10 Places to eat delicious and cheap food in Istanbul
Por Two World Backpackers
In Spain, we have a saying known as the triple B when we talk about a good, nice, and cheap place: “Bueno, bonito y barato.” In this post, I’m going to share 10 places where you can eat delicious and cheap food in Istanbul.
First of all, you should know that Turks do not only eat kebabs. They consume a lot of meat, but there are options for everyone’s taste.
Secondly, if you have a low budget to eat in Istanbul, I have good news: Food is very cheap! We paid an average of €6 to €7 per person, and we were able to eat two dishes each plus a drink. So with this little introduction let’s get into the matter.
Tabla de Contenido
Lades Menemen
As tradition says, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and even more so when we know that we are going to need a lot of energy to explore the city. The life of a traveler is really hard…😂
In this restaurant they offer one of the most typical dishes for breakfast, the menemen.
You may wonder, what is that Andrés? It is a scrambled egg cooked in different ways. The one I liked the most was this: menemen with turkey sausage.
Price range: More than acceptable, from €4 to €8.
Address: Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Mahallesi, Sadri Alışık Sk. 11/12 11/12 11 D:12, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Fıstık Kebap Lahmacun
This is one of our favorites. If you don’t have time to try any of these restaurants, please (yes, I beg you) don’t miss this one. At this restaurant, I recommend ordering these two dishes:
1) Lahmacun: This is the famous Turkish pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven. It’s accompanied by a salad with tomato, coriander, and lemon.
How do you eat it? Put a little tomato, salad, coriander, and a squeeze of lemon on a slice of Lahmacun, roll it up and enjoy.
You can order one per person, as they are very thin, and the price is 50TL (€1.56).
2) The second course is one of the most delicious you’ll try during your visit to Istanbul and, without a doubt, one of the most delicious.
The dish is called Festikle kebab and consists of lamb with some spices. The meat is placed on pizza dough, topped with a lot of cheese and a few pistachios, and covered with pizza dough to keep it warm (a kind of calzone). It’s placed in the oven, and when it’s golden brown, it’s cut into small pieces with a large knife. A natural tomato sauce is placed on top, and then a little melted butter, roasted tomatoes and green chillies are added to the garnish. Simply magical.
The price of this dish is 240 tl (about €7.48).
Price for two people: €9.35.
Address: Mecidiye, 34347 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye
Balkan Lokantası
They have several locations throughout Istanbul, but we visited the one in Sirkeci.
They are restaurants similar to a buffet. They have a lot of variety of typical Turkish food. When you go, grab a tray, order the dishes you want, and at the end, there is the cashier to pay.
This one was specifically recommended to us by a taxi driver. He told us that it was a restaurant frequently visited by workers, both for its price and its traditional food, so we did not hesitate to go and try it. It was a complete success! There is a wide variety of typical dishes. We ordered two dishes each, dessert and drink, which we paid a total of €12.
Price range: between €1-7
Address: Hobyar, Ankara Cd. 35/A, 34112 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey
Kral Kokoreç Sirkeci
It is the perfect place to have a snack and taste two typical dishes from Turkey. Of course, I warn you that these dishes are not for everyone.
The first would be kokorec, is lamb or goat intestines rolled into a curl with different spices (similar to our skeins). They are cooked at a high temperature to form a crispy crust and served with bread.
Laura is not a fan of eating offal, but she decided to try and liked it. As for myself, I have no problem, totally the opposite I love all these things so I can’t be objective. I enjoyed it very much.
The second dish is called Midye dolma. They are mussels stuffed with rice pilaf and raisins, pine nuts and spices. It is a dish that is usually served cold. The truth is that they are delicious.
Price range: For the two portions they charged us about €6.
Address: Hobyar, Büyük Postane Cd. No 26/1, 34112 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey
Old Ottoman Cafe & Restaurant
This restaurant is perfect for dinner. The place is beautiful, with super good service (I repeat, I am a chef, so I am usually critical of these types of things because I pay attention to everything). The service was impeccable, and the food was exquisite. In fact, I am going to recommend you a dessert that, in my opinion is the dessert of my life.
The first course was the traditional Testi kebab: a beef or chicken stew cooked in a clay pot and placed on the grill to cook. Usually, when they take out the pot, they put on a little show. The truth is that it was delicious, but the second dish is the one that really won me over.
The second course was old ottoman specialty. It consists of very juicy beef served with a cheese bechamel on the base and more cheese on top. If you are a meat and cheese lover like myself, you can’t miss it.
The dessert is called Katmer. The waiter recommended it to me because I was going to order the typical baklava, which I am an absolute fan of, but by now, I had tried quite a few. Well, let’s focus. The katmer has thin layers of filo dough, pistachio, honey and cream cheese. First you put a layer of filo dough, then one of pistachio, honey and, cream cheese and so on. They are thin because it will take about four layers. The trick is that it is super crunchy, and all of them need to be cooked well. I think we tasted is made in a frying pan because of its golden colour, was served very hot and with milk ice cream on top. The combination of hot and cold plus the sweetness of the honey, the creaminess of the cream cheese and the flavor of the pistachio make it the best dessert I have ever tasted. I will definitely come back and eat three)😂
Price range: We paid a little more than in the previous ones: about 20 euros for both of us. But it was all A DISCOVERY.
Address: Alemdar, Cağaloğlu Hamamı Sk. No:17 D:J, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Zübeyir Ocakbaşı/Taksim
The restaurant is well known for its grilled meats and the high quality of its products.
We ordered hummus and some salad they had. After a plate full of different meats, we tried the lamb ribs, the kebab and the marinated chicken. The meat was all grilled.
It was really great, but the service was a little slow. I must admit that the place was packed, and we had to wait a long time to be served.
Price range: About €15 (2 people)
Address: Şehit Muhtar Mahallesi Bekar Sokak No::28, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey
Karadeniz Döner Asım Usta
One of the best doner kebab you can try in Istanbul.
Many people believe that takeaway kebab is the normal thing to do. In fact I have seen videos of travelers who come in, order it and leave. Don’t make that mistake!
If you are lucky and there is a free sit, order the doner kebab on a plate. This way you can taste the meat, and enjoy it without sauces or other garnishes. After you tried it like that, order this dish: Iskender kebab, is the same meat bathed in a tomato sauce, butter and yogurt.
Important: don’t forget the bread to bread this wonder of the gods.
Price range: €4-€8 per person.
We paid about €20 in total, including the drink.
Address: Sinanpaşa, Mumcu Bakkal Sokağı No:6, 34353 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Turkey
Balıkçı Kemal Karaköy
Let’s change the theme a little because, at this point, you might think that we only eat meat.😂
Truth is, in Istanbul we ate a lot of meat, but there are also many places where you can enjoy fresh fish at a good price.
This restaurant was our choice. In it, we learned one important thing you have to know when ordering fresh fish.
In many restaurants in Istanbul, some fish do not have the price on the menu; If that happens, you should ask about the price and repeat the question two or three times because if not, you will have a surprise at the end, like Laura and I had.
We ordered everything that had a price and ate: red mullet, prawns stewed with tomato and butter, squid and also, a sole that was priceless. I didn’t get interested in the price! The waiter asked us if we wanted it with salt. I told him without thinking twice that of course! They made it instantly, about 45 minutes of cooking. It was delicious. That’s why I recommend this restaurant, but when the bill arrived… (I always try to calculate and get an idea of what I’m going to pay for the food, it’s my torture, possibly inherited) the sole raised the price to about 70 euros. It was my fault for not asking. We loved everything we ate anyway, and it was a good lesson.
Price range: €7-€15 but there are dishes without prices and depending on the way of cooking it can be more expensive.
Address: Azapkapı, Makaracılar Cd. No:3, 34421 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey
Rulo Ezberbozan Lezzetler
It is true that in Turkey it is difficult to find a restaurant that is only vegetarian, but this one that I am leaving you is one of the best, with super cheap prices and extraordinary customer service.
It is a buffet where you can enjoy a wide variety of vegetarian dishes.
Price range: about €6 (2 people)
Address: Caferağa, Nail Bey Sk. No:15, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Türkiye
Karaköy Güllüoğlu - Nadir Güllü
To finish, we could not miss the most typical dessert known, baklava.
It is the best place to taste a wide variety of different baklavas, all with an impressive flavor. Without a doubt you will visit this place more than once to have dessert after your binges in Istanbul since it is the perfect place to have our essential after-dinner meal.
They also sell gift boxes in case you want to bring a gift to a friend or family member. Great to give as a gift.
Price range: We ordered two baklavas filled with milk ice cream with two teas, and they charged us €7.
Address: Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa, Kemankeş Cd. No:67, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey
If you visit these restaurants, I hope you tell us in the comments box. If, in addition, you have any recommendations that you would like to send us, we would be very grateful. Remember that it is about following delicious and cheap food!
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