In a nutshell
- Istanbul is a paradise for food lovers. In this article, we share our 5 favorite places to eat in Istanbul — all personally tried and absolutely worth your time.
- One of our top picks is Mantı Evi in Ortaköy — zero atmosphere, 100% authentic. The stuffed grape leaves alone are worth the trip.
- We also really loved Helvetia Lokanta — a must for vegetarians — and Sofyali 9, a classic meze restaurant where you can graze your way through a giant tray of delicious starters.
Mantı Evi in Ortaköy
Our absolute favorite was a small, unassuming, not-at-all-cozy restaurant right in the harbor district of Ortaköy.
Honestly, the décor is pretty dismal — you feel more like you’re in a run-down train station diner. Even so, the place had something authentically charming about it, so we thought, “If we can’t get authentic Turkish food here, something is seriously wrong.”
So there we were, suddenly sitting in Mantı Evi, being served by a somewhat grumpy waiter whose grumpiness somehow circled back to being kind of endearingly absurd.
We were so busy going “Oh wow… this is incredible” that we completely forgot to take photos, which we now regret. What we did manage was a sad phone photo of the totally old-school laminated table mats showing pictures of some of the dishes.
Jenny had the dish in the upper right of the photo. Etli Yaprak Sarma — grape leaves stuffed with rice and ground beef. Seriously brilliant! We never would have thought that “simple” stuffed grape leaves could taste so absolutely amazing.
Basti had the Mantı — Turkish ravioli with yogurt and tomato sauce. That also sounds very simple. And it is. But it tasted really, really good. Basti shamelessly helped himself to half of Jenny’s grape leaves and would have gladly ordered another plate all to himself.
How to Find Mantı Evi
Değirmen Sok. No. 3/A — Located in the harbor district of Ortaköy, not far from the famous mosque — one of the most well-known attractions in Istanbul.
Helvetia Lokanta
We stumbled upon Helvetia Lokanta pretty much by chance.
The old building facade, where you can just barely make out the name of the place, probably doesn’t look very inviting to most people. For us, though, something like that has an almost magnetic pull. So in we went!
We got lucky and a table by the window in the front left was still free. We sat down and waited briefly for something to happen.
Nothing happened. Then it finally dawned on us that Helvetia Lokanta ran on a different system.
There was a small counter behind which about twelve bowls of various Turkish delicacies were lined up. The woman behind the counter picked up a plate and looked at us expectantly. So we each pointed to about five different dishes, which she arranged on a single plate. Simple enough. We headed back to our table and started eating.
Wow. Really. Wow. Everything tasted incredibly rich and completely authentic. Vegetarians especially will be in heaven here — we’d estimate about 80 percent of the dishes were meat-free. The offerings apparently change daily, so it never gets boring. If you’re looking for a great vegetarian-friendly spot among the best restaurants in Istanbul, this is the place.
We also happened to meet two really lovely travelers there — one from Belgium, one from Germany — who had eaten their way through Helvetia’s delicacies every single day of their stay. They recommended a wonderful pudding, which we tried immediately.
The system is pretty straightforward: one plate, up to five different dishes for 12 TL (about 4 euros). You also get a large basket of bread and water for free.
We went for lunch and had no trouble getting a table. One evening we walked by and the place was packed, with several people already waiting outside.
How to Find Helvetia Lokanta
Gen. Yazgan Sokak 8, 34330 Istanbul, on the corner of Sofyali Sok., on a side street off the main shopping street İstiklal Caddesi in Beyoglu.
Sofyali 9 in Beyoglu
Sofyali 9 is no longer much of an under-the-radar pick in Istanbul, since it’s now featured in the Lonely Planet as well. Still, we had a really wonderful evening there with absolutely delicious food.
It’s a classic meze restaurant. At the start, the waiter comes to your table with an enormous tray and explains all the tempting things on it — then looks at you expectantly. We were a little overwhelmed at first and briefly considered telling him he could just leave the whole tray right there.
If you love trying lots of different things, it probably makes the most sense to order only from the hot and cold appetizers. That way you end up with loads of small dishes to share.
We also noticed that Sofyali 9 has picked up some negative reviews on TripAdvisor and has a reputation as a tourist trap. Sure, it’s a bit pricier than your typical local spot, but the food and service were genuinely very good. We felt totally comfortable there and would go back any time to work our way through the other half of the meze menu.
How to Find Sofyali 9
The restaurant is named after its address: Sofyali Sok. No. 9, 34430 Istanbul, also on a side street off İstiklal Caddesi in Beyoglu.
Mua Cafe
In case you haven’t noticed yet: Jenny loves chocolate ice cream. For chocolate ice cream, she’ll pass on every other flavor — and pretty much everything else. Unfortunately, Jenny is lactose intolerant, which means she usually has to stand sadly in front of the ice cream counter and watch everyone else indulge.
The Mua ice cream shop, on a parallel street to the Galata Tower, was therefore a real surprise. They serve an absolutely delicious homemade chocolate sorbet!
It was so good that we had to go back the very next day — which unfortunately also turned out to be our last day. If we’d discovered it on day one, she probably would have ridden to the airport in Istanbul as Choco-Sorbet Jenny.
Seriously though. The ice cream is truly outstanding. One scoop cost the equivalent of about one dollar. You choose your cup size at the counter — Small (two scoops), Medium (three scoops), Large (four scoops). We went with Medium and it was honestly more than enough!
How to Find Mua Cafe
On a parallel street to the Galata Tower in Beyoglu. At Müeyyedzade Mh. Galip Dede Caddesi No. 105, 34200 Beyoğlu, Istanbul.
Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek
Even though the floating fishing boat restaurants are mentioned in pretty much every Istanbul food guide, we want to make a strong case for the fish sandwiches one more time.
Because this isn’t “just” street food — it’s truly excellent fish stuffed into a baguette.
On top of that, you get to enjoy a fantastic view at the small restaurants in front of the boats, which look more like makeshift pavilions set up on the spot. You sit with lots of other people — including many locals — on small stools around tiny tables and enjoy your fish sandwich.
The counter where you buy the sandwich is a bit unusual: the food is passed from a fishing boat to the vendor inside the restaurant, who then hands it to you.
At the fishing boat restaurants on the Golden Horn in Eminönü, you can get a baguette filled with delicious fish, onions, and a bit of green salad for very little money.
For us, these baguettes are also the perfect snack before or after a boat tour in Istanbul, since many of the boats depart just a few meters away.
How to Find Tarihi Eminönü Balık Ekmek
Eminönü Meydanı (Ragıp Gümüşpala Caddesi), İstanbul. If you’re coming from the Galata Bridge heading toward Beyoglu, just turn right and head down to the waterfront. The boats are right next to the ferry terminal.
