The lively Nevizade Street (Nevizade Sokak) in Beyoğlu, located in the modern part of Istanbul, is where the party’s at, on any night of the week, winter or summer. A trip to Istanbul simply is not complete without having tasted the mezes (cold starters) in one of the many meyhanes (taverns), or having enjoyed a beer on the terraces of the various pubs.

The Most Atmospheric Eating Spot in Town

Nevizade is a small street parallel to Istiklal Caddesi, located behind the historical Flower Passage (Çiçek Pasajı) and easily accessible via the Fish Bazaar (Balık Pazarı). Marked with on the Map with Tourist Attractions in the Modern Part of Istanbul. While Nevizade is the name of the main street, it actually refers to whole nightlife area, including the maze of small streets connecting to it.

If Nevizade is not the most famous eating and drinking area of Istanbul, then it certainly is the liveliest. On any given night the streets are packed with people, young and old. All with the same goal – having a good time out while enjoying mezes or other small dishes, accompanied by alcoholic beverages – being it rakı, beer or wine.

Any Meyhane in Nevizade Will Do

As soon as you enter the Nevizade Street, waiters will try to convince you to pick their restaurant. Food wise you can’t go wrong in any of them. Just walk up and down the street first, and pick the one which offers you the most attractive table. Personally, I’m a regular of the Nevizade Restaurant.

In the meyhanes, musicians playing fasıl (mostly classical Turkish) music wander from table to table. Be aware though that it’s considered rude to have them play a few songs without tipping them (TL 10-15). So make sure to kindly decline their offer as soon as they approach your table if you’re not a big fan of the genre.

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If you want to enjoy a typical Turkish dinner consisting of mezes (Turkish starters) accompanied by one or more glasses of rakı (Turkish national anise-flavored spirit), then head for one of the meyhanes (casual restaurant) in Nevizade Sokak. And although you really can’t go wrong with any of the eateries there, my favorite is the meyhane with the same name: Nevizade Restaurant.

Nevizade (Nevizade Restoran)
Location
Nevizade Sokak No: 12, Beyoğlu
on Map with My Favorite Restaurants in the Modern Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 521 16 34
Open
Daily till past midnight.
Credit cards are accepted.
Make reservations if you want good seating arrangements.

Seating Arrangement

Once you reached the Nevizade restaurant and resisted the tempting offers made by the other restaurant owners in the busy Nevizade Sokak, you have two options: either ask for a table on the first floor (preferably by the window or on the small terrace) or on the rooftop terrace when the weather is hot enough.

Whatever you do, don’t sit at the ground level since it may get too noisy and/or busy.

Mezes and Rakı

As soon as you sit down, the waiter will come to take your order while showing a huge plate with over 30 mezes. Don’t worry, the ones on the plate are just for display purposes, yours will be freshly made. Each of those mezes (cold starters) cost around TL 5, except for some of the fish dishes. Mostly not on that plate but highly recommended are a portion of white cheese and patçanga böreği, a hot starter consisting of melted cheese and pastırma (dried and smoked meat).

The idea is that each person picks one or two of his or her favorite mezes, which will later be put in the middle of table for sharing. Mezes come with flat bread (pide) and are usually washed down with rakı and water, but you are of course free to order a glass of wine or a beer.

Main Course or Not?

The waiter won’t ask you to order a main course yet. It’s not uncommon to skip the main course and just stick to the mezes, certainly if you intentionally or accidently ordered a few too many. If you do still have a healthy appetite after the starters, you can choose from an assortment of grilled fish or meat dishes.

As a starter I usually go for: beyaz peynir (white cheese), patçanga böreği (melted cheese roll), kavun (melon), soslu patlıcan salatası (eggplant salad in tomato sauce) and yaprak dolma (stuffed wine leaves). If I take a main course, I usually take the karışık et ızgara (a plate of mixed grilled meat).

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If you’re a carnivore, you should at least eat once in The Hamdi Restaurant (Hamdi Et Lokantası). Located on Eminönü Square, close to the New Mosque (Yeni Camii) and more or less next to the Spice Bazaar, this restaurant has turned grilling meat into an art. Combined with a panoramic view of the Golden Horn, it’s an opportunity you simply can’t afford to miss.

Hamdi Restaurant (Hamdi Et Locantası)
Location
Tahmis Caddesi Kalçın Sokak, Eminönü
on Map with My Favorite Restaurants in the Historical Part of Istanbul
Tel: +90 212 528 03 90 / +90 212 512 54 24
Open
Daily till midnight.
Credit cards are accepted.

What started out as a one-man show by Hamdi Arpacı himself after moving from Urfa to Istanbul in 1960, grew into one of the locals’ favorite restaurants.

Besides the obligatory and delicious mezes and an assortment of hot starters, the Hamdi Restaurant offers nothing but meat dishes. You can choose from twelve different kebap dishes, grilled to perfection on the charcoal fire (mangal). A glass of cool rakı is the obvious choice to go along with it, but there are of course plenty of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available.

The Best Spot in the House

Since the place is so immensely popular, despite the fact that it consists of 5 floors with a total capacity of 500 people, you should make reservations.

If the weather is hot, try to get a table on their small terrace. These seats are just priceless. But even if those are no longer available, there is no need to panic. The entire top floor offers a great panoramic view over the Golden Horn and is especially during summer very enjoyable with the windows opened completely. And even if they can’t fit you in there, you can still opt for a table in the Oriental saloon, reflecting the south-east culture.

Starters are TL 5-10, main course TL 13-18.

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