Travel video guide
Where to Eat in İstanbul and İzmir: Turkish Tea
This guide turns Best STREET FOOD in Türkiye!! 🇹🇷 49 Turkish Meals - Istanbul to Gaziantep! [Full Documentary] from Mark Wiens into a practical restaurant map with 5 saved spots around Gaziantep, Istanbul, and İzmir. The mapped places include an area marker, a historical landmark, and a restaurant stop. Use it to understand the places, dishes, and trip context before saving the map in Varedelo.
What the creator captured
Mark Wiens began his Turkish food tour in Istanbul, where he was particularly impressed by the richness of water buffalo kaymak and sujuk. He marveled at the buttery texture of the wood-fired simit and the melt-in-the-mouth quality of home-style eggplant dishes at a local lokanta. His journey emphasized the deep cultural importance of tea and the vibrant, high-heat cooking techniques used in traditional Turkish breakfast.
What this map is good for
- Planning a turkish restaurant stop or short itinerary in Gaziantep.
- Comparing food stops from a creator or saved local map before you commit time in the city.
- Saving 5 mapped spots into Varedelo so the list stays usable on the ground.
- Using the original video as context, then turning it into a clean place-by-place map.
![Map of 5 spots from Best STREET FOOD in Türkiye!! 🇹🇷 49 Turkish Meals - Istanbul to Gaziantep! [Full Documentary]](https://www.varedelo.com/shared_map_links/map-images/wVglXsmJ_Ro.jpg)
Featured spots on this map
- Istanbul
Area marker in Istanbul, İstanbul, Türkiye, Istanbul, İstanbul, Türkiye - Gaziantep
Area marker in Gaziantep, Türkiye, Gaziantep, Türkiye - Adana Ocakbasi
Turkish Restaurant in Ergenekon caddesi, Telefoncular Sokağı Karşısı, Bozkurt, Baysungur Sk No:2, 34375 Şişli/İstanbul, Türkiye, Bozkurt, Şişli, İstanbul, Türkiye
Price level: Medium
Hours: Hours available - Ephesus Ancient City
Historical Landmark in Atatürk, Efes Harabeleri, 35920 Selçuk/İzmir, Türkiye, Atatürk, Selçuk, İzmir, Türkiye
Hours: Hours available - İzmir
Area marker in İzmir, Türkiye, İzmir, Türkiye
Food notes from the video
- Kaymak (clotted buffalo cream) with honey
- Water buffalo sujuk (sausage)
- Simit (sesame bread)
- Turkish tea
- Karniyarik (stuffed eggplant)
- Beef stew with tomatoes and peppers
- Artichoke heart
- Menemen (scrambled eggs with peppers and tomatoes)
Experiences captured
- Caught a direct flight from Bangkok to Istanbul
- Met culinary guide from Culinary Backstreets
- Visited a traditional brick oven simit bakery
- Met a legendary master tea maker
- Dined at a traditional Tradesmen restaurant (Lokanta)
- Explored the historic Beyoglu neighborhood
- Watched Menemen cooked over a raging fire
Planning notes for Istanbul
Istanbul is a transcontinental city located on the Bosphorus Strait, separating Europe and Asia. Its documented history begins with the Greek colony of Byzantium, established around 667 BCE. In 330 CE, it became the capital of the Roman Empire under Constantine the Great and was renamed Constantinople. It later served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire until 1453, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Mehmed II. The city remained the Ottoman capital until 1923.
Must-try foods nearby
- Cağ Kebabı
Widely considered the 'king' of kebabs by locals, this Erzurum-origin dish consists of lamb marinated with onions, salt, and black pepper. - Balık Dürüm
While the classic 'Balık Ekmek' (fish sandwich) is iconic, the trending 2026 favorite is the Balık Dürüm found in Karaköy. - Mantı
Often called Turkish ravioli, these are tiny, handmade dough squares filled with spiced ground meat. - Hünkar Beğendi
A classic of Ottoman palace cuisine, the 'Sultan's Delight' features tender cubes of slow-cooked lamb served over a smoky. - Midye Dolma
A quintessential Istanbul street snack, these are mussels stuffed with aromatic rice, pine nuts, and currants, seasoned with cinnamon and black pepper.
When to go: The best time to visit Istanbul is during the shoulder seasons of spring (April to May) and autumn (September to October).
Local tips
- Purchase an Istanbulkart at transit hubs to pay for all public transportation, including ferries, buses, and trams.
- When dining, it is customary to leave a cash tip of approximately ten percent, as adding gratuity to credit card payments is often not possible.
- Always check that the taxi meter is running or use a ride-hailing app like BiTaksi to ensure fair pricing and route transparency.
- Remove your shoes before entering a private home and accept offered tea or coffee as a sign of respect for local hospitality.
What travelers are noticing
- Tersane Istanbul: The ongoing transformation of the historic Ottoman shipyards into a massive waterfront lifestyle hub with luxury residences, museums, and retail spaces along the Golden Horn.
- CEV EuroVolley Women 2026: Istanbul will host the final stage of the European Volleyball Championship at the Sinan Erdem Dome, a major international sports highlight for the summer.
- Digital Art and Electronic Music Festival: A new city-wide debut launching in August 2026 that integrates AI, live software performances, and interactive visual installations.
Official tourism resource
The official tourism portal for Gaziantep, providing comprehensive guides on the city's rich gastronomy, historical landmarks, and cultural heritage.
Planning questions
Where did Mark Wiens eat in İstanbul and İzmir?
This guide maps all 5 spots featured in the video, with names, addresses, and neighborhoods, so you can plan where to eat in İstanbul and İzmir.
What are the must-try foods in İstanbul and İzmir?
Creator picks from the video include Kaymak (clotted buffalo cream) with honey, Water buffalo sujuk (sausage), Simit (sesame bread), Turkish tea. Open the map in Varedelo to see which spot each one is at.
Can I save these spots to use on my trip?
Yes. Open the map in Varedelo to save every spot, get directions, and revisit the guide from your phone while you travel.
Use it on your trip
Save this restaurant map before you go
Keep the mapped spots, creator context, food notes, and planning details together. Varedelo turns the page into a phone-friendly map you can revisit when you are choosing where to go.