Polydish city guide
Best Simit in Chicago
“A circular sesame-crusted bread that changes character by city—crisp in Ankara, chewy in Istanbul.”
What the real thing tastes like
Simit or koulouri is a circular bread, typically encrusted with sesame seeds or, less commonly, poppy, flax or sunflower seeds, found across the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and the Middle East, especially in Armenia, Turkey and the Balkans. Simit's size, crunch, chewiness, and other characteristics vary slightly by region. In İzmir, simit is known as gevrek ("crisp"), although it is very similar to the Istanbul variety. Simit in Ankara are smaller and crisper than those of other cities.
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Simit is a circular bread that carries the fingerprint of the Ottoman Empire across its sesame-crusted shell. What makes it compelling is its regional stubbornness—in İzmir they call it gevrek and chase crispness; in Ankara, the bakers make them smaller and sharper still. The same dough, the same idea, but each city argues for its own version.
Order it here when it has
- sesame or seed-studded crust
- varies in crunch and chewiness by region
- deeply rooted across multiple cuisines
Walk away when you see
Restaurant-level rankings for Chicago land as the Polydish review engine processes this city's reviews. Explore the dish itself while you wait —
Simit on Polydish →