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Kebabs cooking over a charcoal grill at an Istanbul restaurant.
Layover guideIstanbul · IST

Eating near the crew hotels in Istanbul

Waterfront street food at Eminonu/Karakoy and Ortakoy, late-night eats around Taksim, and Kadikoy across the water; lokantas are the cheap fixed-price feed.

Jwslubbock / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
All of Istanbul

The official tourism board maps the street-food geography: balik ekmek (fish sandwich) from the moored barges at Eminonu and Karakoy on the Bosphorus; kumpir (loaded baked potato) stalls in Ortakoy by the bridge; midye dolma (stuffed mussels) vendors around Taksim, especially after dark; the historic kebab concentrations are Sultanahmet, Eminonu, Besiktas and Uskudar.

Kadikoy, on the Asian side (a ferry ride from the European center), is the tourism board's pick for cafes, breakfast places, casual restaurants and bars, with Yeldegirmeni the cafe-heavy quarter and Moda the more established end.

For a cheap reliable meal, the esnaf lokantasi (tradesmen's canteen): you pick from a buffet-style menu and pay a fixed price per plate; bread is usually free and there is no service fee (per GoTurkiye).

The Spice Bazaar in Eminonu is the food-shopping stop: spices, lokum (Turkish delight), teas, cheese, olives, coffee. Vendors offer tastings and haggling is expected.

  1. GoTurkiye (official Turkish tourism board), Istanbul street food · checked 2026-08-18
  2. GoTurkiye, Kadikoy guide · checked 2026-08-18
  3. GoTurkiye, Turkish cuisine (lokanta pricing and service) · checked 2026-08-18
  4. GoTurkiye, Spice Bazaar · checked 2026-08-18

The rest of Istanbul

The whole guide
Getting out of the airportMetered taxis run 24 hours from the arrivals floor, the airport metro station is inside the terminal, and the city publishes every fare on the line.Ride-hailingiTaksi is the city council's own app, it dispatches taxis registered to the system, and the only pickup points the airport publishes are the taxi ranks.Local laws that catch crew outCarry photo ID at all times, keep opinions about Turkey off your phone, and treat antiquities and cheap spirits as the two quiet ways to ruin a trip.Staying connectedA handset brought from abroad works on a Turkish network for 120 days from your date of entry, then the regulator cuts it off unless the device is registered.WeatherMild marine climate: warm dry summers (~25C), cool wet winters (~7C) with occasional snow; December is the wettest month.What to buyGrand Bazaar for jewelry, carpets and leather (haggle, always), Spice Bazaar for edibles; VAT refund at Tax Free shops, claimed at IST or SAW before departure.TippingNot obligatory but appreciated; around 10-15% in restaurants, round up taxis, and tip in cash since cards usually cannot carry the tip.