Istanbul has thousands of restaurants and eateries. Most of those in tourist areas (high-rent locations), charge prices higher than what most Istanbullus want to pay.
But most of the people in Istanbul are Istanbullus, not tourists, so there are plenty of places to dine like a localfor less money. Here are some of them in and near Eminönü (map):
Fish Sandwiches (Balık-Ekmek)
The cheapest seafood in the city is under the Galata Bridge, on the western (Golden Horn) side, where you can have a great, cheap traditional Istanbul fish sandwich. More...
Kömürcü Bekir Sokak
This impossibly narrow little street—actually no more than a pedestrian passageway—very near the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar and the Eminönü ferry docks, is lined on one side with cheap-but-good eateries where locals go for a quick meal.
Buy a fish sandwich from one of the elaborately-decorated boats moored by the Galata Bridge in the Golden Horn at Eminönü.
Prices are prominently displayed.
View Cheap Meals near Eminönü, Istanbul, Turkey in a larger map
At the end of Kömürcü Bekir Sokak is a çay evi (tea house) where you can finish off your repast with a few hot ones.
To find the street, stand on the north (Galata Bridge) side of the Yeni Valide Mosque (the biggest one in Eminönü) and look east. You should see a restaurant called Tatseven and, to the right of it, a TEB Bank.
Kömürcü Bekir Sokak runs between these two buildings.
At the eastern end of the street are yet more inexpensive restaurants, including the Karadeniz Lokantası and Balık Diyarı, specializing in Black Sea and seafood dishes, respectively.
Hamidiye Türbesi Sokak
Another narrow street, this one near the Great Post Office (Büyük Postane), has several simple cookshops, the best of which is the Neslihan Büfe, which does a brisk trade in soups, stews and döner kebap sandwiches.
—by Tom Brosnahan
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