In Istanbul, a calorie-laden tour of Turkish delights

Postcard from Tom: Our restaurant critic tours the restaurants and eateries of Istanbul.

5 Seconds

00:00

Greek guide Angelis Nannos with guests on the Istanbul Eats tour starting at the steps of Yeni Cami in Istanbul. From left to right: Dara Sorn from Sydney; Natalie Linden from San Francisco; Trish Sorn from Sydney; Angelis Nannos from Greece; J. R. Yetter from Los Angeles; and Brett Walkley from Los Angeles.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Greek tour guide Angelis Nannos and the guests on his Istanbul Eats tour taste simit, Turkey's equivalent of a bagel, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guests visit the area around Istanbul's famous Spice Market.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guests have Turkish coffee. The best place for a cup of Turkish coffee? Possibly the slip of a stall called Mandabatmaz, tucked away in an alley near the St. Antoine church off Istikal Caddesi.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guests visit Tatlici Safa for Turkish sweets in Istanbul. Nannos is on such friendly terms with the crew behind the glass display cases that he dons a white hat and joins them to cut samples of baklava.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guests visit a kokorec restaurant in Istanbul. Kokorec is a Turkish dish traditionally made of seasoned lamb sweetbreads.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guests visit a pide shop on the six-hour tour.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guests visit the Turkish pide (pizza) restaurant Mehmet Gokdeniz in Istanbul.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guest tourists visit Altan Sekerleme for Turkish sweets in Istanbul. <b>Altan Sekerleme </b>has been selling candy and confections since 1865; photographs on a wall depict members of three of the four generations that have sweetened the days of customers with satiny hard candies (akide) and Turkish Delights (lokum), displayed in tall glass jars or cupboards that look as if they’ve been around since day one.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guest tourists pause for tea in an ancient han.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guest tourists visit Vefa Bozacisi. The house draw, made with fermented millet, yeast, water and sugar, is poured into tall glasses and sprinkled with cinnamon. Roasted chickpeas can be added at the table. The beige result is like a liquefied pudding, mildly sweet but also slightly salty.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guests visit Bereket, a family-owned doner kabob vendor in the Old City.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Nannos and his guests visit Siirt Sereff Buryan, a restaurant where the regulars include the prime minister, and the specialty is whole lamb.

Ercan Arslan / AP

Featured Photo Galleries

In this image released by the Miss Universe Organization, Miss Washington USA 2012, Christina Clarke; Miss West Virginia USA 2012, Andrea Rogers; and Miss Wisconsin USA 2012, Emily Guerin compete in their swimwear by Kooey Australia and fashion footwear by Chinese Laundry during the 2012 Miss USA Presentation Show on May 30, 2012 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino Theatre for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2012 MISS USA Pageant will air LIVE on NBC June 3 at 9:00 p.m. ET from the Theatre for Performing Arts in Las Vegas. = RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT 'AFP PHOTO / Miss Universe Organization / DARREN DECKER' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS =DARREN DECKER/AFP/GettyImages

Miss Universe, Beijing Aquarium, National Spelling Bee and more in the day in photos

Miss Universe, Beijing Aquarium, National Spelling Bee and more.

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 30: Jon Stewart attends the Sesame Street Workshop 10th Annual Benefit Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 30, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Jon Stewart, Justin Bieber, Bruce Springsteen, Lil Wayne, Michelle Williams and other celebrities.

The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is seen in a camera on the end of the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm as it moves away from the station in preparation for its return to earth in this image from NASA TV May 31, 2012. REUTERS/NASA TV (SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

SpaceX prepares to return home

The SpaceX Dragon capsule detached from the international space station Thursday morning.

Police investigate the scene where a man who was believed to have shot and killed several people earlier in the day shot himself Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in the West Seattle neighborhood of Seattle. A gunman opened fire at a Seattle cafe earlier Wednesday, killing three people and critically wounding two others and later a man believed to be the same suspect shot and killed a woman and took her car near downtown, abandoning it less than two miles from where the alleged shooter shot himself as officers closed in on him, authorities said. His condition wasn't immediately known. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Gunman kills five, shoots himself in Seattle

A gunman killed five people in Seattle — four at a cafe and another in a carjacking.

LANDOVER, MD May 30, 2012 U.S. Men's National Team midfielder Fabian Johnson (23) hits a crossing pass to forward Herculez Gomez (9) for their 1st half goal against Brazil Men's National Team goalie Rafael (12) on May 30, 2012 in Landover, MD (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)

Brazil too much for U.S. to handle

Herculez Gomez scores just before halftime, but Brazil runs away with a 4-1 victory.

Camels rest at a watering hole outside the town of Aleg May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Joe Penney (MAURITANIA - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY)

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more in animal views

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more.

Editor’s choice: Reader-submitted photos

Some of the Post’s top picks of snapshots taken and submitted by readers.

HANDOUT PHOTO: Camera men film as the Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft carrying the International Space Station (ISS) crew, U.S. astronaut Joseph Acaba and Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin, blasts off from it's launch pad at Baikonur cosmodrome, May 15, 2012. (Courtesy of Shamil Zhumatov/ADAY.org)

A snapshot of life

ADAY.org aimed to capture a picture of life across the globe on one day: May, 15, 2012.

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.