Jan 31
Tuesday
Nuruosmaniye Koftecisi: Landmark Meatballs
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 tag some places according to our own associations.
Approaching the Grand Bazaar from the northeast you encounter the market’s “Nuruosmaniye Gate,” named for the nearby baroque Nuruosmaniye mosque, built in the late 18th century. But to us, this will always be the “Kofte Gate” for its proximity to Nuruosmaniye Koftecisi, established in 1974.
Stepping inside this humble shop, sawdust underfoot, we were instantly calmed by a rhythm we recognized from any busy neighborhood eatery at lunchtime. Continue…
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Quick Look
Recent Posts
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Fazil Bey Kahvesi: Fad Proof
4 responses - Posted 05.18.12
Two young men stood about 15 feet apart on a sunny narrow street in the Kadikoy market, chafing in their brown lab coats. The one tending to a handful of white marble tables barked “buyrun!” (roughly, “come and get it!”) at passersby, the other quietly wiped down seven or eight black marble tables. The black tables – the ones in front ... continue -
Döner on the Side of Caution
1 response - Posted 05.17.12
We've previously sung the praises of Kasap Osman, a standby doner spot in the increasingly touristed Sirkeci neighborhood, but we've been getting unsettling reports from reliable sources that things might be slipping over there. We'll go to Osman's to check things out ourselves, but for now we suggest diners approach the spot with lowered expectations. Better yet, check out this ... continue -
Five Favorite Old-School Meyhanes
no responses - Posted 05.11.12
A recent article in one of Turkey’s English-language newspapers, describing plans by Mey İçki, Turkey’s largest producer of raki, to introduce the anise-flavored liquor to Europe, left us both steamed and amused. As part of its efforts to promote the consumption of raki, it appears the company – along with an outfit called the Tourism Research Association (TURAD) – has ... continue -
And the Winner Is….
3 responses - Posted 05.03.12
We are very proud to announce that we have been voted "Best Culinary Travel Blog" in Saveur Magazine's third annual Best Food Blog Awards competition. The competition was stiff and we were honored just to be included among that group of six finalists. A victory by any one of us would have been a victory for good taste. Thank you ... continue -
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1 response - Posted 05.01.12
Vahap Usta pulled a pair of reading glasses from the inside pocket of a snug dinner jacket and sifted through a stack of newspaper clippings. Here was a full spread from a major daily paper proclaiming him the “King of Kokoreç” and another with him in his signature tuxedo and bowtie in front of his stand in the central Sirkeci ... continue -
Island — and Table — Hopping in Istanbul
1 response - Posted 04.25.12
Istanbul's Princes' Islands, a lovely archipelago just off the city's Asian shore, offer what we believe to be the best travel bargain anywhere in the world. Whenever we're in need of a vacation but can't afford the airfare, a ferry awaits to take us to the islands. For the price of just a few liras, we're transported to a small ... continue -
Beyoglu Burger Wars: Counter Offensive
8 responses - Posted 04.23.12
Six months ago we were very concerned to see one of our favorite burger joints, Mano Burger, closed down. The workers gutting the place told us there was financial trouble. Someone else said they’d opened up shop on the Asian side, in Bostanci. For six months, Mano seemed to go incognito. We were then equally puzzled a couple of weeks ago ... continue
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Fazil Bey Kahvesi: Fad Proof
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All entries filed under this archive
Kofteci Cemal: Meatball Depot
no responses - Posted 10.17.11
In the category of ambience, Kofteci Cemal scores high marks quite effortlessly. On a street of mostly-demolished row shops down in Karakoy’s Persembe Pazari hardware market, Cemal makes his presence known with a bright yellow paint job and the word “kofteci” spray-painted on the front, back and sides of his ...continue
no responses - Posted 10.17.11
In the category of ambience, Kofteci Cemal scores high marks quite effortlessly. On a street of mostly-demolished row shops down in Karakoy’s Persembe Pazari hardware market, Cemal makes his presence known with a bright yellow paint job and the word “kofteci” spray-painted on the front, back and sides of his ...continue
Istanbul Kofte Week: #1 – Meshur Kofteci Recep Usta
no responses - Posted 06.10.11
(Editor’s Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
no responses - Posted 06.10.11
(Editor’s Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
Meshur Kofteci Recep Usta: In a Category All its Own
no responses - Posted 06.10.11
From a seat on the deck of a Bosphorus ferry, the little neighborhoods of the Asian side seem to have the same idyllic layout – a platoon of fisherman with long casting rods on either side of a small white boat dock in the foreground, a minaret poking through the ...continue
no responses - Posted 06.10.11
From a seat on the deck of a Bosphorus ferry, the little neighborhoods of the Asian side seem to have the same idyllic layout – a platoon of fisherman with long casting rods on either side of a small white boat dock in the foreground, a minaret poking through the ...continue
Istanbul Kofte Week: #2 – AKO Adapazari Islama Kofte
no responses - Posted 06.09.11
(Editor’s Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
no responses - Posted 06.09.11
(Editor’s Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
AKO Adapazari Islama Kofte: Fellowship of the Drench
1 response - Posted 06.09.11
Students of Istanbul street food will recognize the “islama” modifier on this kofte and understand its relation with the oh-so-edible “islak” hamburger in Taksim Square. It is a fellowship of drenched bread. But while the wet burger is drenched in secret sauce and sent to steam in the burger hamam, ...continue
1 response - Posted 06.09.11
Students of Istanbul street food will recognize the “islama” modifier on this kofte and understand its relation with the oh-so-edible “islak” hamburger in Taksim Square. It is a fellowship of drenched bread. But while the wet burger is drenched in secret sauce and sent to steam in the burger hamam, ...continue
Istanbul Kofte Week: #3 – Köfteci Hüseyin
no responses - Posted 06.08.11
(Editor’s Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
no responses - Posted 06.08.11
(Editor’s Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
Istanbul Kofte Week: #4 – Tarihi Sultanahmet Koftecisi
no responses - Posted 06.07.11
(Editor’s Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
no responses - Posted 06.07.11
(Editor’s Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
Istanbul Kofte Week: #5 – Köfteci Arnavut
3 responses - Posted 06.06.11
(Editor's Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
3 responses - Posted 06.06.11
(Editor's Note: Over here at Istanbul Eats, we like to think of ourselves as kofte savants. While to the untrained eye kofte may look like nothing more than a grilled meatball, we like to discern differences in taste, texture and consistency in the different styles of this ubiquitous Turkish dish. ...continue
Lost in Thrace: Following the Tekirdağ Köftesi Trail
2 responses - Posted 01.17.11
(Editor’s Note: This week, Istanbul Eats hops on the bus and heads west to sample the Thrace region’s most famous köfte in its native environment. Guest writers Sherri Cohen and Alex Hallowell, Fulbright English Teaching Assistants at Namık Kemal University in Tekirdağ, have run the gust-busting gauntlet to bring you ...continue
2 responses - Posted 01.17.11
(Editor’s Note: This week, Istanbul Eats hops on the bus and heads west to sample the Thrace region’s most famous köfte in its native environment. Guest writers Sherri Cohen and Alex Hallowell, Fulbright English Teaching Assistants at Namık Kemal University in Tekirdağ, have run the gust-busting gauntlet to bring you ...continue
Köfteci Arnavut: On the Good Ship Meatball Shop
no responses - Posted 01.14.11
Perhaps it’s the proximity of the waters of the Golden Horn or the weathered wood interior, but we get a distinctly maritime feeling at Köfteci Arnavut, a tiny köfte joint in the historic Balat neighborhood. The members of the Iştay family, who opened the place in 1947, seem to think the ...continue
no responses - Posted 01.14.11
Perhaps it’s the proximity of the waters of the Golden Horn or the weathered wood interior, but we get a distinctly maritime feeling at Köfteci Arnavut, a tiny köfte joint in the historic Balat neighborhood. The members of the Iştay family, who opened the place in 1947, seem to think the ...continue
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