The 6 Best Tantuni in Istanbul: Where to Eat the Mersin Wrap
Suat Usta Mersin Tantuni in Taksim is the first name in Istanbul tantuni. Six spots, from a Kadıköy backstreet to the Istanbul branch of a Mersin original.
Ask where to eat tantuni in Istanbul and the first name that comes back is Suat Usta Mersin Tantuni in Taksim, a one-dish shop where the crowds from Istiklal and Nevizade streets end their night. For Turks, tantuni is everyday street food. For most visitors it stays one of the least-known dishes in the city, because the wrap barely exists outside Turkey.
Tantuni gets less attention than döner kebab, and it earns a place on the same shortlist: juicy, sharp with lemon, and quick to eat standing up. This guide is for travelers who want that cheap, fast wrap without a long detour: four of the six spots sit within a short walk of Taksim Square or a ferry dock, and the other two, in Levent and Ataşehir, are a longer ride out. If you are planning meals beyond one wrap, start with our guide to the best food in Istanbul.
What is tantuni?
Tantuni is a dürüm (wrap) and a specialty of Mersin, a city on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Julienned beef, sometimes lamb, is stir-fried in sunflower oil on a sac, the thin metal pan Turkish cooks use for high-heat work. The cooked meat is wrapped in lavash with chopped onions, skinless tomatoes, and parsley, then served with lemon to squeeze over the filling.
Tantuni restaurants are easy to find in Istanbul, in the same corners where the rest of the city’s street food lives, often a few doors from a kokoreç grill. The harder question is which ones are worth your appetite. These six are.
All 6 tantuni spots at a glance
| Place | Area | What to order | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suat Usta Mersin Tantuni | Taksim | Tantuni in one or two lavash, or in half a bread | Cheap eat |
| Kadıköy Tantuni | Kadıköy | Tantuni with the homemade ayran | Cheap eat |
| Beşaltı Kirvem Tantuni | Karaköy | Beef tantuni in lavash; go easy on the hot peppers | Cheap eat |
| Emine Ana Tantuni | Taksim | Yoğurtlu tantuni, the house specialty | Cheap eat |
| Baazen Tantuni | Levent | Dürüm tantuni or ekmek arası, dessert after | Mid |
| Memoş Tantuni | Ataşehir | Tantuni in the in-house lavash | Cheap eat |
List of best tantuni places in Istanbul
1. Suat Usta Mersin Tantuni
When tantuni in Istanbul comes up, Suat Usta is usually the first name spoken. Suat Uçmaz opened the Beyoğlu shop in 2000, and it became a popular last stop after a night out on Istiklal and Nevizade streets in Taksim. There are branches around the city now, but the Taksim shop on Tel Sokak, open past midnight, is the one people mean when they recommend it.
The menu holds exactly one dish. The tantuni comes wrapped in one or two lavash, depending on how hungry you are, with homemade pickled peppers and arugula alongside. If you prefer bread, they will serve the same filling in half a loaf instead.
2. Kadıköy Tantuni
Kadıköy Tantuni has been wrapping tantuni on Leylak Sokak for well over a decade, in a pretty backstreet a short walk up from the Kadıköy ferry docks, with outdoor seating available. It is a cheap eat, and the arugula and lemon come free, with pickled peppers alongside.
Do not skip the homemade ayran, the salty yogurt drink that belongs next to this wrap. If you are making a day of the neighborhood, our Kadıköy restaurant guide covers where else to eat on that side of the water.
3. Beşaltı Kirvem Tantuni
Karaköy has changed drastically over the past ten years. Third-wave coffee shops, expensive restaurants, and steakhouses now fill the streets, and our Karaköy restaurant guide tracks the newcomers. Beşaltı Kirvem Tantuni has stood against the change.
The tantuni has not slipped: beef wrapped in lavash with tomatoes, parsley, and onions. Watch their hot peppers, though. They can set your mouth on fire.
4. Emine Ana Tantuni
Emine Ana sits on Billurcu Sokak in Beyoğlu, just off Sıraselviler Caddesi and a short walk from Taksim Square, and runs a broader kitchen than most tantuni shops. Alongside the tantuni there is Turkish breakfast, paninis, köfte (meatballs), salads, and burgers, and the handmade mantı dumplings have a reputation of their own.
The house specialty is yoğurtlu tantuni: the wrap sliced into pieces and covered in yogurt. Most tantuni shops in Istanbul keep a version on the menu, but it is the signature here.
5. Baazen Tantuni
Baazen Tantuni looks as chic and trendy as a tantuni shop gets, and the wrap itself stays as traditional as anywhere else on this list. The main room is in Levent, with a second branch out in Beylikdüzü. They serve dürüm tantuni, ekmek arası tantuni (a bread roll), and a short dessert list with künefe on it.
A spacious dining room and handsome decor make this the pick for a proper sit-down tantuni.
6. Memoş Tantuni
The original Memoş opened in Mersin, tantuni’s home city, and the brand dates itself to 1964. The Istanbul branch, in Ataşehir across from the Palladium mall, is the closest you can get without flying south. It is the only Istanbul location on the official branch list; the other three shops are all in Mersin.
The lavash is made in-house, and the beef is trimmed of sinew and fat before it hits the sac. The result is one of the strongest wraps on this list. Ataşehir is deeper into the Asian side than most visitors go, so if you make the trip, our guide to the best restaurants on the Asian side covers what else is worth eating over there.
Final words
Tantuni is one corner of a much wider table. For the rest of it, see our complete guide to Turkish cuisine, which goes far beyond the kebabs everyone already knows.
And if you would rather eat through Kadıköy with a local leading the way, our Istanbul street food tour meets at the Kadıköy ferry terminal three evenings a week and caps every group at 10 guests.
The sac work is half the show on those evenings; the wrap counter is usually where guests’ phones come out.
