Where to eat Balık ekmek (fish sandwich) in Istanbul: 1 editor pick

A grilled mackerel fillet stuffed into a half-loaf of bread with raw onion, lettuce and a heavy squeeze of lemon. Istanbul's signature street food, eaten standing up.

Balık ekmek emerged on the Eminönü quays after the Second World War, when fishing boats sold the day's catch straight off the boat with a piece of bread. By the 1990s the moored red-and-gold boats on the Galata Bridge made it iconic; today they grill several hundred sandwiches a day for whoever steps up to the counter.

1 editor pick for Balık ekmek (fish sandwich) in Istanbul, ranked by editorial score. All Istanbul signature dishes · Balık ekmek (fish sandwich) across every city.

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 steps up.