Sultanahmet and Around
HOCAPAŞA PIDECISI
Hocapaşa Sok. 19
PIDE
212 512 0990
Don’t let any of the mantis-like waiters around this well-known restaurant street direct you into their own place instead of this one—Hocapaşa Pidecisi is one of the few eateries here that isn’t slowly turning into a tourist trap. With a menu only in Turkish, it serves excellent cheap pides to the locals who know their order by heart. There is more seating upstairs, but it’s probably not the best option for taller travelers. Be on the lookout for other tourists—once they start coming here, everything is lost.
Sirkeci. Go south (up the slope), and then turn left on Hocapaşa street; the restaurant will be on your left. Pide 6-10TL. Open daily 9am-9pm.
TARIHI SULTANAHMET KÖFTECISI SELIM USTA
Divan Yolu Cad 12
KÖFTE
212 520 0566 www.sultanahmetkoftesi.com
Even with only two meat items on its 10-item menu, this place still manages to be one of Istanbul’s most famous restaurants. Serving meatballs with vinegary bean salad since 1920, the restaurant attracts both tourists and the kind of Istanbul natives who would otherwise avoid Sultanahmet like a stinking toe. All three floors get wonderfully crowded, so give in to peer pressure and enjoy what locals and visitors alike agree is one of Istanbul’s best offerings. While therere are a few imitators nearby, you’ll know you are in the original if they only accept cash.
Sultanahmet. Bean salad 5TL. Köfte 10TL. Open daily 11am-11pm.
BEREKET SOFRASI
Binbirdirek Mah. Peykhane Sk. 15/17
TURKISH
212 518 7111 www.bereketsofrasi.com
Foodwise, the real question in Sultanahmet isn’t how to find an exhilarating restaurant, it’s how to find a good, honest one. Berek Sofrasi, a short walk from the center down Divan Yolu, is as authentic as they come and serves excellent pide and kebabs (6-13TL) to the locals for a local price. Tourists are welcome to eat here, but they aren’t the main clientele. Have the sütlaç (rice pudding; 3TL) after a heavy meal.
Çemberlitas. From the tram stop, head south 2 blocks. Entrees 6-13TL. Open daily 6:30am-11pm.
ORIENT EXPRESS RESTAURANT
İstasyon Cd. 2 Gar İçi Sirkeci
TURKISH
212 522 2280 www.orientexpressrestaurant.com
When it’s empty, this restaurant inside the Sirkeci train station seems like it’s from a time when the century of electricity was merely beginning. The station was the last stop of the famous Orient Express, and the restaurant tries to imitate that cosmopolitan feel with waiters in bowties that speak French, German, and English. Don’t just come to take a picture, however—sit down under the tall, arching ceiling and eat. Roast lamb shoulder (25TL) is the specialty, but appetizers such as Imam Bayildi (10TL) are good as well. Come when there aren’t many people and let your imagination roam free. Then get on the Orient Express and solve a particularly convoluted murder case.
Sirkeci. Enter the train station, and the restaurant is on your left. Entrees 16-25TL. Open daily 10:30am-10:30pm.
HAMDI RESTAURANT
Tahmis Cad. Kalçin Sok.
TURKISH
212 528 0390 www.hamdirestorant.com.tr
With only a parking lot and some roads separating its building from the river, this restaurant is well-known for the view of Galata that it offers to the early birds who reserve the best seats. The food is traditional southeastern Turkish cuisine (kebabs) and worth the few extra liras. But even without a reservation, you can end up with some of the best seats—just sit one floor below the terrace, where there are fewer people, a great view, and the most potent A/C. Come for a dinner during the golden hour to see the entire town illuminated during sunset.
Eminönü. Exit the station in the direction of Sultanahmet, turn right, continue until you see Hamdi on your left. Reservations are encouraged, but not necessary. Kebabs 16-22TL. Open daily 11am-11pm.
YENI YILDIZ
Cankurtaran Meydani 18
TURKISH, PIDE
212 518 1257
Down a crooked cobblestone path from Sultanahmet, this pide and kebab restaurant is a decent alternative to all of the tourist-filled eateries uphill. Originally owned by the late Erol Taş, a popular Turkish actor to whom much of the wall space is now devoted, this place offers expansive, colorful outdoor seating where you can eat, play backgammon, and smoke nargile (hookah, 15TL). The restaurant is split into different parts as a result of alcohol licensing regulations, but don’t let that confuse you. Come during the day and take a walk through the decrepit surrounding streets before enjoying this location’s standard Turkish fare.
Sultanahmet. From the hostel neighborhood, go south down the steps; it’s 50m down the road on the right. Kebabs 10-15TL. Open daily 8am-midnight.
PAŞAZADE RESTAURANT
Ibn-i Kemal Cad. 13
TURKISH
212 513 3757 www.pasazade.com
In certain pricey restaurants, you pay for an unbelievable view and cope with the usually mediocre food. In Paşazade, you don’t get much of a view, which should be a good sign. Come to this restaurant to find tasty Ottoman dishes that you can’t find on the street—no grilled kebabs here, just boiled or cooked food that is arranged in artistic-looking shapes. Try the Mahmudiye (15TL) with chicken, mashed potatoes, and fruit. This is one of the few places where you can get the upscale decor (candle and all) and not pay more than you’d like.
Gülhane. Follow the tracks toward Sirkeci, turn left as soon as you can, and then turn right. Paşazade will be on your left. Entrees 13-23TL. Dessert 6-7.50TL. Open daily noon-11pm.
SARNIÇ RESTAURANT
Soğukçeşme Sokaği
TURKISH
212 512 4291 www.sarnicrestaurant.com
If you’re a rich, elderly German tourist and you just happen to be reading a budget travel guide to amuse yourself, feel free to go to Sarniç Restaurant. If you’re a student and feel like eating inside a renovated water cistern from 1500 years ago (and are willing to shell out some serious dough for said experience), you should also eat here—and maybe pick up a mainstream hobby. With lit candles and acoustics worthy of a bat cave, an atmosphere like this is hard to imitate. If the cost of entrees (25-57TL) scares you but you still feel an urge to eat inside a centuries-old water cistern, there’s an easy fix—have a hamburger in the cafe that’s inside the Byzantine Cistern.
Sultanahmet. Find it in the small street behind Hagia Sophia. Appetizers 20-35TL. Entrees 25-57TL. Desserts 16-22TL. Open daily 7:30-10:30pm.
Fatih
ESKI KAFA
Atpazari 11/A, Fatih
CAFE, ORGANIC
212 533 4291 www.eski-kafa.com
There aren’t many items on the menu here, but every one is worth a try. Order the gulaş (12TL), one of the Hungarian contributions to the greatness of the Ottoman Empire. All food here is organic, so the place is bound to be popular with all the yoga-lovin’ hipsters who might happen across it. You can enjoy your cup of hibiscus tea either in the crammed interior or outside as you sit at one of the blocks of concrete that serves as a table.
Take bus to Fatih. Leave the Fatih Mosque grounds through the southeastern exit. Turn left and walk for 3 blocks. Turn right into Atpazari, and Eski Kafa will be to your right. Free Wi-Fi. Meals 10-12TL. Desserts 4-7TL. Tea 1.50-4TL. Open daily 10am-11pm.
SUR OCAKBAŞI
İtfaiye Cad. 19, Fatih
TURKISH
212 533 8088 www.surocakbasi.net
Apparently, Anthony Bourdain visited this place in 2009, and the food gave him an orgasm or something—so it’s about time tourists started crowding this eatery. The specialty here is the büryan kebab (11TL) which is made from lamb back cooked in an underground pit. If one regional dish isn’t enough for you, try the bütün (7TL), a dessert made from ice cream and rice. The mascot of this restaurant is a nude, bewildered child standing inside a huge watermelon. Don’t ask why.
SELAM
Fevzi Paşa Cad. 69, Fatih
TURKISH
212 631 2595 www.selam.com.tr
This multi-story chameleon of a restaurant offers something different on every floor: it serves sweets in the basement, fast food on the first floor, and kebabs and all that jazz on the second. As the quality of A/C varies by floor, choose where to dine based on what you feel like having as well as your preferred temperature. If you haven’t tried it yet, order the soslu manti (9-10TL), a handmade pasta with tiny bits of meat inside. Its preparation is a fascinating, machine-like process. Come in at the right time, and you’ll see some of it take place inside the cubicle near the entrance.
If you’re walking northwest on Fevzi Paşa, Selam will be on your left, close to where the Fatih Mosque’s walls end. Kebabs 11-18TL. Pide 6.50-10TL. Pastries 4.50-6.50TL. Open daily 11am-11pm.
SARAY MUHALLEBICISI
Fevzi Paşa Cad. 1, Fatih
SWEETS
212 521 0505 www.saraymuhallebicisi.com
If you want to have a substance-induced state of altered consciousness in Fatih, your best bet will be to go for a sugar high. Take the elevator to the terrace on Saray’s top floor, where you can feed on kazandibis, muhallebis, profiteroles, and baklava while taking in a view of the city. Sugar hangover? It’s also a good spot for breakfast (5-7TL).
Leave the Fatih Mosque grounds through the southeastern exit, turn right and walk to Fevzi Paşa. Saray will be right across the road. Desserts 5-6TL. Pastries 4.50-7.50TL. Sandwiches 6TL. Coffee 4TL. Open daily 6am-1am.
can’t go back
The city of Istanbul has existed since 667 BCE, but not always as Istanbul. As a site of frequent conquest and springboard into the Middle East from Europe, this city has changed hands, religions, and names once every couple hundred years. Here is a etymological history so you can know why exactly, you can’t go back to Constantinople.
• BYZANTIUM: This was the name of the original Greek settlement on the Bosphorous, derived from their King Byzas. This also was the adopted name of the Eastern Roman Empire, after the fall of the West in 395 AD—even though the city itself was known as Constantinople by then.
• NEW ROME: Okay, this one’s cheating. Constantine might have named his new capital after himself, but apparently a lot of people gave it a more functional name—New Rome. You can still find this name on the inscription of the title of the Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome.
• CONSTANTINOPLE: On May 11, 330, Emperor Constantine gave the city its classical name. This meaningful mouthful of a name made Constantinople the new capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. This name even lasted in Ottoman Turk times, called Kostantiniyye, and continued until the fall of the empire in 1923.
• ISTANBUL: This was the common name of the city since before the conquest in 1453 by the Turks. It was officially re-dubbed by Atatürk in 1923. The name change was expedited by the Turkish Postal Service by refusing to send packages marked with Constantinople as the destination.
KÖMÜR LOKANTASI
Fevzi Paşa Cad. 18
LOKANTA
212 521 9999 www.komurlokantasi.com
Kömür is one of the more pleasant lokantas spots, with four floors and a lot of busy waiters, but the food is nothing to write home about. If you’re feeling important, go sit in the VIP lounge on the top floor, which looks quite similar to all the other floors—apart from the fact that it’s VIP.
If you’re walking northwest on Fevzi Paşa, Kömür will be to your right, on the first corner after the mosque’s walls end. Kebabs 7-12TL. Pilaf 3-5TL. Desserts 3-5.50TL. Open daily 4am-11pm.
Beyoğlu
MANGAL KEYFI
Öğüt Sok. 8
DÜRÜM
212 245 1534
This charismatic, unpretentious place is attended mostly by young locals, and it’s got better dürüms than you’ll get at any touristy restaurant in Taksim. Try the excellent chicken dürüm (4TL), and have a cup of frothy ayran with it. It’s surprising that this place is so cheap without being a dump. The dark red walls, the plethora of posters, and the nonstop rock music make eating here very agreeable.
From Taksim, walk down İstiklal. Take a right onto Ağa Camii, then take the 2nd right onto Öğüt Sok; the restaurant will be to your left. Dürüms 4-4.50TL. Kebabs 8-12TL. Ayran 1.50TL. Open daily 8am-midnight.
VAN KAHVALTI EVI
Defterdar Yok. 52/A
BREAKFAST
212 293 6437
Cihangir is the best area in Beyoğlu for a lazy breakfast, probably because most of its inhabitants are a lazy lot (artists, expats, and the like), and Van Kahvalti Evi offers the best deal, making excellent scrambled eggs with cheese and sausage (8TL) and mixed breakfast plates with varieties of cheese. Tea is served in big cups, but Let’s Go recommends one of the organic fruit juices (4TL). It’s a simple place, but on weekend mornings it’s hard to find an empty table.
From Taksim, walk down Siraselviler Cad.; this breakfast place is 1 block after the Firuzağa Mosque. Eggs 5-8TL. Breakfast plates 8-15TL. Coffee 3-4TL. Open daily 7am-7pm.
ZENCEFIL
Kurabiye Sok. 8-10
VEGETARIAN
212 243 8234 www.zencefil.org
If you’re vegetarian and have been navigating the kebab minefield that is Istanbul, you should definitely come to this Taksim eatery for a meal. Its “vegetable-oriented” menu changes according to season and tastes a cut above the standard at many restaurants that focus on meat. Zencefil cans its own vegetables, makes its own butter and bread, and even had its own homemade lemonade before this drink became a popular fare in the city’s restaurants. Eating here isn’t dirt-cheap, but it is worth your money.
Taksim. Walk down İstiklal, take the 1st right and then the 1st left turn; walk straight until you see the restaurant on your right. Free Wi-Fi. Full entrees 11.50-13.50TL; small entrees 7.50-10.50TL. Lemonade 8TL. Open M-Sa 8:30am-11:30pm.
SOFYALI 9
Sofyali Sok. 9
SEAFOOD, TURKISH
212 245 0362 www.sofyali.com.tr
This is one of the best-known establishments in the Tünel area, and it’s worth coming here for the meze. This Arabic specialty is on the expensive side, but you can always find some cheaper items in the daily-special section of the menu. Despite its poshness and reputation, the restaurant still has something of a meyhane feel, so don’t hesitate to just come for raki and some cheese.
Tünel. Walk up İstiklal from Tünel, take the first left turn, walk to the end of the street and turn left. The restaurant will be to your left. Meze 2.50-10TL. Salads 8-11TL. Entrees 13-25TL. Desserts 5-7.50TL. Open daily noon-11pm.
KIVAHAN
Galata Kulesi Meydani 9
TRADITIONAL
212 292 9898 www.galatakivahan.com
Right in Galata Tower’s backyard, this restaurant is almost a tourist trap, but the food is original enough to make it worth a visit. The recipes were collected from all over Turkey, and since the names on the menu aren’t too familiar (where are the kebabs, Kivahan?), you’ll probably just have to walk up to the counter and point at things you’d like to have. The portions are quite small, so if you’re starving, get a street dürüm first.
Tünel or Karaköy. The restaurant is in the square right next to Galata Tower. Salads and meze 5-6TL. Vegetarian dishes 8-10TL. Entrees 10-20TL. Desserts 5TL. 10% service charge not included in price. Open daily 9am-midnight.
CEZAYIR
Hayriye Cad. 12
TURKISH
212 245 9980 www.cezayir-istanbul.com
Cezayir is housed by an old Italian building that used to function as a school, and today the eatery is among Galatasaray’s best known restaurants. The cuisine is Turkish, with a degree of innovation—the ha
llumi cheese with tomato pesto (10TL) and the grilled lamb tenderloin (30.50TL) are among the more popular dishes. If this place is too expensive for you, try the Cezayir Sokak nearby, a narrow, steep street with plenty of atmospheric, lesser-known restaurants.
Taksim or Tünel. From Galatasaray Lisesi, go down Yeni Çarşi and take the 1st left turn; the restaurant will be to your right. Appetizers 10-18TL. Starters 17-36.50TL. Beer 8-13TL. Open daily 9am-2am.
EMINE ANA SOFRASI
Billurcu Sok. 5/A
TANTUNI
212 292 8430
Kebab might be the default fast food in Istanbul, but leaving without trying tantuni (diced meat) would be a mistake—a grave one, at that. This visually unappealing eatery serves excellent and cheap tantuni dürüms, which taste far better than most of their kebab cousins. The only problem is that one tantuni dürüm is never enough, so you’ll have to get two or three to be satisfied.
Taksim. Billurcu Sok. is a small street off Kücükparmakkapi Sokak. Tantuni dürüm 4.5TL. Tantuni sandwich 5TL. Open daily 11am-6am.
KAFE ARA
Tosbağa Sok. 2
CAFE
212 245 4105
The cosmopolitan Kafe Ara is owned by Ara Güler, a respected Turkish photographer whose giant black-and-white photographs of Istanbul adorn the walls. If you come from 1-5pm, you might get to see the old man himself, now in his eighties, chilling in his shrine. The interior design is interesting, and ambient jazz music sets the mood. If you’re hungry, try the Balkan köfte (18TL), or just come for a coffee.
Taksim or Tünel. From Galatasaray Lisesi, go down Yeni Çarşi and take the 1st right. Breakfast buffet 15TL. Sunday brunch 22.50TL. Entrees 16-20TL. Desserts 7-10TL. Open M-F 7:30am-midnight, Sa 10:30am-1am, Su 10am-midnight. Su brunch 10am-2pm.
GALATA HOUSE
Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide Page 214