Eating Our Way Through Istanbul

When first going to Istanbul, I never really researched much in the way of its cuisine.  The history of this great city was more then plenty to read about in the weeks leading up to our visit.  I knew about Turkish kebabs but not much else.  Then one night my wife and I happened to watch the Istanbul episode of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain.  This episode completely changed my awareness on Turkish food.  As my wife and I set out on foot across Istanbul, we made it our mission to sample as much Turkish food as possible.

Our first stop was a great restaurant named Hamdi, located near the New Mosque, Spice Bazaar and Galata Bridge at the edge of the Sultanahmet.  With the bustling action of pedestrians and traffic just below and a view of the Bosphorus Strait, this restaurant offered us a beautiful introduction to Turkish cuisine.  We sampled a variety of Turkish kebabs which were absolutely delicious.  In addition, we discovered lahmacun which is like a turkish version of pizza.  It is a thin crust of dough sprinkled with small pieces of meat (beef or lamb) and herbs which include onions and tomatoes.  Lemon juice is often sprinkled over the lahmacun.  The food at Hamdi was so good, in my opinion, that we ended up eating there twice during our three day stay in Istanbul.

One afternoon during our stay, we decided to try and retrace the steps of Anthony Bourdain.  We found the address to one of the restaurants that he visited in search of “wet hamburgers” which looked so good on television.  Not one to ever pass up a burger, it consisted of a soggy bun with a hamburger filled middle. This particular restaurant that we were in search of was called Kizilkayalar and appeared easy to find on the map.  After walking what seemed like ten kilometers, from the far end of the Sultanahment, across the Galata Bridge, through the pedestrian mall on Istiklal Avenue in the Beyoglu district,we ended up in Taksim Square.  Unfortunately, we could not find Kizilkayalar.  Finally, we showed the address to two people in Taksim Square and they pointed right across the street.  There, after over two hours, stood Kizilkayalar with hundreds of hamburgers stacked one upon another.  The hamburger was good but certainly made better by the long journey to find it.

In constrast to kebabs and hamburgers, we also enjoyed a meal of tradition Ottoman food at Haci Abdullah Lokantasi which is located just off Istiklal Avenue on the way toward Taksim Square.  Although somewhat expensive, this restaurant was recommended by the locals as a favorite of both locals and tourists alike.  Prior to ordering, you get to see the food freshly made which is nice when you are not familiar with this type of food.   Whether you wanted to sample eggplant dishes to Ottoman stew the food was excellent and provided a very satisfying meal.

After walking miles upon miles around Istanbul, we felt entitled to indulge our sweet tooth.  There are no shortage of stores selling baklava and it did not disappoint.  When you see rows upon rows of freshly prepared baklava in store windows it will surely entice even the most disciplined of eaters.  Whether you wanted regular baklava or pistachio baklava the sweet syrup oozed out the side with each bite.

Sometimes the best part of a trip ends up being something you didn’t expect.  For us, the food in Istanbul was simply amazing and something we won’t soon forget.