Turkey Food Tour: 4 Days Eating Through Istanbul & Gaziantep

Grilled mackerel sandwiches sold from boats moored at the Golden Horn — one of Istanbul's most iconic street foods.

Mussels stuffed with spiced rice, sold by street vendors especially around Beyoğlu and the ferry piers.

The Asian side's main food market — a good stop for cheese, olives, and local produce that locals actually buy.

A cafeteria-style tradesmen's restaurant serving daily-changing stews and vegetable dishes — a completely different register from touristic restaurants.

A traditional Turkish tavern dinner: a long sequence of small meze plates, grilled fish or meat, and rakı (an anise spirit, traditionally diluted with water).

Gaziantep is widely considered Turkey's baklava capital; several century-old baklava houses (e.g. İmam Çağdaş) are local institutions worth seeking out specifically.

Try Ali Nazik (smoked eggplant purée with garlic yogurt and lamb) or kuşbaşılı kebap — both distinctly Gaziantep dishes rarely done as well elsewhere.

Gaziantep has its own strong breakfast culture, including a hummus style distinct from the wider Levant.