BigChefs

Menemen and grilled plates instead of another 99 TL burger

BigChefs sits airside in the Main terminal at Istanbul Airport and feels closer to a city branch than to a generic food court counter. It is a mid-range chain spot ($$) where you can get plated Turkish dishes like menemen, sucuk, and grilled meats alongside pasta and burgers. Think proper cutlery, actual plates, and servers, not a tray and a buzzer.

Hours run roughly in line with main flight banks, with breakfast dishes like menemen and Turkish-style eggs available in the morning and grills and pastas taking over later in the day. Mains often land well above 300–400 TL and alcohol can push a meal past 600–700 TL per person, especially with beer or wine. That price gap versus downtown BigChefs locations is the main complaint in Google reviews.

Menu mix is split between familiar Turkish options and international comfort food, so one person can eat menemen while another gets a chicken schnitzel or burger. Regular IST flyers on Google mention breakfast plates as the safer bet: better flavor for the money than the more generic international options. Portions draw “okay, not huge” comments, so do not expect the same size you might get in the city.

Service runs slower than fast-food outlets in the Main terminal. Multiple reviews mention waiting 15–25 minutes for mains and then another 10 minutes just to catch staff for the bill when the restaurant is full. That pace makes BigChefs workable when you have a 2–3 hour layover, but risky if boarding starts in under 45 minutes. Staff also sound stretched during peak evening departures, which adds to delays.

Tip: If your connection is tight, order a Turkish breakfast plate or menemen and ask for the check when your food arrives; it shaves 5–10 minutes off the exit scramble to your gate in the Main terminal.