Feb 21
Monday
Mehmet Demir’s Breakfast Cart: The Wheel Deal
(Editor’s Note: This review originally appeared on May 18, 2009.)
Mehmet Demir may not be one of Istanbul’s better-known restaurateurs, but he certainly is among its shrewdest. In fact, he has the best business plan in town: Demir runs a bustling business that has customers literally lining up in the street to taste his grub, doing so with minimal overhead, zero rent and a staff of two. Of course, working out of a wheeled cart that has no fixed address helps keep costs down (and insures that customers have no place but the street to line up). But it also means that Mehmet can channel all those savings into what he serves, which in this case is a monstrous and delicious breakfast sandwich.
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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
Ciğerci Lütfi: The Man with the Golden Liver
no responses - Posted 01.31.11
There was something jarring and disjointed about the sight of an old man sitting beside an eight-lane highway selling liver sandwiches from his perch on a concrete planter – as if a character from a traditional Ottoman shadow puppet show had wandered onto the set of the film Bladerunner. But ...continue
no responses - Posted 01.31.11
There was something jarring and disjointed about the sight of an old man sitting beside an eight-lane highway selling liver sandwiches from his perch on a concrete planter – as if a character from a traditional Ottoman shadow puppet show had wandered onto the set of the film Bladerunner. But ...continue
Kral Kokoreç: In the Court of the Intestine King
1 response - Posted 12.06.10
Editor’s note: This guest post comes courtesy of Salih Seçkin Sevinç, author of the great Turkish-language food blog Harbi Yiyorum (loosely translated as “Eating, For Real”). Although this review is of Sirkeci’s Kral Kokoreç, it is first and foremost a tribute to Vahap Usta, Turkey’s original king of kokoreç. The second half ...continue
1 response - Posted 12.06.10
Editor’s note: This guest post comes courtesy of Salih Seçkin Sevinç, author of the great Turkish-language food blog Harbi Yiyorum (loosely translated as “Eating, For Real”). Although this review is of Sirkeci’s Kral Kokoreç, it is first and foremost a tribute to Vahap Usta, Turkey’s original king of kokoreç. The second half ...continue
Melekler Durum: Kebab Fit for a Cabbie
1 response - Posted 11.29.10
With its walls lined with pickle jars, Fanta cans, six packs of yogurt drink and little grenade-shaped bottles of şalgam, or turnip juice, Melekler looks like nothing more than a bodega with a humble little lunch counter in the back. But a quick tour of the facilities convinced us that ...continue
1 response - Posted 11.29.10
With its walls lined with pickle jars, Fanta cans, six packs of yogurt drink and little grenade-shaped bottles of şalgam, or turnip juice, Melekler looks like nothing more than a bodega with a humble little lunch counter in the back. But a quick tour of the facilities convinced us that ...continue
Aynen Dürüm: Feeding at the Kebab Trough
5 responses - Posted 10.29.10
As we’ve written here before, if you do a little rooting around, the Grand Bazaar can be as much about the food as it is about the shopping. Case in point: Aynen Dürüm, a microscopic kebab shack at the edge of the sprawling bazaar that serves exceptionally good wraps (or, ...continue
5 responses - Posted 10.29.10
As we’ve written here before, if you do a little rooting around, the Grand Bazaar can be as much about the food as it is about the shopping. Case in point: Aynen Dürüm, a microscopic kebab shack at the edge of the sprawling bazaar that serves exceptionally good wraps (or, ...continue
Ali Usta’s Salep: Pure and Uncut
3 responses - Posted 10.25.10
Cemal Bey sits behind a desk in a small, bare office on the second floor of a decrepit building near the Egyptian Bazaar in the city’s old quarter. Three large burlap sacks filled with what look like jumbo-sized yellow raisins are all that adorn the room. That and a fax ...continue
3 responses - Posted 10.25.10
Cemal Bey sits behind a desk in a small, bare office on the second floor of a decrepit building near the Egyptian Bazaar in the city’s old quarter. Three large burlap sacks filled with what look like jumbo-sized yellow raisins are all that adorn the room. That and a fax ...continue
The Turkish Taco Truck Has Landed
3 responses - Posted 09.22.10
The closing of the old Manhattan dining institution Tavern on the Green must have marked the end of an era for many New Yorkers. But the entrepreneurial Turks over at Pera Mediterranean Brasserie (from here on “Pera”) in midtown Manhattan saw it as an opportunity for conquest. In its new ...continue
3 responses - Posted 09.22.10
The closing of the old Manhattan dining institution Tavern on the Green must have marked the end of an era for many New Yorkers. But the entrepreneurial Turks over at Pera Mediterranean Brasserie (from here on “Pera”) in midtown Manhattan saw it as an opportunity for conquest. In its new ...continue
Sesame Ring Circus
no responses - Posted 09.17.10
We've previously sung the praises of the humble but mighty simit, naming it one of our "Top 5" street foods and marveling at its ability to take on the bagel on its home turf. It looks like Istanbul municipal officials have gotten wise to the bread ring's rise. Yesterday marked the ...continue
no responses - Posted 09.17.10
We've previously sung the praises of the humble but mighty simit, naming it one of our "Top 5" street foods and marveling at its ability to take on the bagel on its home turf. It looks like Istanbul municipal officials have gotten wise to the bread ring's rise. Yesterday marked the ...continue
Besaltı Kirvem Tantuni: Turkish for “Taqueria”?
1 response - Posted 09.03.10
(Editor's Note: This review of one of our favorite places in town originally appeared on May 4, 2009.) One of the big downsides to Istanbul’s otherwise great food scene is the lack of a credible Mexican option. We’re not asking for anything special, just a place that serves simple, tasty tacos ...continue
1 response - Posted 09.03.10
(Editor's Note: This review of one of our favorite places in town originally appeared on May 4, 2009.) One of the big downsides to Istanbul’s otherwise great food scene is the lack of a credible Mexican option. We’re not asking for anything special, just a place that serves simple, tasty tacos ...continue
The Kokoreç Trifecta of Galata: Smoke, Guts and Glory
8 responses - Posted 08.06.10
In Istanbul, offal-eating traditions run deep. In the wee hours, the horde heads out for tripe and trotter soup. Some butcher shops, like exclusive boutiques, sell nothing but organs, hanging them proudly in the glass vitrine like so many Fendi handbags. We’ve written at length about finer points of kelle, ...continue
8 responses - Posted 08.06.10
In Istanbul, offal-eating traditions run deep. In the wee hours, the horde heads out for tripe and trotter soup. Some butcher shops, like exclusive boutiques, sell nothing but organs, hanging them proudly in the glass vitrine like so many Fendi handbags. We’ve written at length about finer points of kelle, ...continue
Fight For Your Right to Eat on the Street
no responses - Posted 08.05.10
A disturbing article in today's Hurriyet Daily News reports on efforts by the Beyoglu and Fatih municipalities to crack down on "unlicensed" street food vendors. As increasingly hassled vendors tell HDN's reporter, licenses are almost impossible to get. Meanwhile, a Beyoglu municipal official tells HDN that the only street food they ...continue
no responses - Posted 08.05.10
A disturbing article in today's Hurriyet Daily News reports on efforts by the Beyoglu and Fatih municipalities to crack down on "unlicensed" street food vendors. As increasingly hassled vendors tell HDN's reporter, licenses are almost impossible to get. Meanwhile, a Beyoglu municipal official tells HDN that the only street food they ...continue
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