Our favorite of Istanbul’s many, many mosques, Rüstem Paşa Camii is easy to miss. It sits on the roof of a handful of Tahtakale shops, a little sanctuary above the unrelenting noise and crowds. It might take minute to find the stairs, but you'll be rewarded with a calm courtyard. The mosque's interior is covered in a sea of blue tiles, making it definitionally a hidden gem of the city.

Under the Rüstem Paşa Mosque, Köfteci Yaşar has been quietly doing its thing for 60 years. The köfte meatballs arrive without any kind of show. They’re straightforward, well seasoned, and make no attempt to impress visually.

A few hundred steps away from Köfteci Yaşar, at Meşhur Dönerci Hacı Osman, we eat döner the way it should be eaten here: standing up. Despite the cool old digs and long lines that form from time to time, the pace moves fast. It’s a little chaotic and clearly more interested in flavor than presentation.

At Pak Pide ve Pizza Salonu, the pides come straight out of a 65-year-old wood fired oven. They’re crisp, hot, and quietly confident, like proof that good ingredients and solid technique are still enough.

Lezzet-i Şark is our sweet pit stop right in the thick of things, perfect for sampling coal-cooked künefe. This is a popular dessert of cheese covered in shredded phyllo, baked until melty, then soaked in simple syrup. We usually request for one plate az şekerli (less sweet) before digging into the deliciously gooey mess. (This spot also serves kebabs and wraps!)

The Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi stand is just at the entrance of the Spice Bazaar. This is by far the most famous brand of Turkish coffee. Its long line is for bags of freshly ground Turkish coffee (it's not a cafe!). While it might seem intimidating, it moves quickly and makes for the perfect souvenir. Whenever we are passing through Eminönü, we always stop here to replenish our stock.

Likely amongst the top 5 of Istanbul's most famous tourist sites, the Spice Bazaar needs little introduction. Instead, we offer these tips: powdered teas (think apple and pomegranate) are full of sugar; anything pre-packaged you can usually find for much cheaper at the supermarket, pharmacy, or cosmetics store; skip out on mass-produced tchotkes and snag them for less outside the covered bazar in the surrounding streets of Tahtakale.

The "Furrier's Han," epitomizes a bygone era of Ottoman shopping mall – though it's still in use. Eminönü is chock full of hans like this one, which are former caravansereis that house a particular set of goods (either for sale, for storage, or for import/export). We like Kürkçü Han in particular for its intersection of old and new world: every shop in here sells materials for woolcrafts like knitting.

At Şehzade Erzurum Cağ Kebapçısı (entrance to Hocapaşa Sokak) as the horizontal spit slowly turns, the meat continuously bastes itself, occasionally flaring up with a sizzle and a pop that chars an outlying corner of meat. Unlike döner, where the dönerci saws and hacks from his vertical spit, the cağ man carefully selects each morsel of meat from the spit with a sharp knife and a small, thin skewer, which is served to you on a plate of ultra-thin lavaş.

This elegant, century-old spot, which you enter from within the Spice Bazaar, was once buried treasure for many years, closed for remodeling before reopening in new hands in 2019. A couple years later, Michelin awarded the well-crafted mezes and traditional, tasteful interior a Bib Gourmand.

Skip the souvenir sweets at the Spice Bazaar and head to Altan Şekerleme, where the Turkish delight is stacked in psychedelic pyramids, laid out into long white rows that are impossibly pink or deep amber on the inside, and even built into little Technicolor log cabins. Candies are all made old-school, and there's a trove of treasures to pick up to eat right away or take home. (May we suggest the excellent, fresh helva?)

If you can't get enough of Rüstem Pasha's blue tiles, skip the Topkapı Palace crowds and head to Hünkar Kasrı, a pocket-sized royal retreat tucked behind the Yeni Cami (New Mosque). In just 30 minutes, you can walk around sultans' chambers dripping in world-class Iznik tiles and gold-leafed ceilings. It offers the same imperial luxury as the larger palaces but is usually free to enter and far more intimate.

While the drinks aren't anything special, this cute cafe makes for a cozy coffee break – and boasts some seriously good views. It's more comfortable than the old-fashioned tea and coffeehouses that dot the neighborhood, and has a bit of Islam-inspired decorative flair that is popular amongst the conservative-but-hip Istanbul youth.

Walk up the hill from Tahtakale on your way to Suleymaniye Mosque, and reward yourself with a tea and an (ugh, we're about to date ourselves with this slang) "epic" view of the Golden Horn and beyond. The row of terrace cafes on this northern slope of Fetva St. tout tropical nargile (waterpipe) flavors and microwaved kebab meals at criminal prices, but we exonerate Mimar Sinan Cafe of all charges due to their unparalleled, uncanopied roof. Just don't eat here.

As you drift toward the Grand Bazaar, look out for Fahri Usta. There’s no fixed menu to study or debate. You eat whatever has come out of the pot that day. The food feels like it’s been cooked the same way for the same regulars for years. If you stop by often enough for lunch, you may even find yourself exchanging greetings with people you don’t quite know.