Karaköy Lokantası ★ 4.5
The teal-tiled Karaköy Lokantası, Bib Gourmand listed in the Michelin Guide, runs an Ottoman-leaning lunch lokanta downstairs and a meyhane upstairs at night.
OrderLakerda, Hünkar beğendi, Lamb shank
Slow-stewed dried white beans in a tomato and red-pepper broth, often with chunks of lamb or pastirma. Served over pilav with pickles, the Turkish home-cooking comfort dish.
Kuru fasulye took hold across Anatolia after dried white beans arrived from the New World in the 17th century. The Istanbul esnaf-lokantasi tradition, the trade-guild canteens that fed shopkeepers and craftsmen, made it the canonical lunch plate; pilav with kuru fasulye, pickle and ayran is the working-city meal.
3 editor picks for Kuru fasulye (white bean stew) in Istanbul, ranked by editorial score. All Istanbul signature dishes · Kuru fasulye (white bean stew) across every city.
Hayvore ★ 4.4
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.
OrderHamsi pilav, Muhlama, Karadeniz pidesi
Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi ★ 4.3
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.
OrderKıymalı pide, Kuşbaşılı pide, Lahmacun
Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide
Kuru fasulye (white bean stew) makes more sense with someone from Istanbul explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
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Istanbul: Guided Old City Tour, Bosphorus Cruise, and Lunch
Explore Istanbul's Old City, enjoy a traditional Turkish lunch, and cruise along the Bosphorus Strait on this guided tour.
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Istanbul: Bosphorus Strait and Black Sea Lunch Cruise
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