Kadıköy is a neighborhood that will steal your heart with its lively entertainment life, as well as beautiful venues for food. Kadıköy has been called one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world because it offers such an array of different tastes and cultures to experience all at once. It isn’t easy to walk more than ten feet without finding one or two restaurants with new, exciting dishes!
With excellent breakfast spots to savory lunch options, there’s something for every kind of appetite at any time of day. From meatballs and kebabs on pita bread to delicious dishes of the world cuisine, Kadıköy restaurants offer plenty more than your average suburb! You’ll never go hungry with so many different cuisines offered within walking distance from one another.
Related content: 44 Best Turkish Foods to Try in Istanbul
You’re heading Kadıköy and want to know where the best Turkish food is? We have compiled a list of our favorite restaurants in Kadıköy for you.
Best Kadıköy Restaurants:
1. Çiya Sofrası
At this restaurant, the taste of Gaziantep (the culinary capital of Turkey) is at your fingertips. Çiya offers some tasty and authentic South Eastern dishes that are sure to please any traveler with a keen eye for local flavors. There are two Çiya restaurants next to each each other: Çiya Kebab and Çiya Sofrası.
All kinds of kebabs served at Çiya are some of the best in Istanbul. Their special lahmacun must also be tasted.
Çiya Sofrası is one of the few restaurants in Istanbul specializing in dishes from Turkey’s colorful past. Their cuisine incorporates recipes that have been largely forgotten due to modernization and an influx of international influences.
This modest 3-story restaurant has a rooftop patio overlooking the beautiful Kadıköy Market. Çiya Sofrası is one of those places that you’ll undoubtedly come back to again and again because it will leave an impression on your taste buds for years to come!
On our Taste of Two Continents food tour, we visit Çiya Sofrası for a delicious multi-course tasting menu.
Related content: 9 Best Istanbul Restaurants on the Bosphorus
Location of Çiya Sofrası:
2. Pidesun
One of the best restaurants in Kadıköy is Pidesun. This restaurant opened its doors in 2004 and has been serving Samsun Pide ever since. They pride themselves on using ingredients locally sourced from Samsun, and the staff, not to mention is all from Samsun or the Black Sea coast of Turkey. Their name has nothing to do with the summer sun; it is Pidesun instead of Samsun :)
Pide is a Turkish-style of pizza with a different shape than most pizzas and without tomato sauce. One of their most popular pide is “Pastırmalı Kaşarlı Açık Pide”. Pastırma is a cured beef, which can be heavy for those not accustomed to spicier food.
The locals know that when they want to eat some good pide, the best place in Kadıköy is Pidesun. The service offered at the restaurants is of a very high standard and quality.
Pidesun also offers manti, soup, pizza, salads, and a variety of traditional Turkish drinks.
Related content: The 10 Best Traditional Turkish Drinks
Location of Pidesun:
3. Kadı Nimet Restaurant
Kadı Nimet is an excellent fish restaurant with a fish market out in the front, located in the Kadıköy market. They have extensive seafood and meze options, as well as a fish display that you can order from.
The restaurant features a terrace with an incredible view. Particularly the mackerel here is magnificent. Among the popular appetizers, eggplant salad, fava, stuffed sea bass, and cheese paste are fascinating. Do not forget to order a glass of Turkish rakı to enjoy it with your meze and fish.
Related content: Turkish Rakı | Complete Guide for Beginners
Location of Kadı Nimet Balıkçılık:
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4. Yanyalı Fehmi Lokantası
If you’re looking to visit a restaurant full of authentic Turkish cuisine, then Yanyalı Fehmi is the place for you. Located in Kadıköy market, this restaurant has been around since 1919 and serves some of the best food on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Yanya Meatball is one of the most popular dishes at this restaurant. Specially prepared meatballs wrapped by thin slices of eggplant and then baked with tomatoes.
Their menu is vast; they serve a variety of soups, meat dishes, fish and seafood, stews, grills, pastries, vegetable dishes, and of course, a great selection of desserts.
Related content: The 10 Oldest Restaurants in Istanbul
Location of Yanyalı Fehmi Lokantası:
5. Cibalikapı Balıkçısı Moda
One of the best restaurants in Kadıköy is Cipalikapı Moda which is a seafood restaurant. This restaurant offers you the chance to enjoy the old Turkish tavern atmosphere with a modern twist. It has an earthy interior design. The wooden floor, building, and furniture offer a warm texture that is both fresh and clean.
Cibalikapı is a restaurant that prepares different cold and hot appetizers, preferring to offer just a small number of fresh and seasonal fish rather than having a huge menu.
Related content: 12 Absolute Best Seafood Restaurants in Istanbul
Location of Cibalikapı Balıkçısı Moda:
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6. Rexx Kokoreç
This little restaurant is one of the most famous kokoreç and mussel sellers in Istanbul. The inviting smell will draw you to its location, but be aware – this place gets crowded with locals who come for their daily dose of delicious food, especially after a long night out.
Turkish people are known for their love of offal, and a typical dish is kokoreç. It is a grilled lamb intestines sandwich and perfect hangover food. The restaurant has five tables inside and a few benches outside. There are many clubs and bars near Rexx, and this place is bustling at the weekends.
Apart from kokoreç, they also serve stuffed mussels and sucuk sandwiches.
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Related content: 11 Foods to Challenge Your Eyes & Tastebuds: Offal Dishes in Turkey
Location of Rexx Kokoreç:
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7. Ekspres Inegöl Köftecisi
Meatballs are big in Turkey, and Ekspres Inegöl Köftecisi is one of the few restaurants in Istanbul with a meatball-only menu. When you want a new taste of mouth-watering Turkish meatballs, these guys are the ones to go to.
The menu also includes homemade fried potatoes, piyaz (beans and onion salad), and a Kemalpaşa dessert for your sweet tooth.
Related content: 11 Best Baklava in Istanbul
Location of Ekspres Inegöl Köftecisi:
8. Küff Yeldeğirmeni
Kadıköy is the meeting point of the young population on the Asian side of Istanbul. Unlike the older generation, Millenials and Gen-Z are also interested in other cuisines besides traditional Turkish food.
This is why Küff Yeldeğirmeni is one of the best restaurants in Kadıköy among the young locals; it offers some world classics as well as Turkish food.
They serve Croque Madame, Mexican chicken, burritos, quesadilla, Cuban sandwiches along with Turkish breakfast, pizzas, and burgers.
Related content: The 10 Best & Soul-Warming Soup Restaurants in Istanbul
Location of Küff Yeldeğirmeni:
9. Kebapçı İskender
A tasty Turkish delicacy, the Iskender kebab is a dish that will leave you wanting more. The recipe for this delicious doner dish has been traced back to Bursa in Turkey – it’s even said to be an invention from Kebabci Iskender, one of its first-ever creators and founder of this restaurant.
There are a number of variations on the doner kebab, but all of them have one thing in common: the quality of the red meat. Iskender kebab is no different – it just requires high-quality beef and lamb and cooking over charcoal to get that signature crusty goodness for which this dish has become famous. This is what Kebabci Iskender has been doing right since 1867.
On our Taste of Two Continents food tour, our guests often mention that one of their favorite restaurants is Kebabci Iskender.
Related content: The 8 Best Döner Kebab in Istanbul
Related content: 20 Best Turkish Kebabs You Can Try in Istanbul
Location of Kebapçı İskender:
10. Borsam Taşfırın Tarihi Çarşı
This is one of the best restaurants in Kadıköy to enjoy a crispy lahmacun. Their lahmacun is prepared from a mixture of carefully selected and hand-minced lamb, parsley, the most delicious tomatoes, and specially blended spices.
When quality meat, fresh vegetables, and spices from Urfa are cooked together in a wood-fired oven, the result is one of the best lahmacun in Istanbul.
Order a lahmacun and eat it as you walk through the colorful Kadikoy market. Borsam Taşfırın also has tables on the street that will allow you to enjoy your meal while surrounded by this bustling neighborhood’s colors, smells, and sounds of everyday life.
Related content: The 6 Best Lahmacun in Istanbul
Location of Borsam Taşfırın:
Final words
Kadikoy is an excellent destination for foodies and culture buffs alike. From the bustling streets to the old-world Turkish cafes, you’ll find something that will satisfy your palate every day of the week! Whether you want to explore new flavors or enjoy some tasty street meat with friends on your lunch break, there are plenty of options available in this Istanbul neighborhood. We hope we could help narrow down your search for Kadikoy restaurants and get you excited about coming back soon.
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