Cheap Eats in Istanbul: 10 Street Foods and 8 Budget Restaurants
Ten cheap street eats, from balık ekmek in Eminönü to simit carts, plus eight budget restaurants in Beyoğlu and Fatih where the cooking outruns the bill.
Eating cheap in Istanbul does not mean eating worse. The same city that sells white-tablecloth seafood also hands you a grilled fish sandwich by the water, a chicken döner wrap on any corner, and a tray-service lokanta lunch that costs a fraction of a restaurant dinner. Plenty of the best food in Istanbul comes off a street cart or a steam table.
Known internationally as the city of kebabs and lahmacun, Istanbul runs on cheap eats: seafood, vegetables, meat, and grains, all at prices that leave room for souvenirs. If you love street food or your wallet is looking thin, these are the traditional Turkish foods you will still recall fondly in 20 years.
Beneath the street food list, you will find eight budget restaurants where the flavor far outweighs the bill.
10 Best Cheap Eats in Istanbul
1. Balık ekmek - in Eminönü (Fish sandwich)
Sweet memories are made of these humble sandwiches. Sold right in the center of the touristic attractions on the European side, a balık ekmek consists of grilled fish, a hint of raw onion, and green herbs in a bread roll. Even people who claim to hate seafood end up craving the taste, the sights, and the experience of eating fish by the sea.
2. Çiğ köfte - all around Istanbul (Bulgur meatballs)
Vegan and vegetarian friendly, these “meatballs” contain no meat in the fast-food version. Made with bulgur, çiğ köfte is usually eaten with crispy lettuce and sweet yet sour pomegranate molasses. Sweet, sour, savory, spicy, crunchy, soft. Few cheap foods hit this many notes at once.
You can find tiny çiğ köfte shops in all corners of Istanbul. This is one of the most popular cheap street foods in the city; just look for the name on restaurant windows and signs.
3. Lahmacun - all around Istanbul (Turkish pizza)
Lahmacun has been exported around the world. Think of a spiced, meat-topped cousin of Italian pizza with a thin, crunchy crust and no cheese. Add finely chopped onions, tomatoes, and parsley, and you have a flatbread that earns its reputation.
Lahmacun is sold at most kebab shops and pide shops in Istanbul. There are also many places that cook nothing else.
4. Kumpir - in Ortaköy (Jacket potato)
More colorful than a hot dog, with more flavors and textures than a pizza, the Turkish take on the jacket potato is its own thing. It starts with enormous baked potatoes. Sliced open, you are encouraged to pile in as many fillings as the vendor can fit.
Ortaköy is famous for its many kumpir shops, but don’t be surprised if you stumble on one as you wander other streets of Istanbul.
5. Pide - all around Istanbul (A different kind of Turkish pizza)
Each place has its own variety of this flatbread. Some shops go for more colorful versions, some pack in as many flavors as possible, and some play with texture. It delivers the same skilled oven work as an artisanal pizza for a fraction of the price.
Some pides cost more than others. Skip pastırmalı (cured beef), sucuklu (dried beef), and kavurmalı (canned meat) pide if you want to end the day with money still in your pocket.
6. Tavuk Döner Dürüm - all around Istanbul (Chicken döner wrap)
Some versions of this wrap come more loaded than others, but every one packs a serious protein punch. Bodybuilders after a quick meal, and anyone who feels hungry every two seconds, will find it filling and satisfying.
You can’t walk more than five minutes in Istanbul without passing a shop selling chicken döner kebab.
7. Haşlanmış ve Közde Mısır - touristy, crowded and seaside parts of Istanbul (Boiled and grilled sweetcorn)
It is hard to say whether the boiled version is a meal or a dessert. The grilled version has a barbecue character that satisfies vegans and carnivores alike.
This may be the plainest food on this list, but it is also one of the cheapest. Peddlers sell it from mobile carts in touristy, crowded areas.
8. Simit, Açma and Börek - all around Istanbul (Turkish bagel and pastry)
Every patisserie has its own version of these, and workers across the city live on them. The simit is a sesame-crusted bread ring baked until deep gold, typically eaten with blood-red Turkish tea.
Açma is a soft, brioche-like bagel sold sweet or savory.
Börek is a savory stuffed pastry, lighter and fluffier than a pasty or a pie. The fillings tend to be conventional, yet there are hundreds of different börek types.
All three are sold at bakeries, pastry shops, and street carts around Istanbul.
9. Tavuk Pilav - all around Istanbul (Chicken and rice)
Far more interesting than its name suggests, this creamy, buttery rice melts in your mouth. Some sellers add chickpeas; others mix in a colorful range of extras.
Street peddlers and sit-down restaurants both serve this cheap, filling dish.
10. Halka Tatlısı and Tulumba - all around Istanbul (The ring dessert)
Shaped like a bagel, these are the Turkish answer to churros. Street peddlers sell them, and you can also find them at most dessert shops and some cake shops. They rank among the cheapest Turkish desserts.
8 Best Budget Restaurants in Istanbul
Every restaurant below sits in Beyoğlu or Fatih, which puts all eight within reach of the main sights on foot.
| Restaurant | Known for | Neighborhood |
|---|---|---|
| Balkan Lokantası | Tray-service spread of dishes from all over Turkey | Beyoğlu |
| Dürümzade | Kebab wraps, including a liver dürüm | Beyoğlu |
| Şeyhmuz Kebap Salonu | Kebab at fast-food prices | Fatih |
| Palukçu Balık Lokantası | Fresh seafood with prices printed on the menu | Fatih |
| Erzincanlı Ali Baba | Beans and rice with a Süleymaniye Mosque view | Fatih |
| Lades Menemen | Menemen and Turkish breakfast | Beyoğlu |
| Fahri Usta | Rice, beans, and stews near the Grand Bazaar | Fatih |
| Fıccın | Circassian home cooking on Kallavi Sokak | Beyoğlu |
1. Balkan Lokantası
Tourist mistake number one: walking past one of the city’s best restaurants because of its plain exterior.
Behind that exterior waits a long, colorful array of main dishes and desserts, an English and Turkish menu, and a selection drawn from all around Turkey. This budget-friendly place stays as well guarded as the recipe for cola.
Grab a tray, point at whatever looks best, and eat alongside the locals. You may find Turkish dishes and meats here that never appear in fancier places. Vegans and coeliacs do especially well out of the variety, which is probably how the secret will eventually get out.
Address: Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Büyük Parmakkapı Sk. No:1, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul
2. Dürümzade
The kebab wraps here turn first-timers into repeat customers. If you hate liver, like most people, this is the restaurant that may change your mind. And if you would still rather die than try liver, the menu offers dürüm options like chicken, Adana, Urfa, and lamb kebab. Going in a group? Order the mixed grill and stuff yourselves like Christmas turkeys.
Bright red like a British telephone box, the place carries a Yeşilçam-era charm. Even if your knowledge of Turkish cinema starts and ends with the meme of the “Karate Girl” villain taking an hour to die, you will find the spot extraordinarily fashionable.
Address: Hüseyinağa, Kamer Hatun Cd. 26/A, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul
3. Şeyhmuz Kebap Salonu
Calling all carnivores, specifically those on a tight budget. Who says you need to pay high prices to taste a chef’s passion? Certainly nobody who has visited this kebab saloon, which carries a by-the-sea Mediterranean feel without losing its fast-food soul. Too good to stay a local secret, the tough-looking chefs turn out to be very agreeable, and so do their dishes.
Address: Mollafenari, Atik Alipaşa Medresesi Sokak 4/A, 34120 Fatih/İstanbul
4. Palukçu Balık Lokantası
The decoration is so cute you will either squeal or feel like you are in a boat cabin floating on the sea. The seafood is fresh and full of flavor. If you have a friend who reads Turkish, bring them along: the placemat will have you giggling with lines like “If your dad isn’t rich, it’s not your fault. If your father-in-law isn’t rich, then that’s your fault.”
This jovial, friendly restaurant suits seafood lovers, health-conscious visitors, and anyone hosting a group of friends. It is also the definition of a quirky date spot, and you are guaranteed a good time.
Address: Şehremini, Büyük Saray Meydanı Cd. No:13, 34104 Fatih/İstanbul
5. Erzincanlı Ali Baba
If you have ever loved a hearty plate of beans and rice, know that this restaurant is synonymous with that time-honored dish. Set the tempting desserts and salads aside; the view of the 16th-century Süleymaniye Mosque from the restaurant will stay with you forever. Check the name above the door before you sit down, because a rival bean restaurant trades only steps away.
Address: Süleymaniye, Prof. Sıddık Sami Onar Cd. No:11, 34116 Fatih/İstanbul
6. Lades Menemen
A popular restaurant with a historical touch, and the prices in this place are unbelievable. The decor has a classy time-traveler quality, and the service is impeccable.
Considering how seriously Turks take breakfast, it is no small thing to be famous for breakfast dishes. Menemen, the Turkish scramble of eggs, tomatoes, green peppers, and onions, is starting to catch the eye of international chefs, and earning a top-ten reputation for it is harder still. Yet this restaurant has won over its guests so completely that it regularly stars in the food pages of newspapers.
Lades Menemen is so inviting that you may feel like you are at home.
Address: Katip Mustafa Çelebi, Mahallesi, Sadri Alışık Sk. 11/12 11/12 11 D:12, 34435 Beyoğlu/İstanbul
7. Fahri Usta
Almost next door to the Grand Bazaar, this cozy spot serves hearty, healthy, price-conscious food. Navigate the narrow streets and you will find a mountain of rice, colorful vegetables, succulent meat, and what may be the most delicious beans you have ever tasted.
Fahri Usta can be hard to find even with a map or a satnav. The place is so well known among locals, though, that any shopkeeper will happily point you the right way. It is also small enough, and the prices reasonable enough, that you may wait for a table or end up sharing one. That makes it a wonderful spot to meet locals and practice your Turkish.
Address: Taya Hatun, Aynacılar Sk. No:36, 34126 Fatih/İstanbul
8. Fıccın
On Kallavi Sokak, a narrow lane just off İstiklal, Fıccın has grown from a single dining room in 1996 into six storefronts along the same street. Founder Leyla Kılıç Karakaynak built it around Circassian and Anatolian home cooking, and the kitchen still turns out home-style daily dishes in the esnaf lokantası tradition that keeps Beyoğlu workers coming back.
The plate to look for is the namesake fıccın, a Circassian minced-meat pie, and reviewers consistently mention the Çerkez tavuğu (Circassian chicken) and mantı alongside it. Prices stay honest for this part of town, and the doors are open seven days a week from early morning until late evening.
Address: Kallavi Sk. No:13/1, Beyoğlu/İstanbul
Final words
When it comes to food, Istanbul is a city that is always on the go. Budget-friendly options fill every neighborhood, so you can eat well and still splurge on souvenirs or other activities. With the lira weak against the dollar and the euro, your money stretches even further.
If you would rather have a local order for you, our Istanbul street food tour covers this side of the city’s eating with an English-speaking local guide. We have run food tours in Istanbul since 2013, and groups never exceed 10 guests.
