Jul 19
Monday
Büyükada Hi-Lo
If it’s because of showing visitors around or simply a desire to get away from the city for the day, we can usually count on at least one visit a summer to Büyükada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands.
But as much as we like looking at the car-free island’s Victorian mansions and visiting its quiet, forested backside, when it comes time to eat on Büyükada, we feel like we’re stuck inside an airport, forced to eat mediocre food at outrageous prices. (Although we very much like the food at Kıyı, a seaside restaurant on the island that we’ve previously recommended, even a casual dinner there ends up costing more than what one would like.)
If a trip to Büyükada is on your agenda this summer, here are two recommendations that have helped us get around the island dining blues: 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
Kebapçı Enver Usta: Underground Favorite
7 responses - Posted 07.07.10
(Editor's Note: We are proud to announce that an Istanbul Eats guidebook to dining in Istanbul will soon be available in Turkey, published in English by Boyut Publishers. In the course of preparing the book, we went back to some of our favorite haunts and took some new photos. One ...continue
7 responses - Posted 07.07.10
(Editor's Note: We are proud to announce that an Istanbul Eats guidebook to dining in Istanbul will soon be available in Turkey, published in English by Boyut Publishers. In the course of preparing the book, we went back to some of our favorite haunts and took some new photos. One ...continue
Padişah Sofrasi: Roaster’s Delight
11 responses - Posted 07.05.10
In an age where even Wal-Mart is selling ready-to-go rotisserie chicken, that simple but lovable version of roasted bird has become something of a laughable cliché, no longer seen as a cure for hunger but rather as a symptom of a society too busy to cook for itself. Still, we remain ...continue
11 responses - Posted 07.05.10
In an age where even Wal-Mart is selling ready-to-go rotisserie chicken, that simple but lovable version of roasted bird has become something of a laughable cliché, no longer seen as a cure for hunger but rather as a symptom of a society too busy to cook for itself. Still, we remain ...continue
Omur Restaurant: It’s Thymus Time
1 response - Posted 07.02.10
The Turkish kitchen has a refreshing way of keeping things simple – apply spanking fresh ingredients to a natural heat source, flip, and serve. Such is the case with uykuluk, or sweetbreads, our latest culinary obsession in Istanbul. And there is no better place to feast on this lovely, creamy ...continue
1 response - Posted 07.02.10
The Turkish kitchen has a refreshing way of keeping things simple – apply spanking fresh ingredients to a natural heat source, flip, and serve. Such is the case with uykuluk, or sweetbreads, our latest culinary obsession in Istanbul. And there is no better place to feast on this lovely, creamy ...continue
Bursa Kebapçısı: Good İskender, No Debating It
2 responses - Posted 06.28.10
According to the website of its registered trademark holder, Kebapçı İskender , it was a moment of great culinary revelation when the ingredients of İskender kebap first came together on a plate in Bursa back in the late 19th century. But we imagine this kebab’s creation as an elaborate ploy ...continue
2 responses - Posted 06.28.10
According to the website of its registered trademark holder, Kebapçı İskender , it was a moment of great culinary revelation when the ingredients of İskender kebap first came together on a plate in Bursa back in the late 19th century. But we imagine this kebab’s creation as an elaborate ploy ...continue
Istanbul Eats on the Road: In the Republic of Köfte
1 response - Posted 06.18.10
(Editor’s Note: This guest post – from the far reaches of the former Ottoman Empire – came to us courtesy of Sevin Turan, an Istanbul-based journalist and translator and a member of the Istanbul Eats team.) “Welcome the youngest republic of the world!” This is how we were greeted when our ...continue
1 response - Posted 06.18.10
(Editor’s Note: This guest post – from the far reaches of the former Ottoman Empire – came to us courtesy of Sevin Turan, an Istanbul-based journalist and translator and a member of the Istanbul Eats team.) “Welcome the youngest republic of the world!” This is how we were greeted when our ...continue
Istanbul Eats on the Road: Bahce Balik in Kaş
1 response - Posted 06.11.10
The sign on the glass cooler at the Kaş Fisherman’s Cooperative reads like a huge Bible passage on a billboard beside an interstate promising salvation, “Balik var!” We’ve got fish. It was a promise of false hope. Inside that glass-fronted case there were no fish. Nor were there any at the fishmonger ...continue
1 response - Posted 06.11.10
The sign on the glass cooler at the Kaş Fisherman’s Cooperative reads like a huge Bible passage on a billboard beside an interstate promising salvation, “Balik var!” We’ve got fish. It was a promise of false hope. Inside that glass-fronted case there were no fish. Nor were there any at the fishmonger ...continue
Bilse Restaurant: Paleo Kebab
4 responses - Posted 06.07.10
(Editor's Note: A reader has written in to inform us that due to a lack of demand, this restaurant is no longer serving cağ Kebab. For those interested in trying this great meat dish, Şehzade Erzurum Cağ Kebabi in Sirkeci is worth a try. It has great cağ and a steady ...continue
4 responses - Posted 06.07.10
(Editor's Note: A reader has written in to inform us that due to a lack of demand, this restaurant is no longer serving cağ Kebab. For those interested in trying this great meat dish, Şehzade Erzurum Cağ Kebabi in Sirkeci is worth a try. It has great cağ and a steady ...continue
Kalpazankaya Restaurant: Paradise Found
4 responses - Posted 05.03.10
One of the great joys of spring and summertime in Istanbul is the chance to get away for a day to one of the Princes’ Islands, the car-free and forested archipelago that is a short ferry ride away from the city. continue
4 responses - Posted 05.03.10
One of the great joys of spring and summertime in Istanbul is the chance to get away for a day to one of the Princes’ Islands, the car-free and forested archipelago that is a short ferry ride away from the city. continue
The “Mesopotamian Truffle” Returns!
5 responses - Posted 04.19.10
Spring is upon us, which means that it's time to go hunting for restaurants that serve keme, an elusive fungus with a beguiling taste that we've dubbed the "Mesopotamian Truffle." Impossible to cultivate and with a season that spans only a few weeks, this specialty of southeast Turkey is worth seeking ...continue
5 responses - Posted 04.19.10
Spring is upon us, which means that it's time to go hunting for restaurants that serve keme, an elusive fungus with a beguiling taste that we've dubbed the "Mesopotamian Truffle." Impossible to cultivate and with a season that spans only a few weeks, this specialty of southeast Turkey is worth seeking ...continue
Read Between the Buns: Istanbul’s Burgers
9 responses - Posted 04.12.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
9 responses - Posted 04.12.10
(Editor’s Note: Turkey is not unfamiliar with cooking ground meat – it is the home of köfte and kebab, after all – but hamburgers (at least the kind we’re used to) have never really been part of the landscape. That seems to be changing, though. Recently, a whole new crop ...continue
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