Vegetarian Food Finds in Istanbul, Turkey

Food in Turkey is scrumptious but it’s not for vegetarians? Our experience in Istanbul strongly suggests otherwise. It would be a shame if you are vegetarian and didn’t try the local vegetarian options during your time in Istanbul. One thing is for sure, you need to do some research before you head out in your quest for veggie food here. So let’s get you started with some options we tried.

Traditional Turkish Breakfasts

• Kahve 6 Cihangir – Let’s begin with breakfast. Our very first meal after we checked-in to our airbnb was at this really cute place. We went here as it was within walking distance from where we were staying and was highly recommended by our host. And we were so glad we took his recommendation as we ordered the tradtional turkish breakfast made up of several kinds of cheeses, bal kaymak (heavenly combo of honeycomb and clotted cream), butter, traditional tomato paste, fresh salad, olives, lots of bread and turkish chai. Is your mouth watering yet?
• Journey – Of course once is never enough to try a turkish breakfast and so we went again, this time to this place called Journey also in Beyoglu and had a relaxed breakfast.
• Van Kahvalti Evi – Our third breakfast was at this pace. Other than the cheeses and salads, we absolutely loved the bread they served.

Lunches / Dinners

• Ciya Sofrasi – Is a cozy restaurant serving turkish cuisine, located on the asian side of town in Kadikoy where we had the most amazing lunch. From their salad bar we tried the hummus, falafel, dolma (stuffed grape leaves) and a eggplant sauce. We also really enjoyed the vegetarian version of the lahmacum – a turkish flat bread with veggies and turkish spices. The best part of the meal was the vegetarian avataar of the turkish kebab. The kebab itself was delicious and was served with flat bread, bulgar, grilled vegetables and fresh salad. In retrospect, we would suggest to skip the salad bar and have more of the kebab instead.
• Hocapasa Pidecisi – On a cold and rainy afternoon in Istanbul, we stopped here for lunch of a fresh wood fire oven baked turkish pide. This joint is authentic and has been operational for years. We specially requested for a cheese x vegetable pide and they happily obliged. It tasted wonderful served with pickled cucumbers and chilies. The turkish coffee at the end of the meal, sealed the deal.
• The Han Restaurant – It has a few branches in the city but we went to the one near Blue Mosque for dinner. It’s an ottoman style place beautifully decorated with turkish furniture, carpets and lamps. We tried something called a gozleme – stuffed bread toasted on the stove. From the veg options, we suggest the potato option as spinach was way too bland for our taste. The other dish we tried was the pipping hot vegetable casserole, which was extremely satiating in the cold weather. The food here bordered on average but the ambiance made-up for it.
• Kikero Falafel – It’s a tiny place, just a short walk from the Galata Tower and serves the most wonderful falafels we’ve ever tried. What’s even better, the place has vegan options and is super pocket friendly.
• Local Diners – One of our lunches was at a local diner type restaurant. Usually has a buffet style counter where you can choose items for your plate. These places tend to be very pocket friendly and you’ll be charged as per your selections. They usually have vegetarian options such as salads, dolmades, breads, falafel, beans, rice, egg plant casserole etc.

Street Food

Other than this, there is also some street food that is vegetarian friendly. Usually, these are available all over town with vendors selling them on their red and white striped push carts. The first one we want to mention is the simit bread which we loved and on occasion brought it home and had it with some butter and tea as a snack. While touring around if you feel like munching something, you can also go for boiled sweet corn and roasted water chestnuts. Both healthy options as well.

Hafiz Mustafa – Last but not least, we’ve not forgotten folks with a sweet tooth. Hafiz Mustafa is a turkish desserts paradise! They have several branches, so you can choose to step into any of their branches that you spot. They usually have a dine-in area if you want to enjoy a dessert right there or you can always take-away from the many many options at the counter.

We hope this list gives you a head-start in your search for vegetarian turkish food. Happy eating fellas! 😀

Check out our Turkey Travel itinerary, at this link.