockery breakfast hall with Galata Tower views, doing one of the city's better all-day Turkish breakfast.
Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi ★ 4.2
eminönü · Hocapaşa Sokak No:19, Sirkeci, 34112 Fatih, İstanbul
Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi on a Sirkeci side-alley, a wood-oven counter feeding office workers kıymalı pide and lahmacun for under 100 lira at the weekday.
Borsam Taşfırın Kadıköy ★ 4.2
kadıköy · Caferağa Mah., Serasker Caddesi No:78, 34710 Kadıköy, İstanbul
Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, the 1968 stone-oven lahmacun counter that turns a single 15-minute bake into the city's most reliable lahmacun under 80 lira.
Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi ★ 4.2
eminönü · Hocapaşa Sokak No:19, Sirkeci, 34112 Fatih, İstanbul
Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi in Sirkeci, where a kıymalı pide costs under 180 lira and beats every tourist trap on the historic peninsula for the same money.
Borsam Taşfırın ★ 4.2
kadıköy · Caferağa Mah., Serasker Caddesi No:78, 34710 Kadıköy, İstanbul
Borsam Taşfırın in Kadıköy, an 80-lira lahmacun from a stone oven, three to a person at the lunch peak, in a market-edge counter open since 1968.
Bahar Restaurant ★ 4.1
fatih · Beyazıt Mah., Çarşıkapı Nuruosmaniye Caddesi, Yağcı Han No:13, 34126 Fatih, İstanbul
Bahar Restaurant tucked inside a Grand Bazaar han off the Nuruosmaniye gate, an esnaf lokanta serving stews and pilav to the bazaar's working merchants.
Beyaz Fırın Etiler ★ 4.1
beşiktaş · Etiler Mah., Nispetiye Caddesi No:82, 34337 Beşiktaş, İstanbul
Beyaz Fırın in Etiler, a heritage Turkish bakery dating to 1836, working out of a two-floor Nispetiye Caddesi space with a vertical garden and a 350-seat.
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi ★ 4.1
sultanahmet · Alemdar Mah., Divanyolu Caddesi No:12, 34110 Fatih, İstanbul
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi on Divanyolu, the 1920 charcoal-grill counter still building the canonical Istanbul köfte plate of flat patties.
Bahar Restaurant ★ 4.1
fatih · Beyazıt Mah., Çarşıkapı Nuruosmaniye Caddesi, Yağcı Han No:13, 34126 Fatih, İstanbul
Bahar Restaurant inside a Grand Bazaar han, an esnaf lokanta where merchants line up by 12:30 for stewed lamb, kuru fasulye and pilav for around 200 lira.
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi ★ 4.1
sultanahmet · Alemdar Mah., Divanyolu Caddesi No:12, 34110 Fatih, İstanbul
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi on Divanyolu, the 1920 charcoal-grill bench where four köfte, a piyaz, a soup and an ayran still come in under 280 lira.
Kızılkayalar ★ 4.0
beyoğlu · Katip Mustafa Çelebi Mah., Sıraselviler Caddesi No:2/C, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Kızılkayalar at Taksim Square, the 1978 originator of the ıslak burger, a beef patty soaked in garlicky tomato sauce and steamed inside a soft white bun.
Kızılkayalar ★ 3.9
beyoğlu · Katip Mustafa Çelebi Mah., Sıraselviler Caddesi No:2/C, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Kızılkayalar at Taksim, the 1978 ıslak hamburger counter still selling under 80 lira for a steamed bun in garlicky tomato sauce, three for a meal.
Mado Caddebostan ★ 3.8
kadıköy · Caddebostan Mah., Bağdat Caddesi No:278, 34728 Kadıköy, İstanbul
Mado on Bağdat Caddesi, the Maraş-origin Kanbur-family ice-cream brand whose first Istanbul branch opened in Caddebostan, famous for the stretchable salep.
Kahve Dünyası Nuruosmaniye ★ 3.8
fatih · Mollafenari Mah., Nuruosmaniye Caddesi No:79, 34110 Fatih, İstanbul
Kahve Dünyası beside the Grand Bazaar's Nuruosmaniye gate, the Turkish coffee chain's polished flagship where sand-brewed cups arrive with a square.
Bambi Cafe Taksim ★ 3.6
beyoğlu · Katip Mustafa Çelebi Mah., Sıraselviler Caddesi No:2, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Bambi Cafe at Taksim, an almost-all-night counter doing döner wraps with melted cheese, kumpir baked potatoes and Turkish hamburgers to the post-Beyoğlu.