Apr 11
Monday
Haymatlos: Down and Out in the Rumeli Han
When left alone by real estate developers, the late Ottoman-era hans of Beyoğlu are fertile ground for commercial misfits you’d never encounter in more visible locations. Like mushrooms in a dark, damp place, some of the city’s most individualistic enterprises – tattoo parlors, pirated DVD shops, Off-Track Betting parlors, risqué lingerie shops and used bookshops – seem to thrive inside these decrepit old hans.
On İstiklal Caddesi, we’ve watched han after han fall to a swift and merciless wave of gentrification. The courtyard that led to our favorite notary public in the Narmanlı Han is now off-limits as the building awaits a makeover. The Circle D’Orient, home of İnci Pastanesi, seems to be going the same way. One of our favorite places for a beer, the old theater-workers bar in the Atlas Pasajı, is now just a warm memory to us, an office space to others. But just when we thought the whimsy of Bohemian Beyoğlu had choked on the chain stores that line İstiklal these days, we spent some time exploring the last bastion of funky Beyoğlu han life, the Rumeli Han. Continue…
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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 this archive
Mohti: All That Laz
6 responses - Posted 02.28.11
(Editor's note, 2015: We're sorry to report that Mohti has permanently closed.) “My heart starts pounding when a pregnant lady enters the room,” said Hüseyin, the artist turned owner/operator of Mohti, a new “Laz Meyhane” in the back of the backstreets of the Asmalımescit area. While this might sound to some ...continue
6 responses - Posted 02.28.11
(Editor's note, 2015: We're sorry to report that Mohti has permanently closed.) “My heart starts pounding when a pregnant lady enters the room,” said Hüseyin, the artist turned owner/operator of Mohti, a new “Laz Meyhane” in the back of the backstreets of the Asmalımescit area. While this might sound to some ...continue
Since You Asked: Cruising to Dinner?
4 responses - Posted 01.28.11
(Editor’s Note: This post is part of our occasional “Since You Asked…” series of advice columns. We welcome our readers’ questions, so feel free to send any you might have to istanbuleats@gmail.com) Dear Istanbul Eats, The Asian side’s Körfez was always my very special night out when friends came to town, especially ...continue
4 responses - Posted 01.28.11
(Editor’s Note: This post is part of our occasional “Since You Asked…” series of advice columns. We welcome our readers’ questions, so feel free to send any you might have to istanbuleats@gmail.com) Dear Istanbul Eats, The Asian side’s Körfez was always my very special night out when friends came to town, especially ...continue
Kiva Han: Imposter or Contender?
11 responses - Posted 01.07.11
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but when Galata’s Kiva Han first opened its doors a few years ago it felt like the restaurant was taking things a bit too far. The inspiration for the slightly upscale spot, located a stone’s throw from the Galata Tower, was obviously ...continue
11 responses - Posted 01.07.11
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but when Galata’s Kiva Han first opened its doors a few years ago it felt like the restaurant was taking things a bit too far. The inspiration for the slightly upscale spot, located a stone’s throw from the Galata Tower, was obviously ...continue
Best Bites of 2010: Our Take
1 response - Posted 01.03.11
(Editor's Note: Although the new year is already upon us, we had so many memorable Istanbul dining experiences in 2010 that we wanted to take one last look at the past year's culinary highlights. So, before we get to the work of further exploring Istanbul in 2011, here's our top ...continue
1 response - Posted 01.03.11
(Editor's Note: Although the new year is already upon us, we had so many memorable Istanbul dining experiences in 2010 that we wanted to take one last look at the past year's culinary highlights. So, before we get to the work of further exploring Istanbul in 2011, here's our top ...continue
Koco: Quest for the Holy Grill
no responses - Posted 11.24.10
(Editor's Note: We are rerunning this review in honor of St. Cathryn, to whom the shrine in the basement of this restaurant is dedicated and whose name day takes place tomorrow (Sept. 25). According to local legend, some fishermen at a certain point came across a natural spring in the ...continue
no responses - Posted 11.24.10
(Editor's Note: We are rerunning this review in honor of St. Cathryn, to whom the shrine in the basement of this restaurant is dedicated and whose name day takes place tomorrow (Sept. 25). According to local legend, some fishermen at a certain point came across a natural spring in the ...continue
Sıdıka: Last Night a Meze Saved Our Lives
7 responses - Posted 11.12.10
Dear readers, we have a confession to make: over the last few weeks, we were in a serious culinary funk. The main problem was our own lazy habit of sticking around our home base of Beyoğlu when it came time to forage for new places to eat. The neighborhood, of ...continue
7 responses - Posted 11.12.10
Dear readers, we have a confession to make: over the last few weeks, we were in a serious culinary funk. The main problem was our own lazy habit of sticking around our home base of Beyoğlu when it came time to forage for new places to eat. The neighborhood, of ...continue
Meşhur Kanatçı Haydar’ın Yeri: Wing Nuts
no responses - Posted 11.08.10
Editor’s note: This guest post was written by Salih Seçkin Sevinç, creator of the fantastic Turkish-language food blog Harbi Yiyorum (loosely translated as “Eating, For Real”) and the man behind our recent mouthwatering series of reports from Gaziantep. Kanatçı Haydar started providing services in the chicken wings sector beginning in 1996, ...continue
no responses - Posted 11.08.10
Editor’s note: This guest post was written by Salih Seçkin Sevinç, creator of the fantastic Turkish-language food blog Harbi Yiyorum (loosely translated as “Eating, For Real”) and the man behind our recent mouthwatering series of reports from Gaziantep. Kanatçı Haydar started providing services in the chicken wings sector beginning in 1996, ...continue
Istanbul Eats Drinks: The Case of the Missing Bar
8 responses - Posted 10.08.10
The closing of the landmark Pera Palas Hotel for renovations over the last few years meant we no longer had access to one of our favorite watering holes in town, the hotel’s classy yet cozy bar. The 19th-century Pera Palas, of course, was the elegant place where the passengers of ...continue
8 responses - Posted 10.08.10
The closing of the landmark Pera Palas Hotel for renovations over the last few years meant we no longer had access to one of our favorite watering holes in town, the hotel’s classy yet cozy bar. The 19th-century Pera Palas, of course, was the elegant place where the passengers of ...continue
Musa Ustam: Sinfully Good Kebab
3 responses - Posted 09.13.10
“What would you say if I offered you a very tender lamb filet marinated in garlic?” a voice boomed from behind the grill, its source obscured by an ornate copper hood decorated with a scene of kebab heaven – sheep, shepherd and steppe. Was this Saint Peter in kebapci disguise ...continue
3 responses - Posted 09.13.10
“What would you say if I offered you a very tender lamb filet marinated in garlic?” a voice boomed from behind the grill, its source obscured by an ornate copper hood decorated with a scene of kebab heaven – sheep, shepherd and steppe. Was this Saint Peter in kebapci disguise ...continue
Istanbul Culinary Institute: Letting the Inmates Run the Asylum
no responses - Posted 09.08.10
We recently wrote about the emergence of the “esnaf nouveau,” a new class of restaurant in Istanbul that puts a more sophisticated spin on the classic esnaf lokanta (or “tradesmen’s restaurant”), the place where working stiffs come to get their daily fix of traditional Turkish comfort food. To the list of ...continue
no responses - Posted 09.08.10
We recently wrote about the emergence of the “esnaf nouveau,” a new class of restaurant in Istanbul that puts a more sophisticated spin on the classic esnaf lokanta (or “tradesmen’s restaurant”), the place where working stiffs come to get their daily fix of traditional Turkish comfort food. To the list of ...continue
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