Turkish Food Guide: 25 Must-Try Dishes (2026)

Quick Answer: Turkish cuisine goes far beyond kebab. Must-try dishes include menemen (breakfast eggs), lahmacun , manti , iskender kebap , balık ekmek (Istanbul fish sandwich), künefe and Antep baklava . By region Istanbul: balık ekmek, kumpir, midye dolma Gaziantep (UNESCO gastro city): baklava, katmer, beyran Aegean: olive-oil mezes, otlu börek, wild herbs Southeast: lahmacun, çiğ köfte, kebab varieties Cappadocia: testi kebabı (pottery kebab) Drinks Turkish tea (çay) Rakı Turkish coffee (UNESCO listed) Ayran, şalgam, boza Frequently Asked Questions Is Turkish food spicy? Southeastern cuisine is; Istanbul and Aegean are mild. Vegetarian options? Excellent — mezes, pide, gözleme, dolma. Book a culinary Turkey tour for hands-on tastings. Ten dishes worth planning a day around Kahvaltı — the multi-plate Turkish breakfast, best on a weekend morning. Lahmacun & pide — cheap, fast, everywhere. Iskender kebab — Bursa classic, buttery and rich. Manti — dumplings with yoghurt and chilli butter. Balık ekmek — fish sandwich by the Bosphorus. Baklava from Gaziantep — the real benchmark. Menemen — eggs, tomato, pepper. Çiğ köfte — vegetarian, spicy, street-side. Künefe — Hatay cheese dessert served hot. Turkish coffee — UNESCO-listed, drink it slowly. Related guides Turkish breakfast guide Hatay food guide Gaziantep food guide Eating well without a reservation Turkish food is regional, and the biggest upgrade you can make is to eat where the region is strongest: fish and meze along the Bosphorus and Aegean, kebab and pistachio desserts in Gaziantep, mezze and künefe in Hatay, and slow-cooked testi kebab in Cappadocia. Lunch is where value lives — an esnaf lokantası (tradesman's canteen) serves home-style stews from a counter for a fraction of dinner prices, and pointing at the tray is a perfectly normal way to order. Vegetarians do well: zeytinyağlılar (olive-oil vegetable dishes), lentil soup, mercimek köftesi and cou