A GUIDE TO EATING IN KADIKOY

"East meets West, who does it best?"​

Spreading across the sea to Asia from Europe, the city holds true to the treasures of both sides. The European side is packed with sightseeing and frantic shopping streets, the Asian side is a more crammed, local place filled with tiny shops, markets, tea stalls, restaurants, and of course bars. 

​Whether you live on one side and visit the other, or spend the first few days seeing all the “sights” in Sultanahmet and Beyoglu/Taksim, definitely spare at least 1-2 days (or weeks) to head over to Kadikoy and eat your heart out. The food is simply sublime.
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The Turks do the same as every culture, they have their highs and lows, and of course, their comfort foods. Nobody said beans on toast or bangers and mash was a culinary delight but many a chef in England gets hankerings for it now and then. The same goes for every culture. Apart from the fact they seem to love eating plain rice with chickpeas on top, the thing that surprised me the most the first time I visited Turkey was the lack of “sauce or toppings” on the Kebabs. It's generally bread, meat, tomatoes (sometimes onions, sumac, blistered chillis). That's it. The emphasis is on the quality of the bread and the meat. So don’t come expecting lashings of garlic or chilli sauce on your kebabs because they don’t even have them anywhere. Focus on the meat and the bread and you’ll have a whale of a time.

Places to eat

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​CIYA SOFRASI

​The last time I visited Chef Musa Dagdeviren personally recommended 4 dishes, it was one of the best meals of my life.

Caferağa, Güneşli Bahçe Sok, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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MUJGAN YELDEGIRMENI

They don't do breakfast like this in many places. Head there early because this place has limited seating and gets completely packed with hungry locals.

Rasimpaşa, Duatepe Sk. No: 53 D:1A, 34716 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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YANYALI FEMI

This place has apparently been here for eons, and is third generation Greek. The food is insanely delicious, I almost passed out. The lentil soup is sublime, the moussaka is one of the best I have tried in my life, as is their Kofte wrapped in eggplant and served with a delicious, rich, aubergine puree made with cheese, milk and flour. 

Osmanağa, Güneşli Bahçe Sok No:1, 34714 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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​HALIL LAHMACUN

In my opinion the best Lahmacun in Istanbul! Supremely cooked Turkish pizza with the flakiest, crispy base and simple, delicious toppings. Add a good squeeze of fresh lemon first (so you can see if any pips need to be discarded), throw a mound of parsley in the middle, some sumac or chilli, and roll it like a Cuban cigar.

Caferağa, Güneşli Bahçe Sk. No:26, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey​

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​DURUMCU EMMI

You come here for the Adana Kebab plate, you leave with a huge freaking smile on your face.

Hasanpaşa, Mahmut Baba Sk. 11/1, 34722 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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​KIMYON

Widely regarded by many as being the best soup in town, after sampling it this afternoon i’d be hard pressed to disagree. 

Caferağa, Kadife Sk. No:17 D:C, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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BUTME EVI

Freshly prepared Gozleme to die for. Handrolled, filled and cooked by the ladies in the window.

Caferağa, Sarraf Ali Sk. No 16 /A, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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​TATAR SALIM

The best Doner in Istanbul? The locals seem to think so, and who am I to argue. Legendary meat.

Caferağa, İmamata Sk. No:7 D:3, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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BANKO BURGER

Opened by a local top chef, this ultra trendy spot is already becoming a house-hold name. The place was packed when I went there and the burgers live up to the hype. 

Caddebostan, Ethem Efendi Cd. No:3, 34728 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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​BASTA STREETFOOD

For the sake of posterity i'll throw this in, mainly because the food here is good, but also because I need a bit of "hipster cred". This is an upscale Turkish street food place, but they don't make it seem wanky and snobby. The food is delicious and they have a slim outside seating area which is perfect for people watching.

Caferağa, Sakız Sk. No:1, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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Cafe's, Bars & Curiosities

​Baris Manco Museum

If you haven't had your head up your ass your entire life, you should know what this man has done for the music scene in Turkey. 

​Caferağa, Yusuf Kamil Paşa Sk. No:5, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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​Stereogun

A bar that has posters of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Stereolab on it’s wall has to be my number 1 choice. Tucked on the 2nd floor of a building on Kadife Sokak, this bar is rather Berlin-Brooklyn vibe with its painted brick and thrift store furniture, but you’d be hard pressed to find a better place for music in Istanbul. 

Caferağa, Kadife Sk. No:10 D:3, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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​Karga Bar

Literally 2 buildings down from Stereogun (or up if you’re walking in from Moda) this bar has no sign, it’s just a case of having faith and opening the small door on the street level. The bar itself is spread over 3 floors with the DJ booth downstairs and the outside smoking area.

Caferağa, Kadife Sk. No:16, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey​

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​Revolte Bar

A rowdy spot with a great circular bar in the middle where you can sit and hob nob with your nearest neighbour or friend, usually plays decent soul or jazz music, clouds of cigarette smoke belt out from all over tho so bring goggles and a long snorkel. 

Caferağa, Arayıcıbaşı Sk., 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul, Turkey

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All these recommendations are just personal opinions and things change, chefs get fired, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of salt and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.