eating out istanbul
CITE DE PERA
Beyoglu's ornate Çiçek Pasaji (Flower Passage) on Istiklal Caddesi at Galatasaray Square is filled with restaurants. Each evening the tables are filled with Turks and foreigners who come to talk, eat, laugh and linger over dozens of plates of meze, succulent kebaps, seafood, sweet desserts, and glass after glass of milky Turkish raki, beer or wine. The Pasaj is a shrine to Turks' love of long, congenial group dinners.
History: The Çiçek Pasaji is the L-shaped courtyard of a building named Cité de Péra, one of the first European-style buildings constructed during the Ottoman Empire's late 19th-century effort to modernize. In its 19th- and early 20th-century heyday the Cité de Péra building housed posh shops
on its ground floor in the Pasaj, and offices on the floors above. Today, definitely The flower market is an arcade where you can taste little moments of pleasure and chilling out from the tantalizing menu of Istanbul.
LEANDER’S TOWER
Istanbul's city pictures almost always include "Kiz Kulesi"."Kiz Kulesi" in English means Maiden's Tower or Leander's Tower. The Maiden's Tower is located on a small islet at a very short distance from the shores of the district "Uskudar“ in the Asian side of the city. It can be seen from Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortakoy distric and many other interesting places of Istanbul.According to a Turkish legend a princess
was locked up in the tower by her father because of a prophecy. The prophecy alerted him saying that his daughter would die by the bite of asnake. The father wanted to protect the princess and puther in the
Maiden's tower. Unfortunately at the end of the story, the princess dies by the snake that was brought to the islet in a basket of grapes.The Leander's Tower is the other name you will come across for the same place. There is a legend which has taken place in the city of Abydos in the straight of Dardanelles but somehow mistakenly related to the Maiden's Tower. Leander tried to see his lover Hero and attempted to cross the straight and drowns. In the12th century, the emperor Manuel Comnenus has built a small fortress where the tower is located. He wanted to tie a chain to close the Bosphorus straight. The other end of the chain was tied to Tower of Mangana. Until today the tower is used as a lighthouse, semaphore station,quarantine, customs control area, and home for retired naval officers. The building that you can see today Dates back to 18th century. After the renovation of the building, now inside a very popular Restaurant serves dinner with its beautiful panoramic view. The guests will transfered to the restaurant with a short boat cruise. Very special place with wondurful view.
SAIT HALIM PASA YALISI
The structural and decorative characteristics of the building Are typical innovations of its time, with the building set back off the waterfront by a jetty and the façade and windows typically neo-classical (empire style). The mansion's plan includes a Central grand hall-sofa-with an Alcove overlooking the seafront with a stairway on the opposite side. The mansion is decorated in typical empire style, with traces of eclecticism alternating and sometimes combined. The Cubic Style in the furniture and exaggerated curves in the decoration Were rare between 1800 and 1830. Gilded wood disappeared, Although mahogany with bronze plaque appliqué became popular. Walls were divided into panels with raised bands, with Occasional pilasters. Egg and dart and garland Friezes decorated the cornice and the ceilings were framed with a band of decoration with asimilar circular band in the center. This interior design is seen throughout the mansion, with the single exception of the ground floor reception room which carries the Egyptian-Arabian influence in decoration.
NAZ RESTAURANT
Naz Turkish Cuisine, first ever Turkish 'Fine Dining' restaurant, represents the integration of Turkish Cuisine with world standart taste and smartness with a modern understanding to those who would like to feel special.
Serving with new decoration that reflected contemporary modern line and lively colors turn into very simple and stylish appearance, Naz Restaurant formerly known as 'Taşlık' has exquisite view of Bosphorus giving you an unbeatable atmosphere for your dining pleasure.
360 ISTANBUL
"Bird eye view of Istanbul in four seasons..."
The name of the restaurant originates from its spectacular view which covers 360 degree wide angle look at the marvelous city of Istanbul. The same understanding lies within the tastes that is offerred in the restaurant’ s menu. A journey of 360 degree to the world’s famous cuisines includes many stops of flavours and tastes which are unforgetable.
The Restaurant is managed by four partners. The architect Emir Uras who successfully restored and converted the place into a restaurant when the general renovations started in 2004, Sasha owning a second restaurant in Beyoğlu called “Local” which offers Indian and Middle Eastern Cuisine, Murat Koray in the name of the company who also owns the building where the restaurant is located and the South African famous Chef de Cuisine Mike Norman, who lives in Turkey since 1997.
Mike Norman, who was the previous Executive Chef of Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel, the founding partner of Chefs Restaurant & Catering and one of the partners at ProLongé Venue Marketing and Consultancy on Gastronomy, has developed the food and beverage concept of 360 and created its menu.
360 Restaurant & Bar is located on the terrace floor of one of the landmarks of Istanbul, the historical Mısır (Egypt) Building, which has been built by the architect Hovsep Aznavur for Abbas Halim Pasha of Egypt as his winter residence in 1910, and later was converted into an apartment by his heirs. The Catholic St. Antoin Church, another landmark of the city is located next to Mısır Apartment and its bell tower is in the closest view of 360 terrace.
The building has a number of well-known names of Turkey that took part in the building’s history; the famous fabrics shop Lazarro Franco was one of the tenants of this building for many years. Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the poet who has also written the lyrics of the Turkish National Anthem is one of the celebrities who lived in this apartment house.
Capacity: The venue turns into a bar after 23:30. It is covered by glass windows on four sides. Inside there is a two sided fire place which divides the room into two sections “the Bar and the Restaurant”. Winter seated capacity is 150 and bar capacity is 500. During summer the capacity reaches to 300 seated and 800 stand up as the windows are opened and the terrace is used.
RESTAURANT & NIGHT CLUB REINA
On one of the Bosphorus’s most beautiful spots, with its design that almost looks like a cruisdeck, Reina marks its distinction in the summer of 2006, too. The place which brings the best restaurants of the city together under one roof, had its name heard all over the world with
evening bar pleasure and club entertainment. Dragon (Chinese), G By Karaf (fish), Itsumi(sushi), Köşebaşı (kebab), Niş (Mediterranean), Park Şamdan (Turkish & world cuisine) and Reina Restoran which have cuisines of different countries present you different tastes. Reina which got its inspiration from the holy olive tree that is the symbol of love, victory,intelligence, peace, justice, abundance, fruitfulness and welfare the previous summer, is continuing to serve in the garden atmosphere far from design this year again. Reina which hosts many many celebrities both local and foreign, has become a brand that the world talks about. Respectable businessmen world-famous artists, sportsplayers, journalists, top models, cinema stars, politicians, investor prefer Reina. trendy restaurant.
VOGUE RESTAURANT
We were a bit apprehensive as our taxi pulled into what appeared to be a deserted building entryway. However our fears were allayed when a representative from the restaurant greeted us just as we exited the taxi. He directed us inside the building to the exclusive elevator used for Vogue, the trendy and fashionable rooftop restaurant on the 13th floor of a city office tower. Trendy restaurant.
SARNIC RESTAURANT
Just beside Ayasofya, in Istanbul, you will find a Roman cistern as old as Ayasofya itself. This extraordinary building, with its massive stone columns and its lofty brick domes, stands at the head of a row of guesthouse lining the narrow street immediately behind Ayasofya. Built nearly two thousand years ago as a cistern. it was used until recently (1960's and 70's) as a car repair workshop placed over the rubble!
The Turkish Touring and Automobile Associon, which converted the old houses in the street into a row of guesthouse, cleaned out the cistern, restored it and transformed in into a "Roman Tavern".
The present floor level was reaches by digging down to a debt of seven meters but investigations have show that the six large, massive, single-piece columns descend three meters below this.The original room has been preserved exactly as it was. The only addition is a fire-place in the ancient style.
During even the hottest days of summer, the cistern remains pleasantly cool, while in the evening it is filled with mysterious light provided by flickering candles. The dim yellow light from the wrought iron candlesticks fill the interior with all shades of history, while the special soup served directly from the fire-place deliht both body and soul.
The Cistern Tavern. Awitness and a record of the great, dramatic synthesis formed in the identity of the city Istanbul which was during three thousand years the capital of three great empires. A restaurant of the "Republican" period in a "Roman" building at an "Ottoman" street.
