7 street foods you just have to try in Istanbul

Planning a trip to Istanbul? Mouth watering adventures await. Istanbul is not all kebabs and bürek, but has a whole lot to offer when it comes to sublime street food. Whether it's a stuffed potato or sinfully sweet treats, you'll stumble across an array of fantastic food options when in Istanbul. Check out our list of the seven street foods and snacks you cannot miss when you stay at one of our Radisson Blu hotels in the city.

This heavenly slider is certainly street food worth exploring. When delicious, garlicky patties are placed in between a set of puffy, white bread, submerged into a taste explosion of tomato sauce, and steamed only to become seductively moist and tasty, you know you have a winner!

This is a must to please your sweet-tooth. Kaymak is the milk of either a cow or water buffalo, and is the main ingredient of this traditional morning treat. The milk is boiled, skimmed and turned into clotted cream, then soaked with delicious honey. We can't think of a better way to start you day!

If bread makes your knees weak, wait until you try delicious Simit. This circular bread is encrusted with sesame seeds. It's a great meal paired with fruits, cheese or tea, but also a popular on-the-move snack. Try having one from Simit trolleys, fresh out the oven.

This deliciousness is often called the ultimate baked potato, and with good reason. When standing at the counter you just can't believe the multitude of options to put into your baked potato. It's time to start pointing fingers to make sure that your favorites are added, such as hot dog slices, cheese, butter, peas, corn, salad, olives, yogurt and oh so much more.

For a less filling, but ever so sweet snack, try the traditional and famous Lokum. This is a treat that you'll be able to find across the world because of it's popularity, but nothing beats the real deal. This sugar-syrup and corn flour blend is slow cooked, cubed and rolled in icing sugar, making it a heavenly mouthful and well deserving of its name Turkish delight.

Whether or not you agree with the nickname “Turkish pizza,” lahmacun is an absolute craving for many. With spicy lamb or beef mince spread over flat bread and topped with vegetables, fresh, crisp salad, pickles and fresh lemon juice on top, you roll it up like a burrito and savor the flavor. The dish that has existed for thousands of years and with one taste, you'll understand why its popularity keeps increasing.

On the liquid side, nothing is more traditional than the Çay tea, which is a deep-seated tradition enjoyed at all hours of the day. It's a sign of hospitality so you should be prepared to drink a lot of it. It made its way into Turkey from Japan and China, but has become a core part of Turkish culture, as it's the country that consumes the most tea in the world.