Where to Find the Best Vegan Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul (2024)

A table showing a Lebanese style Turkish breakfast with many different dishes at Arada Cafe
 

Last updated October 2024

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Breakfast lovers rejoice! You’ve arrived in Istanbul, a city that is world-renowned for amazing food. You’re looking forward to starting off your morning with a delicious breakfast, before heading off for a full day’s sightseeing of this incredibly historical city

But there’s a catch - you’re vegan and all you’ve actually heard about Turkish cuisine is that there is a wide variety of kebabs. Is it time to panic? Are you going to start the day hangry? Will you spend your whole holiday hungry? Should you have packed those lentils?

The answer to all these questions is a big fat NO.

Turkish cuisine is actually surprisingly vegan friendly (a lot of ‘vegetarian’ Turkish food is actually vegan), with Turkish breakfast taking the top spot in terms of the variety and choice of dishes that vegans can try. 

 
 
A vegan breakfast Istanbul at Nadide Cafe with jams, olives bread and salad
 
 

Istanbul also has a burgeoning vegan scene, with a number of 100% vegan restaurants opening up whilst most other places are more than happy to veganise some of their dishes or have several purely vegan options on their menus. 

All of this means that as a vegan in Istanbul, you shouldn’t hesitate to start the day in the right way: with a traditional Turkish breakfast.

In this guide, I will tell you all about Turkish breakfast and where to find the best vegan Turkish breakfast in Istanbul plus lots more information to ensure you can indulge in this breakfast of kings.

(So, seriously, leave those lentils at home. There’s A LOT of vegan lentil dishes in Turkey so you really don’t need them). 

Where to Find the Best Vegan Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul

Below you will find a list of all the top places serving a vegan Turkish breakfast in Istanbul.

I’ve divided the restaurants into three different categories: famous breakfast spots where your breakfast can be veganised, pure vegan options and cheaper breakfasts. 

I’ve also added some useful Turkish phrases at the end that will help you on your breakfast journey. 

What is a traditional Turkish breakfast?

 
 
Traditional Turkish breakfast Istanbul table with eggs, salad, cheese, jams, olives and peppers in different coloured plates.
 
 

Turkish breakfast or ‘serpme kahvalti’ (which means ‘spread breakfast’) is a quintessential Turkish experience and no visit to Istanbul (or Turkey for that matter) would be complete without it.  

Consisting of a huge number of dishes (ranging from olives, homemade jams and breads, to a variety of cheeses, nuts, dips and scrambled eggs), serpme kahvaltı is traditionally eaten on weekends, when families have time to sit down, spend quality time together and catch up on the week’s events. 

This is not a rushed experience - people usually spend several hours lingering over breakfast, just talking, eating and drinking copious amounts of tea. 

For a detailed guide to Turkish breakfast (including all the dishes usually found in a traditional breakfast), read our post here.

Turkish breakfast mainly consists of a mixture of Turkish vegetarian dishes plus many vegan items and in Istanbul, the non-vegan dishes can be easily modified or replaced as I will show you below.

Famous restaurants in Istanbul which accommodate vegans

Ceşme Bazlama Kahvalti, Nişantaşi

 
 
A Turkish breakfast table with vegan menemen, fruit and salad, olives and other dips and Turkish pisi on a checked white and turquoise tablecloth
 
 

There are a number of famous restaurants that specialise in serving only breakfast in Istanbul and Ceşme Bazlama Kahvalti in Nişantaşi is one of them. 

Widely considered to be the best Turkish restaurant in Istanbul for breakfast, it is common to find people queuing out of the door for a table the whole year round (the restaurant opens at 09.00am and has a no-reservations system). 

If you don’t want to wait for ages and make sure you get a table, get here early. Weekdays are marginally quieter, but I’ve seen queues after 10.00am on these days too. 

There are also much shorter queues in winter when there are fewer tourists around. Check out this post on why you should visit Istanbul in winter.

Ceşme does not have a Turkish breakfast menu and operates an ‘all-you-can-eat’ concept, which is one of the reasons it is so popular amongst local Istanbulites and tourists. They will basically feed you until you beg them to stop. 

 
 
A Turkish breakfast table with different types of cheese, Turkish menemen, fruits, salads, jams, fried potatoes and Turkish pisi.
 
 

They actually even have a saying: “doymadan kalmak yasak”, which means it is forbidden for you to get up before you are fully satisfied. You have been warned.

Also, come at me if you wish, but I think this place is the best restaurant in Istanbul (well, okay for breakfast anyway) . 

The restaurant serves a köy kahvalti (village breakfast) and really strives to showcase regional flavours and produce from all around Turkey.

So on your breakfast table you can expect to find tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers from Izmir;  green and black olives from Aydin and Antakya; tea from the Black Sea region of Rize; and dried mulberry (kuru dut), nuts, walnuts and apricots from Malatya plus a whole lot more! 

Accompanying these dishes is a wide selection of Turkish breakfast bread which includes bazlama (a brown sourdough flatbread), and gözleme, a Turkish pancake stuffed with either potatoes, spinach or cheese. 

 
 
Freshly made bazlama and spinach gözleme - the best kind of carbs.

Freshly made bazlama and spinach gözleme - the best kind of carbs.

 
 

They also serve pişi, a fried doughnut-like bread made with sweetened sourdough, but the Ceşme version includes milk and cream in the recipe and so isn’t vegan.

When you walk into the restaurant you can actually see the different breads being baked by a cheerful lady and they are served piping-hot to your table. 

As well as all this, there are more Turkish vegan dishes: açuka, a spicy dip made with tomatoes combined with walnuts, pomegranate syrup, pepper paste and olive oil; yaprak sarma aka vine leaves stuffed with a spicy rice mixture; cold-pressed olive oil with oregano; a platter of seasonal fruits (including kiwi fruits, strawberries, mandarins, tangerines and grapefruit) and tahini combined with grape molasses. 

 
A close up photo of fruit and salad on a wooden platter
Two glasses of orange juice, fruit and salad on a wooden platter and three jams
 

 And then (yes, we still aren’t done), there is a selection of 36 homemade jams, the majority of which are vegan. You can have as many of these as you like (there is a specific jam lady who comes around with a tray at regular intervals).

Over the years I have tried pomegranate, carrot and cinnamon, fig, persimmon, strawberry, lavender and plum jam to name just a few! 

Ceşme also serves a number of non-vegan items as part of its breakfast menu which includes: menemen (eggs scrambled with tomatoes, peppers, onion and spices); a platter of five different regional cheeses; stewed mulberries mixed with cheese; honey and clotted cream; fried potatoes mixed with egg;  spicy sausage and butter. 

 
 
The homemade breakfast jams at Ceşme are one of the highlights of breakfast here.

The homemade breakfast jams at Ceşme are one of the highlights of breakfast here.

 
 

However, the beauty of this way of serving breakfast for vegans is that each separate element is served individually on it’s own plate, meaning that it is very easy to pick and choose, remove or veganise certain items to match your specific dietary requirements. 

For example, when I ate at Ceşme with my husband (a meat eater) and my sister who is a vegan, I asked for the menemen to be made without eggs and we swapped out some of the cheese platter (I still like my cheese) and other non-vegan dishes for more of the other items on the menu that were vegan friendly.

Add to this plenty of spinach and potato gözleme and all the different jams and we were left feeling stuffed and totally satisfied. 

Another great thing about Ceşme is that every single dish is unlimited, so you can have as many of the vegan dishes as you want. Just ask!

 
 
Spot the vegan menemen?

Spot the vegan menemen?

 
 

This is why you shouldn’t just go to vegan restaurants in Istanbul to try a vegan kahvalti - you can easily veganise the regular Turkish breakfast which means you can still get to experience the most popular breakfast restaurants in the city!

The sheer number of dishes, quality ingredients and the incredible flavours at Ceşme are the main reasons why it is considered to serve the best Turkish breakfast in Istanbul.  (Actually, I think it is one of the best breakfasts in the world!)

Breakfast at Ceşme Bazlama Kahvalti currently costs 585TL ($17/£13) per person and includes all the food plus unlimited Turkish tea. We also got a freshly squeezed orange juice so our breakfast cost us a tad more.

Address: Ceşme Bazlama Kahvalti, Teşvikiye, Teşvikiye Mahallesi, Osman F. Seden Sk. No:8, 34365 Şişli/İstanbul

Hours: 9.00am - 5.00pm

Sureya Kahvaltı, Kurtuluş

 
 
Turkish breakfast at Sureya Kahvalti. Photo shows olives, tomato dip, tea, Turkish pisi, vegan menemen, salad, fruit and cheese platter
 
 

What’s better than breakfast in a restaurant? Breakfast in a garden! 

Located on a nondescript side street in Kurtuluş, Sureya Kahvaltı is a friendly, family-run restaurant with a fantastic garden and is a great place to try traditional Turkish food in Istanbul. 

This particular Turkish restaurant in Istanbul is so close to where we live in Şişli that we end up going there at least once a month...

Like Ceşme, Sureya Kahvaltı takes great pleasure in serving homegrown, fresh, seasonal produce which results in a delicious, mouth-watering breakfast spread. 

 
 
These freshly made breads are so moreish - I am particularly in love with the olive one!

These freshly made breads are so moreish - I am particularly in love with the olive one!

 
 

The Turkish breakfast platter at Sureya Kahvaltı includes home-cured green and black olives and a selection of homemade jams made with fruit that has been picked from the garden (on our last visit there was green fig, cherry, strawberry, persimmon and apricot jam but they vary according to the season).

There is also: spicy açuka; a fresh tomato dip; chilli olive oil; sun-dried tomatoes with walnuts, olive oil and rosemary; a selection of fresh seasonal fruits, herbs and vegetables (grapes, strawberries, orange slices, mint and parsley, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cucumber); nuts and french fries. 

 
 
These dips are just as good as they look.

These dips are just as good as they look.

 
 

Sureya also offers a range of breads: homemade olive bread topped with tapenade; a bazlama sourdough bread, pişi, and two types of gözleme - you can choose between potato or cheese fillings. The bread is made with flour ground from the family’s own wheat. 

The breakfast at Sureya includes a number of non-vegan items like a small cheese selection, honey, menemen and spicy sausage.

However, as at Ceşme, these can easily be removed or veganised. The staff are extremely friendly and it was super easy for us to ask for the menemen to be made without egg and for other items to not be served or replaced with more vegan alternatives.  

 
Vegan menemen at Sureya Kahvalti.

Vegan menemen at Sureya Kahvalti.

Beautifully presented and completely delicious!

Beautifully presented and completely delicious!

 

The gözleme, bazlama and tea at Sureya are unlimited and the sun-lit beautiful garden setting is the perfect spot for a relaxed Sunday brunch in Istanbul. 

The accommodating staff and wide variety of vegan options at Sureya Kahvaltı also make it one of my top restaurants in Istanbul for Turkish breakfast. 

Breakfast at Sureya Kahvaltı currently costs 500TL ($15/£11.00) per person and they also offer freshly squeezed OJ for 100TL ($3/£2) per person. Reservations can only be made for groups of 4 and above. 

Address: Sureya Kahvaltı, Ergenekon Cad, Bilezikçi Sk. No:21-23, 34375 Şişli/İstanbul

Hours: 8.00am - 5.00pm

Read next: The Best Gifts for Outdoorsy and Adventurous Women

Arada Cafe, Beyoglu

 
 
Breakfast at Arada cafe, different dishes served in brightly coloured bowls on a coloured table
 
 

Looking for a different kind of breakfast in Istanbul? Then head over to Arada Cafe which serves up a Lebanese spin on a traditional Turkish serpme kahvalti. Arada’s breakfast includes unlimited puffy nan-like breads and Turkish tea (there are a range of other teas, coffees, fresh juices and smoothies that you can also order). 

Arada’s breakfast contains a whole host of vegan dishes: creamy hummus drizzled with chilli oil; fried-to-perfection falafel; muhammara - a spicy red pepper dip and two types of Beiruti style flatbreads coated with either za’atar (a blend of oregano, thyme, marjoram, and sesame seeds) and olive oil or muhammara.

They also serve pillowy fried pisi; tahini with molasses; courgette stuffed pastry; green and black olives; zaatar in olive oil; a salad and fruit platter; and a variety of homemade jams including cherry and persimmon. 

Note: On our previous visits to Arada we asked about whether their bread products (pişi gözleme and bazlama) were vegan and were assured that they were.

However, a reader has informed us that they recently spoke to a chef and a waiter at Arada who said that all of these products have small amounts of dairy in them. Our advice would be to double check with staff beforehand or avoid them completely.

 
 
There’s quite a range of dishes at Arada Cafe!

There’s quite a range of dishes at Arada Cafe!

 
 

The regular Arada breakfast also includes a cheese board, bal kaymak (clotted cream and honey), menemen, and labne (a kind of cream cheese) mixed with chickpeas. However once again, this breakfast can be easily veganised.

Upon learning that my sister was vegan, the staff at Arada happily prepared the menemen without eggs and we swapped out some of the cheese plate and other non-vegan items for stuffed vine leaves and baba ghanoush. Result! 

 
Close up photo of vegan menemen (eggless menemen) on a table
A table with different mezze style breakfast dishes. on it
 

The number of vegan-friendly items on Arada’s kahvalti menu easily makes it one of the best restaurants in Istanbul for a vegan breakfast. 

The price of breakfast at Arada has climbed steadily over the years and now it is the most expensive one on our list! Breakfast at Arada currently costs 999TL ($30/£22) per person. Reservations can be made in advance. 

Address: Arada Cafe, Hacımimi, Lüleci Hendek Cd. 23a, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul

Hours: 8.30am - 1.00am

Kat Kat Cafe, Balat

 
 
A table with Hatay style breakfast dishes on it including olives, tahini, menemen with eggs, cheese, potatoes and Turkish pisi
 
 

Update: Sadly Kat Kat cafe closed down as the building they were housed in was sold. They were searching for new premises but as of October 2024 we have not seen any updates about a new restaurant. We live in hope that they will eventually open somewhere else!

Serving up a güzel kahvalti (beautiful breakfast) with specialties from Hatay province, Kat Kat cafe in Balat is definitely on my list of the best breakfast places in Istanbul.

Housed in an old restored Ottoman mansion, the cafe is actually on several floors, hence the name Kat Kat, which means ‘in layers’. They also have a gorgeous rooftop dining space which is a great place to enjoy breakfast during the summer!

At the time of writing, Kat Kat serves breakfast only on weekends and is very popular, so arrive by at least 10.00am to get a table. 

 
 
A Turkish breakfast table with Hatay style specialities on it
 
 

Kat Kat prides itself on serving quality, organic ingredients and unique dishes from a lesser-visited part of Turkey, meaning that it is one of the best Turkish restaurants in Istanbul to try an authentic Hatay-style breakfast. 

The Hatay serpme kahvalti specialities include: biberli ekmek, a flatbread coated in a spicy red pepper paste with za’atar; a fresh and zingy wild thyme and green olive salad; and grilled sweet red peppers in olive oil.

Other unique Hatay-style breakfast dishes include spicy fried potatoes coated in herbs; cevizli biber, a dip made from ground walnuts, hot chillies, spices and tahini, which is similar to açuka; green olives in a tomato and pepper sauce; dark molasses with tahini; and za’atar and olive oil. And yes, all of these are vegan!

 
A close up of the salad plate, tahini, olives and grapes at Kat Kat Cafe in Balat
A close up of fried potatoes and the salad and fruit platter at Kat Kat Cafe
 

There is also a generous salad and fruit platter (with slices of watermelon in the summer); green and black olives; potato fries and at least seven different preserves, including a really yummy apricot jam!

Add to this an unlimited supply of gözleme (with spinach and potato options) and bazlama bread and you’ve got yourself an extremely filling breakfast. 

Kat Kat’s breakfast also comes with menemen or fried eggs; a small cheese selection; bal kaymak; labne; and sürk -  cottage cheese combined with pepper paste and different spices; butter and honey.

These would be really easy to substitute or remove from the menu - you just need to ask the staff and they will help you! 

Kat Kat’s breakfast costs 82.50TL ($9.51/£6.83) per person and they accept reservations for groups of 4 or more people. 

Address: Kat Kat Balat, Balat Mah, Yavuz Sultan Selim, Yıldırım Cd. No:11, 34083 Fatih/İstanbul

Hours: 9.00am - 4.30pm (breakfast served only on weekends)

Best breakfasts in Istanbul serving pure vegan Turkish kahvalti

Kahve6, Cihangir

 
 
A close up photo of a vegan Turkish breakfast with simit, cornbread, salad, vegan cheese and four dips on a wooden plate
 
 

If you don’t want to go to the effort of veganising your breakfast or perhaps, after a week of eating huge breakfasts, you fancy something smaller (I know I did), then Kahve6 in the trendy area of Cihangir serves one of the best breakfasts in Istanbul to satisfy your purely vegan kahvaltı craving.

Kahve6’s vegan breakfast plate includes warm simit or bread; homemade cornbread; green and black olives from the Aegean town of Ayvalık; vegan cheddar; and a fresh herb salad consisting of tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, and parsley. 

 
 
The vegan breakfast plate at Kahve 6 is yummy and healthy!

The vegan breakfast plate at Kahve 6 is yummy and healthy!

 
 

It also comes with a small selection of dips which vary depending on what they have on that day but you will usually get spicy red pepper acuka, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, tahini pekmez (tahini mixed with carob molasses) and sometimes creamed avocado. Each breakfast comes with a cup of Turkish cay. 

Whilst this breakfast might seem small (especially considering the mammoth breakfasts I have described earlier in this article), I assure you that Kahve6’s healthy vegan breakfast is both tasty and filling.

If you can’t face another Türk kahvalti, Kahve6 also serves a vegan granola parfait. Additionally, they offer a number of Turkish vegan food options for lunch, making it a great place for a lazy vegan brunch in Istanbul. 

The vegan Turkish kahvalti at Kahve6 currentlycosts 320TL ($9/£7). 

Address: Kahve 6, Cihangir, Kılıçali Paşa Mah., Akarsu Cad., Anahtar Sk., No:13/A,34433 Beyoğlu

Hours: 10.00am - 9.00pm

Fill Coffee Shop, Kurtuluş

 
 
vegan turkish restaurant - Fill Cafe Vegan Breakfast
 
 

Going back to my neighbourhood of Şişli/Kurtuluş, we have Fill Cafe, which is the best place for breakfast in Istanbul for a lighter vegan breakfast.

Despite not being a 100% vegan cafe, Fill’s menu has a surprising amount of vegan food on the menu: all of the cafe’s breakfast options have vegan alternatives. There are also four vegan pizzas, two vegan wraps, a vegan calzone, vegan salads and desserts. Woohoo! 

Of course you could choose to have a pizza for breakfast (I know I have) but this post is about Turkish breakfast so let’s just stick to the vegan kahvalti options for now. 

 
 
The pure vegan breakfast at Fill Coffee Shop

The pure vegan breakfast at Fill Coffee Shop

 
 

Fill has two vegan Turkish breakfast choices and the difference between them is that one is bigger and comes with slightly more stuff. Given that the bigger breakfast only costs 2TL more, I’d recommend going for that one. 

Generally the larger Fill breakfast plate includes hummus; falafel; cucumber, lettuce and tomato salad; fruit (in the summer you can get yummy mango and banana); black olives; beetroot; a fruit jam or molasses; bread and a glass of tea. 

 
Close up of falafel and hummus on the Fill vegan breakfast plate
Close up of bananas and mangoes and salad on the Fill vegan breakfast plate
 

Like Kahve6, the breakfast is small but is definitely filling enough and is another great choice if you are looking for something healthier.

There is also a range of delicious fresh juices and smoothies plus coffees and teas (which can be made with vegan milk) that you can order to go alongside your breakfast.  

Address: Fill Coffee Shop, Bozkurt, 64/A, Pangaltı Mah, Eşref Efendi Sk, Şişli İstanbul, 34375 İstanbul

Hours: 9.00am - 8.00pm

Best breakfast in Istanbul with vegan options if you are on a budget 

Sometimes the barrier to sampling all of the serpme kahvaltı in Istanbul isn’t the lack of vegan food: it can be the price.

The restaurants and cafes I recommended at the beginning of this article are definitely on the pricier side (especially because they are considered to be some of the best Turkish restaurants in Istanbul for breakfast). 

However, if you are on a tight budget, there are places where you can get a decent kahvalti in Istanbul without breaking the bank.

Enter: Breakfast Street or ‘Kahvalti Sokagi’ in Beşiktaş. This is an entire street dedicated to just serving breakfast, 7 days a week .

Popular amongst university students, the restaurants on Breakfast Street charge an average of 250TL- 400TL per person for a full breakfast, which is really good value considering the number of dishes included. 

 
 
The famous Breakfast Street in the district of Beşiktaş.

The famous Breakfast Street in the district of Beşiktaş.

 
 

There are several dozen cute restaurants along the street and they generally serve many of the same dishes. Here are two that we have tried and would recommend: 

Gufra Kahvalti & Cafe, Beşiktaş

 
 
A close up photo of Turkish gözleme pancake on a wooden board
 
 

Update: Gufra Kahvaltı has shut down - this is sadly the situation for numerous restaurants in Istanbul and Turkey due to the country’s economic situation.

There are always new restaurants popping up though and we’ve already spotted a few new places to try that we will add to this list in due course!

Located on a side street just off the main Breakfast Street, this Turkish restaurant in Istanbul has several set breakfast menus that vary in price and size, starting off at 20TL ($2.33/£1.70) for a mini kahvalti plate consisting of 8 items, to 42TL ($5/£3.50) per person for a mammoth breakfast with 20 different dishes.

However, ordering a Turkish breakfast set at Gufra isn’t a good option for vegans as most of the dishes are not vegan-friendly. 

But you don’t need to worry: the great thing about Gufra is that you can also order a la carte from their menu, which has a range of Turkish vegetable dishes, so you can basically make your own breakfast! 

 
 
The herbed olives in the centre were so tasty I ended up eating most of them.

The herbed olives in the centre were so tasty I ended up eating most of them.

 
 

We ordered potato gözleme, three kinds of olives with herbs, a herb salad with cucumbers and tomatoes, açuka, fried potatoes, homemade jam, a fried potato dish, and five teas (yes we love our tea).

The breakfast also came with complimentary bread and the whole thing came to 30TL ($3.50/£2.50) per person. Bargain! 

Gufra has a reputation for using quality ingredients and this was clear: everything we tried was delicious and had a very "homemade" taste. This restaurant is definitely one of the best places for breakfast in Istanbul for a wallet-friendly start to the day. 

Address: Gufra Kahvaltı & Cafe /Sinanpaşa, Köşeli Sk. No:3A, 34353 Beşiktaş/İstanbul

Hours: 8.00am - 8.00pm

Eleven Brothers

 
 
 
 

This Turkish cafe in Istanbul is located on the main drag of the famous Breakfast Street and while it has a set Turkish breakfast spread, once again it is better to build your own breakfast from the hot and cold 'extras' section of the menu.

The staff at Eleven Brothers were friendly and once we explained that we wanted mostly vegan dishes, they quickly pointed out what we could have.

In the end, we decided on tahini-pekmez; açuka; potato gözleme (by now a staple in our vegan breakfasts); pisi; homemade jam; green olives; tomato and cucumber salad and fried potatoes. 

You can also order slices of watermelon in the summer, which are a welcome refreshing treat in the heat. Like other breakfasts, there was unlimited bread and Turkish tea. 

Eleven Brothers and Gufra Kahvalti are great options for vegans because you can order different breakfast dishes separately.

However, there are so many restaurants on Breakfast Street that I would recommend giving others a try to see if they also have a la carte menus or if they can veganise or replace some menu items as other restaurants in this list have done. It is always worth asking! 

Address: Eleven Brothers, Sinanpaşa, Çelebi Oğlu Sk. No:26, 34353 Beşiktaş/İstanbul

Hours: 6.30am - 7.00pm

Useful words and phrases you need to know as a vegan in Turkey 

 
 
A village breakfast table with Turkish pancakes, lettuce, jam, olives and potatoes
 
 

English isn't as widely spoken as you might think in Istanbul and I would recommend that vegans learn a few Turkish phrases just in case.

Plus, Turkish people love it when foreigners try to speak their language and so you are likely to find that when you drop some local lingo you get better service, a smile and people trying to do their best to help you out.

Some useful phrases to help you veganise your Turkish breakfast:

  • Süt ürünleri yemiyorum (soot oo-roon ler-ee yem-e-yor-am)  - I do not eat dairy products 

  • Etsiz (Et-seez)  - Without meat 

  • Ben bir veganım - I am a vegan 

  • Vegan yemekler var mı? (Vegan yem-ek-ler var muh?) - Is there vegan food?

  • Vegan Kahvaltı çeşitleri var mı? (Vegan kah-val-tuh ch-esh-it-leh-re var muh?)  - Are there vegan breakfast options?

  • Menemeni yumurtasız yapabilir misiniz? (Mene-men-e yuh-moor-ta-seez yapa-bil-eer miss-ee-neez?) - Can you make the menemen without egg?

  • Etsiz yemekler var mı? (Et-seez yeh-mek var muh?) - Are there any dishes without meat?

  • Et var mı? (Is there meat?) - Useful if you are pointing at a dish on a breakfast table or you are not sure about something on a breakfast menu

 
 
A little bit of Turkish goes a long way.

A little bit of Turkish goes a long way.

 
 

How to say, "I don't eat...":

  • Et yemiyorum (et yem-e-yor-am)  - I don’t eat meat

  • Yumurta yemiyorum (yuh-moor-ta yem-e-yor-am)  - I don’t eat egg

  • Peynir yemiyorum (pay-near yem-e-yor-am) - I don’t eat cheese

  • Süt içmiyorum (soot itch-me-yor-am) - I don’t drink milk

  • Yoğurt yemiyorum  (yoo-urt yem-e-yor-am) - I don’t eat yogurt

  • Tereyağı yemiyorum (te-re-aa-uh yem-e-yor-am) - I don’t eat butter

Words for common non-vegan breakfast items:

  • Yumurta (yuh-moor-ta) - Egg

  • Peynir - Cheese

  • Bal - Honey

  • Bal kaymak (bal ky-mack) - Honey and clotted cream

  • Süt recel (soot re-jel) - Milk jam

  • Yoğurt (yoo-urt)  - Yogurt

  • Tereyağı (te-re-aa-uh) - Butter

  • Sucuk/sujuk (su - jook) - Sausage

 
A pile of oranges at a market in Fethiye, Turkey
A pile of strawberries at a market in Kadikoy Istanbul
 

Words for common vegan breakfast items

I'd also recommend becoming familiar with the words for particular Turkish breakfast items that are vegan so that you don't have to spend ages translating the menu (as some restaurants don't have English menus).

  • Domates - Tomatoes 

  • Salatalık - Cucumber

  • Yeşil zeytin - Green olives

  • Siyah zeytin - Black Olives

  • Patates - Potatoes 

  • Ispanak - Spinach

  • Ev recel - Homemade jams 

  • Açuka - spicy red pepper paste

  • Meyve - Fruit 

  • Sebzeli - Vegetables

  • Gözleme - Turkish pancakes (potato or spinach filling for vegans)

  • Ekmek - Bread

  • Pisi - fried doughnut-like breads (some are vegan, some aren’t)

  • Mayandoz, nane - Parsley, mint

Go forth and eat breakfast my vegan friends

If you’ve reached the end of this article, I am hoping that I’ve convinced you that when it comes to vegan Turkish food in Istanbul, breakfast is one of the top things you should try.

Follow our recommendations and you will definitely get to experience some of the best Turkish food in Istanbul!

Before you go, check out these other articles about vegan food in Istanbul:

🍟 Best Vegan Fast Food in Istanbul

🥦 Vegan Istanbul: The Best Under-the-Radar Restaurants

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🇹🇷 The Best Places to Visit in Turkey

🌟 22 Best Hotels in Istanbul With a View

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🍲 The Best Istanbul Food Tours

🛫 How to Get from Istanbul Airport to the City Centre

🏠 Best Areas to Stay in Istanbul: Coolest Neighbourhoods & Top Hotels

✈️ How to Get From SAW Airport to Istanbul City Center

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🔎 Explore Balat Istanbul: An Insider's Guide to One of Istanbul's Most Unique Neighbourhoods

20 Best Cafes in Istanbul

🍳 Best Breakfast in Istanbul- 16 Incredible Places to Try

🥘 26 Must-Try Gaziantep Foods

🖼️ 14 Top Things To Do in Gaziantep

🍔 Off the Eaten Track: The Best Street Food in Istanbul

Looking for more vegan guides in other countries? Check out our 50-dish vegan guide to Sri Lanka here.

You can also find a list of vegan restaurants in Istanbul on Happy Cow here. Find more travel guides about Turkey here.

Looking for more travel inspiration? Click here to discover more of our favourite places around the world.


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