LoConvo Discussion
Istanbul food tips around Beşiktaş for Aston Villa-Freiburg fans going to the final
A work colleague is going to Istanbul for the Europa League final, so I wrote him a few food suggestions around Beşiktaş and Kadıköy. I thought they might be useful for fans of both teams travelling over as well.
I’m from Turkey and know Istanbul reasonably well, so this is more of a practical match-trip food list than a tourist guide. The street I marked with a line drawing is full of popular breakfast places. Any of them should be fine, as long as you check the recent ratings on Google Maps or Tripadvisor.
Assuming fans will be there for around two days, this should be one of the first things to do: have a Turkish breakfast with pişi, simit, menemen, and Turkish tea. If I had to mention a specific place, Bi Kahvaltı has been brought up by a few friends.
Recent comments
If you are open to trying something different, mantı is Turkish style minced meat dumplings, usually served with yoghurt and melted butter on top. Sinop Mantı is a good place to try it in Beşiktaş. It might be a bit unusual if you have not had it before, so i…
Balkanlar Lokantası is a good place if you want to see a range of Turkish home-style dishes rather than just kebab or street food. It is casual, practical, and gives you a chance to try different cooked dishes in one place.
user1 • Marmara Region, Beşiktaş, Sinanpaşa Mahallesi, Mumcu Bakkal Sokağı, Istanbul, Turkey • 18 May 2026
Karadeniz Döner Asım Usta is one of the classic Beşiktaş food stops and genuinely one of the best döner places in Istanbul. It is a very good choice if you want something quick, local, and directly useful before or after spending time around the stadium area.