Between the stuffed lamb intestines, the sodden ıslak burgers, the suspect seafood peddled on the street I ordered a pizza to a hotel room and ate it with room service Heineken before my last night out in Istanbul. Sometimes, that happens. On trips I stay alert, almost obsessively so, for the popular eats and among those the unique ones. Bonus points…

We found ourselves on Kadife Sokak (nicknamed Barlar Sokak or “bar street”) in the Caferağa Mahallesi neighborhood of Kadıköy in Asia. At some point in life you should too. Restaurants, bars and clubs with plenty of character line both sides of the bustling street. Nightlife rages until Istanbul’s bedtime. There’s retro and  there’s rock. There are Ottoman mansions…

Among the many things the Ottomans brought to Hungary during their 150-year reign, coffee was perhaps the most influential from a cultural standpoint. Their kahve became the Austro-Hungarian monarchy’s kávé, though it was originally referred to as “fekete leves” (black soup) in Hungary. The first coffeeshops in Europe opened in the 17th century, following a trend that began in…

A trend becomes obvious after a day spent in Istanbul: where there are lots of people there is usually also gözleme. You will come across eateries that specialize in the dish around mosques, at the most frequented metro stops and the bustling street corners that flank markets, bazaars. Behind some restaurant windows are usually two or more older ladies wrapped up in bright white headscarves…

I was somewhat surprised to find that Turkey’s signature sandwich is not considered by locals to be döner, which is instead an entity on its own. It’s actually a thing called balık ekmek, which translates literally to “fish bread.” As we roamed the alleys of Kadıköy Market, my Turkish friend and fixer asked me if I had had…

On my last day in Istanbul I crossed the Bosphorus and I did so to get a good lahmacun. Why did I sail to Asia three hours before my flight instead of going somewhere local near the hotel? Because I subconsciously hoped to miss the plane and to stay in Turkey a while longer. Because the crisp, blue waters beckoned…

It gets cold in Istanbul in December. Walking from mosque to mosque to the occasional sultan residential complex in a jacket that’s just not warm enough is a good way to catch the bug. I was in no mood to get sick on the first day of my trip, as I still had 3 days of questionable…

I arrived to Istanbul with an open mind, with no prior research on what to eat and where. Instead, I allowed myself the opportunity to be surprised by a city that I’ve heard does not cease to surprise. I knew there would be kebabs, the Turkish forefather of gyros, or meat on a spit sliced into pita. I…