Jan 11
Wednesday
If You Insist: Pandeli?
Dear Istanbul Eats,
I’ve heard and read so much about the historic Pandeli restaurant in Eminonu’s Spice Bazaar, including that it’s nothing more than an overpriced tourist trap. Have you been there recently? Is it worth going to?
Concerned in Cincinnati
Dear Concerned,
Thanks for the great question. Pandeli is indeed a venerable spot and, for a certain generation of visitors to Istanbul, often the first culinary stop made in the city. Which is to say that we haven’t been there in years. In order to answer your question, we asked our resident guest blogger, “Meliz,” to check things out over at Pandeli and come up with strategies for others who plan to visit the restaurant. Her report is below….
Someone mentioned the film Midnight Express to me the other day, and my first (ok, second) thought was hmm, wonder how Pandeli is these days? Let me explain. Continue…
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Quick Look
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no responses - Posted 01.31.12
In Istanbul, if all you have is a street address of a restaurant, you are as good as lost. It’s all about proximity to landmarks, as in Postanede’ki kokoreçci (the kokoreç vendor near the Post Office), Suleymaniyede’ki kurufasuliyeciler (the bean shops at Suleymaniye Mosque). This is the way we’ve learned to navigate this city and we’ve even found reason to ... continue -
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4 responses - Posted 01.23.12
It’s nighttime in Istanbul’s “Little Urfa.” Follow the wail of the Kurdish Frank Sinatra, Ibrahim Tatlises, blasting from a souped-up vintage Fiat. Puzzle over handwritten Arabic signs in the barbershop windows. Sample the essence of southeast Turkey in the spice shops selling the region’s fiery peppers. And, most of all, marinate in the fragrant smoke that comes from the countless ... continue -
If You Insist: Pandeli?
3 responses - Posted 01.11.12
Dear Istanbul Eats, I've heard and read so much about the historic Pandeli restaurant in Eminonu's Spice Bazaar, including that it's nothing more than an overpriced tourist trap. Have you been there recently? Is it worth going to? Concerned in Cincinnati Dear Concerned, Thanks for the great question. Pandeli is indeed a venerable spot and, for a certain generation of visitors to Istanbul, often ... continue -
Istanbul Eats Drinks: Yaşasın Sparkling Wine
no responses - Posted 01.06.12
(Editor’s Note: This post is part of our ongoing “wine chats” with sommelier and oenophile Serdar Kombe. Today he talks about a Turkish sparkling wine that’s actually worth talking about.) 1. A wine expert whose opinion we trust told us that "Turkish bubblies are positively undrinkable!!!" Is that the case? Is Turkey's terroir not suited for sparkling wines? Actually making good sparkling ... continue -
Best Bites of 2011: Our Take, Pt. 2
no responses - Posted 12.30.11
Merih Resturant This well-loved meyhane cum esnaf lokanta (Meykanta? Lokhane?), located near Beygolu’s Balik Pazar, presented one of the year’s great culinary mysteries. Namely: how that, despite being a decades-old neighborhood institution that’s located on a street we walk down on a regular basis, it took us until 2011 to actually notice it and step inside for a meal? Our overlooking ... continue -
Best Bites of 2011: Our Take, Pt. 1
no responses - Posted 12.29.11
Mandabatmaz This “Best Bite” is actually a “Best Sip.” For years we’ve been frequenting the small alley off Istiklal where Cemil Pilik – Istanbul’s finest Turkish coffee maker, bar none – works his sludgy magic out of a hole-in-the-wall barely big enough to hold him and his samovar of hot water. On a sunny afternoon this past September, Pilik’s almost chocolaty ... continue -
Best Bites 2011: Heyamola in May
no responses - Posted 12.28.11
(Editor’s Note: As 2011 heads to an end, we are looking back at our “Best Bites” of the year and are asking our readers to do the same and share their best Istanbul (or Turkey) eating moments with us. This submission comes from "Meliz," an intrepid explorer of Istanbul’s culinary backstreets and a frequent Istanbul Eats guest contributor this past year.) In May, ... continue
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Nuruosmaniye Koftecisi: Landmark Meatballs
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All entries filed under this archive
Hamsi – Six Favorite Spots to Eat the Little Fish
2 responses - Posted 10.31.11
The arrival of fall in Istanbul for us usually means just one thing: hamsi season is about to begin. Hamsi, of course, are the minuscule fish (Black Sea anchovies) that Istanbulites are mad for, and the coming of fall and the further cooling of the Black Sea’s waters mark the beginning ...continue
2 responses - Posted 10.31.11
The arrival of fall in Istanbul for us usually means just one thing: hamsi season is about to begin. Hamsi, of course, are the minuscule fish (Black Sea anchovies) that Istanbulites are mad for, and the coming of fall and the further cooling of the Black Sea’s waters mark the beginning ...continue
Hayri Balik: Fishy Business
no responses - Posted 09.12.11
We always feel a bit like a cheating spouse when we walk past our longtime favorite – albeit dry – fish spot, Arnavutkoy’s Adem Baba, toward Hayri Balik, a lovely little fish shack up the street. But sometimes, well after the brunching hour, we like to have something a little ...continue
no responses - Posted 09.12.11
We always feel a bit like a cheating spouse when we walk past our longtime favorite – albeit dry – fish spot, Arnavutkoy’s Adem Baba, toward Hayri Balik, a lovely little fish shack up the street. But sometimes, well after the brunching hour, we like to have something a little ...continue
Heyamola Ada Lokantasi: Island Time
no responses - Posted 08.08.11
(Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by “Meliz,” an intrepid explorer of Istanbul's culinary backstreets who would like to keep her anonymity.) While the Princes’ Islands make for a great escape from the city, it’s been hard to think of them as a culinary destination. Until now. The new-offshore-kid-in-town, Heyamola ...continue
no responses - Posted 08.08.11
(Editor’s Note: This guest post was written by “Meliz,” an intrepid explorer of Istanbul's culinary backstreets who would like to keep her anonymity.) While the Princes’ Islands make for a great escape from the city, it’s been hard to think of them as a culinary destination. Until now. The new-offshore-kid-in-town, Heyamola ...continue
Lokanta Maya: Subtle Surprises
no responses - Posted 05.30.11
(Editor’s Note: This guest post is by Jennifer Hattam, an American journalist living in Beyoğlu whose personal blog can be found here.) My first encounters with Turkish fish menus were nothing short of perplexing, and not because levrek (seabass), çupra (seabream), kalkan (turbot), and the like were such unfamiliar names. Spoiled ...continue
no responses - Posted 05.30.11
(Editor’s Note: This guest post is by Jennifer Hattam, an American journalist living in Beyoğlu whose personal blog can be found here.) My first encounters with Turkish fish menus were nothing short of perplexing, and not because levrek (seabass), çupra (seabream), kalkan (turbot), and the like were such unfamiliar names. Spoiled ...continue
Hamsi: Catch Them While You Can?
no responses - Posted 05.08.11
Things may be going from bad to worse for Istanbul fish lovers. The other day, we learned from The Atlantic the sad story of how mackerel became so overfished in the waters around Istanbul that local fish mongers had to start importing the stuff from Norway so that the city's ...continue
no responses - Posted 05.08.11
Things may be going from bad to worse for Istanbul fish lovers. The other day, we learned from The Atlantic the sad story of how mackerel became so overfished in the waters around Istanbul that local fish mongers had to start importing the stuff from Norway so that the city's ...continue
May Day Special: Eat Union!
3 responses - Posted 05.01.11
(Editor's Note: In honor of the May Day workers' holiday, we are rerunning last year's post that takes a look at the dining possibilities at two union halls, Istanbul style. Happy May 1!) Gazeteciler Lokali-Beyoglu: The Write Stuff Journalists in Turkey are notoriously overworked and underpaid (at least that’s what Turkish journalists ...continue
3 responses - Posted 05.01.11
(Editor's Note: In honor of the May Day workers' holiday, we are rerunning last year's post that takes a look at the dining possibilities at two union halls, Istanbul style. Happy May 1!) Gazeteciler Lokali-Beyoglu: The Write Stuff Journalists in Turkey are notoriously overworked and underpaid (at least that’s what Turkish journalists ...continue
Mohti: All That Laz
1 response - Posted 02.28.11
“My heart starts pounding when a pregnant lady enters the room,” said Huseyin, the artist turned owner/operator of Mohti, a new “Laz Meyhane” in the back of the backstreets of the Asmalimescit area. While this might sound to some like the unsavory confession of a man with an exotic fetish, ...continue
1 response - Posted 02.28.11
“My heart starts pounding when a pregnant lady enters the room,” said Huseyin, the artist turned owner/operator of Mohti, a new “Laz Meyhane” in the back of the backstreets of the Asmalimescit area. While this might sound to some like the unsavory confession of a man with an exotic fetish, ...continue
Istanbul Eats Cooks: Klemuri’s Hamsili Pilav
1 response - Posted 02.25.11
The Laz, an ethnic minority in the northeast of Turkey, live in the verdant Kackar mountains that seem to crash right down into the Black Sea. “Mas mavi, yem yesil,” is how that part of the country is often described – bluest blue, greenest green. There is not much in the ...continue
1 response - Posted 02.25.11
The Laz, an ethnic minority in the northeast of Turkey, live in the verdant Kackar mountains that seem to crash right down into the Black Sea. “Mas mavi, yem yesil,” is how that part of the country is often described – bluest blue, greenest green. There is not much in the ...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…” advice column. 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 Korfez was always my very special night out when friends came to town, especially since ...continue
4 responses - Posted 01.28.11
(Editor’s Note: This post is part of our occasional “Since You Asked…” advice column. 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 Korfez was always my very special night out when friends came to town, especially since ...continue
The Hamsi Chase
no responses - Posted 01.12.11
The intrepid folks behind the fantastic "Eating Asia" blog were recently in Turkey in search of hamsi in all its various guises. While they tried the little anchovy in some worthy Istanbul spots (including at some Istanbul Eats favorites), they decided to go to the Black Sea coast and try ...continue
no responses - Posted 01.12.11
The intrepid folks behind the fantastic "Eating Asia" blog were recently in Turkey in search of hamsi in all its various guises. While they tried the little anchovy in some worthy Istanbul spots (including at some Istanbul Eats favorites), they decided to go to the Black Sea coast and try ...continue
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