Mine's Note about Traditional Turkish Cuisine Restaurants If you hear "Traditional Turkish Cuisine", you may automatically think that it is "Shish-kebab" or "Doner Kebab"...However, Turkish Cuisine does not only consist of kebabs and they are considered a different category. Traditional Cuisine is the dishes which are actually cooked and eaten in a typical Turkish family's house. A typical dinner of a Turkish family is usually had at 7-8 pm after all the members of the family return back home. The mother cooks the food, the daughters(sisters) usually make up the table, bring the tablecloth, plates, the silverware, fresh, sliced Turkish bread, freshly prepared shepherd's salad, and after the father, or grandfather and grandmother sit down, the food is brought to the table.
After having the soups, another appetizer is the Mevsim Salatasi(Season's salad) or Coban Salata(Shepherd's Salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper and onions are sliced into small pieces). The usual dressing for the salad is lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Then comes the main meal. The main meal always includes meat, it can be fresh season vegetables cooked with lamb or veal or only meat cooked with onions and tomato paste. Onion and tomato paste are two indispensable elements in Turkish Cuisine. The most common meals are Karniyarik(eggplant stuffed with tomatoes, ground meat and onions), Dolma(stuffed green pepper, tomatoes, zucchini, vine leaves with ground(minced) meat, rice and ground onions) and Turlu(several season's vegetables sliced cubicly and cooked with either ground meat, lamb or sliced veal, onions and tomato paste. These dishes are usually accompanied by Pilav(rice cooked with either chicken or meat juice and butter added after cooking). Sometimes, they have Manti(Turkish Ravioli) instead of pilav. During hot summers, Turkish Cuisine also includes vegetables cooked in olive oil, like Zeytinyagli Yesil Fasulye(string beans cooked in olive oil, served cold, it's good to wait overnight after cooking), Zeytinyagli Barbunya(white or red beans cooked in olive oil, the same technique applies). Beans are quite popular in Turkish Cuisine. Tursu(pickles) is often consumed by Turkish families as well. After finishing the food, it is popular to have fresh season fruits because they are so abundant and delicious(and healthy after eating this huge meal!!!). There are some families who prefer to have desserts like Baklava, Revani(with honey and flour) or Sutlac(rice pudding). After the dessert, the meal is finalized with Turkish tea or Turkish coffee. So, when you hear Turkish Cuisine, it is not simply Kebab, you know it from now on!!! Recommended Traditional Turkish Restaurants in Istanbul Restaurants in the Old City * - Up to 10 YTL per person for full-course meal. **-10-25 YTL. per person full-course meal. ***-25-55 YTL per person full-course meal. ****-55-85 YTL per person full-course meal. Daruzziyafe(**) Sifahane Cad.Suleymaniye Tel:0-212-5118414 Right next to Suleiman's Mosque, a cozy traditional Turkish Cuisine Restaurant. Konyali(***) Topkapi Palace Tel:0-212-513-9696 Located in the fourth courtyard of Topkapi Palace, a little bit touristy but good food and gorgeous view. Closed on Tuesdays and no dinner is served. A cafeteria is also available. Pandeli(***) Spice Market Tel:0-212-638-1370 A very old restaurant with excellent dishes. No dinner. Closed on Sundays. Subasi(**) Nuruosmaniye Cad. 48 Carsikapi (Grand Bazaar) Tel:0-212-522-4762 Local shop owners and tourists fill the restaurant, excellent savoury dishes. Closed on Sundays. Pudding Shop(*) Divanyolu Cad.No:6 Tel:0-212-522-2970 A 44-year old restaurant which is popular among the tourists, cozy and friendly service, air conditioned, self-service. Restaurants on the Bosphorus(with the Bosphorus view) Tugra(****) Hotel Ciragan Palace Kempinsky- Ortakoy Tel:0-212-258-3377 With classical Turkish music, excellent examples of Turkish Cuisine, gorgeous view and great ambience. Malta Pavillion(**) Yildiz Park Ortakoy Great view of Bosphorus, good food, cozy atmosphere, friendly service. No alcoholic beverages. Sark Sofrasi(****) Swiss Hotel Bosphorus Tel:0-212-259-0101 Wonderful food, wonderful view, good service, very elegant restaurant. Restaurants in Taksim- Beyoglu Area (new city) Hacibaba(**) Istiklal Cad. 48 Taksim Tel:0-212-244-1886 A very old and authentic Turkish Cuisine Restaurant. Service is a little slow but food is good quality. Haci Abdullah(**) Sakizagaci Ad. No:17 Taksim Tel:0-212-293-8561 Founded in 1876, the oldest licensed restaurant in Turkey. Everyday there are 125 different dishes come out of their kitchen. Strongly recommended. Sofra of London (***) Hotel Cartoon - Tarlabasi(near Taksim) The Turkish founder and chief of the restaurant who first started in London decided to bring his tastes to Istanbul and he is very successful. Good ambience, good food and very good service. Restaurants on the Asian Side Ciya (**) Balik Pazari Caferaga Mah. Guneslibahce Sok. No:44 Kadikoy Tel: 0-216-330-3190
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The
most common starter is soup(Corba). There are several nutricious soups, like Tarhana
Corbasi( prepared with green pepper,tomatoes, tomato paste, onions,
flour,yoghurt and dried mint), Yayla Corbasi(rice,
yoghurt, eggs, flour,dried mint, butter and red pepper sauce on top) or Mercimek
Corbasi(red lentils,onions, tomato paste cooked and filtered).