Istanbul Guide

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PEREKOTYPOLE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

NEED TO KNOW Price Ranges

The following symbols indicate the average cost of a main course in the reviewed restaurant or eatery. € less than ₺20 €€ ₺20–35 €€€ more than ₺35 Opening Hours Standard opening hours for restaurants and cafes: Breakfast 7.30am to 10.30am PLAN YOUR TRIP EATING

Lunch noon to 2.30pm Dinner 6.30pm to 10pm Reservations

Turkish Delight ( lokum ; p44 ) – comes in a variety of flavours

enormous trays full of cold meze dishes that customers can choose from; hot meze dishes are usually chosen from the menu. Mezes are usually vegetable based, though seafood dishes also feature. MEAT – THE TURKISH WAY Overall, the Turks are huge meat eaters. Beef, lamb, mutton, liver and chicken are prepared in a number of ways and eaten at home, in kebapçıs (kebap restaurants) and in köftecisi (meatball restaurants). The most famous meat dish is the kebap – şiş and döner – but köfte, saç kavurma (stir-fried cubed-meat dishes) and güveç (meat and vegetable stews) are just as common. The most popular sausage in Turkey is the spicy beef sucuk . Garlicky pastırma (pressed beef preserved in spices) is regu larly used as an accompaniment to egg dishes; it’s occasionally served with warm hummus as a meze. A few İstanbul restaurants serve the central Anatolian dish of mantı (Turkish ravioli stuffed with beef mince and topped with yogurt, garlic tomato and butter). FRESH FROM THE SEA Fish is wonderful here, but can be pricey. In a balık restoran (fish restaurant), you should always choose your own fish from the display. The eyes should be clear and the flesh under the gill slits near the eyes should be bright red. After choosing, ask the approximate price. The fish will be weighed, and the price computed at the day’s per-kilogram rate. Try to avoid eating lüfer (bluefish) when the fish are small

What’s on the Menu? The local cuisine has been refined over centuries and is treated more reverently than any museum collection in the coun try. That’s not to say it’s fussy, because what differentiates Turkish food from other national noshes is its rustic and honest base. Here mezes (small tapas-like dishes) are simple, kebaps uncomplicated, salads unstructured and seafood unsauced. Flavours explode in your mouth because ingredients are grown locally and used when they are in season. MARVELLOUS MEZES Mezes aren’t just a type of dish, they’re a whole eating experience. In meyhanes (Turkish taverns), waiters heave around In restaurants, bistros and meyhanes, a 10% tip is standard if you have been satisfied with the service. There’s usually no expectation that customers will tip at cafes, lokantas, kebapçıs, köftecıs and pidecis. Friday and Saturday nights are busy at all popular restaurants. Be sure to book at least a week in advance. Alcohol Many simple eateries in İstanbul don’t serve alcohol. In our reviews, we have indicated if a place is alcohol free. Tipping