Ready for the culinary adventure of a lifetime? Head to Istanbul!

Turkey has some of the best food on the planet. Your local kebab joint will never do justice to all of the mouth-watering treasures waiting for you in this gorgeous city so pack your bags.

Start Your Day Right

Call me partial but I think the Turkish do breakfast better than anyone else. Traditionally including eggs, peppers, feta, cucumbers, tomatoes, bread and honey, a Turkish breakfast washed down with a strong Turkish coffee will wake up anybody. Before you go off sightseeing, head over to Taksim Square for the Van Kahvaltı Evi’s renowned breakfast. Be sure to try the menemen, Turkey’s most famous omelette.

Try a Bit of Everything with Mezes:

The tapas of the east, mezes are the best way to get a sampling of everything. Any meyhane (the Turkish name for a meze restaurant) worth its salt will offer up a wide array of side dishes to go with your raki. Be sure to try the most popular mezes: patlıcan salatası (grilled aubergine salad), şakşuka (fried aubergine with tomato sauce, zeytinyağlı enginar (stuffed artichokes) with haydari and ezme sauces on the side. For the best meze in town, head over to Meze by Lemon Tree in Beyoğlu and spend the evening on a culinary tour of Turkey.

Go for a Classic Kebab:

If you love a nice slice of meat, you’ll be spoilt for choice in Istanbul. Freshly grilled meat abounds and there are a million and one amazing places to grab a kebab. The hottest spot in town is the Hamdi Restaurant in Eminonu. Located right next to the bazaar, Hamdi has the best view you will find anywhere in Istanbul. Make a reservation in advanced to make sure you can grab a spot by the window. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu here, just be sure to try at least one of their grilled meats.

Indulge Yourself:

Sure you can get baklava anywhere but why bother? Turkish chefs have been perfecting their recipe for more than 2,000 year now and they have truly mastered it. There is no better baklava on the planet than the sweet stuff at Karaköy Güllüoğlu. Don’t even bother having dinner before you come. Made with a whopping 30 layers of phyllo dough, their baklava is flawless. Try a pistachio or walnut baklava then grab a pistachio nadir dolama, palace roll with walnut and wrap with pistachio.

Get High Tech:

Looking for a more advanced dessert? Check out Kadıköy’s trendiest new hangout: Pöölabs. While their name may not be all that appetising in English, their ice cream is to die for and their take on this classic dessert is uber modern. They have an ever-changing menu with a blend of traditional and experimental flavours. In the mood for a beetroot sorbet or roasted eggplant ice cream? How about a chai latte cone or a classic vanilla? They’ve got every flavour you can think of alongside a dozen other that you would have never dreamed of. And the cherry on top? After they blend together the flavours and creams, they blast the mix with a -196° Celsius hit of liquid nitrogen so you can watch it freeze before your eyes.