Favorite places to taste the food of Turkey in Istanbul

My best memory was taking a local ferry over to the Asian side to a neighborhood called Kadikoy, where there were tons of food markets all in one small area (it was a sensory feast). There was a restaurant there called Ciya Sofrasi which was a blast - so many new flavors to try that I haven't had before. Here are some websites in case you want to check it out:
http://www.ciya.com.tr/index_en.php
https://www.yelp.com/biz/çiya-sofrası-istanbul
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/04/19/the-memory-kitchen

There were some food stalls near the Süleymaniye mosque that sold really delicious traditional meals at very inexpensive prices.

Another favorite meal we had was at an Iranian restaurant named Reyhun. The rice dish with candied orange peels was delicious!

We had good seafood at Mavi Balik.

We were in Istanbul in May this year had several meals at Turgut Kebab Restaurant, Sultan Ahmet, Akbıyık Cd. No:64, 34122 Fatih.
https://www.turgutkebap.com/
We were hooked on the chicken pide :-).
The food is delicious and the customer service is excellent.

Have no clue if it’s still there but in the Grand Central Market I saw a sign on a stairway pointing up with the word Restarant….the misspelling made me want to see what was up the stairs…so up I went.

Tiny 4 table open air area. Best lentil soup I’ve ever had. A favorite memory of Istanbul.

Hoca Pasha is a small three or four block area near the Sirkeci train station (not a metro station). Lots of wonderful, tiny, very casual restaurants there.

@dedellac When are you going to Turkey? Check your email, I sent you an email through this forum (forum forwards an email to whichever email address you used to set up your account on this forum).