Dec 31
Friday
Best Bites of 2010: Hamsi by the Haliç
(Editor’s Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission comes from Istanbul denizen Jennifer Hattam.)
In my mind, it’s always chilly when I imagine pulling a white plastic chair up to one of the folding tables set crookedly on the patchy grass leading down to the banks of the Golden Horn, behind the Karaköy fish market. A waiter brings over an extra chair to keep my bag out of the mud while I pull my coat and scarf a little bit tighter around me. Just a few feet away, a fisherman pours oil into his boat’s sputtering engine. Continue…
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Quick Look
Recent Posts
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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
no responses - Posted 05.08.18
That much of the past seems to stick to Samatya is a marvel in Istanbul, a city being rebuilt and “restored” at an alarming pace. First, there’s the question of its name. Occupying a stretch of the Marmara Sea and squeezed between the old city walls and Kumkapı, an area home to a rotating cast of eclectic restaurants, the neighborhood still ... continue -
Spring Surprises: Skewering the First Fruits in Istanbul
no responses - Posted 04.25.18
It was the first of April and an absolutely pristine Istanbul spring day, the kind where one can break a slight sweat walking up a hill then catch a cool breeze in a nearby patch of shade. Returning to the city from a lovely weekend on Büyükada, we were smitten with spring and wanted to indulge in its finest offerings. In ... continue -
Farewell, Pando: An Istanbul Culinary Legend Passes On
no responses - Posted 04.16.18
It’s Saturday around lunchtime and business as usual in the bustling Beşiktaş Çarşı neighborhood, as crowds of mostly younger people fill the narrow streets. Down on Mumcu Bakkal Sokak, a pedestrian-only street lined with miniscule shops, a line around the block has been formed by those eager to get into one of the city’s best döner spots. For many of those ... continue -
Bağdat Ocakbaşı: Licensed to Grill
no responses - Posted 04.09.18
Istanbul’s T1 tramway is relatively pleasant if you can find a seat, but borders on unbearable if you are on your feet. Back in 2015, we wrote about a trip we took from the line’s first stop all the way to one of its last, which lies way out in the district of Güngören. By the time the tram has made ... continue -
Dose & Istos Café: Greek Revival
no responses - Posted 03.30.18
A café at its best is so much more than the sum of its parts: it’s a place where people can easily mingle, share ideas, and dertleşmek, or commiserate over their troubles, all while imbibing caffeine. At the same time, it’s a place where visitors might feel an invisible thread of common beliefs connecting them, an unspoken camaraderie, even if ... continue -
Back to the Land: Urban Turks Tackle Rural Life
no responses - Posted 03.23.18
When Buket Ulukut first moved from Istanbul to a rural plot of land in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey, she was leading a double life. “I’d be taking calls from clients in Europe while out amidst the rows of peppers and eggplants, hoping they didn’t hear the rooster crowing in the background,” says Ulukut, who worked in ... continue -
Semt Pazarları, Civic Life Perfected
no responses - Posted 03.09.18
“Two kilos five liraaa! Two kilos five liraaa!” bellowed a young and exuberant vendor of tomatoes to the ongoing stream of frugal-minded shoppers making their way through the snaking Tarlabaşı Sunday Market. Hundreds of sellers of fresh produce, dairy, seafood, kitchenware, clothing, smuggled tobacco, jewelry, fresh baked goods and numerous other items set up side by side in the central Istanbul ... continue
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Hanging On to History: Edible Nostalgia in Samatya
All entries filed under this archive
Merkez Şekercisi: Through Rose-Flavored Gum Drops
3 responses - Posted 12.28.10
(Editor's note: We are sad to report that after more than a century in business, Merkez Şekercisi has closed.) Despite the surroundings, working as a candyman in Istanbul is apparently not all sweetness. Take, for example, Mustafa Bey, who inherited the 132-year-old traditional Turkish candy shop, Merkez Şekercisi, from his grandfather. ...continue
3 responses - Posted 12.28.10
(Editor's note: We are sad to report that after more than a century in business, Merkez Şekercisi has closed.) Despite the surroundings, working as a candyman in Istanbul is apparently not all sweetness. Take, for example, Mustafa Bey, who inherited the 132-year-old traditional Turkish candy shop, Merkez Şekercisi, from his grandfather. ...continue
Best Bites of 2010: Bistro a la Karakoy
1 response - Posted 12.25.10
(Editor’s Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission (after the jump) comes from regular reader and Paris travel specialist ...continue
1 response - Posted 12.25.10
(Editor’s Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission (after the jump) comes from regular reader and Paris travel specialist ...continue
Best Bites of 2010: One Word – Çiya!
3 responses - Posted 12.20.10
(Editor’s Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission (after the jump) comes from San Francisco residents David Bowers and ...continue
3 responses - Posted 12.20.10
(Editor’s Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission (after the jump) comes from San Francisco residents David Bowers and ...continue
Since you Asked: Flyby Dining
2 responses - Posted 12.17.10
(Editor's Note: This post is part of our occasional "Since You Asked..." advice column. We welcome our readers' questions, so feel free to send any you might have to istanbuleats@gmail.com) Hi! I'll have an 8-hour layover in Istanbul in a couple of weeks. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for ...continue
2 responses - Posted 12.17.10
(Editor's Note: This post is part of our occasional "Since You Asked..." advice column. We welcome our readers' questions, so feel free to send any you might have to istanbuleats@gmail.com) Hi! I'll have an 8-hour layover in Istanbul in a couple of weeks. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for ...continue
Best Bites of 2010: Iftar in Fatih
1 response - Posted 12.13.10
(Editor’s Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission (after the jump) comes from Budapest residents Bob Cohen and Fumie ...continue
1 response - Posted 12.13.10
(Editor’s Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission (after the jump) comes from Budapest residents Bob Cohen and Fumie ...continue
Best Bites of 2010: Getting Stuffed in the Grand Bazaar
no responses - Posted 12.10.10
(Editor’s Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission (after the jump) comes from Barcelona resident Hollis Duncan, who had ...continue
no responses - Posted 12.10.10
(Editor’s Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission (after the jump) comes from Barcelona resident Hollis Duncan, who had ...continue
Best Bites of 2010: Pidecis Gone Wild at Pera Sisore
1 response - Posted 12.08.10
(Editor's Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our "Best Bites" of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission comes from a Mike and Ilene, a couple from New York ...continue
1 response - Posted 12.08.10
(Editor's Note: As 2010 heads to an end, we are looking back at our "Best Bites" of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul eating moments with us. This submission comes from a Mike and Ilene, a couple from New York ...continue
Kral Kokoreç: In the Court of the Intestine King
1 response - Posted 12.06.10
Editor’s note: This guest post comes courtesy of Salih Seçkin Sevinç, author of the great Turkish-language food blog Harbi Yiyorum (loosely translated as “Eating, For Real”). Although this review is of Sirkeci’s Kral Kokoreç, it is first and foremost a tribute to Vahap Usta, Turkey’s original king of kokoreç. The second half ...continue
1 response - Posted 12.06.10
Editor’s note: This guest post comes courtesy of Salih Seçkin Sevinç, author of the great Turkish-language food blog Harbi Yiyorum (loosely translated as “Eating, For Real”). Although this review is of Sirkeci’s Kral Kokoreç, it is first and foremost a tribute to Vahap Usta, Turkey’s original king of kokoreç. The second half ...continue
Best Bites 2010
3 responses - Posted 12.03.10
In the run up to the New Year, we are looking back at our notes from this year and compiling a list of 2010’s best Istanbul bites. These “best bites” are not necessarily just about the quality of the food – though it usually seems to factor in – but ...continue
3 responses - Posted 12.03.10
In the run up to the New Year, we are looking back at our notes from this year and compiling a list of 2010’s best Istanbul bites. These “best bites” are not necessarily just about the quality of the food – though it usually seems to factor in – but ...continue
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