Top Street Food in Turkey

Katmerci Zekeriya Usta ★ 4.7 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Çukur, Bay Hilmi Gç. No:16/C-D, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Katmerci Zekeriya Usta throws katmer dough over a marble counter in Gaziantep, then bakes it with kaymak and pistachio in a stone oven at the back.

Tip: Katmer is a breakfast pastry here, not a dessert. Come before ten for the freshest batch.

Karaköy Güllüoğlu Counter ★ 4.6 · Istanbul

karaköy · Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa Mah., Rıhtım Caddesi No:3-4, 34425 Beyoğlu, İstanbul

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.

Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek ★ 4.5 · Istanbul

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.

Yusuf Ziya Fıstıklı Burma Kadayıfları ★ 4.3 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Düğmeci, Suburcu Cd. Şehir İş Hanı 2/B, 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Yusuf Ziya rolls burma kadayıf around crushed Antep pistachio in a Gaziantep han on Suburcu Caddesi and sells almost nothing else from the window.

Tip: Buy a small box rather than a tray. The syrup sets hard within a day.

Şampiyon Kokoreç ★ 4.3 · Istanbul

beyoğlu · Hüseyinağa Mah., Sahne Sokak No:21, 34435 Beyoğlu, İstanbul

Şampiyon Kokoreç on Sahne Sokak, the 1962 Beyoğlu kokoreççi shaving spiced grilled lamb intestine into sandwich bread for the late-night Balık Pazarı crowd.

Dürümcü Recep Usta ★ 4.2 · Gaziantep

sehitkamil · İncili Pınar, 36001. Sk. No:4, 27090 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Dürümcü Recep Usta wraps stewed chickpeas in flatbread in İncili Pınar, and the nohut dürüm is the cheapest full meal in all of central Gaziantep.

Tip: Ask for extra pickled chilli in the wrap. It is the standard local correction to the chickpeas.

Metanet Katmer ★ 4.2 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Suyabatmaz, Kozluca Cd. 10/A, 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Metanet Katmer opens at five in the morning beside the Gaziantep grain market, feeding the same crowd that has just eaten beyran across the road.

Tip: Order the simit katmer if the classic sells out. It is the same dough with sesame on top.

Ali Usta Kebap ve Baklava ★ 4.2 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Karatarla, Yeniçeri Sk. 27/A, 27010 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Ali Usta Kebap ve Baklava opens its grill at six in the morning near Karatarla, so kebab counts as street breakfast in this part of Gaziantep.

Tip: Closed Sundays. Order at the grill window rather than sitting down if you are in a hurry.

Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi ★ 4.2 · Istanbul

eminönü · Hocapaşa Sokak No:19, Sirkeci, 34112 Fatih, İstanbul

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.

Borsam Taşfırın Kadıköy ★ 4.2 · Istanbul

kadıköy · Caferağa Mah., Serasker Caddesi No:78, 34710 Kadıköy, İstanbul

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.

Muhsinzade Türk Şiş Kebap ★ 4.1 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Boyacı, Külekçi Çarşısı Sk., 27400 Şahinbey/Gaziantep

Muhsinzade rolls liver and mince straight off the charcoal into flatbread in the Gaziantep bazaar, and the counter opens at six in the morning.

Tip: Eat it standing at the counter. There is no table service and the bench seats fill fast.

Üçler Kebap Lahmacun ★ 4.1 · Gaziantep

sehitkamil · Sarıgüllük, Zübeyde Hanım Blv. NO: 16/C, 27060 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Üçler Kebap Lahmacun bakes Antep-style lahmacun on Zübeyde Hanım Bulvarı, thinner and hotter with isot than the versions sold in Urfa further east.

Tip: Two pieces per person is normal. Roll them around parsley and eat them straight from the paper.

Akşam Simit ★ 4.1 · Gaziantep

ibrahimli · Batıkent, Adnan İnanıcı Cd. No:13/L, 27470 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Akşam Simit bakes sesame simit and morning pastries in İbrahimli, and unlike most Gaziantep simit counters it sits you down with a full teapot.

Tip: Order the katmer alongside the simit if you want the local breakfast in one sitting.

Çiğ Köfteci Yuşa Usta ★ 4.1 · Gaziantep

sehitkamil · Değirmiçem, İmam Hüseyin İncioğlu Cd. No:3 D:b, 27000 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Çiğ Köfteci Yuşa Usta kneads bulgur, isot and spice into meat-free çiğ köfte in Değirmiçem, wrapped into Gaziantep wraps twice the usual size.

Tip: The bulgur is kneaded without meat, so the wrap is plant-based before anything is added to it.

Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi ★ 4.1 · Istanbul

sultanahmet · Alemdar Mah., Divanyolu Caddesi No:12, 34110 Fatih, İstanbul

Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi on Divanyolu, the 1920 charcoal-grill counter still building the canonical Istanbul köfte plate of flat patties.

Ciğerci Mustafa ★ 4.0 · Gaziantep

sahinbey · Çukur Mah. Bayramoğlu Sok. No:1/B Şahinbey, 27400 Gaziantep

Ciğerci Mustafa threads lamb liver and tail fat onto skewers on Bayramoğlu Sokak, the Gaziantep breakfast that surprises most visitors first.

Tip: Order onion, parsley and sumac alongside. Locals eat liver with all three, never on its own.

Kızılkayalar ★ 4.0 · Istanbul

beyoğlu · Katip Mustafa Çelebi Mah., Sıraselviler Caddesi No:2/C, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul

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.

Özcanlar Pide & Lahmacun Fırını ★ 3.9 · Gaziantep

sehitkamil · Kayaönü, Hamidiye Cd., 27500 Şehitkamil/Gaziantep

Özcanlar Pide & Lahmacun Fırını fires pide and sfiha in a stone oven in Kayaönü, a working Gaziantep bakery rather than a stop built for visitors.

Tip: Sfiha is the smaller open-topped version. Order a mix and eat them in the order they arrive.

Bambi Cafe Taksim ★ 3.6 · Istanbul

beyoğlu · Katip Mustafa Çelebi Mah., Sıraselviler Caddesi No:2, 34433 Beyoğlu, İstanbul

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.