Tuesday

Perşembe Pazarı: The Nuts & Bolts of Eating in Istanbul’s Hardware District

Post a Comment August 20, 2013 – 7:09 am | Permalink |  Print This Post |

More so than any other district in Istanbul, Perşembe Pazarı – the city’s hardware zone – brings together what we love most about this city: thriving street life, hard-to-grasp commercial enterprises, remnants of history and, of course, excellent hidden spots to eat. A chickpea and pilaf cart is pushed past a classic grilled fish dive into the rutted courtyard of an Ottoman-era han where nothing but springs are sold, hanging like heavy vines from pegboards outside tiny domed shops – that’s a typical Perşembe Pazarı moment.

We’ve made many excuses to get to know the shopkeepers of this enchanting area, spending days window-shopping for obscure industrial hardware. And we’ve always found excellent opportunities for a simple meal or a sundowner on the waterfront. To know Perşembe Pazarı is to love it. This is our love letter to this historic market and the people who work and eat here every day.

For our roundup of our favorite dining dining spots in the neighborhood, read the rest of this feature on CulinaryBackstreets.com, here.

In case you didn’t know, Istanbul Eats now lives over at Culinary Backstreets. Same great culinary walks, same great culinary writing. You’ll be redirected there in a few seconds!

Tweet