Getting a hot and quick meal in Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, can be as easy as walking out your door and turning the corner. It seems like wherever you go there is someone next to a small cart or stand who has something tasty to offer for a reasonable price. If there isn’t anybody on the street selling food then there will at least be a shop nearby offering fresh bread, pastries, kebabs, or convenience stores offering just about anything! Some of these are even open 24 hours a day. Then of course there are cafes and restaurants scattered all over the city.
Such fast meals include: doner kebabs, balik-ekmek (fish sandwiches served near the water), patso (hot dog’s with french fries), kumpir (baked potatoes filled with anything imaginable), ayran, fresh-squeezed juice, roasted chestnuts, fresh corn, simit (a circular bagel), or anything else within an arm’s reach while walking down the street.
Here are some pictures of quick and easy food off the street that tempted us every second as we walked around Istanbul.
