Search

Lokantas: Your Go-To for Cheap, Reliable Meals

If you’re serious about saving money, lokantas are a no-brainer. These no-frills, cafeteria-style joints are dotted all over the city and serve up solid Turkish staples like stews, rice, and salads.

Balkan Lokantası is one of the most well-known super cheap chains, with locations scattered throughout Istanbul. A filling meal here can cost as little as 150 TRY. The food might not win any culinary awards, but it’s warm, it’s tasty, and it’ll keep you going.

Soup is another excellent option at lokantas. It’s cheap, and always comes with bread. In some places, you’ll even find restaurants that specialize in just soup. If you’re traveling with a companion, two bowls of soup and a shared side can cost as little as 100 TRY, depending on the location. It might not be the most filling meal, but it’ll do the job when you’re on the go.

We’ll have more in-depth reviews of our favorite lokantas in upcoming blog posts, so stay tuned.

Street Food: The Real Taste of Istanbul

Street food is where Istanbul truly shines, and it’s where you’ll find the best deals. Simit is a staple: a sesame-crusted bread ring that’s sold on nearly every corner. Is it boring? In our opinion, yes. But it’s cheap and everywhere, and if you make it into a sandwich, it’s a lot more edible.

There’s the age-old debate: is gevrek just a regional name for simit or a slightly different treat? They’re nearly identical, but if you’re traveling to Izmir don’t bring that up unless you want to start a fight.

When it’s time for something more substantial, look for bufes—tiny sandwich shops where the go-to order is tost. These grilled cheese sandwiches, sometimes with sucuk (Turkish sausage), or other fillings, will set you back around 50-70 TRY. Stick to the small kiosks or stalls that sell other things like snacks and gum; they tend to have the best prices.

Balık ekmek (fish sandwich) is another must-try. It’s not as common as other street food, but if you’re on the Eminönü side of the Galata Bridge, you can’t miss it. Vendors grill mackerel and stuff it into bread with some lettuce and onions. It’s basic, it’s tasty, and at around 200 TRY, it’s a solid deal for a meal with a view.

And of course, there’s döner kebap—perhaps the most famous of Turkish street foods. You’ll see it everywhere, meat stacked on a vertical spit, slowly rotating and being shaved off into wraps or sandwiches. Prices vary starting around 150 TRY, but the quality varies greatly. We’ll discuss later why döner kebap might be overrated and where you can actually find a good one.

Lahmacun is another must-try: a thin, crispy flatbread topped with minced meat, herbs, and spices. It’s often called “Turkish pizza” (the only part that resembles a pizza is the shape and that its base is made from dough) and you can find it for around 150 TRY, depending on where you go.

Kumpir is another very filling street food option. It’s a HUGE baked potato loaded with toppings of your choice – about 20 to choose from – like cheese, sausage, olives, and corn. We normally don’t recommend travelers visiting Ortaköy if they have a week or less in Istnabul, but if you want a fun/funny kumpir experience, absolutely, wait until Ortaköy to try your kumpir. It’ll only set you back around 200 TRY, and if you’re not super hungry you can easily split one with a friend.

Pide and Börek: Cheap, Satisfying Comfort Food

When you’re craving something warm and filling, pide is your answer. This Turkish-style flatbread, topped with cheese, meat, or vegetables, is a budget-friendly meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor. A decent pide will run you about 200 TRY, depending on the toppings.

For an even cheaper option, seek out a börekçi. These shops specialize in börek, a flaky pastry filled with cheese, spinach, or minced meat. You can find them all over the city, and a piece of börek typically costs 30-60 TRY. It’s greasy, it’s satisfying, and it’s a hangover cure. Levent Borek or Saray Börek are some common chains, with Levent Borek being one of our favorites. The Adana borek (with cheese) is dangerously delicious.

Supermarkets and Pazars: DIY Dining

Sometimes the best way to save money is to take matters into your own hands. BIM and A101 are two of the most budget-friendly supermarket chains in Istanbul. They’re typically cheaper than Carrefour and Migros. Consider stocking up on bread, cheese, and olives, then heading to one of Istanbul’s parks—like Maçka, Gülhane, or Yıldız—for a picnic. Or take a bus up the coast road and find a park bench by the sea. The bus from Beyoğlu all the way up to Sarıyer (try bus numbers 25E, 40, or 42T) offers plenty of opportunities to hop off and picnic along the Bosphorus.

As for produce, check out a pazar (farmers market). These markets pop up in different neighborhoods on different days, typically once a week, but you can find one every day if you look around. We’ll have a list soon of the best pazars around Istanbul. They’re a great place to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables without the supermarket markup.

Cay Bahçesi: Bring Your Own Snacks

If you’d like to spend some time at a cay bahçesi (tea garden), you might notice that not all of them serve food – and in almost all cases, they allow you to bring your own snacks as long as you keep sipping tea.

Girl No.

If you’re in Turkey and thinking about grabbing fast food, well, you’re probably missing the point. Not only is it not that cheap—around 300 TRY for a basic meal at McDonald’s or Burger King. Why come all the way to Istanbul just to eat something you could get at home?

In Sum

• Eating on a budget in Istanbul is easy and gives you a chance to experience the city like a local.
• Affortable options: lokantas (typically daytime, typically cafeteria-style restaurants), street vendors, supermarkets, and pazars
• Likely stating the obvious, but it needs to be said – to find lower prices, avoid:
  • tourist traps
  • eating around the city center(s)
  • trendier-looking establishments

Keep an eye out for our upcoming blog posts, where we’ll dive deeper into our favorite budget spots around the city.