Unlike Seoul, where exotic street food was varied, abundant, and cheep, Istanbul has been a bit more conservative on the food side of things. Yes, there’s great Turkish food all around us, but for whatever reason (usually price or convenience) we’ve been eating a lot less of it than I’d like. When we’re not cooking pasta or beans at home to save money, our diet consists largely of kebaps, soft serve ice cream, and ‘fiesta’ pizzas from Pizza Pizza. Yesterday I was introduced to a strangely familiar Turkish street food: Kumpir.

Turkish Kumpir, heaped with toppings

Yes, it’s a baked potato Turkish style! In addition to the standard butter and cheese, they top them with a variety of things including: black and green olives, pickles, sausage bits, Russian salad, corn, chili paste, mayonnaise, and/or ketchup. Despite the fact that there’s not a bacon bit to be had, they’re still pretty delicious and filling. We got these in Ortaköy, near the Bosphorus Bridge, which seems to be home to at least 20 different yet entirely identical Kumpir stands, so you should have no trouble tracking one down.