my question is about Turkish food, which i adore.

Please advise where to go to try the best examples of this marvelous cuisine?

some really good places where i can feel the essence of food culture and enjoy the best cooking traditions.

thanks in advance

 Turkish food is delight,heaven or just a travel to wonderful taste.I think no matter where you eat in Istanbul,a restaurant or a street stall you experience this heavenly taste.I can recommend Cemberlitas restaurant,small,opposite the cinema,nice staff,decent prices and heavennnnnn...mouth watering food,sorry but forgot the name and Istikal street-konya,i think with wonderful Iskander,(Yogurth in it is just great and veggies)red interior,somewhere close to Catholic church or Ortakoy..and there you can go crazy with food and restaurants choice..

yummyyyyyyyyyyyy..just thinking of decent dose of kumpir as lent has already started here;

you can go to:

http://www.hacibabarest.com/

or:

http://www.haciabdullah.com.tr/wp-content/English/

Both are on İstiklal caddesi. Hacıbaba is close to Taksim square. 

the best Kofte you could eat here

http://www.sultanahmetkoftesi.com/

and i agree with ptaszek....kumpir only in Ortakoy

afiyet olsun

ha,

i also thought that no matter where  ....

it does matter! the more i visit the more spoiled i become

that is why i asked people here about their experience or their friends... dont want to try myself

so, if you dined somewhere or had a cup of wonderful coffee - SHARE please. i also want to have tasty memories to survive time out of Turkey

thanks!

it is one of my favourite places inIStanbul, but i have no clue where both are .... i have to learn so much more ....

links are very helpfull, but it was masochism to look with empty stomach before lunch

 to have memories from  you must go to Tophane...there is so many lovely, crowded places as Ali Baba Nargile or Tayfun Cafe

http://www.tophanetayfuncafe.com/

few months ago i was in  Kallavi Nargile Cafe Beyoglu- nice place with wonderful view from terrace in Taksim....but im not sure its still working now...

http://www.beyoglubeyoglu.com/cafeler/nargile_cafe_k/kallavi_cafe.html

it looks so tempting, that i will even start smoking )

or someone on this site has mentioned that it is possible to drink nargile

 Will it be your first time in Istanbul?

I can be your free tour guide lol

Anyways, I can totally recommend you to taste very nice Iskender Kebab and a delicious turkish desert kunefe after it, in KONAK Restaruant on Istiklal Avenue near Galatasaray High School....

If you will come soon, picasso will be shown in Sakıp Sabancı muzesi in Emirgan, very nice district near sea side, also very nice places to walk around

You should not miss to see Kız Kulesi, there are boats to go there from Salacak,Uskudar.

To smoke nargile, if you dont have a big company with your friends i would recommend the cafes under Galata Bridge and little far but the cafes in Camlica are great with the beautiful Istanbul view.

You should not miss to have a breakfast in a small cafe in Gulhane

many many things to do actually so my offer is still valid!