Sur Ocakbaşı

Istanbul


Indulge in some peerless people-watching while enjoying the kebaps and büryan (lamb slow-cooked in a pit oven) at this popular place in the Women's Bazaar. The square is always full of locals shopping or enjoying a gossip, and tourists were a rare sight before Anthony Bourdain filmed a segment of No Reservations here and blew Sur's cover.

There are plenty of options on offer: as well as the extensive array of kebaps, consider sampling the sac tava (lamb and vegetables sautéed on a flat metal pan, ₺45). Alcohol isn't served, but there's homemade ayran (yoghurt drink).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Istanbul attractions

1. Women's Bazaar

0.01 MILES

Though it's a wonderful spot to observe local life, the vibrant Women's Bazaar isn't for the faint-hearted. Freshly slaughtered sheep carcasses swing in…

2. Fatih İtfaiye

0.07 MILES

This Ottoman Revivalist–style fire station overlooking Fatih Anıt Park was designed by Konstantinos Kiriakidis, built at the start of the 20th century and…

3. Aqueduct of Valens

0.09 MILES

Rising majestically over the traffic on busy Atatürk Bulvarı, this limestone aqueduct is one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Commissioned by…

5. Şehzade Mehmet Mosque

0.27 MILES

Süleyman the Magnificent built this square-shaped mosque between 1543 and 1548 as a memorial to his son Mehmet, who died of smallpox in 1543 at the age of…

6. Fatih Mosque

0.32 MILES

The Fatih was the first great imperial mosque built in İstanbul following the Conquest. Mehmet the Conqueror chose to locate it on the hilltop site of the…

7. Wednesday Market

0.42 MILES

This busy weekly market sells food, clothing and household goods. It's held in the streets behind and to the north of Fatih Mosque.

8. Süleymaniye Mosque

0.49 MILES

The Süleymaniye crowns one of İstanbul's seven hills and dominates the Golden Horn, providing a landmark for the entire city. Though it's not the largest…