Istanbul's headline number is falafel at 15 venues, a count that outsizes most European falafel scenes. Çiğköfteci Sırrı Usta and Marul Handmade Çiğ Köfte hold the Turkish-Middle Eastern street side, Abu Gosh Filistin Künefesi takes dessert, and Ethique Plant-Based runs French bakery and the top cake spot. Vegan Community Kitchen leads the kebab category at 4, and the 10-deep Turkish and Middle Eastern lineups round it out.
Ranked by overall rating, signature dish strength, and how much reviewers praise the food. If you only have a weekend, start here.
★ MUST GO · #1 Photo via Google Maps 
Must go · #2 Try both the classic and crispy vegan künefe versions to enjoy different textures.
Must go · #3 Try the lahmacun topped with all the salad, tomatoes, and lemon you can fit in.
Must go · #4 Try the vegan magnolia pudding and güllaç for traditional Turkish desserts made vegan.
Order the pistachio cream filled pastry and various French-style vegan desserts
Try the weekend vegan breakfast featuring tofu scramble and roasted soya mince
Must go · #7 Try the çiğ köfte rolls and dürüm for authentic vegan Turkish street food.
Must go · #8 
Must go · #9 Try the traditional mezze dishes like hummus, şakşuka, and barbuş (beans) for a fresh and flavorful experience.
Must go · #11 The Babel Special (lentil and bulgur in filo pastry) is a must-try vegan dish
Must go · #12 Try the seitan kebab and homemade vegan manti for signature dishes
Must go · #13 Taste the homemade vegan yogurt and tomato sauce with your dumplings
Must go · #14 Food is mostly pre-prepared and microwaved—expect consistent quality but not freshly cooked to order
Must go · #15 Dishes ranked by how well this city's plant-based venues make them, compared to the other 157 cities we track.
11 places worth stopping for çiğ köfte
Try the çiğ köfte rolls and dürüm for authentic vegan Turkish street food.
Try the vegan lahmacun, noted as one of the best in Istanbul.
Try the Vegan Ispanaklı Pelmeni with olive oil and spices
Try the vegan çiğ köfte dürüm wrap for an authentic and filling meal
6 places worth stopping for lahmacun
Order the kadayıf or künefe desserts, which receive high praise for their quality.
Try the lahmacun topped with all the salad, tomatoes, and lemon you can fit in.
Try the vegan lahmacun, noted as one of the best in Istanbul.
Prices are affordable, about 20 TL per vegan lahmacun
5 places worth stopping for baklava
The vegan kebab and falafel plates are recommended specialties
Try both the pistachio and walnut vegan baklava varieties.
Try both vegan baklava flavors: pistachio and walnut
Try the vegan baklava, a rare specialty here
spinach · Vegan Food Guide All 506 Istanbul venues on the map. Filter by what's open, save what you'd return for, get walking directions in two taps.
Completely plant-based kitchens. No swaps, no asking, no surprises.
Try the weekend vegan breakfast featuring tofu scramble and roasted soya mince
Order the kadayıf or künefe desserts, which receive high praise for their quality.
Food is mostly pre-prepared and microwaved—expect consistent quality but not freshly cooked to order
Try the lahmacun topped with all the salad, tomatoes, and lemon you can fit in.
Mainstream restaurants where the vegan side of the menu is treated seriously.
Try both the classic and crispy vegan künefe versions to enjoy different textures.
Try the vegan lentil soup and carrot cake
Try the vegan doner wrap for a flavorful plant-based meal.
Try the vegan burger with homemade vegan mayonnaise
Open before 10, good coffee, the kind of place you walk back to on day two.
Order the pistachio cream filled pastry and various French-style vegan desserts
Try the vegan lentil soup and carrot cake
Try the roast beet sandwich and mock chi sandwich, highly recommended by many visitors.
Try the Special Hummus toast for a tasty vegan option
Weekday fuel and weekend stretches.
The Babel Special (lentil and bulgur in filo pastry) is a must-try vegan dish
Try the lahmacun topped with all the salad, tomatoes, and lemon you can fit in.
Order the kadayıf or künefe desserts, which receive high praise for their quality.
Try the weekend vegan breakfast featuring tofu scramble and roasted soya mince
The reason you planned the trip.
Try the seitan kebab and homemade vegan manti for signature dishes
Try the lahmacun topped with all the salad, tomatoes, and lemon you can fit in.
Try the multi-course tasting menu for a full experience.
Try the vegan lentil soup and carrot cake
Date night. Birthday. Tell them you're celebrating.
Try the multi-course tasting menu for a full experience.
Bring cash as the venue is cash only
Try the vegan thali, known for large portions and variety
Try the vegan lahmacun, noted as one of the best in Istanbul.
Ice cream, pastry, and the honest dessert case.
Order the pistachio cream filled pastry and various French-style vegan desserts
Try the vegan baklava, a rare specialty here
Try the vegan magnolia pudding and güllaç for traditional Turkish desserts made vegan.
Try both the pistachio and walnut vegan baklava varieties.
Quiet rooms, unhurried pace, under $$.
Try the roast beet sandwich and mock chi sandwich, highly recommended by many visitors.
Bring cash as the venue is cash only
The vegan kebab and falafel plates are recommended specialties
Try the turmeric chai latte for a fragrant, low-caffeine option
Wifi, outlets, no judgement for a 3-hour sit.
Try the roast beet sandwich and mock chi sandwich, highly recommended by many visitors.
Try the vegan breakfast plate with vegan cheese platter and smoothie bowls
Try the turmeric chai latte for a fragrant, low-caffeine option
Try the vegan manti (Turkish ravioli) for a homemade flavor experience
Busy rooms with tables big enough for eight.
Try the lahmacun topped with all the salad, tomatoes, and lemon you can fit in.
Try the Salpa burger and vegan chicken tacos for popular savory options
Try the falafel wrap with tahini yoghurt sauce
Try the vegan thali, known for large portions and variety
Menus kids recognize, staff who don't flinch at strollers.
Order the kadayıf or künefe desserts, which receive high praise for their quality.
Try the vegan çiğ köfte dürüm wrap for an authentic and filling meal
Try the aubergine in tomato gravy and green beans with rice
Try the daily variety of vegan mezes for a rich tasting experience
Try the vegan kebab with tzatziki sauce and the Turkish mantı (ravioli) with fermented cashew yogurt.
Bring cash as the venue is cash only
Try the multi-course tasting menu for a full experience.
The vegan kebab and falafel plates are recommended specialties
Try the falafel wrap with tahini yoghurt sauce
Try the multi-course tasting menu for a full experience.
The vegan kebab and falafel plates are recommended specialties
Try the daily variety of vegan mezes for a rich tasting experience
Try the vegan kebab with tzatziki sauce and the Turkish mantı (ravioli) with fermented cashew yogurt.
Try the roast beet sandwich and mock chi sandwich, highly recommended by many visitors.
Try the falafel wrap with tahini yoghurt sauce
The vegan kebab and falafel plates are recommended specialties
Cities where the çiğ köfte signature also earns a spot in the top essentials — pack a weekend around one.
Yes — Istanbul has 506 vegan-ready venues. The top-ranked are Vegan Masa - Kadikoy, Abu Ghoush Künefe, Vegan Masa. Spinach ranks them daily on overall rating, signature dish strength, and reviewer praise for the food.
Istanbul scores 41.4/100 on the Spinach vegan city index. The city has 51 vegan-friendly venues and 86 high-quality restaurants out of 506 analyzed.
Istanbul has 23 fully vegan restaurants and 33 vegetarian restaurants. 51 venues score B or higher on the Vegan Friendliness grade.
Istanbul's top signature dishes for vegans are çiğ köfte, lahmacun, baklava, and the city also does falafel and cake well. Signature dishes are ranked by how the city's venues score against the other 157 cities we track.
The vegan scene in Istanbul leans Turkish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean. Turkish is particularly strong, with 10 venues serving quality plant-based options.
Vegan Masa - Kadikoy is ranked #1 in Istanbul by the Spinach Essentials algorithm, which weights rating, signature dish performance, and reviewer praise. See all 15 Essentials for the full ranking.
Spinach ranks vegan venues using the same algorithm the mobile app runs: a composite of Google Maps rating, the Spinach Rating (Wilson-confidence scored), dish-quality Wilson scores from extracted review signals, and city-specific signature dish strength. Essentials add a tier weighting; category lists add their own mood/occasion weights. No pay-to-play.
The ranking refreshes daily from Supabase. The last refresh is stamped at the top of this page. Venue data comes from Google Maps, HappyCow, and Spinach's own review-analysis pipeline.
