Istanbul's Hidden Meze Bars: A Two-Day Eating Itinerary

A meyhane — the word translates roughly to "wine house" — is a traditional Istanbul restaurant built around three things: small plates of meze, glasses of raki, and conversation that goes on for hours. They're loud, smoky, often grungy, and absolutely essential to understanding what Turkish dining is.

You can't easily replicate the meyhane experience in Canada. The meze are similar; the raki is the same; but the atmosphere — the rooms that have been wine houses for sixty years, the regulars at the bar, the live fasıl music — exists in Istanbul and basically nowhere else.

The meyhane you want has families in it. Tourist traps have only tourists. The locals know.

This is a two-day itinerary for visitors who want to understand the meyhane scene. It works for anyone making the trip, but it's especially useful if you're a serious Turkish food enthusiast — there's only so much you can learn from restaurants outside the country.

What a meyhane actually is

A meyhane has a few fixed features:

• Small plates. A meyhane meal is meze, not a main course. You order ten or fifteen small plates and pick at them all night.
• Raki. The anise-flavoured spirit is the drink. It's served with cold water and ice cubes — pouring water into the raki turns it milky white (called the "lion's milk" effect).
• Slow service. Plates arrive when they arrive. Don't rush.
• Live music, often. Many meyhanes have a small fasıl ensemble — typically a violin, a clarinet, a kanun, and a singer — that plays old Turkish songs through the night.
• Late hours. A proper meyhane evening starts at 8pm and ends well past midnight.

Day One: The classics

Lunch — a meze primer

Before the night meyhane begins, get a calibration lunch at a daytime meze restaurant. Look for a place in Karaköy or Galata that does cold meze: haydari (yogurt with dill and garlic), muhammara (walnut and red pepper paste), ezme (chopped tomato and pepper relish), patlıcan salatası (smoky aubergine), and çiroz (sun-dried mackerel).

Eat with bread. Drink ayran. Don't drink raki yet — you have a long night ahead. Take notes on which mezes you like; you'll want to order them again at the meyhane.

Afternoon — walk Beyoğlu

Walk through Beyoğlu, the historic European-style district on the northern side of the Golden Horn. The street to focus on is Nevizade Sokak, a narrow side street off the famous Istiklal Avenue. Nevizade is the heart of the meyhane scene — half a dozen of Istanbul's best meyhanes sit on this single block.

Reservations: yes, on weekends. Walk in: usually fine on weeknights. Either way, look in the windows. The meyhane you want has families in it. Tourist-trap meyhanes have only tourists. The locals know.

Evening — your first meyhane

Pick one of the well-reviewed Nevizade meyhanes. Sit down at 8pm. Order a half-bottle of raki to start (you can always order more). Begin with cold meze — five or six small plates, including haydari, muhammara, and patlıcan salatası. Add a plate of böreks (small cheese pastries) and one of grilled octopus.

The waiter will check on you constantly. The bread will be replenished. The raki will be refilled.

After the cold meze, move to hot meze: lamb sweetbreads, fried calamari, grilled sardines. Don't order a main course — meyhane meals don't really have one. You'll be eating small plates for three hours.

Around 11pm, the fasıl music will start (if your meyhane has it). The regulars will sing along. Don't take videos. Just listen.

Day Two: Beyond Nevizade

Most visitors to Istanbul go to one of the Nevizade meyhanes and stop there. The deeper meyhane scene is in three other neighbourhoods.

Lunch — Kuzguncuk on the Asian side

Take the ferry across to Kadıköy, then walk or take a short cab to the small neighbourhood of Kuzguncuk on the Bosphorus. Several small fish-meze restaurants here serve a daytime menu that's better than most evening meyhanes. Sit outside if the weather allows. Order a meze plate and a glass of white wine. Watch the ferries on the Bosphorus.

Afternoon — Asmalımescit

Back in Beyoğlu, walk through the small alleys of Asmalımescit, another meyhane cluster less touristy than Nevizade. The meyhanes here have a slightly older, more local clientele. The mezes are equivalent to Nevizade's, but the atmosphere is quieter.

This is also where many of the city's best fasıl ensembles play. Several venues have music every night of the week.

Evening — a quieter meyhane

For your second night, pick a small meyhane in Asmalımescit or in the Çukurcuma antiques quarter. You'll have fewer tourists, more locals, and a more representative evening.

Start with raki and cold meze, the same way as the first night. By now you know which mezes you like. Order three you tried before and three new ones. Add a plate of fried liver (arnavut ciğeri) if your meyhane does it well — it's a classic that's hard to find outside Turkey.

Stay until the music ends. Walk home through the quiet alleys of Beyoğlu at 1am. This is, for many people, when they fall in love with Istanbul.

What to order at any meyhane

The reliable shortlist:

• Cold: Haydari, muhammara, ezme, patlıcan salatası, çiroz
• Hot: Sigara böreği, fried calamari, grilled octopus, arnavut ciğeri
• Mains, if you must: Grilled sea bass, lamb chops, mixed grill
• Dessert: Skip it. Most meyhanes serve fruit or nothing. Get baklava the next day.

What it costs

A serious meyhane evening — meze, raki, music — runs about 1,800–3,500 Turkish lira per person (roughly CAD$80–180 depending on the exchange rate and the venue). It's not cheap. It's also one of the great dining experiences of the world.

If you're a Turkish food enthusiast and you haven't done a meyhane evening, this trip should be on your list.