Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

CHEAP EATS: THE GRAND BAZAAR Lunch is an important part of the day for the shopkeepers, artisans and porters who work in and around the Grand Bazaar. As well as providing an excuse for a break, it’s also a chance to chat with fellow workers and catch up with the local gossip. Of the hundreds of food stands in the streets and lanes in and around the bazaar, the following are our favourites. Most have a few stools for customers; a few are takeaway only. Note that when ordering döner or kokoreç in ekmek (bread), you will usually have to choose from three sizes: çeyrek (a quarter of a loaf), yarım (half a loaf) or bütün (a whole loaf). The term dürüm , which means wrapped, applies when meat is served in thin lavaş bread. Dönerci Şahin Usta ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-526 5297; www.donercisahinusta.com; Kılıççılar Sokak 9, Nuruosmaniye; döner kebap from ₺ 9; h 11am-3pm Mon-Sat; j Çemberlitaş) Ask any shopkeeper in the Grand Bazaar about who makes the best döner in the immediate area, and you will likely get the same answer: ‘Şahin Usta, of course!’ Takeaway only. Pak Pide & Pizza Salonu ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-513 7664; Paşa Camii Sokak 16, Mercan; pides ₺ 9-14; h 11am-3pm Mon-Sat; j Eminönü) Finding this worker’s pideci is an adventure in itself (it’s hidden in the steep narrow lanes behind the Büyük Valide Han), but your quest will pay off when you try the fabulous pides, which are served straight from the oven. Aynen Dürüm ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Muhafazacılar Sokak 29; dürüm kebap ₺ 9-12; h 7am-6pm Mon-Sat; j Çemberlitaş) You’ll find this perennially busy place just inside the Grand Bazaar’s Kılıççılar Kapısı (Kılıççılar Gate), near where the currency dealers ply their noisy trade. Patrons are free to doctor their choice of grilled meat (we like the chicken) with pickled cucumber, grilled and pickled green chillies, parsley, sumac and other accompaniments that are laid out on the communal bench. Dürümcü Raif Usta ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-528 4910; Küçük Yıldız Han Sokak 6, Mahmutpaşa; dürüm kebap ₺ 10-12; h 11.30am-6pm Mon-Sat; j Çemberlitaş) The assembly line of staff assisting the usta at this place attests to the excellence and popularity of its speciality: Adana and Urfa kebaps served with raw onion and parsley and wrapped in lavaş bread. Note that the Adana is spicy; Urfa isn’t. Kokoreççi Erdinç Usta ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; % 0212-514 6029; Kılıççılar Sokak 33, Nuruosmaniye; kokoreç from ₺ 5; h 9am-6pm Mon-Sat; j Çemberlitaş) Devotees of offal flock here for the kokoreç (seasoned lamb intestines stuffed with sweetbreads or other offal, seasoned with red pepper and oregano, wrapped around a skewer and grilled over charcoal). Meşhur Dönerci Hacı Osman’ın Yeri ( MAP ; Fuat Paşa Caddesi 16, Mercan; döner kebap from ₺ 4.50; h 11am-5pm Mon-Sat; j Beyazıt-Kapalı Çarşı) This döner stand occupying an elegant