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The back streets off Istiklal Street in Istanbul, Turkey, are filled with excellent restaurants from the local hole-in-the-wall to high-end gourmet. A lot of them are only known to locals while others are popular with tourists. This entry only includes restaurants on the back streets and not directly along Istiklal Street.
Kızılkayalar (Sıraselviler Street)
Starting from the north and heading south, there’s Kızılkayalar. Of course, there’s the famous fast food stand right at the end of Istiklal, but there’s also a sit-down version around the corner on Sıraselviler Street. The food is ok and perfect if you’re on a budget. I had lentil soup (mercimek çorbası) and pide (see below). It was too much to finish.
Melekler Dürüm Evi (İpek Street)
My favorite place for dürüm kebabs is Melekler Dürüm Evi. It’s a block off Istiklal near Agia Triada Greek Orthodox Church. At night after the bars close, there are usually no tables to be found. That’s a good sign because it means the food is excellent. With kebabs, you can choose from Urfa (not spicy) and Adana (spicy). I prefer the Adana, and I like to wash it down with a nice, cold ayran. If you’re brave, you can try the şalgam (turnip juice). Prices are reasonable.
Galaktion (Billurcu Street)
Galaktion is a Georgian restaurant with two locations. The main location on the ground level and a terrace across the street. I had lunch at the terrace one afternoon and it was excellent.
Since I was alone and I wanted to try a couple dishes, I started with the khinkali (Georgian beef dumplings) which were delicious. The star of the meal, however, was the ajapsandali (vegetarian eggplant stew). Service was great and prices are more than reasonable.
Emine Ana Tantuni (Çukurlu Çeşme Street)
Just around the corner is my favorite place for tantuni, Emine Ana Tantuni. You can also get there by walking to the end of Büyük Parmakkapı and following the road to the left. Ayşegül introduced it to me in 2010 and I quickly became a regular. I took my mom there when she visited me in 2011 and she said it was her favorite meal, even over the best restaurants we tried. It’s open 24 hours.
Tantuni comes from the Mediterranean city of Mersin. It’s spiced minced meat in flatbread. Think Turkish tacos. It’s served with a plate of parsley, lemon, and very hot peppers. You can unroll it a bit to stick in the parsley and peppers, squeeze a little lemon on it, and roll it up again. I recommend drinking an ayran with tantuni, or accompanying it with lentil soup.
Keyfeder (Çukurlu Çeşme Street)
A couple doors down is Keyfeder, which serves awesome katmer and künefe. These delicious pastries taste great washed down with a glass of milk. My favorite by far is the katmer, which they also serve stuffed with ice cream.
Hayri Usta Ocakbaşı (Çukurlu Çeşme Street)
At the corner is Hayri Usta Ocakbaşı. If you’re craving delicious meat dishes, this place is just as good as some of the high-end restaurants.
I haven’t had a bad meal at Hayri Usta. Try any of the kebabs, çiğ köfte, içli köfte, or lahmacun. Lahmacun is like a thin Turkish pizza. It’s a thin flatbread topped with minced meat and spices. You can roll it up and eat it like a wrap.
Sofram Pide Bank (Sadri Alışık Street) (Permanently Closed)
Sofram Pide Bank makes decent pide. It’s a dive, and it’s not the best pide, but I really enjoy the service I get there. Pide is another Turkish version of pizza. It’s pita bread baked with a variety of toppings to choose from, including cheese, minced meat, sucuk (sausage), vegetables, even a fried egg. If you’re walking south down Istiklal, you can get to Sofram Pide Bank by turning left at Grand Pera down Sadri Alışık Street. It’s a couple blocks down.
Şampiyon Kokoreç (Sahne Street)
There are several branches of Şampiyon Kokoreç in Istanbul, but my favorite is at the Beyoğlu Fish Market (Balık Pazarı) on Sahne Street. They have the best midye dolma (stuffed mussels). Şampiyon also has good kokoreç, which is another favorite Turkish treat, but definitely not for everyone.
You’ll see lots of guys walking around the street with trays of mussels on ice. I wouldn’t eat them off the street if I were you, but I do recommend trying them at Şampiyon Kokoreç. You can get five of them on a plate by ordering “bir porsiyon” (a portion). Squeeze some lemon on them, then use the empty shell to scoop out the stuffed part of the shell.
Coffee Brew Lab (Yeni Çarşı Street)
Walk downhill from Galatasaray High School along Yeni Çarşı Street and you’ll find Coffee Brew Lab on the lefthand side. They have a great selection of specialty coffees.
Leb-i Derya (Kumbaracı Yokuşu)
Down Kumbaracı Yokuşu is Leb-i Derya. You have to cram into a rickety old elevator to get up to the top floor of the building, but it opens up into a beautiful space.
Leb-i Derya serves excellent Turkish cuisine with a modern twist and the views are incredible. There’s a good variety of starters and it’s a great place to visit as a group.
My favorite dishes are the kebabs served on a bed of eggplant purée, the grilled octopus, and grilled calamari.
For dessert, you can’t miss the crunchy pumpkin or the pistachio halva wrapped in crispy phyllo dough. They were a big hit with our group.
Özurfa Kebap
Finally, in the hotel area of Talimhane on the north side of Taksim Square is Özurfa Kebap. Usually I try to avoid the restaurants in Talimhane, but I had just gotten off the airport bus and was looking for a quick and easy meal without the tourist treatment. I spotted Özurfa and popped in.
I had an Adana kebab and ayran. Service was friendly and attentive and the food was delicious. The price was more than reasonable. I couldn’t have been happier.