Istanbul is a vibrant, dynamic city with so much to offer. It seems like every street corner has another restaurant offering up some fantastic food. What’s not to love?
The only problem is that there are just too many restaurants and it can be hard to find the best ones! That’s where we come in. This blog post will cover 8 of the absolute best pide in Istanbul, complete with maps for each one!
Perfect for a quick lunch, these cheap but extremely delicious pides will be your new favorite food in Istanbul.
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What is pide?
Pide is an oval-shaped flatbread usually baked in stone ovens with various combinations of toppings or stuffings.
The Black Sea Region of Turkey (Karadeniz) is notorious for a whole host of things, including their hospitality, a range of cheese, and the secrets to making the perfect pide.
Crispy yet soft, every mouthful shall have you drooling for more. Although the pide is a cross between the typical lahmacun and the Italian pizza, this delicacy may you feeling that leave American-style pizzas can’t quite hit your tastebuds the way they used to.
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Best Pide Places in Istanbul:
1. Pide Ban
Way away from the touristic center of Istanbul, this is a local favorite for the taste of their pide. People have their hearts set on Pide Ban, which is regarded to be the best pide in Istanbul by many.
From pide to traditional, regional dishes, this spot has been delighting carb-fans, coeliacs, carnivores, vegetarians for decades. If you do choose to visit, try taking a companion. The nostalgic vibe is so charming that it’ll be a muse for your next creative project.
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Location of Pide Ban:
2. Nizam Pide
There’s a traditional, home-like vibe in both branches of this eatery in Beyoğlu. Founded by Nizamettin Kızılkaya in the 70s, this is a rare spot with both the traditional pides and the chef’s creative flair.
Kızılkaya is in the process of training the future generation, so who knows what kind of flavors will arise in this kitchen in the coming generations.
Nizam Pide also prides itself on its inspired approach to sütlaç with choices that contain Turkish delights, dried fruits, nuts, ice-cream, and even fresh fruit! If you visit Nizam Pide, do not leave tasting this rice pudding delight called “atom.”
Their pides are also perfect for vegetarians with their vegetable and cheese options.
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Location of Nizam Pide:
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3. Fatih Karadeniz Pidecisi İbrahim Usta
Ibrahim Usta opened his doors when the year rocker Dave Grohl, actor Morris Chestnut, and America’s sweetheart Jennifer Aniston was born.
At Fatih Karadeniz Pidecisi, you can taste the freshest of fresh ingredients, meticulously blended by the hands of a master before being baked to perfection in the traditional oven.
All the ingredients are carefully sourced from the farm to the oven to provide the burst of flavor that each dish promises. Vegetarians can breathe a sigh of relief as the enticing green spinach version may call out to them.
The passionate Ibrahim Usta (chef), the artisanal approach, and the traditional vibes at Fatih Karadeniz Pidecisi is a rare combination.
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Location of Fatih Karadeniz Pidecisi İbrahim Usta:
4. Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi
A stone’s throw away from the Spice Market, this authentic spot has a historical vibe to it. You may wish to sit outside if you can’t take your eyes away from the stunning architecture.
When you visit, you’ll understand why this restaurant has been standing since 1964 and why they have a certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor.
The extremely gracious usta is a wonderful host. It’s a treat to watch him cook in his wood fire fuelled turquoise grotto.
Related content: 10 Istanbul Meze Restaurants You Will Remember a Lifetime
Location of Tarihi Hocapaşa Pidecisi:
5. Karadeniz Tadal Pide Salonu
From the outside in, this place is decorated in such a way that you’ll feel like you’re in the Black Sea Region. You can order a soup as a starter, a salad as an accompaniment, and a dessert for right after. They do have 2-3 non-pide options, but the pide is the star of the show here.
If cleanliness is important to you, you have a view of the kitchen. If watching things burn is your thing, you can watch the fire dance its way towards the dishes, getting close enough to caramelize the pide bread but not close enough to ruin it.
Transport yourself to the beautiful region of the Black Sea here.
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Location of Karadeniz Tadal Pide Salonu:
Related things to do
6. Lider Pide
The blue architecture has such a wonderful Mediterranean vibe that you can’t help feeling jolly as soon as you walk in.
The menu is minimalistic, and you can choose pide from cheese, two different types of meat, or mixed. You can also throw in an egg if you want to amp up the protein.
A champion amongst pide makers, this place even makes a calzone type. For years to come, you may be telling the story of the delicious pide you tasted at this quaint spot.
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Location of Lider Pide:
Related things to do
7. Güvenç Konyalı
Konya is known for its expertise in combining bread with meat to unlock a level of flavor that is still a mystery to the rest of Turkey. Güvenç Konyalı is home to Konya cuisine in Istanbul and makes one of the best etli ekmek (etli ekmek is very similar to pide but the crust is longer, thinner and crispier)
The handsome owner and usta Hüseyin Güvenç have been featured on many Youtube shows and newspaper articles – not for his looks but for the taste he has crafted in his specialist restaurant.
If you do order the classic etli ekmek, you’ll find it to be superbly long at about 1-1.5 meters (39-60inches). Fortunately, the chef will slice it into smaller pieces that’ll fit in your mouth.
You may wish to check out some of the videos on Youtube. There’s something oddly satisfying about watching the various types of bread being shoved into an incredibly long oven and then pulled out with a paddle. Watching the cream-colored dough metamorphoses into a crispy, golden dish in a vivid blue oven is a sight to behold.
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Location of Güvenç Konyalı:
8. Çınar Karadeniz Pide Salonu
Looking like a humble Ottoman eatery from the outside, this place has a menu that’ll leave a foodie stumped. The Turkish/English menu hosts such tantalizing images of each dish that you’ll be stuck picking between the soups, let alone the main dishes. You can choose to eat outside, in the stone-paved streets, to lose yourself in the rhythm of the city.
The frothy ayran (yogurt drink) nicely complements the sucuklu (spicy dried sausage) pide. Once you try pides at Çınar Karadeniz Pide Salonu, you may end up looking down on all pepperoni pizzas. The owners are so jovial that they might even remind you of Santa. This place will make you feel like you’ve stumbled across an old friend’s new restaurant.
Related content: Istanbul’s Top 8 Doner Kebab Places: A Complete Guide w/ Maps
Location of Çınar Karadeniz Pide Salonu:
Final words
The best pide restaurants in Istanbul are waiting for you to visit them. We have compiled a list of the most popular places and given some background on what makes these pide establishments so delicious.
If your mouth is watering just reading this article, we recommend booking our food tour that includes tasting all kinds of Turkish foods and one of the best pide in Istanbul!
You can’t go wrong with any choice from this list if you are after a tasty pide; but if you want the chance to try a wider variety and more delicious traditional Turkish foods, consider booking one of our food tours here.
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