Turkiye on a Plate: What We Ate

If there’s one thing we learned in Türkiye, it’s that you don’t need a complicated food itinerary. You just need to walk until you’re hungry, follow the smell of fresh bread or sizzling meat, and accept that you’ll probably end up ordering the same thing more than once… because it’s that good.

We were mostly on half board, so we weren’t eating out for every meal, but we still managed to build a very strong little food trail along the way.

1) Pide (our unofficial personality for the trip)

We’re not exaggerating when we say we ate pide constantly. It’s warm, filling, and the kind of meal that feels comforting even when we were deep in sightseeing mode. We tried a few different versions along the way, including kıymalı (minced meat), sucuklu (spicy sausage), and kuşbaşılı (diced meat).

The standout, though, was the tahini pide at Kismet Pide. Slightly sweet, rich, and dangerously easy to finish even when we were convinced we were already full.

2) Kebabs (because we’re not animals)

Pide may have been our main obsession, but Türkiye also delivered when it came to proper sit-down plates. The classic was an Adana kebab, served with rice, fries, salad, and a huge green chilli sitting on the plate like it was just there for decoration. (It absolutely wasn’t.)

We also tried a Sirkeci kebab from Red River Istanbul, which felt like exactly the right kind of meal after a long day of walking.

3) Hafız Mustafa in Fatih (dessert heaven, basically)

At some point in Istanbul, you have to stop pretending you have self-control and just go to Hafız Mustafa. We visited the branch in Fatih and did what can only be described as a very committed dessert tasting. We had croquant chocolate cake, ordered four different types of baklava, and slowly accepted that we were not leaving until we’d tried “just one more”.

Our baklava line-up included:

• Walnut Padishah

• Pistachio Dürüm

• Pistachio dry baklava

• Square walnut baklava

4) Çay (because it’s basically compulsory)

No matter how full we were, there always seemed to be room for çay. It’s served strong, in those little tulip-shaped glasses, and somehow it works with everything, whether we’d just eaten something savoury or we were halfway through a sugar overload.

We had it alongside baklava at Hafız Mustafa, and it honestly felt like one of those small, everyday moments that makes travel feel real.

5) San Sebastián cheesecake near Galata Tower

The Galata area is full of cafés, and after walking up and down those hills, we deserved something sweet. That’s how we ended up with San Sebastián cheesecake, absolutely doused in chocolate sauce.

Creamy, rich, and exactly the kind of dessert that makes you forget you’re supposed to be saving room for dinner.

6) Efes (everywhere, always)

Efes ended up being our default drink in Türkiye. It didn’t matter where we were, it always seemed to appear at the table, usually cold, usually well-earned after a long day out. It’s light, easy to drink, and it just became part of the trip in the most natural way.

Looking back, the best part is how effortless it all felt. We didn’t chase “must-try” lists or book anywhere fancy. We just ate what was around us, followed our cravings, and let Türkiye do the rest. And honestly, if that meant our trip became a full-on pide era, we’re completely fine with that.