If you’re partial to celebrity chefs, Turkey’s one and only Salt Bae has a restaurant in the main hall near the D gates, where people pack in for burgers, like the signature smoked beef on a Goth-like squid-ink bun, plus steaks, ribs, and chops. Popular for drinks, too, it boasts one of the airport’s few full bars and, for the kids, elaborate milkshakes. “Golden powder” in your ice-cream beverage, Junior?
For a more serene experience, in the quiet corridor between the D and E gates, Kaimakk serves both international and Turkish dishes in a sparkling white-on-white dining area. Think linguine bolognese as well as linguine köfte, bulgur wheat standing in for the meat. But the main play at this sweets specialist comes at the end. Sample Turkish delight covered in rose petals or flavored with pomegranate and black mulberry; carrot, walnut, or pistachio baklava; chewy, stretchy Turkish ice cream; and candy-coated almonds.
Quicker sit-down meals
For a nutritious snack in the main hall just to the left of the escalators to the A and B gates, Gram offers salads and mezze made with seasonal ingredients. The food courts that sit above the main hall are better geared for regular fast food options, but the one near the E and F gates offers homegrown brands. You’ll wait a few minutes at Pidem for your flatbread—cheesy pide or minced-beef lachmacun—but that’s a good thing because they make them to order. Folks line up at Paşa Döner for dark meat–only chicken kebabs shaved onto buns served alongside drive-thru-thin french fries.
You’ll find a Çay Saati in the main hall outside of Cuisine Anatolia and a larger one at gate D3. There are other coffee shops in the airport, but at this one, the baristas take care to personalize your drink: They will ask you how much sugar you’d like in your fresh-brewed Turkish coffee and remind you to “wait one minute, and after that, drink” so that the grounds have time to sink to the bottom. They do Italian-style coffees, frappes, and teas of both the bubble and Turkish kinds, as well. And if you’re looking for a nibble as you sip, order their dolmas, rice-stuffed grape leaves, or the stuffed flatbread gözleme.
For late-night dimsums, all-day kaya toasts, and pillowy roll cakes to-go.
Grab and go
At Istanbul Airport, food stands with grab-and-go options are around nearly every corner. Try Enud, where the köfte is as big as a baseball; Mvnch, selling the sesame-coated Turkish bagels called simit; and Cups and Clouds, where a nice, little nugget of baklava goes well with a coffee. But most ubiquitous is Simit Sarayı, found at a bingo card’s worth of gates: A7, B10, D17, F13. Despite its name, what this place has is the widest variety of börek, flaky pastry topped with seeds and coiled around fillings like feta, spinach, and potato. The most common type of börek, called Su böreği, almost looks like a sauceless square of lasagna, cheese, and herbs tucked amid thick, noodle-like layers of phyllo.
Food gifts
You’ll pass Unifree Duty Free shops in every wing and in the main hall. They’re good in particular for Turkish wines and the grape-based spirit raki. But for food souvenirs, the two locations of Old Bazaar can’t be beat. On either end of the mall, these duty-free spots are packed with a dizzying diversity of Turkish delight, baklava, chocolates, dried fruits, nuts, nougats, and spice mixes to take home. Pick up organic teas, nut butters, olive oils, jarred and vacuum-packed olives, and even cheeses and sausages, if you can figure out how to get them home safely. There are also counters for nuts and sweets like marzipan by the pound, so you can make your own mixed box. And, if there’s a crowd at home awaiting edible souvenirs, this place also offers 5-Euro tins of Turkish delight and other affordable treats.
