• I fully understand the trepidation behind eating street food, especially if street SEAFOOD is involved. But the mussels in Istanbul are not to be missed. Vendors stand behind giant pans of stuffed mussels all over the sidestreets of Istiklal, where a snack after bar-crawling is most appreciated. The mussel shells are filled with a spiced rice and pinenuts mixture. Delicious and only 300-400 kurus each. The "fish street" of Beyoğlu, Balik Pazari, has stalls with limited seating which may appear safer than the lone vendors. These mini-restaurants also sell 3 fried mussels for 1YTL, either served on a stick or in a hot-dog bun with a garlicky sauce. Golden Horn, second on the left when you enter Balik Pazari, is very good.

• Lahmacun is a mouthwatering treat. A rough circle of dough rolled very thin, spread with a layer of lamb, tomato sauce and spices, baked crispy. When I traveled on a stricter budget last year, I discovered lahmacun made the ultimate bargain meal, often 2YTL or less.

This time we had it as our first meal; while we waited for our boys who had missed their flight, we found a lahmacun spot near the hotel to tide us over. The waiter demonstrated putting parsley/tomatoes on top, squeezing lemon juice over it and rolling it up (hey, we're all buddies here...I guess). As we wolfed down the delicious food seated at a Snoopy-decorated table (Snoopy figured big at this restaurant), the all-male staff gathered around in curiosity and barraged us with questions. It's also been my last meal twice—at the airport. Even at the airport it's good and reasonably priced. Highly recommended, no matter where you go.

• Kumpir is basically the weirdest baked potato I've ever tasted. The locals adore it—on my last visit my host's girlfriend begged me to try it when I visited Ortaköy. Giant potatoes are pulled from steaming trays, their insides filled with butter and cream and then whipped into a beautiful yellow mound. Then toppings are piled on. But no bacon, cheese or broccoli here—option include couscous, carrots, beets, hot dogs, corn, olives, pickles, potato salad (potato on potato, anyone?), mayonnaise & ketchup...I really don't know what all the options are but they're quite...colorful. One try was enough for me last year, but Kip and Rubina happened to love it.

• Boreks are great for a filling breakfast or a light snack whenever! Last year I had a favorite place in Cihangir, near my host's home. Always received a large smile when I went for breakfast, always marveled over the delicious flaky savory pastries. This time we visited a place near the New Mosque, about an 8-minute walk from Hotel Askoç, called Hafiz Mustafa. Incredibly friendly staff as usual, and as usual intrigued by our multiracial group hanging around in places most tourists weren't. Boreks are priced by the kilo, and choices are cheese, meat, spinach or combination of all. One of our guidebooks claimed it was the best in the city, but I wouldn't say it was better than my old place on Siraselviler Street.

• Street vendors are everywhere. Vendors hawk freshly-roasted chestnuts and corn on the cob near the New Mosque. Just-caught fish is fried and sold in sandwiches near the Galata Bridge. Large sandwich carts with all the deli fixings can be seen in Beyoğlu, and the ubiquitous "Turkish fast food," simit is everywhere. Looking like a cross between a pretzel and a bagel, it never really appealed to me—two trips to Istanbul and I still haven't tried it.

* Definitely take advantage of the fresh juices! The best (and priciest) is pomegranate, or nar. It's topped up with orange juice, but hey, it comes from fresh-squeezed oranges, only costs 4YTL and tastes so much more delicious than a $4.50 bottle of POM, which comes from concentrate.

• April was dying to try salep as a drink, which was noted in our guidebooks as a winter drink. Well, it was damn cold in March so she was constantly on the lookout. The first place we tried was Pudding Shop in Sultanahmet (Divanyolu Street), which was also the best. Salep is basically hot milk with sugar and cinnamon, but the added salep powder makes it delightfully gooey. We tried it a couple more times but no other place matched the texture of Pudding Shop's version. Expect to pay around 3YTL, but it's worthwhile.

<   previous      •      next   >