8 editor picks in Istanbul.
Istanbul's street food is inseparable from its quaysides and squares, where the balik ekmek fish sandwich, kokorec and grilled kofte are eaten standing up. The Eminönü waterfront is the spiritual home of the form, with Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek by the ferry piers and Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi just inland. Around Taksim in Beyoğlu, Kızılkayalar and Şampiyon Kokoreç keep the late-night crowd fed, while Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi serves the grilled-meatball tradition in the old city.
8 street food places in Istanbul we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Istanbul · Street Food across every city.
Try Balık ekmek (grilled fish sandwich)
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.
Try Islak hamburger (wet burger)
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.
Try Kokoreç (grilled lamb intestine)
Şampiyon Kokoreç on Sahne Sokak, the 1962 Beyoğlu kokoreççi shaving spiced grilled lamb intestine into sandwich bread for the late-night Balık Pazarı crowd.
Try Pide and lahmacun
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.
Try Köfte plate with piyaz
Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi on Divanyolu, the 1920 charcoal-grill counter still building the canonical Istanbul köfte plate of flat patties.
Try Lahmacun and pide
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.
Try Pistachio baklava
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.
Try Late-night döner wrap
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.
