Wednesday
Vefa Gazozcusu: Nobody Beats the Fizz
Istanbul’s Vefa neighborhood is home to a rich collection of historic treasures. Framed by the vast and beautiful 4th-century Valens Aqueducts, Vefa is in the heart of the old city but retains a sense of locality and rusty charm perhaps lost in the more touristy neighborhoods nearby. Among its institutions is Vefa Bozacısı, which has sold boza – a thick, fermented millet-based drink popular in the winter – since 1876.
Immediately across the street is an establishment that has only been around for a few months but also specializes in another beloved local beverage, gazoz. Opened last year by Istanbul University economics student Mahmut Saklı, Vefa Gazozcu is likely the only shop in Turkey that exclusively sells the drink.
Read the rest of the review at Culinary Backstreets.
All entries filed under Reviews (Drinks)
no responses - Posted 02.20.14
We like to think of the building at the corner of Sakız Ağacı Caddesi and Küçük Bayram Sokak as the mullet of the Beyoğlu neighborhood’s entertainment venues – out front is a tidy, little Armenian Catholic church, but in the back, it’s a wild and tangled mess of a party. Of ...continue
no responses - Posted 02.11.14
Editor's note: In a recent New York Times article, Joshua Hammer wrote about a tour that Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk gave him through the author's native city and his personal history there. We were delighted to read that one of Pamuk's favorite places is Vefa Bozacısı, which is one of ours too (and also ...continue
no responses - Posted 02.11.13
The Turkish proverb “At, avrat, silah ödünç verilmez” (“neither horse, wife nor weapon should be lent”) is sometimes repeated as a way to recall the nomadic warrior past of the Turks. The primal Turkish essentials are clearly stated, but what about the çay bardağı, the tea glass that has become ...continue
4 responses - Posted 10.26.12
(Editor’s Note: This is the latest installment in our ongoing feature, “Supermarket Cellars,” which aims to uncover those drinkable Turkish wines that won’t kill your budget or – let’s face it – you. In charge of this mission is Aaron Stein – an expert on nuclear non-proliferation issues and PhD student by day, ...continue
2 responses - Posted 06.08.12
(Editor’s Note: This is the latest installment in our ongoing feature, “Supermarket Cellars,” which aims to uncover those drinkable Turkish wines that won’t kill your budget or, let’s face it, you. In charge of this mission is Aaron Stein – an expert on nuclear non-proliferation issues and PhD student by day, avid wine ...continue
8 responses - Posted 05.18.12
Two young men stood about 15 feet apart on a sunny narrow street in the Kadıköy 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 ...continue
3 responses - Posted 04.06.12
(Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of our newest feature, “Supermarket Cellars,” which aims to uncover those drinkable Turkish wines that won’t kill your budget or, let’s face it, you. In charge of this mission is Aaron Stein – an expert on nuclear non-proliferation issues and PhD student by day, ...continue
3 responses - Posted 03.16.12
(Editor's Note: This is the second installment of our newest feature, "Supermarket Cellars," which aims to uncover those drinkable Turkish wines that won't kill your budget or, let's face it, you. In charge of this mission is Aaron Stein -- an expert on nuclear non-proliferation issues and PhD student by day, ...continue
8 responses - Posted 02.27.12
(Editor's Note: This post marks the inauguration of "Supermarket Cellars," a new feature whose aim is to seek out affordable Turkish wines that are worth recommending. To assist us in doing that, we have enlisted the help of Aaron Stein -- an expert on nuclear non-proliferation issues and PhD student ...continue
7 responses - Posted 02.06.12
We generally wouldn’t recommend pulling yourself up into the back of a broken-down truck with no license plates that’s sitting in an empty lot down by the river, but Osman’s truck offers a rare glimpse of Istanbul if there really were no rules, and, not to mention, great views of ...continue