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Posts Tagged ‘ meze ’

Jul 27
Monday

Kıyı: A Winning Island Castaway

Filed under Reviews (Eats)

Kiyi's no-frills seaside terrace -- photo by Yigal Schleifer

Editor’s note, October 2015: Sadly, we have recently received reports that after a change in ownership at Kıyı, the quality of the food here has gone down significantly.

Although the area around the ferry terminal on Büyükada, the largest of the Princes’ Islands, tends to get unbearably crowded during the summer, we’re still big fans of making the occasional visit to the island. A horse carriage ride past breezy (and blessedly car free) Büyükada’s grand mansions or a walk through its woods are always a good escape when things start getting too hot back in Istanbul.

That said, we’ve always found the dining scene on the island disappointing, mostly aimed at clueless daytrippers rather than serious eaters. Take, for example, the row of busy fish restaurants found just beside Büyükada’s ferry terminal. All have seaside terraces with a view of Istanbul’s rapidly developing Asian shore (and of the occasional piece of urban flotsam and jetsam that drifts by) and similar, predictable menus with decently made, but uninspiring food. What they all do specialize in is serving up equal amounts of hustle and bustle, packing their restaurants with tour groups and as many other visitors that they can lure in off the sidewalk. Continue…

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All entries filed under this archive


Mekan: The Cosmopolitan
8 responses - Posted 07.24.09
Sometimes billed as “that Armenian-Jewish restaurant in Beyoğlu,” Mekan harkens back to the neighborhood’s cosmopolitan past, when it was home to a large non-Muslim population. The food is sometimes Sephardic and Armenian, sometimes Turkish. But the important point here is the place’s authenticity. Mekan is not trying to be anything ...continue
İsmet Baba: Great Fish for Goodfellas
2 responses - Posted 06.26.09
As the ferry approaches the dock at Kuzguncuk, a charming Bosphorus neighborhood on the Asian side, and passengers start scrambling for position at the bow to be the first to hop off, a soft yellow light, rakı-fueled laughter and a whiff of grilled fish seem to guide the boat in ...continue
Akdeniz Hatay Sofrası: The Syrian Connection
12 responses - Posted 04.20.09
The only positive thing about the torturous annual visit we make to Istanbul’s main police station in order to renew our residence permit is the chance to drive through the low-rent Aksaray neighborhood, home to dozens of intriguing off-the-beaten path restaurants, most of them opened by migrants from other parts ...continue
Karaköy Lokantası: A Dockside Winner
15 responses - Posted 04.17.09
Tucked into the street behind the yet-to-be gentrified docks at Karaköy, among shops advertising boat tickets to Odessa and cubby-sized import and export offices, is the neighborhood’s culinary port of call, Karaköy Lokantası. With great food, personable service and tasteful décor, this family-operated eatery defiantly proves that a good dining ...continue

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