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All Turkey Istanbul Kanaat Lokantasi
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Kanaat Lokantasi

This family-owned canteen has been selling goat milk ice cream since 1933.

Istanbul, Turkey

Added By
Anya von Bremzen
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Kemalpaşa tatlısı is a traditional Turkish dessert.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Kemalpaşa tatlısı is a traditional Turkish dessert.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
A poached quince glistens with syrup.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Gül tatlısı roughly translates as “rose delight” and comes soaked in syrup.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
A chef doles out heaping plates of traditional dishes.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Kalburabastı comes topped with kaymak, a kind of rich, clotted cream.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Yassı kadayıf, a type of Turkish sweet, is on display.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Uzbek-style pilaf is one of thhouse specialties.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
A chef plates up Uzbek-style pilaf.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Baked sutlac, or rice pudding, comes with a handsomely burnished top.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Tulumba tatlısı, made with fried dough, are a delicious treat.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Zeytinyagli consist of vegetables braised in olive oil until silky and luscious.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Yassı kadayıf swims in a puddle of syrup.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Quince comes topped with kaymak, or clotted cream.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Zeytinyagli dishes are on display in the glass case.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Lahana dolmasi, or stuffed cabbage leaves, make for a hearty meal.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Zerdali comes topped with pine nuts and currents.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
Jerusalem artichoke hearts are one of the many olive oil-braised vegetables on the menu.   Derya Turgut for Gastro Obscura
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About

A big bustling place in the staunchly Islamic municipality of Uskudar on the city’s Asian shore, Kanaat belongs to a cardinal genre of Istanbul eating establishments known as esnaf lokantasi. Roughly translated as “tradesmen’s canteen” and ubiquitous throughout the city, esnaf lokantasi are Istanbul’s answer to diners, providing homey, affordable sustenance to city shopkeepers and workers. Ordering at an esnaf lokanta is easy: just point to the cold cases and warm pots arrayed on or near the counter, and nod. 

At Kanaat everything you ever wanted to know about Turkish cuisine is here—somewhere. There are the gleaming chrome cases of zeytinyağli—green beans, artichokes, leeks, or other seasonal veggies braised in olive oil until silky and luscious—and every kind of stuffed vegetable: cabbage, peppers, and grape leaves filled with meat or spiced rice. 

In the glassed-in kitchen, cooks make yahni (vegetable casseroles), Uzbek lamb-and-carrot pilaf, all manners of kebabs, and six kofte (meatball) varieties. By the entrance, candied pumpkin and quince glisten in syrup, and the Ottoman pudding selection ranges from sütlaç (rice) to aşure, aka’s Noah’s pudding, studded with dried fruit and nuts. 

Kanaat was opened in 1933 by the Kargili family who still run the place. Their Albanian clan came to then Ottoman Istanbul from Skopje, in what is now North Macedonia, in 1915 during the reign of the last sultan, and peddled helva and goat milk ice cream from pushcarts. 

Back then, Albanians in Istanbul were known for their dairy treats, such as muhallebi (milk pudding) and kaymak, a thick clotted buffalo cream. Many of today’s regulars still swear by Kanaat's goat milk vanilla ice cream, which derives its elastic texture from sahlep, the powdered root of a wild mountain orchid. 

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Food Restaurants Dairy Ice Cream

Know Before You Go

The restaurant is a short walk from Uskudar ferry landing. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Anya von Bremzen

Published

April 2, 2024

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Kanaat Lokantasi
Sultantepe, Selmani Pak Cd. No:9
Istanbul, 34674
Turkey
41.025849, 29.01651
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Photo of Istanbul

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Photo of Istanbul

Istanbul

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Stories 15

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