Tiny meat-filled dumplings the size of a thumbprint, boiled, served under garlic yogurt and finished with melted butter and Aleppo pepper oil.
Mantı arrived in Anatolia with the Turkic migrations from Central Asia and became a Kayseri specialty by the 15th century. Istanbul homes still measure cooks by whether their mantı is small enough that 40 fit on a spoon; restaurants serve a looser, larger version.
2 editor picks for Mantı (Turkish dumplings) in Istanbul, ranked by editorial score. All Istanbul signature dishes · Mantı (Turkish dumplings) across every city.
Çiya Sofrası ★ 4.8
kadıköy · Caferağa Mah., Güneşlibahçe Sokak No:43, 34710 Kadıköy, İstanbul
Chef Musa Dağdeviren's culinary-anthropology lokanta in Kadıköy market, plating regional Turkish dishes drawn from his fieldwork since 1998.
Yeni Lokanta ★ 4.6
beyoğlu · Kumbaracı Yokuşu Sokak No:66, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul
Civan Er's first Istanbul kitchen, off Istiklal in Beyoğlu since 2013, doing wood-oven Anatolian plates and a long-running 50 Best Discovery listing.