The Best Turkish Soup in Istanbul: What to Order and Where to Eat It
Where to eat the best Turkish soup in Istanbul
Çorba (soup) is the one category of Turkish food that works at every hour of the day. A bowl of mercimek çorbası (red lentil soup) with bread and lemon makes a complete lunch, kelle paça (sheep's head and trotter soup) fixes whatever last night did to you, and dedicated soup shops called çorbacı stay open when everything else has closed. This is our guide to the best Turkish soup in Istanbul: what to order, and where we'd send a friend.
Where can I eat traditional Turkish soup in Istanbul?
The best traditional soup in Istanbul comes from lokantas (tradesmen's restaurants with steam trays of daily dishes) and from çorbacıs, small shops that serve nothing but soup. Kadıköy and Fatih have the strongest options, and a bowl runs between 100 and 200 lira at most lokantas in 2026, bread included.
Start in Kadıköy. Çiya Sofrası, a short walk from the ferry pier into the market streets, does soups from southeastern Turkey that you won't see anywhere else in the city, and the menu changes daily, so ask what's in the pot before you commit. A few streets over, Yanyalı Fehmi Lokantası has been feeding Kadıköy for over a century and keeps the classics on rotation: mercimek, ezogelin (lentil and bulgur soup), and yayla çorbası (yogurt and rice soup with mint) most days.
Çiya Sofrası→Yanyalı Fehmi Lokantası→On the European side, head to Fatih. The Kadınlar Pazarı square near the Aqueduct of Valens is lined with restaurants run by families from Siirt and Bitlis, and Siirt Şeref Buryan1892 is the one we point people to for kelle paça, served with garlic, vinegar, and lemon on the side so you dress the bowl yourself.
Siirt Şeref Buryan1892→What is the most popular soup in Turkey?
Mercimek çorbası is the most popular soup in Turkey by a wide margin. Nearly every lokanta, kebab house, and bus-station restaurant in the country serves it: red lentils blended smooth with onion and carrot, finished at the table with a squeeze of lemon and a shake of pul biber (dried red pepper flakes). It's the default answer when a menu just says çorba.
Two others worth knowing. Ezogelin is mercimek's spicier cousin, with bulgur and dried mint in the mix, while yayla çorbası is the gentle option, yogurt-based and the right call if your stomach needs a quiet day. Go Türkiye, the country's official tourism site, has a section on Anatolian cuisine if you want the background reading, but the fastest education is ordering a different soup every day you're here.
Is işkembe çorbası (tripe soup) worth trying in Istanbul?
Yes, if you eat offal at all, işkembe çorbası (tripe soup) is worth one bowl in Istanbul. It's a pale, garlic-heavy soup of finely chopped tripe in a thickened broth, dressed at the table with vinegar, crushed garlic, and pul biber, and it has been the traditional end to a rakı (anise spirit, served with water and ice) night for longer than anyone can say. Çorbacıs around Beşiktaş and Karaköy serve it around the clock, which tells you something about when demand peaks.
Honest note: it divides people. The texture is chewy, the smell is assertive, and no amount of vinegar fully covers either one. If you're on the fence, order a small işkembe alongside a mercimek so the evening isn't riding on a single bowl. If you already like tripe, the kelle paça at Siirt Şeref Buryan1892 is the richer version and the better use of your appetite.
When to go
One timing note. Lokantas cook their soups in the morning and the good ones run out by mid-afternoon, so aim to arrive before 14:00 for the daytime places like Çiya Sofrası and Yanyalı Fehmi. After midnight the çorbacıs take over, and the pot stays on until breakfast.
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Frequently asked questions
What soup should I order first in Istanbul?
Start with mercimek çorbası, the red lentil soup served in nearly every lokanta in the city. It comes with bread, lemon, and pul biber (dried red pepper flakes) and costs between 100 and 200 lira at most places in 2026.
Where can I eat mercimek çorbası in Istanbul?
Almost any lokanta serves mercimek çorbası, so you rarely need to plan for it. For a version worth crossing the city for, Yanyalı Fehmi Lokantası and Çiya Sofrası in Kadıköy both keep it on the daily menu, usually alongside ezogelin and yayla çorbası.
Is işkembe çorbası worth trying in Istanbul?
It's worth one bowl if you eat offal, and it's the traditional end to a night of rakı. The soup is garlic-heavy tripe in a thickened broth, dressed at the table with vinegar and pul biber. The texture divides people, so order a small bowl alongside a mercimek if you're unsure.
Are soup shops in Istanbul open late at night?
Yes, dedicated soup shops called çorbacıs operate around the clock in areas like Beşiktaş and Karaköy. They serve işkembe, mercimek, and kelle paça through the night, and business peaks after midnight when the meyhanes and bars close.
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