National Geographic
Ultimate Istanbul Food Tour: Best Turkish Street Food | Epic Food Journeys with Mark Wiens | Nat Geo
Istanbul is the only city in the world spanning two continents, and the food is just as legendary as the geography. Join Mark Wiens as he takes on the 24-hour Istanbul food tour, hunting down the best Turkish street food, iconic Doner Kebab, and hidden gems from the European side to the Asian side, blending centuries of history with the rhythm of modern life.
Starting the day, Mark goes to Çakmak Kahvaltı Salonu to experience a full Turkish breakfast. It begins with the cold dishes of vegetables, cheeses, and kaymak - water buffalo cream, topped with local honey. Next comes the hot dishes including menemen (eggs scrambled with tomato sauce) and mıhlama (a trio of melted cheese), all washed down with tea.
Doner kebabs, the most well known Turkish food in the world, are fast, easy, delicious, and next on Mark's food tour. He travels to Karadeniz Döner Asım Ust, famous for their huge 200 kilo doner kebab filled with slices of beef flavored with lamb fat. Mark devours a tombik döner, a bread roll stuffed with doner kebab meat, pickles and tomatoes.
From the European side of Istanbul, Mark takes a boat across the Bosphorus Strait to the Asian side of the city for his next meal. Yaşar Bafra Pide Salonu serves classic style Turkish pide, a dish of flatbread topped with butter, eggs, cheese, and sometimes a variety of preserved meats.
At lunch, Mark travels back to Europe to a restaurant called Köfteci Kadırgalı where he tries their signature cilveli kebab (lamb kebabs topped with tomato sauce, yoghurt, and melted butter), and one of the national dishes of Turkiye: kuru fasulye (white beans stew).
Çiğ Köfteci Seyfettin Usta is a Turkish street food stall that serves Çiğ köfte, a mixture of bulgur wheat, tomato, chili paste, and spices. Mark hangs out with the owner as he kneads basketball sized balls of Çiğ köfte, mixing it with fresh herbs, and forming them into bite sized pieces.
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is often regarded as the world’s first covered shopping mall. Mark explores the bazaar and finds Cafe Şen, a local coffee shop to try Turkish coffee and Turkish delight.
Mark heads to Dürümcü Mustafa, experts in grilled kebabs, and most importantly durum kebabs. Adana lamb kebabs and chicken are marinated and grilled over hot fire and filled into thin bread with lettuce, peppers, cumin and sumac.
In the evening, Mark meets up with friend and TV host Ebru Erke to eat Turkish seafood at Balikci Sabahattin. The meal begins with cold meze - small shared dishes before the main course of grilled black sea salmon, and house specialty fried John Dory fish.
Istanbul’s street food scene thrives as the night progresses. Mark visits Osmanlı Kokoreç to eat kokorec, lamb intestines and sweetbreads wrapped into a roll and grilled.
Finally, Mark meets up with Ahmet Çiçek, owner of Midyeci Ahmet, also known as the Lord of Mussels. Mark tries midye dolma, a famous Turkish street food of stuffed mussels, and one of his absolutely favorite foods to eat in Istanbul.
The food in Istanbul is a reflection of its role as a gateway between East and West. This unique geography and its history as a global trade hub have created a culinary scene unlike any other.
Chapters 📚
00:00 - Welcome to Istanbul
01:14 - Turkish Breakfast
05:15 - Doner Kebabs
07:23 - Turkish Pide
08:32 - Köfteci Kadırgalı
10:56 - Çiğ köfte
12:50 - Grand Bazaar
14:26 - Dürümcü Mustafa
16:20 - Turkish Seafood
21:45 - Kokorec
23:39 - Lord of Mussels
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Ultimate Istanbul Food Tour: Best Turkish Street Food | Epic Food Journeys with Mark Wiens | Nat Geo
https://youtu.be/qNwMZ8Sdon8
National Geographic
youtube.com/natgeo
Published Feb 24, 2026
