Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SWEETS
Turks don't usually finish their meal with a dessert, preferring to serve fruit as a finale.
Most of them love a mid-afternoon sugar hit, though, and will often pop into a
muhalle-
bici
(milk pudding shop),
pastane
(cake shop) or
baklavacı
(baklava shop) for a piece of
syrup-drenched baklava, a plate of chocolate-crowned profiteroles or a
fırın sütlaç
(rice
pudding) tasting of milk, sugar and just a hint of exotic spices. Other Turkish sweet speci-
alities worth sampling are
dondurma
, the local ice cream;
kadayıf
, dough soaked in syrup
and topped with a layer of
kaymak
(clotted cream); and
künefe,
layers of
kadayıf
cemented
together with sweet cheese, doused in syrup and served hot with a sprinkling of pistachio.
NEED TO KNOW
Price Ranges
The symbols below indicate the average cost of a main course in the reviewed restaurant or eatery:
€
less than 15
€€
15 to 25
€€€
more than 25
Opening Hours
Standard opening hours for restaurants and cafes:
»
Breakfast
7.30am to 10.30am
»
Lunch
noon to 2.30pm
»
Dinner
7.30pm to 10pm
Exceptions are noted in reviews.
Reservations
»
We have included telephone numbers for those restaurants where it's advisable to book.
»
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are busy at all popular restaurants - be sure to book a few
days in advance.
Alcohol
Many simple eateries in İstanbul don't serve alcohol. In our reviews, we have indicated if a place is
alcohol free.
