Early this past summer, my friend Mina Dilber, the founder of Anim Living, invited us to Istanbul for some events surrounding the opening of her pop-up store in town. Surprisingly, this was the first visit for Matt and me–the city was always high on my list, but I really wanted to wait until I could experience it with a local friend. Once I met Mina, I knew we’d be in great hands.
Flying into Istanbul’s massive new airport (literally the biggest in the world) about an hour outside of town, we couldn’t get over how huge the city felt–more like flying into Mexico City than into, say, Athens. We checked into the Soho House, in the Beyoğlu district, met up with Mina and a few of her friends who’d come for the celebration, and were immediately whisked down to the Bosphorus and to a boat that took us for a sunset ride on the narrow strait dividing Europe and Asia. Ultimately we arrived at a fantastic fish restaurant, Lacivert, on the sea on the Asian side, where we ate so many incredible courses and drank even more raki.
All together, we had about five days in Istanbul (with several days in Bodrum at the Amanruya in the middle)—splitting our time between SoHo House (best hotel gym ever, plus access to their gorgeous club is included for hotel guests) and Pera Palace (straight out of a Wes Anderson movie–super old school, not the cool crowd, though it’s down the street from Soho House). We really fell in love with the city. It’s definitely not the easiest to navigate given its size—and the traffic! Mina wanted to show us all of her favorite spots, so we did quite a bit of driving between neighborhoods, which made it feel a lot like L.A. (A Google search confirms that the traffic is the worst in the world, which means you have to be strategic!) Then again, it has a robust water transportation system–from water taxis to ferries to catamaran sea buses–so you can avoid the land, get some sunshine and wind in your hair, and see the city from the water, which is just magical. On this trip and in the weeks since, I’ve met so many great locals who shared their favorites with me, which I’m turning over to you. —Y.E.
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
Hussein Chalayan is a British-Cypriot fashion designer who incorporates science, technology, and other innovative materials into his designs. He has won the British Designer of the Year award twice and is currently a Professor of Fashion Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin.
Enis Karavil is an interior designer and creative director who owns Sanayi313, a design studio, curated retail space, and canteen (we had a fantastic lunch there, and Matt was super impressed with the vintage watch collection).
Demet Müftüoğlu–Eşeli is the curator, creative director and co-founder of ISTANBUL’74 Arts & Culture Platform and Istanbul International Arts & Culture Festival.
Mina Dilber, founder and creative director of the Turkish lifestyle brand Anim Living.
Erkal Aksoy is the owner of A La Turca, an antique shop and gallery located in the antique quarter of Çukurcuma.
Lucinda Scala Quinn is a former Martha Stewart colleague where she was the senior vice president and editorial director of food. She is the founder of Mad Hungry and the author of five cookbooks.
Serra Türker was born and raised in Istanbul and is the founder and creative director of Misela, a very chic handbag line.
EAT + DRINK
Some days we actually ate three lunches, no joke–we wanted to try everything! You’re in much better hands with all of the contributors below, but here are some of my food highlights: the rice-stuffed mussels and the donuts at stands just outside the Spice Bazaar. The stuffed almond and walnut-stuffed figs inside the spice market. I loved the fish sandwich at Dingonun Ahiri in Beyoglu–it’s super simple–and perfect with the coldest beer. We loved our dinner at Asmali Cavit–great sardines and meze, and lunch at Hamdi was incredible–the best kebab and incredible views over the city.
Some days we actually ate three lunches, no joke–we wanted to try everything! You’re in much better hands with all of the contributors below, but here are some of my food highlights: the rice-stuffed mussels and the donuts at stands just outside the Spice Bazaar. The stuffed almond and walnut-stuffed figs inside the spice market. I loved the fish sandwich at Dingonun Ahiri in Beyoglu–it’s super simple–and perfect with the coldest beer. We loved our dinner at Asmali Cavit–great sardines and meze, and lunch at Hamdi was incredible–the best kebab and incredible views over the city. —Y.E.
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