Jan 19
Tuesday
Dürümzade: Wrap Artists (and Television Stars)
Editor’s note: This review first appeared back in April of 2009. Turns out the “wrap stars” at Dürümzade were among the stars of last night’s episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” show, which recently visited Istanbul. In honor of Dürümzade’s newfound television success, we decided to offer this “rerun” of our original writeup.
Istanbul’s after-midnight dining options tend to be of the offal variety – tripe soup, chopped lamb’s intestines – thought to be curatives after a night of hard drinking. Luckily, not all late night eats in the city involve innards. At Dürümzade – a grill joint positioned right on the fringe of the rowdy, bar-lined streets of the Beyoğlu’s fish market – we’ve found a dürüm, or Turkish wrap, that’s equally satisfying at 2 a.m. or 2 p.m. Continue…
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!
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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 Reviews (Eats)
Fauna: Let Them Eat Pasta
5 responses - Posted 01.14.10
Editor's note: Sadly, Fauna was recently forced to close after losing its lease. The owner/chef is looking for a new space. We will update this writeup as soon as we know more. Visitors to Turkey beware: in Turkish, the word “pasta” means cake or pastry. Go into a place advertising “pasta” ...continue
5 responses - Posted 01.14.10
Editor's note: Sadly, Fauna was recently forced to close after losing its lease. The owner/chef is looking for a new space. We will update this writeup as soon as we know more. Visitors to Turkey beware: in Turkish, the word “pasta” means cake or pastry. Go into a place advertising “pasta” ...continue
10 Top Dishes, 10 Top Spots
no responses - Posted 01.11.10
The English-language Today's Zaman has a nice article in today's edition that pairs ten specialty dishes, such as Uzbek pilaf, stuffed cabbage and Black Sea pide, with ten places to try them. The list is worth looking at (although, sadly, it doesn't provide addresses, only phone numbers.) You can read ...continue
no responses - Posted 01.11.10
The English-language Today's Zaman has a nice article in today's edition that pairs ten specialty dishes, such as Uzbek pilaf, stuffed cabbage and Black Sea pide, with ten places to try them. The list is worth looking at (although, sadly, it doesn't provide addresses, only phone numbers.) You can read ...continue
Eski Kafa: New-Age Old-Fashioned
3 responses - Posted 01.05.10
An ironic wink and nudge come with the restaurant name Eski Kafa, which is also a Turkish term for “old-fashioned to the hilt.” This little eatery, with its Zen lodge décor and signage boasting “all natural,” “organic” and “without hormones,” is also decidedly new-age – to the hilt. Previously an ...continue
3 responses - Posted 01.05.10
An ironic wink and nudge come with the restaurant name Eski Kafa, which is also a Turkish term for “old-fashioned to the hilt.” This little eatery, with its Zen lodge décor and signage boasting “all natural,” “organic” and “without hormones,” is also decidedly new-age – to the hilt. Previously an ...continue
Sofyalı 9: Keeping it Real in Asmalımescit
3 responses - Posted 12.28.09
It’s hard not to feel pangs of nostalgia when walking through Beyoğlu’s booming Asmalımescit neighborhood these days (and nights). The old corner butcher shop with its window display of lamb carcasses? Gone and replaced by a generic bar imaginatively named “The Corner.” The veteran grocery store where the colorful and ...continue
3 responses - Posted 12.28.09
It’s hard not to feel pangs of nostalgia when walking through Beyoğlu’s booming Asmalımescit neighborhood these days (and nights). The old corner butcher shop with its window display of lamb carcasses? Gone and replaced by a generic bar imaginatively named “The Corner.” The veteran grocery store where the colorful and ...continue
Ciğerimin Köşesi: New (Kebab) Kid on the Block
2 responses - Posted 12.16.09
We’ve long been big fans of Canım Ciğerim, a wonderful kebab joint in Beyoğlu's Asmalımescit area that serves up thin, long skewers studded with tiny and very tender morsels of either beef or liver. Recently we noticed the arrival of Ciğerimin Köşesi (“My Liver’s Corner,” roughly translated), a gleaming, new kebab ...continue
2 responses - Posted 12.16.09
We’ve long been big fans of Canım Ciğerim, a wonderful kebab joint in Beyoğlu's Asmalımescit area that serves up thin, long skewers studded with tiny and very tender morsels of either beef or liver. Recently we noticed the arrival of Ciğerimin Köşesi (“My Liver’s Corner,” roughly translated), a gleaming, new kebab ...continue
A Cornucopia of Reviews
no responses - Posted 12.07.09
We've always enjoyed Cornucopia magazine and its sumptuous take on Turkish life, culture and history. But for us, the best part of the magazine is the restaurant review section and its writeups by Andrew Finkel, a veteran Turkey-based journalist who seems equally at home in both Istanbul's upscale and down-home ...continue
no responses - Posted 12.07.09
We've always enjoyed Cornucopia magazine and its sumptuous take on Turkish life, culture and history. But for us, the best part of the magazine is the restaurant review section and its writeups by Andrew Finkel, a veteran Turkey-based journalist who seems equally at home in both Istanbul's upscale and down-home ...continue
Istanbul’s Top 5 Street Foods: #1 – Sabırtaşı’s İçli Köfte
5 responses - Posted 12.04.09
Editors's note: This is the final installment in our (highly subjective) look at Istanbul's top five street foods. For years on İstiklal Caddesi, just beyond Galatasaray High School, in one calm spot stood the beatific Ali Bey, an angel in a white doctor’s coat offering salvation in the form of golden ...continue
5 responses - Posted 12.04.09
Editors's note: This is the final installment in our (highly subjective) look at Istanbul's top five street foods. For years on İstiklal Caddesi, just beyond Galatasaray High School, in one calm spot stood the beatific Ali Bey, an angel in a white doctor’s coat offering salvation in the form of golden ...continue
Zinnet Restaurant: Silk Road Trip
1 response - Posted 11.17.09
There are those restaurants worth going to because of their out-of-the-way location – a fish shack at the end of a lonely beach, a fondue hut at the top of an Alpine ridge. Then there are those worth seeking out despite their location – that culinary gem stuck inside a ...continue
1 response - Posted 11.17.09
There are those restaurants worth going to because of their out-of-the-way location – a fish shack at the end of a lonely beach, a fondue hut at the top of an Alpine ridge. Then there are those worth seeking out despite their location – that culinary gem stuck inside a ...continue
Adana Özasmaaltı: Club Kebab
2 responses - Posted 11.13.09
In London or New York, one could spend hours before lunch deciding among Eritrean, Guatemalan or that Jamaican jerked chicken joint on the corner. The choice in Istanbul, for the most part, is comfortingly simple: “fish or meat?” On one recent lunch run we had with Mehmet Bey, an Asian-sider who ...continue
2 responses - Posted 11.13.09
In London or New York, one could spend hours before lunch deciding among Eritrean, Guatemalan or that Jamaican jerked chicken joint on the corner. The choice in Istanbul, for the most part, is comfortingly simple: “fish or meat?” On one recent lunch run we had with Mehmet Bey, an Asian-sider who ...continue
Istanbul Top 10 (Take One)
3 responses - Posted 11.09.09
We were asked by the World Foodie Guide, a great blog that is a wonderful resource for all things food-related, to submit an Istanbul "top 10" list. You can read our guest post here. continue
3 responses - Posted 11.09.09
We were asked by the World Foodie Guide, a great blog that is a wonderful resource for all things food-related, to submit an Istanbul "top 10" list. You can read our guest post here. continue
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