Copyright: Time Out Istanbul
Edited for the website by YKC Tüketim ve Bilişim A.Ş.


Street vendors who sell food have traditionally been part of Istanbul’s hectic streets. You can see them everywhere: as you come off the underground, around Taksim Square, on the back streets of Beyoğlu, in front of the piers on the Bosphorus, by the piers on the Bosphorus, by the Blue Mosque and around most stations. They follow the crowds. Some of these vendors are perfectly legitimate e.g. the majority of the simitçis (simit selling men). Those who are legitimate have a belediye (municipality) authorisation on display; they pay tax and have their own dedicated place where they serve regular customers. You may encounter them on the same spot day after day for many years. Others (usually the stuffed mussel men) have to run fast when the police or the authorities appear in sight. We have gone in pursuit of those vendors selling food to reveal what they have on their carts.

Fan Fang
At the cheap end of the scale is Fan Fang – right in the middle of Bağdat Caddesi. This might not be Chinese at its culinary best, but if you stick to the basics like sweet and sour chicken at under 10 YTL, you can enjoy a tasty lunch that at least makes a change from a Starbucks sandwich. A set menu of spring rolls, noodles and crispy chicken is 19.9 YTL – not a giveaway, but shared between two with the deep-fried banana dessert (5.9 YTL), it should energize you and your friend for another few hours of heavy shopping.

China Express
China Express is at the Kızıltoprak end of Bağdat Caddesi – away from most of the fancy shops. You can’t miss it with its glaring outsized plastic frontage. Perhaps more renowned for takeaways, this is also a reasonably priced place to dig your chopsticks into a plate of noodles. A choice of soups, including wanton soup and seafood soup are around 5 YTL. (Don’t expect much genuine seafood for that price!) All chicken dishes are around 10 YTL – but a good beef with ginger and spring onions is only slightly more. Noodle dishes are a cheap option, and the set menus are especially of good value.

Sushico & Chinese in Town
At the Suadiye end of the street is the more up-market option of Sushico & Chinese in Town. Sushico is the perfect spot for sushi beginners – it has plenty of set menu options, so if you’re not sure about what to pick, it’s done for you. ABC Sushi Moriawase is a simple selection of 14 pieces of sushi from 16.8 YTL. Sashimi Moriawase is a spectacular assortment of sashimi for 35 YTL. The Chinese is good too. The hot and sour soup (5.2 YTL) is excellent and perfect for a chilly November day, and the crispy lemon beef is sweet and delicious at 13.4 YTL. A simple but filling shrimp noodle is 9.9 YTL.

Hai Sushi
At the top end of the Asian food market in terms of quality and price is Hai Sushi. This stylish sushi bar situated in the heart of Kalamış Marina is a real treat. Sushi, sashimi and choice Japanese dishes are all authentically prepared by Japanese chefs. Pick different types of sushi roll from the full selection of nigiri, gun-kan and temaki. Prices range from 3.5 YTL up to well over 10 YTL for some of the very fancy rolls. If you’re somewhat of a cheapskate, pick the thrifty options like shime saba (mackerel) and ika (squid) as these are only 3-4 YTL. A well-chosen lunch with a glass of wine is possible for 40 YTL per head but to really enjoy the best on offer set aside a fair bit more is 50 or 60 YTL.