Istanbul Street Food

Istanbul eats on its feet, and eats brilliantly: sesame-crusted simit rings from red carts on every corner, grilled-fish sandwiches - balik ekmek - handed across from grills at Eminonu below the Galata Bridge, mussels stuffed with spiced rice sold by the tray in Beyoglu's lanes, roast chestnuts and corn in winter, kumpir baked potatoes loaded to collapse at Ortakoy, doner shaved thin at lunchtime and kokorec - grilled, chopped, punchy - anchoring the small hours. The city's street food is not a curiosity beside its restaurant culture, it is the culture: cheap, fast, tied to place and hour, and the surest way to eat well between two continents' worth of sights. Follow the queues of locals, carry small change, and graze the day away from ferry deck to midnight pavement.

What you actually see

• Balik ekmek at Eminonu - the grilled-fish sandwich by the Galata Bridge.
• The simit carts - sesame rings, the city's portable breakfast.
• Midye dolma - stuffed mussels eaten by the dozen with lemon.
• Kumpir at Ortakoy - the overloaded baked potato by the mosque and the water.

When to go

Year-round - the repertoire shifts with the seasons, chestnuts and hot salep in winter, corn and ice cream in summer. Evenings and late nights are when the kokorec and islak burger stands earn their fame.

Honest expectations

The busiest stands turn stock over fastest, and locals favour midye dolma in the cooler months. Prices are honest but tourist-strip carts near Sultanahmet charge more. Some of the best stands have no seats, no menu and no English - point and pay.

Nearby

The Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar and the Karakoy and Kadikoy food streets across the water.