Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

KEBAP€ ANATOLIAN € served with meals are a nice touch (the first pot is free, subsequent pots are charged). Toppings are mostly standard – the sucuklu-peynirli (sausage and cheese) option is particularly tasty – but there’s also an unusual bafra pidesi (rolled-up pide, ₺ 18) and a kapalı kavurmalı pide (roasted meat calzone, ₺ 20). It’s best for lunch; no alcohol. o BEREKET DÖNER ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Hacı Kadın Caddesi, cnr Tavanlı Çeşme Sokak, Küçük Pazar; döner sandwich from ₺ 3.50; h 11am-8pm Mon-Sat; m Haliç) The best döner ekmek (sandwich) in the district – maybe even the city – can be found at this local eatery in the run-down Küçük Pazar shopping strip between Eminönü and Atatürk Bulvarı. Definitely worth the trek. SIIRT ŞEREF BÜRYAN KEBAP ( % 0212-635 8085; http://serefburyan.org; Itfaye Caddesi 4, Kadınlar Pazarı, Fatih; büryan ₺ 15, perde pilavi ₺ 15, kebaps ₺ 13-32; h 9.30am-10pm Sep-May, till midnight Jun-Aug; pac ; m Vezneciler) Those who enjoy investigating regional cuisines should head to this four-storey eatery in the Women’s Bazaar near the Aqueduct of Valens. It specialises in two dishes that are a speciality of the southeastern city of Siirt: büryan (lamb slow-cooked in a pit) and perde pilavi (chicken and rice cooked in pastry). Both are totally delicious. The büryan here is cooked in pits at the rear of the restaurant and is meltingly tender. It’s served on flat bread with crispy bits of lamb fat and a dusting of salt. Perde pilavi is made with rice, chicken, almonds and currants that are encased in a thin pastry shell and then baked until the exterior turns golden and flaky. Order either with a glass of frothy homemade ayran (salty yogurt drink) and you’ll be happy indeed. Note that on weekends the food tends to run out by 9pm. No alcohol.

KURU FASÜLYECI ERZINCANLI ALI BABA

TURKISH€