Döner kebap tops TasteAtlas's ranking of Turkey's 20 best street foods, scoring 4.4 out of 5, ahead of lahmacun and Mersin's tantuni. The global gastronomy platform's list, based on thousands of user votes, also features two Izmir specialties and Istanbul's "wet hamburger."
TasteAtlas, an international gastronomy guide that crowdsources ratings for regional dishes, has published a ranking of the 20 best street foods in Turkey. Turkish outlets Onedio, Yeni Asır and Mynet reported on the list between late September and October 1, 2026, each publishing the same 20 items in the same order and with identical scores.
How the ranking was compiled
According to Onedio's report on TasteAtlas's methodology, the platform drew on 7,481 submitted votes, of which it counted 4,409 as valid after filtering out activity it identified as coming from bots or reflecting local and nationalist bias. TasteAtlas also states that it gives extra weight to votes it classifies as coming from more knowledgeable contributors. Onedio listed the TasteAtlas page as last updated on September 15, 2026.
Turkey's top 20 street foods
Döner Kebap (4.4/5) — ranked first; TasteAtlas attributes the dish's origin to the city of Bursa.
Lahmacun (4.3/5) — a thin dough topped with spiced minced meat, often described abroad as 'Turkish pizza.'
Tantuni (4.3/5) — a Mersin specialty of finely chopped meat cooked with spices on a griddle and wrapped in lavash or bread.
Gözleme (4.2/5) — a griddle-cooked flatbread filled with options such as cheese, spinach or minced meat.
Kol Böreği (4.2/5) — a spiral-shaped filo pastry filled with cheese, spinach, potato or meat.
Kokoreç (4.1/5) — grilled seasoned lamb or mutton intestines, a long-standing Istanbul street classic.
Köfte (4.1/5) — grilled or fried meatballs, with recipes that vary by region.
Çi Börek (4.1/5) — scored 4.1 in the TasteAtlas vote.
Yumurtalı Pide (4.1/5) — scored 4.1 in the TasteAtlas vote.
Simit (4.1/5) — the ring-shaped sesame bread scored 4.1.
Sigara Böreği (4.1/5) — scored 4.1 in the TasteAtlas vote.
Midye Dolma (4.0/5) — stuffed mussels scored 4.0.
Su Böreği (4.0/5) — scored 4.0 in the TasteAtlas vote.
Kumpir (4.0/5) — the stuffed baked-potato dish scored 4.0.
Midye Tava (4.0/5) — fried mussels scored 4.0.
Kumru (3.9/5) — an Izmir sandwich of sesame bread filled with cheese and sausage.
Nohutlu Pilav (3.9/5) — rice cooked with chickpeas scored 3.9.
Boyoz (3.4/5) — an Izmir pastry traditionally eaten with hard-boiled eggs, closing out the list at 20th place.
Regional stand-outs
Two cities drew particular attention in Turkish coverage of the list. Izmir placed two entries, Kumru and Boyoz, while Istanbul contributed both Kokoreç and the Islak Hamburger. Mersin's Tantuni reached third place overall, and TasteAtlas's attribution of döner kebap's origin to Bursa was highlighted by multiple outlets as a notable detail of the top-ranked entry.
Top 5 vs. bottom 5 on the list
Rank
Food
Score (out of 5)
Known for
1
Döner Kebap
4.4
Origin attributed to Bursa
2
Lahmacun
4.3
Thin dough with spiced meat topping
3
Tantuni
4.3
Mersin griddle-cooked meat wrap
4
Gözleme
4.2
Griddle-cooked filled flatbread
5
Kol Böreği
4.2
Spiral filo pastry
16
Kumru
3.9
Izmir sesame-bread sandwich
17
Islak Hamburger
3.9
Istanbul's steamed 'wet' burger
18
Izgara Sardalya
3.9
Grilled sardines
19
Nohutlu Pilav
3.9
Rice with chickpeas
20
Boyoz
3.4
Izmir pastry eaten with eggs
All three Turkish outlets that covered the ranking presented the same 20 dishes in the same order with matching scores, giving the list consistent sourcing across independent reports even though none of the articles disclosed TasteAtlas's full scoring formula beyond the vote-filtering process described above.
Questions
What is TasteAtlas and how does it rank foods?
TasteAtlas is an international gastronomy platform that rates regional dishes using user submissions. According to Onedio's report, it filters out suspected bot votes and submissions it judges to carry local or nationalist bias, and gives more weight to votes from users it considers knowledgeable.
What is the number one street food in Turkey according to this list?
Döner kebap ranked first with a score of 4.4 out of 5, with TasteAtlas attributing the dish's origin to Bursa.
Which Izmir foods made the top 20?
Kumru, a sesame-bread sandwich with cheese and sausage, placed 16th with 3.9 points, and Boyoz, a pastry traditionally eaten with hard-boiled eggs, placed 20th with 3.4 points.
When was the ranking published?
Onedio's report listed the TasteAtlas page as last updated on September 15, 2026, and Turkish outlets including Yeni Asır and Mynet reported on the list around October 1, 2026.
How many votes were used to build the ranking?
Per Onedio's account of TasteAtlas's methodology, 7,481 votes were submitted, of which 4,409 were counted as valid after filtering.
How the world is telling it
TurkishTurkish outlets framed the TasteAtlas ranking as international recognition of Turkish street-food culture, with several articles emphasizing local pride for Izmir's and Mersin's entries and for döner kebap's top placement.
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