Mantı (Turkish dumplings)
Photo: Nérostrateur · CC BY 2.5

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, traditionally served at weddings and family feasts. Istanbul homes still measure cooks by whether their mantı is small enough that 40 fit on a spoon; restaurants serve a looser, larger version. The garlic-yoghurt sauce, sumac and a drizzle of melted butter with paprika and dried mint are the canonical Istanbul finishing; the dish is eaten with a spoon rather than fork.

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

₺₺TurkishKadıköy

Chef Musa Dağdeviren's culinary-anthropology lokanta in Kadıköy market, plating regional Turkish dishes drawn from his fieldwork since 1998.

OrderKebap of the day, Forgotten Anatolian stews, Vegetarian dolma

DirectionsView

Yeni Lokanta ★ 4.6

₺₺₺₺TurkishBeyoğlu

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.

DirectionsView

Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide

Mantı (Turkish dumplings) makes more sense with someone from Istanbul explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.

Book food experiences in Istanbul

See all 804 bookable experiences in Istanbul