Someone, not akin to the Turkish cuisine, would classify “kebab” as the one and only Turkish food. Especially in parts of Europe where the Turkish diaspora earns a living from opening kebab buffets and selling doner kebab, this perception is even more widely accepted.
Turkish cuisine is however very varied. With its roots in the Ottoman cuisine, Turkish cuisine is a combination of the influences of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Balkan traditions. Given this, typical local offers vary from heavy spices and meat to various grasses and grass roots seasoned with virgin olive oil along with seasonal fish dishes.
Nevertheless, in this part of our “Diners’ Spot” series, I’d like to cover the stereotypical Turkish food: the finest kebab houses and steak restaurants. Kebab is a tradition in Turkey, while Steak House is a new line of business in the meat sector. Eating steak and opening steak houses became popular in Turkey in the year 2007 with the opening of the Dukkan Steak House in one of the ghettos of Istanbul. The pioneer and the owner of the steak house Emre Mermer is a second generation breeder of animals and meat. His first place in Armutlu (which was at the time a shanty town, now has developed immensely thanks to an increased activity of the food sector in the region) was a very small steak house. One could barely fit two tables inside and serve at most 8 people at a time. Emre Mermer soon developed his business and opened a bigger steak house right next to the first one. He eventually changed the first one into a sales spot and operated the newer space as his restaurant. After a year, the business went well and Emre Mermer opened yet another branch in one of the most posh neighbourhoods of Istanbul and in one of its most posh boutiques: in Beymen Blender in the Nisantasi district. With this final opening, the prices of Mermer’s delicious steaks and finest Argentine wines skyrocketed (unfortunately losing at the same time the fine touch of part of his staff as well).
While, Dukkan lost some of its early glamour, cozy atmosphere and quality; other steak houses started to rise here and there around the city following Dukkan’s lead. For instance, Gunaydin, which is one of the most wellknown kebab houses in Turkey extended its services into the steak house business. Today, Dukkan and Gunaydin are the primary competition in the steak business.
Gunaydin, opened its first steak house in the Istinye Park Shopping Mall. Then two other branches were set up in Etiler (European side) and in Bostanci (Asian Side). Their atmosphere of their steak houses is not similar to the Dukkan’s. At Dukkan, there is no formal menu and there is nothing else other than meat and its variants. At Gunaydin, the atmosphere of a steak house can be felt from an open buffet of raw meat and wooden long tables, but the formality of a restaurant has been kept by serving customers with a menu of other dishes such as salad, pasta and soup.
In reality, Gunaydin’s core business is making kebab. As such, there are also more than 10 or 12 kebab houses of Gunaydin in various parts of Istanbul. So, whether it’s steak or kebab you are craving for, you can visit the nearest Gunaydin Restaurant. For a complete list check their website.
Eating kebab, whether at Gunaydin or at any of the other places listed below, is an art in itself. It sounds ironic when one puts it that way, since kebab, given the spicy ingredients used in its cooking, does not smell like art at all. Nevertheless, when Turkish people go out and gather in a kebab house for dinner, one cannot consider to serve that table with a double shift from 8 to 10 P.M. and 10 to 12 P.M. The group that gets the table at 8 P.M. usually stays until 12 P.M. This is where it gets artsy. Dinner at a kebab house starts with the cold starters. The host brings in a big array of sample starters, from which the diners choose from. Almost half a bottle of any alcoholic beverage (mostly raki, but sometimes also wine) gets finished by the time, the host revisits his clients to take their order for hot starters. Hot starters are generic in most kebab houses: fried meatballs, Turkish pizza and pita bread with cheese or minced meat cooked in an oven. By the time the hot starters are finished, more than an hour and a half would have usually passed by. After a break for cigarettes and digestion, the main dishes get ordered and eventually served. Main dishes vary from spicy meat dishes to grilled chicken or meat. My favorite dish since my childhood has been the Iskender kebab (tightly packed meat roasted on a large vertical spit served with tomato sauce and yogurt). Then comes desert and coffee time. Again, a selection of traditional Turkish dishes is usually served by the host and the coffee is most of the time compliments of the house.
The question that remains is where to live this total experience of eating kebab. Among the many places I am about to enumerate, the food offer in most of them is quite similar. Furthermore, most of them generally have more than one branch in different locations. Therefore, depending on your itinerary and place of stay, you can choose the branch that is most appropriate for you.
“Maş” piyazi - Develi
Develi has 5 branches in different parts of the city. Among their specialities muhammara (Turkish walnut garlic spread with pomegranate molasse), “maş” piyazi and stuffed dried aubergine cooked the Antep way are very good. For a complete list of the menu and the branch contacts, see their website.
Stuffed Eggplant - Develi
Mabeyin has been elected among one of the 3 best European Restaurants in the Travel&Leisure magazine. Its frequent clientele depict as a more refined kebab house, meaning that Mabeyin possesses the elegance of a formal restaurant rather than the “diner” nature of most kebab houses. They have only one branch as of 2009.
Eski Kısıklı Cad. No:129 Kısıklı / İstanbul + 90 216 422 55 80
Yuzevler has 3 branches in Istanbul and one branch in Adana –which is its place of origin. In fact, Yuzevler is more formally known as Adana Yuzevler Restaurant. The Turkish kebab culture is dominated by two schools: the Adana and the Urfa. Adana way kebab tends to be more spicy and hot, mostly seasoned with hot red pepper. At Yuzevler a vast variety of the Adana kitchen can be tasted.
Tike has many branches not just in Istanbul and various other cities of Turkey, but also abroad in Cyprus, England, Ukraine and Greece. The menu of Tike also has the Adana region as its origin. Try mashed chick peas in sesame seed paste topped with Turkish pastrami (called humus), barbequed aubergine puree with garlic yoghurt topped with pistachio (mutebbel), bulgur crust stuffed with minced meat, herbs and spices, served fried (icli kofte) and if you can eat pate and its relevants try also lamb tartar mixed with cracked wheat, herbs and spices (raw meatball) from the starters. A speciality of Tike is its dessert made with semolina and baked pine nuts, served warm with ice cream (called helva). Helva is a traditional Turkish desert, however Tike has touched this tradition with an original service orientation and that was serving it with ice cream in the inside of its dome shape.
Hummus
Kosebasi was descriped in the world famous guide, ZAGAT, as followed: “ “You can’t miss” at this modern and “upscale” Turkish-Med in Levent, a “local favorite” with a “wide array” of “tantalizing,” “sizzling” kebabs, “plentiful” meze and a large, affordable wine list…” Founded in 1995, Kosebasi like most other kebab houses features finest samples of the South Anatolian cuisine (Adana and Urfa mixed together). There are branches of Kosebasi within and out of Istanbul. Some of its branches function as sale points for quick delivery in the populated business and financial districts of the city. In 2006, Kosebasi started an era of international expansion and opened its Athens branch, which was followed by Kosebasi Sao Paulo in 2007. International expansion continued with the opening of Bahrain and Dubai branches in 2008 and 2009.
Best kebab house near the airport is Beyti. Beyti’s fame comes not from the number of prestigious actors, actress or presidents that it has hosted, but also from its long history: Beyti is a family business that has been around since 1945. Among its best dishes are the rice with aubergine, Turkish traditional hot aubergine dish (patlican begendi), its “kebab with yogurt” and the “Beyti kebab”.
Cukurova Kebab House is another family business that has been around for 40 years and has been passed from one generation to another. Cukurova Kebab House is less elegant when compared to the many other restaurants that have been listed on this page. It is an artisan restaurant where no alcohol is served, and where sometimes organizations such as small scale weddings may occur. Their website has no English content either, therefore the address is as below for the interested.
İnönü Mahallesi Eski Ankara Caddesi No.53 Sarıgazi / İSTANBUL
Tel: (0216) 622 29 80 GSM: (0537) 339 63 92
Sahan was a small artisan restaurant in the 1970s. The business has flourished and has turned Sahan into one of the leading kebab houses with various branches all over Istanbul. The origin of their kitchen is Gaziantep, which is a worldwide important cuisine in the Turkish tradition. Among their many delicious dishes try the Ali Nazik kebab, onion kebab, Sahan kebab and the soup “Anali Kizli”.
Anali Kizli Corba - Sahan
Ali Nazik Kebab - Sahan
All places listed above are often frequented by locals. This is sometimes a problem for the tourists. The locals speak a common “kebab” language at the kebab houses that the tourists often cannot speak nor understand. Rule 1: at a kebab restaurant, there is often no menu. You may realize your local buddy just ordering stuff off the top of his head or by looking at a sample platter. As there is no formal menu, there is usually not a very advanced pricing scheme either. It is usually wise to negotiate a price before getting seated if you are not familiar with the place. Have a look at the commentary below for one of the local kebab houses in Istanbul; Venge. The excerpt has been taken from Trip Advisor:
“We were at Venge the other night and really had a terrible experience. The food was cold the meat and chicken kebab dry as can be. The waiters all seemed to be in a bad mood. There was a huge screen showing a football match which is not something you want to be sitting next to during a romantic evening out. There are several lcd screen placed throughout the garden (also showing the game) which I thought was irrelevant to the atmosphere.”
Although it may look unordinary and irrelevant to watch a soccer game during a dining experience, this is indeed the way in which kebab houses are different from elegant, 5 star, formal dining experiences. Kebab houses function as “get-together” places for the locals, be it for a game or for the food. This must be kept in mind when visiting one.
Again, if you are not there with someone who knows a waiter or the owner, it may be tough to get good service at a kebab house. But, again that is where the beauty of the experience lies: the friendly slackiness, hectic and chaotic atmospheres, lots of laugher and drinks…
The contact information for the steak houses are:
Dükkan Armutlu:
277 88 60
Dükkan Nişantaşı:
259 12 10 / 259 12 20
+90 212 265 0232
You will find on Donuz, everything that is unique to where we have been and where you would want to be. Be it food, be it lodging, be it a special feet massage, a bottle of wine, a person… Be it for 7 days, a day, a week, 36 hours or a single moment. On Donuz, is everything, you will need to make your holidays special. We hope you share with us your experiences.
Tue, Oct 6, 2009
Food, Istanbul