🛒 Where to Buy Vegan and Gluten-Free Food in Istanbul
You don't have to eat every meal in a restaurant. Vegan groceries, plant-based alternatives and gluten-free staples are available across the city, and many can be delivered straight to your hotel or apartment.
Staying in Istanbul for a few days? You don't have to eat every meal in a restaurant. Vegan groceries, plant-based alternatives and gluten-free staples are available across the city, and many can be delivered straight to your hotel or apartment.
The trick is knowing where to look.
For vegans, Istanbul has specialist vegan shops as well as increasingly good supermarket selections. Travellers with celiac disease have dedicated gluten-free stores too, although they need to be a little more careful about labels and cross-contact.
Here is where to start.
🌱 Staying around Taksim, Galata or Cihangir? Try Vegan Dükkan
Vegan Dükkan in Cihangir is one of the easiest specialist shops for visitors staying on the European side.
It is a dedicated vegan store carrying products such as plant-based milk, vegan cheese, meat alternatives, spreads, snacks, chocolate and pantry products. There is also a specific gluten-free section in its online store.
The location is particularly convenient if you're staying around Taksim, Cihangir, Galata, Karaköy or Beyoğlu.
You don't necessarily have to visit in person either. Vegan Dükkan has an online store and offers local delivery to parts of central Istanbul.
Good for: 🌱 Vegans
Also useful for: 🌾 Vegan + gluten-free products
If you have celiac disease, remember that a vegan shop isn't automatically a dedicated gluten-free environment. Check individual labels carefully.
🌿 Staying in Kadıköy or Moda? Vegan Bakkal is worth knowing
On the Asian side, Vegan Bakkal Moda is another specialist vegan grocery option.
Its range includes vegan cheeses, plant-based meat alternatives, snacks, chocolate and pantry products, with gluten-free products also available.
That makes it particularly useful if you're staying around Kadıköy, Moda or the surrounding Asian-side neighbourhoods.
It also operates an online store.
Good for: 🌱 Vegans
Also useful for: 🌾 Finding products that are both vegan and gluten-free
🥑 Şişli: another vegan shopping option
Vegan İstasyon is another dedicated vegan retailer, with a physical operation in Şişli and online shopping.
Its range is useful for travelers staying around Şişli, Nişantaşı, Mecidiyeköy and parts of Beşiktaş, particularly if you're self-catering for several days.
For a short visit, specialist stores like these can save you from checking the ingredients of every apparently plant-based supermarket product.
🌾 For travelers with celiac disease: start with a gluten-free specialist
If you have celiac disease, your priorities are slightly different.
Glutensiz.com operates specialist gluten-free markets/cafés in Istanbul, including Etiler and Maltepe, as well as an extensive online shop.
Its stores sell products such as gluten-free bread, pasta, flour, biscuits, snacks, sauces, breakfast products and other staples. The company says its café kitchens use gluten-free ingredients and operate as gluten-free kitchens.
This can be especially helpful if you've just arrived and want to stock your hotel room or apartment with breakfast foods, bread and snacks rather than checking every meal outside.
Good for: 🌾 Gluten-free and celiac travelers
But there is an important distinction:
Gluten-free does not mean vegan.
A gluten-free biscuit, bread or prepared food may contain milk, whey, butter, eggs or honey. If you're both vegan and gluten-free, check both sets of ingredients.
🛒 You don't necessarily need a specialist shop
If the nearest vegan store is on the other side of Istanbul, don't cross the city just for groceries.
Larger branches of Migros, CarrefourSA and Macrocenter can be much more practical.
They commonly carry some combination of:
🥛 Plant-based milk
🧀 Vegan alternatives
🌱 Plant-based meat products
🍝 Gluten-free pasta
🍞 Gluten-free bread and crackers
🌾 Gluten-free flour
🥣 Cereals and oats
🍫 Vegan or gluten-free snacks
Migros says its stores carry vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free products, although the selection varies by location.
CarrefourSA also maintains a dedicated gluten-free category in its online supermarket, including bread, pasta, flour, biscuits, snacks and products from established gluten-free brands.
🛒 CarrefourSA gluten-free products
Our tip: Choose a large supermarket whenever possible. A big Migros, CarrefourSA or Macrocenter is much more likely to have specialist products than a small convenience-sized branch.
📱 Yes, you can order groceries to your hotel or apartment
This can be one of the easiest solutions for foreign visitors.
If you're staying in Istanbul for several days, consider ordering your breakfast supplies, snacks, plant milk, vegan cheese or gluten-free bread instead of spending part of your holiday searching supermarkets.
Specialist retailers including Vegan Dükkan, Vegan Bakkal, Vegan İstasyon and Glutensiz.com sell online.
Major supermarkets also operate online shopping and delivery services, although availability, minimum orders and delivery times depend on your location.
If you're staying at a hotel, ask reception before ordering:
“Can I have grocery delivery sent to the hotel?”
Most importantly, give the delivery service the hotel's full name and address, not simply the neighbourhood.
If you're in an Airbnb or apartment, adding the building number, apartment number and a reachable telephone number will make delivery easier.
🏨 Another simple strategy: buy breakfast
This is particularly useful for travelers with dietary restrictions.
If your hotel's breakfast isn't suitable, you don't necessarily need to find a restaurant every morning.
A small supply of:
🥛 plant milk
🍌 fruit
🥜 nuts
🥣 cereal or oats
🍞 suitable bread
🧈 vegan spreads
🍪 safe snacks
can make mornings much easier.
Then go out and enjoy Istanbul rather than starting every day searching for something you can eat.
🔎 Useful Turkish words when shopping
You don't need to speak Turkish to shop successfully, but knowing a few words helps enormously.
Vegan → Vegan
Vegetarian → Vejetaryen
Gluten-free → Glütensiz
Celiac disease → Çölyak hastalığı
Contains milk → Süt içerir
Contains egg → Yumurta içerir
Contains gluten → Glüten içerir
May contain traces of... → Eser miktarda ... içerebilir
For vegans, also watch for:
Milk → süt
Milk powder → süt tozu
Whey → peynir altı suyu
Butter → tereyağı
Egg → yumurta
Honey → bal
⚠️ If you have celiac disease, look beyond the front of the package
Finding the words “glütensiz” is a good starting point.
But if you have celiac disease rather than simply choosing to avoid gluten, take a little more time with the label. Check allergen information and warnings about traces or shared production.
If you're unsure, don't feel uncomfortable asking.
You can show staff:
“Çölyak hastasıyım. Bu ürün tamamen glütensiz mi?”
“I have celiac disease. Is this product completely gluten-free?”
For unpackaged bakery products, the question of cross-contact becomes particularly important. When there is uncertainty, a sealed and clearly labelled gluten-free product is usually the easier choice.
🌱 Vegan travelers: don't judge a product by its appearance
Something that looks plant-based may still contain milk powder, whey, butter, eggs or honey.
This is particularly worth checking with biscuits, crackers, chocolate, bread, pastries, sauces and ready meals.
The good news is that Turkish food labels normally highlight major allergens, making ingredients such as milk and egg easier to spot.
🌱🌾 Vegan AND celiac?
You have fewer choices, but Istanbul is certainly manageable.
A useful strategy is to work from both directions.
At a vegan specialist such as Vegan Dükkan or Vegan Bakkal, search specifically for gluten-free vegan products.
At a gluten-free specialist such as Glutensiz.com, start with products suitable for your gluten restriction and then check the ingredient list for milk, eggs, butter, whey, honey and other animal ingredients.
Don't assume either label guarantees the other.
🧺 Don't forget Istanbul's markets and greengrocers
Not everything needs a specialist label.
Look for neighbourhood manav shops and street markets for fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, nuts and other naturally plant-based foods.
Supermarkets are also useful for simple staples such as:
🍅 Tomatoes and cucumbers
🫒 Olives
🍇 Fresh and dried fruit
🥜 Nuts
🌰 Tahini
🫘 Beans and pulses
🍚 Rice
🥔 Potatoes
These can be particularly useful if you have access to a kitchen.
Packaged foods still require label checking, but Istanbul has plenty of naturally vegan ingredients that don't need to come from the specialist vegan aisle.
💚 The easiest strategy for your stay
Don't spend your Istanbul holiday travelling across the city just to buy breakfast.
If there is a specialist vegan or gluten-free shop close to where you're staying, use it. Otherwise, check a large Migros, CarrefourSA or Macrocenter, or order what you need online.
If you have celiac disease, prioritise clearly labelled gluten-free products and ask questions when cross-contact matters.
If you're vegan, check ingredients even when something appears plant-based.
And if you're both vegan and celiac, specialist online shops can save a considerable amount of time.
A little shopping on your first day can mean much less food planning for the rest of your trip.
Then you can get back to the important part: exploring Istanbul. 🌱🛒🌾