Vegetarians who are just traveling through Istanbul may think it's hard to eat vegetarian food in Turkey. It couldn't be farther from the truth! There are tons of vegetarian meals in Istanbul, and many more vegan options than most places.
The way to say vegetarian is "vejetarian" (veh-zhe-tahr-e-ahn) while the way to say without meat is "etsiz".
An important note is that sometimes people may consider fish, chicken or ground meat to be 'etsiz'.
Vegetarian Restaurants in Istanbul, Turkey
Govinda: KM Celebi Mah Ipek Sokak 15, Beyoglu (Parallel to Istiklal St closer to Cihangir)
Zencefil: Kurabiye Sokak 8-10 Taksim (parallel to Istiklal, closer to Tarlabasi)
Nature and Peace: Buyuk Parmakkapı Sokak 15/A, Beyoglu
Parsifal: Kurabiye Sokak, 13 Beyoglu (near Taksim end of Istiklal Caddesi)
Veggie Friendly Fast Food:
Falafel House: Sehit Muhtar Cad. 19/1 A, Telimhane/Taksim
Pita Khubiz in Taksim: Meşelik Sok. No: 5/B (near BK)
Burger King: Veggie Burgers
Salad Station
Nu Noodle
Pizza
Bambi has tost and pretty good salads
Cilgin Durumcu by Taksim square has veggie durums
Vegetarian Street Food
Nohutlu Pilav
Kumpir (vejetarian)
Simits, nuts, pickled foods, etc.
Very Veggie Friendly Restaurants
Indian Cultural Center (Hare Krishna food)
Dubb (Indian): Alemdar Mh., İncili Çavuş Sokak 10, Istanbul
Tandoori Indian Restaurant (Indian): Akaretler Suleyman Seba Spor cad. Cavdarci sok. no:1/1
Musafir (Indian): Receppasa Cad. 7 - C Talimhane/ Taksim
Cicos (international): Kurabiye Sokak
Deep (international, many veggie options): Kurabiye Sokak
Cin Bufe (Chinese)
Wish Burger (veggie burgers)
Chinese Time has relatively affordable veggie sushi and edamame
Vegetarian and Vegan food in Istanbul
Ev yemekleri places (very veggie and vegan friendly)
meze restaurants (very veggie and vegan friendly)
Hala restaurant chain has vegetarian manti and gozleme
breakfast foods (including tost, which has cheese in it)
cheese pide
cheese lahmucan (etsiz)
if you go to lokantas (where food is already prepared) and ask hangi yemek etsiz? they'll point out meatless dishes.
Ciya's a great restaurant with a ton of veggie options on the Asian side.
Hard to find items:
Cin Market - By the Gumussuyu Park (where the dolmuses to besiktas run): tofu, sushi materials, dried mushrooms, curry pastes
Carrefour, Migros, Macrocenter: tofu in containers, sushi materials, curry pastes, and sometimes even edamame
Namli (in Cihangir): variety of English foods, including mustards, variety of asian-style noodles, couscous, and curries.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Mobile Phone Companies in Istanbul, Turkey
Many people have questions about getting cell phones upon arriving to Istanbul. Unlike many eastern European countries, it is not cheap to get a cell phone in Turkey. For those of you traveling from North America, you may not have experienced using a SIM card before. SIM cards are tiny cards that must be purchased to use cell phones in Istanbul. Essentially, to set up a cell phone in Turkey, you need to have a phone, a SIM card, and then to put money onto the SIM card to make calls or text.
There are three companies that offer service in Istanbul and broader Turkey. These three mobile carriers are Turkcell, Vodafone, and Avea. You can buy these in any mobile shop or even at the airport.
As of October 2011, the prices for SIM cards in Turkish Lira (TL) are as follows:
Turkcell 40TL SIM card with 5TL of credit
Vodafone: 70TL SIM card with 50TL of credit
Avea: 35TL without credit
Although cell phones used to be loaded with kontor (each kontor representing a certain amount of money), cell phones now use just credit. Each call and text costs a different amount depending on the carrier and whether it's international or domestic. Generally, calls and texts cost around 40 kuruş (.40 lira) an SMS or minute.
There are three companies that offer service in Istanbul and broader Turkey. These three mobile carriers are Turkcell, Vodafone, and Avea. You can buy these in any mobile shop or even at the airport.
As of October 2011, the prices for SIM cards in Turkish Lira (TL) are as follows:
Turkcell 40TL SIM card with 5TL of credit
Vodafone: 70TL SIM card with 50TL of credit
Avea: 35TL without credit
Although cell phones used to be loaded with kontor (each kontor representing a certain amount of money), cell phones now use just credit. Each call and text costs a different amount depending on the carrier and whether it's international or domestic. Generally, calls and texts cost around 40 kuruş (.40 lira) an SMS or minute.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Finding Kids Birthday Supplies in Istanbul
Recently, a question arose about where to find kid's birthday party supplies in Istanbul. In particular, people were looking for streamers, decorative cups and napkins, and decorations for a child's birthday party. The best places in Istanbul to get stuff for birthday parties are:
http://www.partipaketi.com/ is a store in Etiler across from Akmerkez; there's also a shop in Erenkoy. It sells a wide variety of party supplies, including for major events such as birthdays and baby showers as wekk as American holidays such as halloween.
http://www.kostumcum.com/ is an internet-based store that sells a wide selection of children's costumes as well as decorations for various holidays, including birthday parties.
Tahtakale to the right of the Spice Bazaar also sells decorations and supplies for kids' birthday parties. Near and around the Spice Bazaar also has a variety of decorations for various holidays, including birthdays, halloween and Christmas.
http://www.partipaketi.com/ is a store in Etiler across from Akmerkez; there's also a shop in Erenkoy. It sells a wide variety of party supplies, including for major events such as birthdays and baby showers as wekk as American holidays such as halloween.
http://www.kostumcum.com/ is an internet-based store that sells a wide selection of children's costumes as well as decorations for various holidays, including birthday parties.
Tahtakale to the right of the Spice Bazaar also sells decorations and supplies for kids' birthday parties. Near and around the Spice Bazaar also has a variety of decorations for various holidays, including birthdays, halloween and Christmas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)