Monday
Beyoglu Oğretmenevi: The Teacher’s Lounge
Like Ataturk statues and crescent-and-star flags etched into the sides of mountains, the oğretmenevi (“teacher’s house”) is an integral part of the Turkish landscape. Found in almost every city in Turkey, the government-run oğretmenevi acts as an affordable guesthouse for educators on the road and – since anyone is welcome if space is available – for those traveling on a teacher’s budget.
For the most part, these guesthouses are drab affairs, 1970’s-era concrete boxes usually painted in a shade of pink and found in some of the least interesting parts of town. Not so in Istanbul’s historic Beyoglu neighborhood, where the local oğretmenevi in a grand old building dating back to the late 1800’s, formerly a French-built hotel that put up some of the same Orient Express travelers who stayed at the more famous Pera Palace Hotel nearby. Continue…
All entries filed under Reviews (Drinks)
no responses - Posted 02.05.10
Models don’t hang out at Asma Alti Café Bar and Mustafa, the bartender, isn’t experimenting with lost Ottoman-era concoctions or any dry ice hocus-pocus. In fact, order anything but an Efes draft – an Efes Light, for instance – and watch the waiter scramble off to the corner store to ...continue
no responses - Posted 12.21.09
One night in Otantik, a Turku (Turkish folk music) bar in Beyoglu, delivers all the emotional peaks and valleys of life itself. As the saz strumming bard on stage moans out the first few bars of a familiar song of lost love, even the table of stony-faced, raki-drenched fellows in ...continue
2 responses - Posted 12.11.09
(Editor’s Note: Since we realize that those who love to eat usually also like to drink, we are introducing a new feature, “Istanbul Eats Drinks,” an occasional look at some of the city’s more appealing bars and lounges, places that still have that authentic Istanbul vibe.) Istanbul: capitol of contradictions. East ...continue
2 responses - Posted 06.15.09
It’s a dirty secret nobody wants to talk about, but let’s put it out there: finding a good cup of Turkish coffee in Turkey can sometimes be very difficult. Thin and watery, rather than thick and viscous, is frequently the order of the day. This is no small matter, akin ...continue
1 response - Posted 05.25.09
The mojito may go the way of the grasshopper and other forgotten cocktails, but a cold beer accompanied by a panoramic view of the waters and hills of Istanbul will never go out of style. Though the guidebooks may steer you elsewhere, we’ve compiled a short list of lesser-known but ...continue
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