Tuesday
Nuruosmaniye Köftecisi: Landmark Meatballs
In Istanbul, if all you have is a street address of a restaurant, you are as good as lost. It’s all about proximity to landmarks, as in “postanedeki kokoreççi” (the kokoreç vendor near the post office) or “Süleymaniye’deki kuru fasulyeciler” (the bean eateries at Süleymaniye Mosque). This is the way we’ve learned to navigate this city and we’ve even found reason to tag some places according to our own associations.
Approaching the Grand Bazaar from the northeast, you encounter the market’s “Nuruosmaniye Gate,” named for the nearby baroque Nuruosmaniye Mosque, built in the 18th century. But to us, this will always be the “Köfte Gate” for its proximity to Nuruosmaniye Köftecisi, established in 1974.
Stepping inside this humble shop, sawdust underfoot, we were instantly calmed by a rhythm we recognized from any busy neighborhood eatery at lunchtime. Continue…
All entries filed under this archive
6 responses - Posted 01.23.12
It’s nighttime in Istanbul’s “Little Urfa.” Follow the wail of the Kurdish Frank Sinatra, İbrahim Tatlıses, blasting from a souped-up vintage Fiat. Puzzle over handwritten Arabic signs in the barbershop windows. Sample the essence of Southeast Turkey in the spice shops selling the region’s fiery peppers. And, most of all, ...continue
5 responses - Posted 01.11.12
Dear Istanbul Eats, I've heard and read so much about the historic Pandeli restaurant in Eminönü's Spice Bazaar, including that it's nothing more than an overpriced tourist trap. Have you been there recently? Is it worth going to? Concerned in Cincinnati Dear Concerned, Thanks for the great question. Pandeli is indeed a venerable spot ...continue
2 responses - Posted 01.06.12
(Editor’s Note: This post is part of our ongoing “wine chats” with sommelier and oenophile Serdar Kombe. Today he talks about a Turkish sparkling wine that’s actually worth talking about.) 1. A wine expert whose opinion we trust told us that "Turkish bubblies are positively undrinkable!!!" Is that the case? Is ...continue