I am a local to Istanbul and this is the dish that I recommend every traveler try

Istanbul is a lush city for food lovers. I’ve lived here for 12 years and have never gotten bored of its cuisine: from local street food to creative reinterpretations of Turkish classics, from dishes specific to Istanbul to flavors from across Anatolia and neighboring countries like Syria, Iran and Georgia. In a city with so many options, it can be difficult to know where to start when eating. Of course, most visitors have heard of kebab or doner, but I think the most interesting local cuisine goes far beyond these world-famous staple dishes.

The one dish I recommend travelers start with is deceptively simple but consistently delicious: lahmacun.

A thin layer of circular dough is rolled out and topped with a mixture of minced lamb and spices, then baked in a brick oven until the edges are perfectly crispy. It is served hot and the proper way to eat it is to squeeze a little lemon juice, sprinkle it with spices such as sumac and Aleppo pepper and add a handful of parsley. Then you roll it up like a burrito and dip it.

One or two are usually enough to satisfy the appetite. Best paired with a cold glass of Ayrana savory Turkish yogurt drink that perfectly balances the spicy meatiness of the lahmacun.

A lahmacun restaurant sits just above fast food, geared toward people on the go, but still offering something you can savor. It is people’s food, equally enjoyable for tourists and locals alike.

My favorite place to eat lahmacun is Borsam Tasfirin in Kadikoy, the neighborhood where I live. The place is always packed with people of all ages, and the lahmacun flies in and out of the huge stone oven that dominates the small space. While the restaurant has a small lounge upstairs, the best way to enjoy Borsam’s lahmacun is to sit on a stool inside or outside by a window, watching the neighborhoods’ vibrant foot traffic go by. (Borsam offers a few other options, including a lahmacun topped with cheese, but I recommend sticking with the classic.)

There may be more sophisticated or complex dishes to try in the city, but you can never go wrong with the humble lahmacun.