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Reviews (Eats) - Category Archive

Mar 19
Friday

Asuman: East of the Border

Filed under Reviews (Eats)


Considering the fact that Iran is a next door neighbor to Turkey and that so many Iranians call Istanbul home, we’ve always found it more than a bit baffling that there are hardly any Iranian restaurants in the city. Imagine New York with all but a handful of Mexican restaurants? The one Iranian restaurant in town that we did know about – a tourist-oriented place with an in-house musician who played “Hava Nagila” on his zither – mercifully closed down years ago.

Several months back, though, we caught sight of a sign by the side of the road in Persian script. Continue…

Culinary Backstreets
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!

All entries filed under Reviews (Eats)


Üçüncü Mevki: Student Fare
3 responses - Posted 03.12.10
In Istanbul, the plight of the öğrenci, or student, is felt by most vendors. “C’mon, we’re students,” is a familiar bargaining mantra that applies to the purchase of a jean jacket, bus tickets and just about everything in between. No need to pull that routine at Üçüncü Mevki, a homey ...continue
İstiridye Balık Lokantası: The Business of Lunch
2 responses - Posted 03.08.10
Just as we thought we had managed to break out of our Beyoğlu dining rut, we found ourselves once again trawling the neighborhood’s streets for places to eat. To be more specific, we found ourselves walking along Mumhane Caddesi, a street in the waterfront Karaköy area that has so many ...continue
Kelle Söğüş vs. Kelle Tandir: Face/Off
3 responses - Posted 03.01.10
Don’t people just love to fight about food? Punch-ups over which city makes the best pizza, brawls about what’s the right way to barbecue. Louis and Ella nearly called the whole thing off over the pronunciation of the word “tomato.” In this pugilistic spirit, we took our place at a couple ...continue
Kale Cafe: Escape from Beyoglu
7 responses - Posted 02.26.10
With its outings along the Bosphorus, one thing that the recent Istanbul-centric episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” television show made us realize was how much we tend to get stuck in our own little Beyoglu bubble. Granted, Istanbul’s “downtown” zone has enough restaurants to keep all but the most ...continue
Lades: Old Faithful
7 responses - Posted 02.19.10
If Lades, which means “wishbone” in Turkish, provided an actual wishbone alongside the usual post-meal wet wipe and toothpick, we’d close our eyes and make a wish that we could eat their tandır (oven-roasted baby lamb) seven days a week. These large knots of tender, fragrant meat lined with a ...continue
Beyoğlu Öğretmenevi: The Teacher’s Lounge
7 responses - Posted 02.15.10
Like Atatürk statues and crescent-and-star flags etched into the sides of mountains, the öğretmenevi (“teacher’s house”) is an integral part of the Turkish landscape. Found in almost every city in Turkey, these government-run institutions serve as affordable guesthouses for educators on the road and – since anyone is welcome if ...continue
Fıstık Kebap: Much Love for Lahmacun
8 responses - Posted 02.12.10
Let’s face it: lahmacun is easy to get excited about. It checks all of the boxes of a perfect savory snack – crispy-oven fired crust, light and spicy meat spread, with a fresh green topping and a tangy spray from a lemon. It’s like an artisanal pizza with a Middle ...continue
Sultanahmet’s Dining Secrets
13 responses - Posted 01.29.10
Call it the Sultanahmet Squeeze: How to stay close to the monuments of the Old City and avoid eating in tourist traps? We get this question a lot. We. Since the Sultanahmet area is primarily a tourism zone, locals-only haunts are few and far between. At most restaurants, prices tend ...continue
Çukur Meyhane: When Liver Met Hamsi
3 responses - Posted 01.25.10
It wasn’t quite as dramatic as Meg Ryan’s big moment at Katz’s deli in “When Harry Met Sally,” but a low-register, guttural moan of pleasure was detected from our table upon our tasting of the shredded celery root in yogurt, a house specialty meze at Beyoğlu’s Çukur Meyhane. And we ...continue
Wet Burgers: As Seen on TV!
3 responses - Posted 01.21.10
Editor's note: Along with Dürümzade, Istanbul Eats favorite Kızılkayalar was also featured in the recent episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations." The Taksim veteran's famous "wet burgers" - which Bourdain seemed to enjoy immensely - came in 3rd place in our recent "Top 5 Istanbul Street Foods" competition. For those ...continue

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