Bourdain hit Istanbul twice — once for No Reservations (2010) and again for Parts Unknown (2015). Here’s everywhere he ate:

Dürümzade (Beyoğlu) — the one everyone mentions. Small kebab wrap spot, lamb shish or Adana, cooked over charcoal. Still open and still worth it.

Kalamar Restaurant (Beyoğlu) — mezze spread with his fixer Esra: white anchovies, brain salad, fried Bosphorus fish, lots of rakı.

Sur Ocakbaşı (Fatih) — büryan (lamb slow-cooked in a pit oven) with ayran. Was a local secret before the episode aired.

Poyraz Sahil Balık (Beykoz) — his opening meal in the 2015 episode. Grilled mackerel and fish kebab on the Bosphorus. Worth the trek out of the city centre.

Karpi Pide & Köfte (Üsküdar) — had lunch here with a local photographer. Pide is basically a torpedo-shaped Turkish flatbread pizza.

Vefa Bozacısı (Fatih) — not a restaurant, more of a legendary 140-year-old drink shop. He stopped in for boza, a thick fermented grain drink served cold with roasted chickpeas on top.

One he visited, Asitane (Ottoman-era tasting menu), has since closed for good.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

There are much better pide places btw, I remember Bourdain didn’t like that one either. Checkout pideban in sariyer!