While many of the bigger cities sport great restaurants and cafes catering to vegetarians, most day-to-day Turkish food is easily adaptable for the meat-avoidant. Simit are sesame-seed-covered bread rolls, a bit like bagels, which make a cheap and easy snack. While kahvaltı (Turkish breakfast plates) provide plenty of veggie-friendly fare with oodles of fresh bread, cheese, olives, tomato, cucumber, jams and crispy pastries like börek and kalem böreği and that’s just the start). There are also plenty of pide, a kind of flatbread, which comes with a variety of toppings, many of which are vegetarian.
On the north side of the Golden Horn, this compact, brick-walled eatery is a specialist when it comes to vegan Turkish food. Plant-based diners will delight in their versions of kebab (made from seitan), kofte and baklava. The menu varies depending on the season, but the chances are high you’ll be able to sample their popular vegan doner kebab along with some of their sweet treats. Stop by on a Saturday to indulge in the kitchen's succulent vegan brownies. Vibes are relaxed, with plant-based reading material dotted about and rustic wooden furniture ready to recline in.