Here are some of the types of restaurants you are likely to come
across in Istanbul and a brief description of what is on offer:
Kebapcıs traditionally specialise in
kebabs with basic side dishes of salad, yoghurt and a few desserts.
Today, many typically offer a free flatbread with dips to tear and
share, and a vast menu to choose from including soups, all kinds of
kebabs, köfte (meatballs) and pide (a flatbread similar to
pizza).
A lokanta focuses on hazır yemek;
pre-cooked dishes kept warm in a steam tray. They also offer sulu
yemek, ("watery food") which are hearty meat or vegetable stews.
Similarly, a çorbacı is a soup kitchen. The best lokantas - despite
their sometimes clinical appearance - are likely to deliver the
most memorable taste of Turkish cuisine. A main course in an abode
serving hazir yemek usually costs around 5TL for a vegetable dish,
8TL and up for meat.
İskembe salonus are directed at
partygoers emerging from clubs or taverns in the early hours and
open until 5 or 6 am. Their staple is tripe soup, generously laced
with garlic oil, vinegar and red pepper flakes - an effective
hangover cure.
Ev Yemekleri (home-cooked food) cafés
have become increasingly popular. Typically these are run by women
and serve good value meals more like those you'd find in a Turkish
home. Usual offerings are hazır and sulu yemek, börek (pastry
dish), dolma (stuffed vegetables) and mantı (dumplings). Many also
provide three course lunches for as little as 6TL.
The grill takes centre-stage at an
ocakbaşı, as diners' meat is prepared before their eyes. Even more
interactive are the kendin pişir kendin ye (cook and eat it
yourself) establishments, where a mangal (barbecue with coals), a
specified quantity of raw meat, plus kekik (oregano) and kimyon
(cumin) are brought to your outdoor/indoor table.
Meyhanes are Turkish taverns where
eating is barely equal to tippling. Once almost solely the preserve
of men, meyhanes are frequented by "respectable" Turkish (and
foreign) women. With a large intent to draw patrons in with the
sights and sounds of people having a good time, they can be great
fun as well as dishing up excellent food. However, there are a
large number of meyhanes which are not really suitable for foreign
couples or female travellers, so it's advisable to scope out the
tavern before making your choice. A meal in a meyhane is likely to
set you back around 25-30TL for the food alone, in addition to
drinks.
Balık Restoran (fish restaurants) are
widespread across Western Turkey, sustainable by the fish farming
industry, which produces a seemingly endless supply of sea bass and
sea bream. A meal in a glitzy fish restaurant serving wild caught
rather than farmed fish may well set you back over 100TL, without
drinks.
Many restaurants have set meals, typically containing an array
of hot and cold meze, a grilled fish main and a fruit dessert for
around 80TL - which includes as many local drinks as you
desire.
