Istanbul eats

[boudin noir]

I will be in istanbul for a few days in Sept staying in the Sultanahmet district. I would love some dinner restaurant recommendations.

[Genkinaonna]

I have a Turkish friend I can ask...let me get back to you.

[Pielle]

We were in Istanbul last year and followed the guides from ahem istanbuleats.com. This page has good info. I highly recommend Antiochia in Beyoglu and Ciya in Kadikoy on the Asian side but of easy access.

Sultanhmet is a nice place to stay since you are so close to the main attractions but it is clearly not the best place to eat.

Don't miss breakfast at Van Kahvalti Evi in Cihangir, thier Kaymak is truly one of the best things I have eaten in Turkey.

Enjoy Istanbul, it is a fantastic city. Also, don't forget to go on Isticlal Cadessi in the evening if you are not affraid of crowds!

Edited August 26, 2011 by Pielle (log)

[heidih]

I trust the couple at EatingAsia. Here is a link to their Istanbul posts.

[nikkib]

http://www.sarnicrestaurant.com/en/index.jsp My parents ate here and spoke very highly of it

[DickL]

My wife and I were there a couple of years ago, and didn't find any place that blew us away. The first one which comes to mind (but for lunch, not dinner) is a little hole-in-the-wall that provided us with what was probably our least expensive meal in Turkey. We had a chicken kabap, an urfa kebap (minced lamb, nicely seasoned), water, bread, bulgur (or or maybe it was wheat cooked like rice), shredded veg (carrots, lettuce, cabbage), tomato, and grilled pepper, all for the princely sum of TL15 (or about $9.60 at the time), plus tip. If I'm reading my notes correctly, it was Özlem Karadeniz at Peykhane Caddesi, 16. Definitely nothing fancy (bare bones is more like it), but good food and pleasant service. It's not mainly a tourist place, so if you go in for little local places, it might be worth a try for lunch.

A couple of years earlier we ate dinner at a place with the unlikely name "Meat House", at Can Kurtaran Mah. Seyithasan Sok. No 22. There are a lot of reviews of the place in TripAdvisor, so I won't belabor it except to say that it was a satisfying meal-- cheese pide with green peppers and tomatoes, lentil soup, a dish with chunks of meat on a djagik base with a little tomato sauce, and a bottle of decent red wine, for TL63.50 (2008 rates) plus tip. Better than average food, pleasant place with nice service, and despite the name, not all meat.