Monday

Sofyali 9: Keeping it Real in Asmalimescit

1 Comment December 28, 2009 – 9:30 am | Permalink |  Print This Post |

It’s hard not to feel pangs of nostalgia when walking through Beyoglu’s booming Asmalimescit neighborhood these days (and nights). The old corner butcher shop with its window display of lamb carcasses? Gone and replaced by a generic bar imaginatively named “The Corner.” The veteran grocery store where the colorful and meticulous arrangement of products was an accidental pop art masterpiece? Gone and replaced by an utterly forgettable Chinese restaurant. The laid-back café and bar run by a colorful character who always sat in a corner wearing a fedora? Kicked out by a rapacious landlord and replaced by a bar so faceless that it actually had to be named “Faces.”

It may be hard to believe, but only a few years ago most of Asmalimescit was dark at night, lit up only by a few dive bars, small restaurants run by eclectic chefs and old-time meyhanes, among them Sofyali 9. Back then, Sofyali seemed slightly out of place in the neighborhood, its menu, décor and service several notches above its local competition. These days, fortunately, the restaurant still seems out of step with what’s happening around it, serving up a healthy dose of old school Asmalimescit charm that none of its new chichi neighbors have.

We like to think of Sofyali not as a meyhane but rather as a Turkish bistro. Don’t come here if you want to end your night with a raki-fuelled dance on the tables to the accompaniment of a gypsy band. Rather, this is a place to depend on: the menu has all the meyhane classics, from meze to fish, and rarely changes; the food is always good; and the service always friendly. It’s a place that works on any night, be it a romantic dinner for two on the warmly-lit ground floor with its big windows looking out on the street, or a festive meal for ten on one of the restaurant’s upper floors, which have a cheerful Greek taverna-like vibe to them. (The restaurant is also a great spot for lunch, with a limited menu of homey specials that changes daily.)

In good weather, we recommend making a reservation for one of Sofyali’s highly coveted outdoor tables. They make a great perch from which to take in Asmalimescit’s newly bustling street life while at the same time soaking up a good dose of what made the area great to begin with.

Address: Sofyali Sokak, No. 9, Asmalimescit/Beygolu, Istanbul
Telephone: 212-245-0362
Web: www.sofyali.com.tr

(photo by Yigal Schleifer)