Istanbul Eats, with the strap line “a serious eater’s guide to the city”, caught my eye as a Guardian Travel Blog of the Month. Founders Yigal Schleifer and Ansel Mullins tell us about the blog.

Ciya Sofrasi Restaurant, Istanbul

1 What is the aim of your blog?

Istanbul Eats aims to navigate serious eaters through the culinary backstreets of Istanbul, celebrating the best in local Turkish no-frills dining (and, occasionally, more upscale places that we think deserve more attention).

2 What prompted you to start your own blog?

We recognized a serious informational void on our beloved subject of dining in Istanbul, so we decided to do something about it. We started Istanbul Eats in order widen the perspective of dining in Istanbul and share our favorite lesser-known spots with others. Until Istanbul Eats there was no real resource on these great local eateries. Most visitors never had the chance to try the yeni dunya (loquat) kebab or a perfect lahmacun, because they had no way to find it. We like to think that our blog helps people in Istanbul decide what to eat and where to eat it.

3 What has been the hardest aspect of having your blog?

We didn’t fully realize before launching just how much the blog is a beast that demands to be fed and one that can very easily take over your life.

4 What is the funniest thing that has happened to you running your blog?

Since starting the blog, we’ve been watching, with some amusement (and alarm), our waists expand.

5 Is there anything you would do differently with the benefit of hindsight?

I think we would’ve done more careful planning on the design and functions of the blog. We were eager to launch, but a month after launching in a fairly simple format we had the blog totally redesigned. We are still working the kinks out of the new look.

My comments – If I ever make it to Istanbul, I’ll be printing out Istanbul Eats recommendations for local eateries. Your expanding waistlines are surely a testament to the great food. You’re making me feel at bit nervous about the current revamp of the Europe a la Carte Blog by saying that there are glitches a month after your redesign.

More Istanbul Tips

You’ll find lot of ideas for things to do in Istanbul in our Best of Istanbul Tips.

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