Meat. Borek. Kabab. Fish. Manti. Turkish Delight. Coffee. Baklava. Let's go!!
Pandeli Restaurant
Pandeli Restaurant is just inside the Spice Market. After passing through the metal detector, make an immediate left-hand U-turn. In the photos, you can see the entry. Go upstairs to this nice, reasonably priced restaurant with a fabulous view. We had the "spoon salad" which is tomatoes and other vegetables with a pomegranate dressing. We also had okra that was nice and lemony, some dolmas (which we did not order and were charged for) which tasted as expected, pumpkin dessert (good) and eggplant dip (good). The bathroom was gender neutral. If you want a window-side table, either reserve or just go looking like you can afford to order a lot. We noted how they seated older, better dressed patrons at the window and younger, t-shirt-wearing folks at other tables. However, even if you don't get the window seat, there is still an amazing view. Our bill for this restaurant was comparable to the 2 terrible borekas we ordered at a chain restaurant, so a good deal we though.
Durumzade
We sought out Durumzade restaurant because of its high Google reviews and proximity to our hotel. When we arrived, we couldn't help but note the giant photos of Anthony Bourdain, so no surprise that this is well-reviewed. While we have not universally agreed with Bourdain's choices as we've traveled (banh mi in Vietnam), this spot is great. The meat was tasty, lean and had great grill flavor. The vegetables with it were slightly spicy. Dan had a plate and Sarah had a wrap, and we thought the amount of meat was about the same so you'd do best price-wise to get the wrap. We also tried a spicy carrot drink. The ingredients are black carrot, turnip, chilli pepper, garlic, water, and flour (so not gluten-free). It was good! On another day we returned and tried the beef, which was also good but we preferred the lamb.
Naftalin Cafe
Naftalin Cafe (Cafe Naftalin K, Balat, Yıldırım Cd. No:27/A, 34087 Fatih/İstanbul) is in a darling area of town that was Jewish and Greek. It has seen some revival in recent years and still has some active synagogues. The Greek church here is a pilgrimage site, the whole neighborhood a UNESCO area and the architecture lovely. Naftalian Cafe has a funky decor and the door to its bathroom is an old refrigerator front! LOVED the dumplings I had (first picture). Dan had a mixed vegetable plate which was also excellent. Our tour guide ordered an omelet and coffee. I wouldn't call the service attentive, and our food came out at three very different times, but those dumplings were so good I didn't care too much.
Vegan Dükkan Lokanta
We don't usually eat vegan, which we mention because this place is GOOD even if you are not a vegan (website) We ordered the smoked eggplant and the Turkish dumplings. Both were excellent. The eggplant was a really good consistency, very smokey, and topped with sun dried tomatoes with vegan meat crumbles, roasted cherry tomatoes, and 2 grilled peppers. The dumplings had a nice minty flavor and a good chew. The flavor was different from some traditional real meat dumplings we'd had a few days prior, but still excellent and traditional tasting. We were a little sad that we were so full from our 2 dishes that we didn't have room for dessert.
This place also has gluten-free items, and off-menu wine. It is close to Taksim street. Super friendly service in English, German and Turkish :) About 4 tables inside and 2-3 outside.
Dining with a View
In addition to the Pandeli restaurant we reviewed above, there are several hotels with rooftop restaurants that have amazing views. We recommend the Beatrice Restaurant in the Comondo building.
Turkish Breakfast
Sa Va Anatolyian has a traditional spread: some fried items, honey, tahini mixed with grape molasses, labneh or yogurt, some meat, fruit leather, olives, eggs, tomatoes, potato salad Menamen, which is like shakshuka--stewed tomatoes and sometimes peppers with eggs, sausage, and or cheese added to taste--is usually an afternoon food in Turkey, served with alcohol. We found it on many breakfast menus, however, and it is one of our favorites for that time of day.
Borekas
They come in different shapes, but mostly when you order borekas here it's likely the lasagne-type version and not the flakey pastry snail or pocket version (though you can find the latter at some cafes). We were served the layered boreka type at a chain restaurant and on our Turkish air flight. It's mostly noodle/dough and very little filling so we were not fans. Left: looks better than it tastes
Sweets
Turkish delight from Haci Bekir was the best. They also sell almond paste sweets--good and "high quality" so you have a choice for your wallet. Though this store is on Taksim street, it is not a tourist
trap like Hafiz Mustafa or Mado.
For baklava, we preferred Mado over Hafiz, and specifically the pistachio roll (not the one with white chocolate in it). It had a good nut flavor and the sugar syrup balanced well. Sarah is very picky about her baklava and rarely likes any that are mass-produced, but this and a few others at Mado were worth it.