Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta: The Best Kofte in Istanbul

By Halal Xplorer Food Istanbul Turkey March 7, 2022

Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta: The Best Kofte in Istanbul!

This legendary Kofta place in Istanbul is one of the favourites of locals and visitors alike. Many have even gone as far as claiming this place to do the best Kofta in Istanbul! And they’ve been around for over 100 years now (since 1920), so they definitely know what they’re doing.

With it being located in central Sultanahmet, only a 3 minute walk from the two most popular mosques in Istanbul – the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, this has to be your stop for lunch (or dinner) after you’ve visited them and or the nearby museums. It is literally in the perfect location – ever so convenient and delicious enough to be the ideal post sightseeing meal.

The Kofte

They are most famous for their kofte and they have absolutely mastered it. Kofte are little ground meat patties made with either lamb or beef, this place uses 100% beef. You get about 6 koftes with pickled chillis and a delicious hot sauce. You also get some bread to go with that too. Combine all those together and you have yourself an absolute winner. The kofte (made into a sandwich with the provided bread) was delicious especially with the sauce and pickled chilli. Just writing this up has me drooling and craving for this meal again!

Gulab Jamun!?

We also got Gulab Jamun for dessert (how can you not be intrigued with a classic Indian sweet on a classic Turkish menu!). The texture was the same as the Indian version, the syrupness was the same too. The amount of sweetness was also the same. However, it was quite the contrast in taste. The taste of the syrup was not your usual Gulab Jamun taste. I’m not sure what it was, but it was distinctively different. The syrup was almost something you’d expect in Arab desserts. Definitely worth trying.

FYI: Since posting a TikTok video on this place, I have been informed by the friendly TikTok community that the Turkish name for this dessert is actually Kemalpaşa. They should just use that name on the menu to be honest.

The restaurant has this classical godfather like feel to it (if you know what I mean?). Lovely decor and very efficient service too. You will not be disappointed.