Are you going for a city trip to Istanbul? Are you still looking for places where you can eat delicious and especially with a small budget? I'll give you tips for the best restaurants in Instabul, including lots of photos.
Do you have a long weekend or a few days off? Are you looking for a nice city trip? Then I can recommend Istanbul to you. I previously wrote an article about a budget holiday in Istanbul and today I supplement this article with tips for the best restaurants in Istanbul. Now I must honestly say that we have paid attention to our budget when choosing. In addition, there are so many restaurants that this is simply based on my own experience.
Furthermore, the food and drink in Istanbul is so cheap that we actually ate in a restaurant twice a day. Sounds very luxurious, but we spent an average of 7 – 15 euros per person per day for lunch and dinner. So for this money we ate warm twice a day. When I am on holiday in a country I try to eat as much local food as possible. On this trip I only ate something else once (so I was really hungry for spaghetti bolognese).
You will also find the well-known chains with us such as McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and much more. We only got one night at Burger King, simply because we were curious if there was a difference with the Netherlands-based Burger King.
TIP:do not drink tap water in Turkey! A lot of chlorine is added to the water. Therefore always order bottled water and do not drink with ice cubes.
Below you will find the restaurants where we ate, including photos and a description. It is very common to be served a basket of bread with your meal. You eat this bread with your dish. Sometimes you also get a liniment. The bread is included and is not charged extra. Turks are used to drinking strong tea or coffee after eating. And by strong I mean really strong. Especially the tea is offered everywhere and sometimes restaurants also offer a cup of tea or coffee as an extra at the expense of the house.
We stumbled upon this by chance after a walk along the boulevard. The restaurant has a cozy appearance and is elevated, so that you have a bit of a view of the river further away. The Havuzbasi restaurant was actually our first introduction to Turkish cuisine. We were helped quickly and the menu is fairly extensive and provides both meat lovers and vegetarians with delicious dishes. I love meat, so I chose a dish with meat. The prices were all around 5 – 6 euros per dish, which we thought was cheap, but it can be even cheaper in Istanbul.
Address:Ruzgarlibahce Mah. Cumhuriyet Cad. no. 133, Istanbul Turkey
If you are looking for an authentic and cozy restaurant, Türkistan Aşevi is a must. Here you will find real Turkish cuisine, as the name implies. It is not very cheap, but certainly very tasty. Again, there is a sufficient choice of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. You can eat here as extensive or as simple as you want. Because it was afternoon I opted for Lahmacun or rather Turkish pizza in combination with a salad. Of course the baklava, well known in Turkey, also had to be tasted. Unfortunately I didn't see me, I think it's really too sweet. In addition, it is quite pricey compared to, for example, a main course.
Address:Sultan Ahmet, Tavukhane Sk. No:36, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey
Don't ask me how we got here, but it was worth it. We actually wanted to continue, but the owner convinced us to come and eat here, even though we are not fish lovers. Everything was pulled out to convince us:we got a free bread board beforehand and tea or coffee afterwards, and we didn't have to pay for dessert either. Great, we could enjoy good food and that for a very affordable price. Again, I enjoyed a delicious plate of meat. I also fell in love with a small red and white four-legged friend who came to sit at the table. For fish lovers:highly recommended!
Address:Sultan Ahmet, Cankurtaran, Ahırkapı Cd No:17, 34122, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey
Saray is quite well known in Istanbul and has several restaurants. It is not surprising that I have included this restaurant in my tips for the best restaurants in Instabul. The food is so tasty and cheap that we ate here a total of 3 times. So once I consciously chose spaghetti instead of local food. You can sit here both indoors and outdoors. Friendly staff, large choice of both Turkish and international dishes, lots of desserts (cakes, tarts and desserts!), wonderfully clean toilet with black marble (!) and good food. The restaurant is close to the water and the bridge to the older part of town.
Address:Cami Mah., Yeni Galata Köprüsü Yolu Yeni Galata Köprüsü No:9, 34425 Karaköy – Beyoğlu/Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey
If you are in Istanbul, make sure to take a trip to Princess Island (a separate article about this will follow). We spent a few nice hours here and of course we had to eat there too. After much deliberation, our choice fell on Güven restaurant. The prices are good, there is plenty of choice, even if you like a burger. At one point I was joined by a sweet cat who tried to eat through my shoulder. That caused quite a bit of hilarity. Cozy restaurant right on the square near the ferry. Especially nice if you can sit outside.
Address:23 Nisan Cad. no. 1, Buyukada Istanbul, Turkey
This restaurant is really a top tip and is certainly one of the nicest restaurants in Instabul! We had a fantastic evening at Imperial Galata restaurant, not least because of the great location. The restaurant is located under the Galata Bridge overlooking the water and the city. The owner is a young man who is very welcoming and personally served us all evening. Here too we got all kinds of extras:food was half the price on the menu, dessert was at the expense of the house, as well as drinks, tea and a cup of coffee. Normally this is a slightly more expensive restaurant (if I assume the aforementioned prices, but certainly not expensive by Dutch standards). In addition to delicious food (starter, main and dessert) and a great view, we were surprised by live music up to our table. All in all, this is highly recommended.
Address:Kemankeş Karamustafa Pasa, Galata Köprüsü No:7, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey
Have you ever been to Istanbul and if so, which restaurant can you recommend?
