Eat your way through Kadıköy and the street stalls

Istanbul is one of the world's great food cities, and eating well here costs very little. Start with breakfast simit and tea, graze on döner, gözleme, and stuffed mussels from street vendors, and sit down to a meze spread at a local meyhane. The food market in Kadıköy on the Asian side is a feast for the senses and far cheaper than the tourist spots. A guided food tour is a brilliant way to discover it, or follow our pointers and assemble your own crawl. Look for the esnaf lokantası, the tradesmen's restaurants, for the best home cooking.